Anybody want to go partners on the "roach coach"?
Dan
A lot of people on here suggest that you "make your own" when it comes to food like Mexican. So how is it that a bunch of mostly white guys can find and purchase the ingredients to make goo ethnic food but many restaurants can't (or won't)? It sounds like there are a few good places but even though I live in the largest city in this country I guess I have to drive to Basel or Winterthur?
I decided this little squabble really needed to be sorted out by a vegetarian who has never been to Mexico, so I went to El Luchador for lunch.
It was ok - I particularly liked the little tray of sauces (onion and coriander salad, coriander-y pico de gallo, a smoky tomato-y one and lime and chilli) which added interest as well as heat to what was otherwise a fairly ordinary plate of rice, tortillas and vegetables. The chunks of lime were a nice touch. Compared with the best Mexican food I've had in California, it was light on dairy products (no cheese? No sour cream?) and I was disappointed by the lack of black beans (should order some on the side next time). It isn't the Mission in San Francisco, that is for sure, and it's not trying to be Oaxacan or TexMex. Also, the green kopfsalat served on the side with a bit of baguette is definitely not very Mexican.
That said it was quite enjoyable, different and a rustic atmosphere, and doing its best without the wealth of fresh ingredients Mexico/ California has on hand. Might go there again if I get a real craving.
I think copious amounts of dairy are Americanizations. Most fare from Mexican street vendors I encountered in south Texas offered no dairy at all. And I don't know what you ordered, but I've had tacos and tortas there and never saw a Kopfsalat or Baguette.
It *must* be near the Kinderspital, because it certainly wasn't where google maps said it was (Beinwilerstrasse 18). My husband and I stood in front of that address and it is a lovely apartment building. #20 next door is an empty looking business
Perhaps tomorrow I'll walk around the Kinderspital area and see what's there...
We used to live in Noe Valley. Papalote's was our favorite! Line out the door most days after work. Loved the salsa which they eventually also sold separately.
Dan
I should have said this specifically - it looks like the FB page is partly a personal page and the map is her own address in Kleinbasel, under Places Lived. You need to click on the link to La Piratata under Work and Education to get the map to the takeaway. I've just looked up Beinwilerstrasse and it's in Gundeli, so I'm not entirely sure how you got there, but am impressed with your determination to find it
AFAIK La Piratita closed some months ago. I infer from the comments in the FB profile that the owner is still privately taking orders.
It is a pity that they also closed Cafe Tacuba, an authentic Mexican restaurant that was located in St. Alban (Basel).
If somebody is seriously interested I know of a couple of ladies that prepare Mexican food on request.
Look at flight schedules. Even very important European airports have either NO direct flights or only a very small number of them to Mexico City. This is a result of the small size of Mexican communities in Europe. And this means that most "Mexican restaurants" are owned, managed and conducted by Non-Mexicans, generally using Mexican recipes. If you compare this with Texas and California where every major village has a sizeable Mexican community and various flights per week to Mexico, you will realize the point
************************************************** *********
To say three things. First of all, as much as I like "Mexican" cusine as such I do not know "genuine" Mexican stuff at all, as Atlanta, Houston and Matomoros are NOT "Mexico". Second however, I do not care too much about things being authentic, as long as what I get is good and pleasant to me.
However, if you need additional salt in a Mexcan restaurant something is wrong, either with the restaurant or with you. Either you are a seasoned SchniPo -Salt- Aficionado or the place is enroute to become a Röschti-eria or more likely an "Italian" ristorante
************************************************** ************************
As you certainly are perfectly aware of, TEXMEX is quite nicely EUROPA-COMPATIBLE, as soon as you replace the big coffee-containers with wine-bottles --- and so very often is THE option even for managers of "Mexican" restaurants who know real Mexican cuisine fairly well
************************************************** *********
There are 2 restaurants that I know of:
Am still searching for a real good joint.
Or didn't find it
But yeah, it was a bit of a scavenger hunt to get to the Beinwilerstrasse
Mexican restaurants are definitely lacking in the area. I hear the best in the area is http://www.treskilos.ch/ in Seefeld. Don't know how authentic it is as I haven't gone. As much as I love Mexican food I can't bring myself to pay 30chf for a chicken burrito. : ) However, I'm told you better make reservations well in advance if you plan on going on a Friday or Saturday night--so there must be some demand for that type of cuisine here.
Just made up four dozen corn tortillas, and will make two dozen flour ones tomorrow.
(got a fifty pound bag of masa harina in the basement)
Tom
We went to El Maiz for the first time last weekend. Ended up spending about 100chf just because we were so excited to finally get something like this.
But even better, we had a great lunch at Libanon Il Achdar, the Lebanese place around the corner. The shawarma was delicious and a decent price (8 chf). Also the mixed plate was great. Why aren't there more places like that around?
Dan
El Luchador is not bad at all, it seems as close as it gets. It is still not the real shtick, especially in portion sizes, since massive amount of fresh juicy food is such an integral part of Mex cooking. I think more lime, fresh seafood and heaps of fresh shredded cilantro, more chillies, more tomatoey spicy salsa and El Luchador will get there.
Re: cheese and sour cream, and salt:
Here's the word of a real Mexican. Tacos DO NOT GO WITH SOUR CREAM. Tacos DO NOT HAVE CHEESE in them, unless they're a quesadilla. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "TACO SHELL". A "vegetarian burrito" is a figment of your imagination. (Besides, in Mexico they're called "burritas", and they're about half as thick and twice as long, and they have only meat inside, not all that disgusting salad and beans and other junk foreigners put on their wraps).
And if you go to most restaurants in Mexico, you'll find at least 50% of the Mexican people eating at the restaurant, in Mexico, adding salt to their food even before tasting it.
Just sayin' in case the lack of these ingredients you think are fundamental to a cuisine you probably never really tasted in central Mexico is what makes your restaurant "non-authentic". (And I say central Mexico, because towns northern towns bordering the US will prepare the food according to the American tastes, to help business, of course)
Also, to think that Mexican food is characterized by being "spicy" is a gross misunderstanding. "Spicy" is Indian food. Mexican food can be "piquant". But it is seldom spicy. And even the "piquant" gets adjusted to taste, by adding more or less of the little tray of typically 4 sauces you get at any decent Mexican restaurant: red chili sauce, green chili sauce, guacamole, and pico de gallo. That's it.
Bread is very rarely served to accompany a meal in Mexico. That's what tortillas are for.
If you're a strict vegetarian visiting Mexico, I wish you good luck consistently finding something to eat.
Truths.
Anyone been to Burrito Brothers in Lausanne?...Just noticed this place just near Flon but the line prevented us from stopping at the time
You mean Mexican tacos. Tex-Mex tacos obviously do have such things.
Navajo tacos do not, which are really good by the way.
We were not very shocked to find a lack of Mexican restaurants when we moved to Zurich, but I did find a great (but small) store near the HB, called El Mais I think, that makes fresh corn tortillas - including glutenfrei - and supplies cilantro and queso fresco, among other authentico treats. This was a huge improvement over buying Old El Paso, etc. at Migros. There is a restaurant down the street that we haven't tried, but coming from Chicago where there is a huge population from Michoacan and Rick Bayless, we are wary of trying the European take on Mexican A modern Mexican restaurant here would be great.
In winterthur, near the train station is el burrito Feliz (schutzenstrasse). It's run by actual Mexicans from Oaxaca - it's very good, fresh, but not modern American Mexican. They've recently enlarged their location to seat 30.
El Maiz is well known around here. You can order some of their stuff online. They are the best source of Mexican food here.
Try www.lataqueria.ch It is the closest you will find.