Amigo Jim's, worth the wait

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Originally uploaded by haydnfj

It was sooooo long ago that I wrote about "Mexican Coming Soon." Happily it finally did come, I would wager to say it was maybe 8 or so months ago and in the form of Amigo Jim's, a small little shop with not much more but a kitchen, counter, communal table and seemingly one CD - Buena Vista Social Club as I've heard it on all three occasions I've been in there. It's essentially a take-away place. And it is somehow related to Jim's Pizza two doors down. Now, this should be cause for alarm, why should a pizza place open a Mexican place? Well, Jim obviously knows the answer because the enchiladas are incredible!

The pictorial proof isn't pretty, but I think it shows all that is going on. It's not overload, it's a full enchilada atop brown rice and smothered and covered in lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and hot chili. I go with the "Bandito" degree of hotness which is mid-level. It's fresh, flavorful and very filling.

Haydn and I stopped in tonight on the way home to pick up enchiladas, it's fall here now and completely dark out by 5:15pm, so starting dinner at 7 or so just sounds like hard work. Tis the time of year to put on Ugg boots, turn on an old episode of Law & Order, and settle in for the night.

-chunkytoast

The kitchen is now closed

There's been an abundance of home cooking this weekend, mostly because we were around, it was overcast and a bit rainy, and because we had good ideas, a bit of culinary inspiration.

Haydn, on his continuous mission to make me an unabashed egg-eater, got up early Saturday and headed to the Friendly Grocer and our neighborhood butcher for the goods. We had a cheese and veggie omelet with fresh salsa and bacon. Mmm, bacon. And the flat whites come from the kitchen too, with Haydn doubling up as chef and barista. And, yes I nearly ate it all.

Breakfast #1





Sunday morning was American-themed breakfast with pancakes, real maple syrup (thanks to Gregg!), and, hmm, maybe some more bacon. And flat whites. Weekends are for breakfast. Haydn made a tall stack of flap jacks, so we summoned Jimmy over to help out and we all sat around looking at the social pages of the newspaper. As it should be...

Breakfast #2



So tonight, I thought I should give my husband a break from slaving over a hot stove and I tried a little taste of home, or at least my most favorite soup from Der Rathskeller, Chicken Tortilla Soup. And I'd like to thank Joan Lunden for shaing her recipe, it's quite the popular one when Googling "chicken tortilla soup." Delicious, and definitely has some fire to it. Highly recommended.

And, scene: dinner





It's Grey's Anatomy time and then the weekend comes to a close.

Go Badgers!
tc

The Big Winner, part 2

And, now for part deux of the post...I visited the Beach Burrito Company for a fourth time and found a real winner. After a mix of good enough (burritos) and disappointing (no-melt nachos) , I went back for the quesadillas. After a highly leisurely day and an afternoon swim, I found a menu in my beach bag and couldn't resist the lure of my dear friends chipotle, guacamole, and three cheeses.

After ordering, the guy at the counter said "Amy, right?" because they call out your name when an order is ready. I corrected him, but I think I might now be a regular, or else I have a Bondi doppleganger named Amy who likes Mexican food, too.

But the BBQ chipotle chicken quesadilla was sublime. The chicken had a great grilled taste, and the three cheeses did a fine job of melting. Plus, this is a lovely, filling meal because it includes chips, salsa (very fresh with coriander(AU)/cilantro(USA)), and guac. The chips, which I did give due credit to in my earlier post, are sooo good there - thick, crispy, salty, seemingly made on premises. Well done, and I quite enjoyed the dining music of The Smiths Best of.

Beach Burrito Company gets it right.

Pictorial proof: