Nada, tome dos (take two)

This week, the book club was at Nada. For some it was the first time and for others it was second or third. Like the last time the food and experience was wonderful. Additionally, the service was fabulous. And I mean that in more ways than one. Rick, our server, was eager to answer all food questions and had superb drinks suggestions.

We started off with chips, guacamole and salsa. Both the guacamole and chips were spot on; the chips were warm and freshly salted. Some shared a ceviche, a light appetizer. It was shrimp and scallops marinated in citrus juice and tomatoes. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but one woman thought it didn’t compare to the one she had in Spain.

The drinks were strong and flavorful. My recommended drink was a tad sweet but still very good. Unfortunately I can’t remember any of the names but if you order anything from the drink menu, you won’t be disappointed.

When everyone’s dinner arrived there was a variety of tacos on the table; vegetarian, mahi mahi, and chicken. I got vegetarian tacos which had sautéed portabella mushrooms topped with beans, rice and chihuahua cheese. The combination of mushrooms and toppings tasted great. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the flour tortillas, again. For me, not only does flour tortilla take away from the authentic taste but it also makes the tacos rubbery because of gluten. Regardless of my personal demands, the ladies raved about their tacos. There was one concern raised for fried mahi mahi tacos; traditionally fish is grilled and at Nada the fish is dipped in a batter and fried. Since I like all things fried, I didn’t mind that when I ordered them during my last visit. Liz was the only person that did not order tacos; instead she got a pork green chile cazuela. And she raved about it after the first bite. Now, I know I said I wouldn’t eat pork after the roast, but I couldn’t resist a bite. It was very good, indeed. I have a feeling there will be many exceptions to the rule in the future. (Don’t judge me, how well did you keep your weight loss goal from January? okay.) We finished dinner with a caramel flan, key lime cheesecake and warm chocolate torte (in lieu of Emma’s birthday). All were decadent; my personal favorite was the torte because of the banana foster gelato from Madison’s. Speaking of Madison’s, Amy’s table did a show about their gelato on CET. And now I really have a craving for it.

Overall, it was a great evening for book club, dinner, and a birthday celebration. As I previously said, Nada’s a hip place for drinks and appetizers or a full fledged dinner. After greeting us, Rick stated “for those that haven’t been here, this is a contemporary Mexican restaurant with twist on some traditional dishes.” That sentence perfectly describes Nada.

What do you want for your birthday? Nada

My team asked about my birthday lunch and the only restaurant I wanted to try was Nada. It opened in late 2007 and has been on everyone’s charts since opening day. From my knowledge Nada took Bella’s place. A coworker called to make reservations for 10 and before she hung up she was told we would get a private room for the birthday party. A private room for me? oooooh, that’s exciting.

On Friday, I was so excited to go to lunch I almost didn’t get any work done. Yes I am that bad when it comes to food. The restaurant is conveniently located in the heart of town so street parking’s hard to find; if you find a spot, you’re lucky. We parked in one of the underground garages which set us back 7 dollars for 1.5 hours. Not bad.

After being greeted, we were told our party would sit upstairs in the back room. We walked up the funky, curvy stairs and headed to the private room. As we walked pass long and curvy red couches I was in awe of Nada’s contemporary chic interior. It plays up the bright color theme with reds, yellows and oranges. For a Mexican restaurant, they’ve transformed the space to resemble a hot spot for hip happy hour goers and diners.

The lunch menu is limited compared to the dinner menu, obviously, and consists mostly of tacos and sandwiches. I got Mahi Mahi tacos and my companions ordered grilled chicken tacos or Nada sliders. If any of you are familiar with White Castle, you know sliders are infamous with the fast-food joint. I won’t disgust you with the origins of the name. Tacos are served with a side of beans and rice and sliders are served with sweet potato fries. I read reviews about the Jalapeno Macaroni and Cheese so I ordered an extra side along with rice and beans. Gluttonous, I know.

