Jalisco dreamin’ Zazon Guadalajara Grill 2386 Fruitridge Road, (916) 393-9090 Many Californians say they know Mexican food, but what we really know is a fairly Americanized version. Because with a country as big as by Ann Martin Rolke Mexico, of course, there are a multitude of culinary styles that we barely come across here. Zazon Guadalajara Grill offers a fun experience for learning more about foods native to the state of Jalisco, where the city of Guadalajara resides. The menu is extensive, though, and there are plenty of familiar dishes, too. Rating: In fact, my dining companions and I first tried more familiar foods to better judge them HHH against nearby restaurants. The al pastor burrito was a monster, even without the sour dinner for one: $5 - $10 cream and cheese. Zazon’s pastor is more crumbly than others, but sports plenty of complex dried chili flavor. It was lost in the burrito and better featured in a taco. In fact, the tacos are outstanding. The cabeza (beef cheeks) and barbacoa are the best fillings—both so tender they practically melted. The chicken tasted rich with dark meat and a subtle spice, while the carnitas are flavorful but tend toward dryness. Typical of Jalisco, there are also fried fish tacos on the menu. The Guadalajaran influence shows in H Flawed several shrimp dishes. We tried the grilled and garlic preparations, both served with buttery HH rice studded with corn, peas and carrots, and has moments plenty of sautéed peppers and onions. We loved HHH the slightly charred flavor of the grilled shrimp, appealing while the garlic ones were marred by an offHHHH flavor that indicated they were past their prime. authoRitative The beans that accompany many of the HHHHH entrees are not the usual pinto or refried, but epic Jalisco-style peruanos. These little yellowish beans were perfectly al dente and served in their own flavorful broth alongside expertly cooked plain rice. On another visit, we sampled the pozole, Still hungry? only available on weekends (along with birria search sn&R’s and menudo). Zazon offers a small portion or “dining directory” the gargantuan size you see at most places. to find local restaurants by name The broth was disappointingly bland, but or by type of food. once dressed with plenty of lime, hot sauce sushi, mexican, indian, and cabbage, the soup came alive. It’s just italian—discover it not one of the best choices. all in the “dining” One confusing aspect of Zazon is that the section at www.news print menu doesn’t include all of the items on review.com. the boards above and below the register. Leave yourself plenty of time to read everything. The restaurant serves huaraches and tejuino, for example, which aren’t listed on the printed menu. The huaraches are served in little masa boats that can be topped with any of the featured meats plus tomatoes, cabbage and salsa. Tejuino is a fermented corn drink native to Jalisco, but we didn’t realize it was an option until after we had already ordered. There are lots of other great beverages, though. Fruit and milk licuados are refreshing, and the horchata here is some of the smoothest and most flavorful any of us had tasted. The desserts are another whole avenue of exploration. Flan, jericallas and bionicos BEFORE
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are listed on the menu—the last two totally unfamiliar to any of us but specialties of Guadalajara. Jericallas are sometimes called Mexican crème brûlées, but are browned on top without extra sugar. Bionico is a fruit salad originally sold as street food but is now enjoyed widely as a dessert. The latter was a wonderful mix of fresh fruit topped with a cream sauce (usually crema and condensed milk). Diners add additional toppings to order, such as granola, coconut, raisins, sprinkles or chocolate chips. It was fantastic.
The tacos are outstanding. The cabeza and barbacoa are the best fillings— both so tender they practically melted. The refrigerated case also offers rice pudding, a slew of sweet cakes mostly covered in whipped cream, cake pops and stunning gelatin desserts shaped like flowers. The ones we tried were good, but not great, although we hardly sampled them all. Zazon is somewhat inconsistent in quality, but full of interesting flavors and friendly service. It requires several trips to sample even a small portion of its menu, but it’s worth it to discover some of the interesting dishes of Jalisco that aren’t at most Mexican restaurants. Ω
Plants tho
Richard Watts really cares about animals. So the Brit started a website called Vegan Sidekick (www.vegansidekick.com) where he posts “crappy cartoons”— simple line drawings of figures engaged in dialogue, like one depicting a vegan who says he avoids harming animals to a meat eater who then responds with a whatabout-the-feelings-of-plants comeback. The meat eater’s “Plants tho” defense has become Sidekick’s double entendre tagline. It’s a funny way to illustrate a typical argument herbivores hear. Watts gets some intense comments from trolls on his Facebook page, writing treatises against the vegan viewpoint and becoming the embodiment of the comics, but Watts deals with them elegantly. For those in-the-closet vegans who are afraid of confrontations, this is helpful reading. Watts has also self-published a book of his work (two, actually: One is the dirty-mouth adult version) at www.lulu.com.
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