‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’ is one of our favorite shows on the Food Network. Guy Fieri has become uber popular and has created an empire of TV shows, knives, barbeque sauces, books, and rock/food appearances. We have a lot of fun visiting restaurants that he has featured on his show. ‘La Texanita’ a Mexican restaurant located in Santa Rosa California was visited by Guy and it sounded road trip worthy. Santa Rosa is just a hop skip and a snack at Angelo’s Smokehouse away
La Texanita is a festive and brightly painted establishment. When you walk through the door a large autographed photo of Guy Fieri will greet you. You have a seating choice of about a dozen indoor tables or the outdoor patio. Dr. Biggles and I agree that a quality indicator of the meal to come will be the chips and salsa. These chips came with a refreshing cucumber, lime and avocado salsa and a nondescript bland canned tomato, onion and pepper mix. The cucumber salsa was unique and perked our taste buds for the meal to come.
The menu was scanned and no Chile Verde was found. The Molcajete dish sounded delicious. This was a bowl of grilled components; beef, chicken, shrimp, cheese, and onions served with a spicy broth in a carved stone molcajete. Rice, beans and house made tortillas accompanied this dish. This stone cauldron came to our table steaming and bubbling with flavor. The first thing I noticed was the beans were not your ordinary pintos but white beans. At first I was a little skeptical but after a couple of spoonfuls I was hooked. Creamy, smooth, salty and full of lard made these beans very special. The broth of my dish was a very special combination of tomato’s peppers and meat flavor that was superb. The grilled panela cheese did not have a lot of flavor but added a tofu like texture to the mix. This dish was not spicy hot but the combination of flavors melded together to create a very satisfying dish.
Ms. Goofy had the carne asada tacos which were featured on the TV show. These were made with house made tortillas. The house made tortillas did not really have the pop and wow that we have experienced in other Mexican restaurants. These tortillas did cradle taco filling that was spectacular. Ms. Goofy was very happy with her plate. We both had very good dishes. It is always fun to visit a “Triple D” food adventure spots. Give it a try sometime.
La Texanita
1667 Sebastopol Rd.
Santa, Rosa, Ca. 95407
707 525 1905
Las Camelias in San Rafael, my gold standard for Mexican food, serves white beans like that - delicious! If I get up to Santa Rosa, I will give this place a try.
ReplyDeleteZoomie, I do admit I liked the white beans. They were tasty and something different. I will pass on Las Camelias because they do not serve Chile Verde.
ReplyDeleteSo you'll have to take a retro pass on La Texanita because it doesn't serve chile verde! :o)
ReplyDeletecookiecrumb, You are a trouble maker aren't you. When Guy Fieri goes to Las Camelias so will I.
ReplyDeleteHa ha! Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteOur paths must have crossed last week at some point. Santa Rosa is chock full of fun places to eat.Guy is a local legend. He's driving the bus to flavor town!
ReplyDeleteGreg, Next time we will have to coordinate a rendezvous. I like flavortown.
ReplyDeleteI will talk to the owners about Chile Verde - maybe they'll add it to the menu just for you. If you decide to try it, ask for the Carne Asada, medium rare, and prepare for a treat.
ReplyDelete.Oh Zoomie, Yes we are looking forward to that. Would it be allright if Cookiecrumb and Cranky came along. We could let
ReplyDeletecookiecrumb order;
Marin,Grass fed, Organic, Tye Dye, love. White beans wih a swirl of cheese to the left