My Mahi Mahi tacos had bright flavors. The fish was dipped in a batter, fried and stuffed in flour tortillas between guacamole and pico de gallo. With a sprinkling of lime juice the tacos came alive. As a lover of Mexican food, I would have preferred corn tortillas for my tacos as opposed to the flour tortillas. I am glad I ordered a side of macaroni and cheese. The top was crunchy from the broiler and the pasta was not overcooked. Additionally, the cheese and jalapenos added a spicy creamy kick to the traditional favorite. I didn’t care for the rice and beans because they weren’t flavored properly. There wasn’t enough of anything- cumin, coriander, chili powder or salt. Others that got sliders raved about the meat, they said it was tender and juicy. I stole couple sweet potato fries, for good reason. They were flavorful, not overcooked or greasy which is easy to do with shoestring fries. After stuffing ourselves, dessert wasn't an option for anyone.

Our server did an excellent job serving and staying on top of everything, especially with the 10 of us. And we're a colorful bunch. We were all a little surprised with the bill; we thought the portions were small for the price. However, combination of good food, service, food presentation and ambiance give Nada a prominent place in the mix. If you’re in search of an upscale modern Mexican restaurant, Nada fits the bill. I certainly plan to go back for happy hour, a formal sit down dinner, or even the macaroni and cheese. While it is a great restaurant to visit once in a while, I prefer the holes in the wall, mostly Spanish speaking joints that serve authentic food- the no frills spots that satisfy my Mexican food fix, inexpensively.

Shrimp Tacos

If I had to pick one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it would be fish or Shrimp tacos, along with sushi, Indian food, and chocolate. okay so that scenario wouldn’t ever work for me….. but you get the point, Shrimp tacos rate very high in my book.

It’s the combination of chili powder, ground coriander, lime juice, delicious juicy Shrimp, and lots and lots of cumin that come together on a homemade taco topped with sliced onions, cabbage and sour cream that make me happy happy. I love these little things. If I didn’t have to watch the numbers, I’d eat 8 in one seating, at least. When we went to California, fish tacos were on the top of the list because of the freshness of the seafood and the authenticity of the meal. We stopped at a small Mexican joint around Del Rey, that served the best fish & Shrimp Tacos. I wish I had pictures to share…. we’ll have to go back…



For the best Shrimp Tacos, I highly recommend buying fresh wild caught Shrimp. If you’re on the coast, that’s not such a problem. However for us Midwesterners, ocean is a 5 letter word. I cheated, as I always do. When we visit my parents in New Jersey, I make it a point to stop at their local seafood market and load up on shrimp and various types of fish. As soon as I come back from the market, I freeze everything for lasting flavor and freshness. I suggest buying shrimp that are still in their shells. Yes, it’s a giant pain in the ass to peel and devein them, but if you want authentic shrimp tacos, this is the best method. Lynne Rossetto Kasper explains the buying, peeling and deveining process here. And About.com provides a step by step guide.



Tacos de Camarones- Shrimp Tacos
(The spices are added approximately, as in all my recipes. Are you surprised? Cumin and Coriander are not hot spices, they add a lot of flavor so don't skimp on those. However chili powder is hot therefore add according to taste.)

Tacos:
2 cups of masa flour- It’s corn flour made from field corn. I use the Maseca brand.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of water, more or less

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour and water together until you get a smooth doughy texture. Knead the dough and if it is dry and crumbly, add water and on the contrary if it’s too watery, add flour. If you have to add water or flour, start small. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Marinade
25-30 count medium shrimp
2 tablespoon Vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoons Ground Cumin
1 tablespoon Ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons red chili powder, we like it hot
Salt to taste
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh Lime juice
Chopped Cilantro for garnish

Extras
1/4 of Cabbage, shredded
1/2 of Red onion, sliced
Sour cream

While the dough is resting, mix shrimp with oil, ground cumin, coriander, chili powder and salt. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile shred cabbage and red onion into thin slices for toppings, and finely chop cilantro.

After the dough has rested, roll into 12 golf size balls. Using a tortilla press, make medium tortillas. I believe this is the best way to make tortillas. I’ve read recipes on rolling out the dough between pieces of plastic, though that may work, I prefer to use my press. It’s a sturdy cast iron press and cost me about $20 on Ebay. The local Mexican grocers carry it as well.

