Restaurant Review: Los Potrillos

[ysabetwordsmith]

On Monday, we discovered a marvelous Mexican restaurant in Charleston, Illinois: Los Potrillos. (The name means "yearling horses" in Spanish.) You can find it at 1305 Lincoln Ave. (217-345-6440) They advertise "real Mexican cuisine" and live up to it.

The menu is long and involved, and we intend to go back and explore it further. Everyone was delighted with their order. Mine was "Camarones al Mojo de Ajo" (shrimp in garlic sauce): the most delicate buttery sauce, with a warm garlic note that didn't overwhelm the shrimp. The rice and beans were good. The tortillas were excellent, warm and tender. We also split an order of flan for dessert. (The prices are reasonable, and for that, you get enough food to satisfy two ordinary people. For three entrees, we had lunch for three people plus supper for two! Hence the splitting of dessert.) Now we were all fans of flan, but this was extraordinary flan. It was perfectly creamy without that tough gritty layer that forms on the bottom if you overcook it. It also arrived with a generous cover of whipped cream, ever so lightly drizzled with bittersweet chocolate syrup. Every other flan I've had in America has been bumped down to "pretty good" in comparison.

However, there's one other reason to visit the restaurant besides the food: the art. The inside is decorated with splendid murals. The one on the back wall shows a Mexican street scene, very pretty, that we looked at while eating. As you come in, the left side of the little hallway has a barn scene painted on it. But opposite that -- on your right as you come in -- is a truly striking picture of several dancing horses. If you're an artist or a fan of murals, that one is worth the trip.

We're looking forward to our next visit.

Comments

[je-reviens.livejournal.com]

hm....I detest Mexican food...but shrimp in garlic sauce sounds delish!!!

Last night I tried a new recipe -- angel hair pasta in a hummus sauce topped with scallions, snow peas and crushed peanuts. Sadly, it was not very good. Live and learn. I did bake cookies to make up for it!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I think a key trait of a good cook is the willingness to try wacky new things. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. It's still an adventure.

[je-reviens.livejournal.com]

I love the adventure of wondering what it will taste like...and then finding out. I have had a few failures but mostly successes! I am also loving that cooking uses all 5 of my senses, and for me, it's very creatively challenging bc I still don't quite know what I'm doing.

Earlier this week I made turkey cacciatore stoup -- thicker than soup, thinner than stew, with turkey meatballs. I used portobello mushrooms, even though I don' tlike them, and cubanelle pepper, which I'd never tried. The meatballs were delish though they need some tweaking IMO. Still very yummy and lots of veggies. That one is a keeper!

I've also started baking. Last night I made Andes Mint cookies, from scratch. My second attempt, since I did not have enough chocolate the first time. Only my 2nd time ever baking cookies from scratch and they came out perfect!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I also use all five senses when cooking. I have a rare knack of being able to taste by scent, which is really useful. My partner, conversely, can discern by reading a recipe what something will taste like and whether it will be worth making.

For Samhain this year I made hot rolls using an approximation of my grandmother's recipe. That is, I got a rough draft from my mother, since my grandmother didn't cook by exact measurements. I was pleased that the first attempt turned out to be tasty, although not as good as I remember. That's okay: I know what's different, and after a few rounds of making hot rolls I'll figure out how to match the results to my memory. Since Grandma was one of my main role models for cooking, I know how to measure by hand.

Besides, I love homemade bread. I don't often have the time for all the kneading and rising, but I enjoy the feel of it. So I like to make bread or rolls for special occasions like sabbats or holidays. One of my favorite activities is standing around kneading dough with a friend or two for conversation. Cookie dough can work too -- we've made the intricate and splendid family recipe for gingerbread cookies several times for Yule.

[je-reviens.livejournal.com]

Maybe one day I'll move into the making bread realm. One of my idols, Laura Ingalls Wilder, said she absolutely hated making bread, though she did it every week for 80 years. She said she hated the dry feeling of the flour on her hands.

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I recommend starting with cornbread. It's very easy to make, it doesn't require kneading, it goes with a lot of foods, and most people like it. Yeast breads are a little more challenging because they require kneading, and yeast can be finicky about whether or not it feels like working for you that day. Me, I love the silky feel of flour and the soft, springy texture of dough.

[je-reviens.livejournal.com]

I've made cornbread fro a box but I will have to try from scratch at some point.

Today, I have pumpkin muffins to make! Happy Samhain!