The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: La Flor Michoacana

06/02/2017

Five Finds on Friday: Carlos Cruz

Carlos

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Carlos Cruz, sous chef of Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie. With Dr. Ho’s owner Michael McCarthy, Cruz is poised to launch Dr. Ho’s Food Truck, featuring a rotating menu of favorite dishes of Cruz and McCarthy, such as a yellowfin tuna banh mi, with sesame-crusted tuna, Sriracha mayo and pickled vegetables. There will also be General Ho’s Chicken, plus simpler fare like a grass-fed burger, hand-cut fries, and hand-churned ice cream. The truck debuts next week at Ragged Branch distillery, on June 8 from 5-7 pm. Then, Saturday, June 10, from 12-5 pm, find them at the annual open house of Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery. Cruz’s picks:

1) Tacos al Pastor from Sabor Latino (food truck on 29N). “I worked with Elias & Fragoso at Dr. Ho’s for a couple of years. Nobody’s more serious about tacos than these guys. Their tacos al pastor are the real deal and the Jarritos are always ice cold.”

2) Nance Ice Cream from La Flor Michoacana. “Not many people have heard of nance and this is not your typical ice cream. Go and you will be glad you did. This family makes a very unique and special product.”

3) Pupusas Revueltas at Super Amanecer. “The pupusas revueltas are the best I have found anywhere. These are filled with pork and cheese and topped with pickled cabbage a simple salsa. I see no reason to make pupusas when you can find them this good. I am also crazy about the caldo de res! It’s the biggest bowl of beef soup you could imagine.”

4) Chicken Salad (or is it turkey?) on an Everything with lettuce, tomato, and onion at Bodo’s Bagels. “Delicious, fresh and FAST!”

5) Shrimp with Vegetables from Asian Express. “I love the food from Asian Express. The jumbo shrimp with fresh vegetables, stir fried in a brown sauce, is my go-to dish. Pair that with super-fast delivery and my whole family is a happy as can be!”

Hostruck

03/03/2017

Five Finds on Friday: Ryan Collins

ryanc

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Ryan Collins, Executive Chef of Early Mountain Vineyards. This weekend, on both Saturday and Sunday, is Early Mountain Vineyards’ popular Spring Oyster Festival, with live music, Rappahannock oysters, and an a la carte menu by Collins including fried chicken, clam chowder, and corn chowder. Info and tickets here. Collins’ picks:

1) Marañón Paletas from La Flor Michoacana Ice Cream Shop. “With my kids, I normally get a fruit-based one like Guanábana (soursop) or Piña Colada. When I don’t have to share with my kids, I get the Marañón flavor (cashew). All of them are great but that is my favorite.”

2) Pickled Shrimp at Oakhart Social. “This dish hits on all points for me. It’s salty, sweet, spicy, acidic, oily and herbaceous with lots of textures. I can eat it with my hands, a fork or just make little lettuce tacos with it. I love this dish.”

3) Spam from JM Stock Provisions. “So it’s spam, but not like what you think. It’s made from beautiful Virginia pork, and the care that is taken to make this spam is not like what you get in a can (although I’m not knocking the canned stuff either). It’s made by hand with attention to detail and attention to flavor that comes from meat instead of mounds of salt. Now that you’re okay with spam, I like to get it with a jar of Gordy’s pickles and some bread from Marie Bette and bring it home to make a sandwich. I slice thick slices and use plenty of mustard. If you are feeling fancy then feel free to crumple some potato chips on top of the sandwich.”

4) Crispy Tacos at Barbie’s Burrito Barn. “I go here not necessarily craving the traditional Mexican tacos on hand-pressed corn tortillas but the crispy tacos.  Her pork, chicken and beef fillings are all great – but with the crispy tacos I always go with the beef filling.  It’s like the best version of the ground beef taco filling you grew up with. I get the tacos with everything on them – I want all the sliced radish, cilantro and lettuce you can give me. I put some crema and Tapatió on top and crush everything with my fork and eat it like a taco salad. I crave the taco salad nostalgia. With Barbie’s fried daily tortillas and awesome meat and salsas, I really can’t get a better version of this any other place in Cville.”

5) Martinez at Tavern & Grocery. “I don’t know if this is printed on their cocktail menu, but they have the best cocktail program in town so I order whatever I want. That doesn’t mean I go crazy, but I like to order a classic three-ingredient drink called a Martinez (gin, sweet vermouth & maraschino liquor) and they make it perfect. I might have three or four of these and an order of the caviar service with extra house-made chips. It’s a great start or end to my night in Cville.”