Before starting, make sure to line the top and bottom of the press with plastic, sandwich, bags to keep the dough from sticking. Two tricks: press the dough slightly in hands before pressing and press it twice in the tortilla maker.
1. Press the golf side dough ball between hands. Lay it between the two pieces of plastic in the tortilla maker, off center, and press.
2. Then, open the top, reposition the flattened dough and repress for a thinner tortilla.

Repeat the process for all tortillas.

Heat a nonstick pan, cast iron skillet or the traditional comal on high heat and cook tortillas for 30 -60 seconds on each side and remove from heat. Do not add any type of grease to the pan.

Heat a non stick pan on medium high heat, add vegetable oil. When the oil is ready, add garlic and cook for 15-20 seconds, then add marinated shrimp to the pan, spices and all. Turn down heat to medium and cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes on first side and 1-2 minutes on the other side or until opaque in the center. These cook really fast so don’t leave the room to make a margarita. As tempting as that is....



Serve warm. Top a cooked tortilla with shrimp, cabbage, red onion, and sour cream.


(I took the pictures before adding sour cream)

Jihva for Tomatoes, or Tomatillos

Tomatoes, tomater, taameta, tomate; whatever word you use to call these fruits, you know when I say they're the most delightful things for any kind of cooking. They're so versatile, they can be added to any recipe for an enhanced taste. When I read that RP was hosting JFI blogging event and tomatoes were her pick for the month; I jumped at the opportunity to make a tomato-based dish. I went to a favorite grocer that sells a variety of vegetables and fruits including bittermelon, Indian eggplant, Japanese eggplant, lemongrass, fresh okra, plantains and a billion types of hot sauces. Products that would otherwise be oust from a typical store because they're international. boohoo. I bought fresh tomatillos to make a mexican favorite, enchilada verde. I made enchilada sauce using tomatillo salsa and the filling with spinach, black bean and cheese.
I came across a filling recipe by Sher at What did you eat She made a delicious spinach & kale enchilada filling that inspired me to try my hand at vegetarian enchiladas. I used black beans in place of mushrooms and kale and it still turned out great. Next time I'll even go as far as making the tequila sauce, if time permits.

Enchilada Verde

For the sauce:
4 tomatillos
2 garlic cloves
2 serrano peppers (2 made it spicy, just the way I like it; add according to your taste)
1 medium onion
teaspoon of cumin seeds
water

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Roast the vegetables and whole cumin in a baking dish for 14 minutes. When finished, let cool. Add some water to the blender along with the roasted ingredients and blend into a smooth sauce. Add salt and blend again.

For the filling:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 16 oz can of black beans, washed and drained
16 oz frozen spinach (defrosted and squeezed dry) or 1.5 lbs of fresh spinach, washed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teapsoon of red chile powder
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 cup milk1 cup Cheese- Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Smoked Cheddar, Queso Fresco (anything that tickles your fancy
Salt & Pepper

Heat oil in a non stick pan. Add garlic and onions and saute until onions are translucent and garlic is cooked. Sprinkle some salt & pepper. Add black beans and cook for 4-6 minutes. Then add spinach and cook until wilted. Add ground cumin, coriander, red chile powder and more salt & pepper to flavor the beans and the greens. Add flour and stir until thoroughly mixed. Cook the flour for 3- 5 minutes or until it starts to smell nutty. Whisk in the milk slowly to keep from lumping. Add 1/4 cup of tomatillo salsa and cook until liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat, add the cheese, and stir. Let the filling cool.

To make the Enchiladas:
8 corn, flour or wheat tortillas
Spinach and Black bean filling
Tomatillo salsa
Cheese
Fill each tortilla with the filling, roll and lay in a rectangular baking dish. Repeat this with the other 7 tortillas.

Pour tomatillo salsa over the enchiladas and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle rest of the cheese over the enchiladas and bake for 5 more minutes. When ready, the cheese should be bubbling on top.

The tomatillo salsa was unusual from the typical red enchilada sauce and added great flavor to the enchiladas. I made this when MG & EB were over for dinner; it was a big hit with the vegetarian guest. I'll certainly make it again.