Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Molcajete: My Favorite Soul Food

Some people overcompensate for shortcomings by purchasing gargantuan SUVs or wearing blinged-out Rolexes. Me, I put an accent on the “a” in my last name. I’m half-Mexican, and proud of it, but that doesn’t really come through in my appearance. Even though I look about as Hispanic as Ron Howard when I go long stretches without adequate time in the sun, the soul food of my heritage resonates with my heart and my palate like no other cuisine in the world.

Whether it’s enchiladas or tortas, menudo or humble street tacos, any Mexican meal brings me back to my roots in a most delicious way. But there’s one dish I hold above all others for its rich soulfulness—molcajete. It’s portions of meats, cheese, scallions, and nopales (cactus paddles) smothered in an earthy, spicy chile broth that’s named after the vessel in which it’s served—a mortar fabricated from heat-conducting rock. The dish is relatively easy to find south of the border, but in my experiences, difficult to get in the States.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/14/26232/

To date, the only place I’ve unearthed it in San Diego County is Mi Guadalajara (525 W. Second Ave.), a Mexican restaurant in Escondido sporting a lot of square footage as well as some really interesting architecture and interior design touches. Whenever I go there, I find it impossible to, one, not gaze up at the colorful mural work gracing the high ceilings, and two, order their molcajete.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/14/26233/

They offer steak, chicken, or a combination of the two, but carne’s the best way to go. It stands up nicely to the bold spice of the condiment in which it swims, which has gotten increasingly aggressive over the years. The last time I enjoyed it, I left with purple lips and a thin mist of sweat across my brow. It was definitely a case of hurts-so-good.

As is tradition with molcajete, Mi Guadalajara serves theirs with a plate of accoutrements, which includes tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, rice, and beans. Add in the gooey queso and cactus strips and you have all you need for some killer build-your-own tacos. The only untraditional thing about this dish is the fact it’s served in a faux molcajete that doesn’t hold heat like the traditional stone variety. It’s safer, but leaves something to be desired.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/14/26234/

On a recent trip to Tijuana to investigate a craft beer bar recommended by fellow contributor Ian Pike, I was whisked by several locals from said suds-hole to a grand and festive dining hall a few miles away. Upon reaching the middle of the restaurant’s multi-page menu, I found, splayed out like a sultry centerfold, an entire section devoted to different varieties of molcajete.

It sounds kind of silly—maybe it was the effects of the Baja-brewed imperial stout I’d just downed—but I suddenly felt like I was home. That sentiment only grew when I saw a long banquet table of diners all sporting their very own scorching stone cauldrons of peppery goodness. Lots of dishes evoke reactions of “yum” or “wow,” but only one brings on a sense of cultural pride for me the way a molcajete can.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance

Some people overcompensate for shortcomings by purchasing gargantuan SUVs or wearing blinged-out Rolexes. Me, I put an accent on the “a” in my last name. I’m half-Mexican, and proud of it, but that doesn’t really come through in my appearance. Even though I look about as Hispanic as Ron Howard when I go long stretches without adequate time in the sun, the soul food of my heritage resonates with my heart and my palate like no other cuisine in the world.

Whether it’s enchiladas or tortas, menudo or humble street tacos, any Mexican meal brings me back to my roots in a most delicious way. But there’s one dish I hold above all others for its rich soulfulness—molcajete. It’s portions of meats, cheese, scallions, and nopales (cactus paddles) smothered in an earthy, spicy chile broth that’s named after the vessel in which it’s served—a mortar fabricated from heat-conducting rock. The dish is relatively easy to find south of the border, but in my experiences, difficult to get in the States.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/14/26232/

To date, the only place I’ve unearthed it in San Diego County is Mi Guadalajara (525 W. Second Ave.), a Mexican restaurant in Escondido sporting a lot of square footage as well as some really interesting architecture and interior design touches. Whenever I go there, I find it impossible to, one, not gaze up at the colorful mural work gracing the high ceilings, and two, order their molcajete.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/14/26233/

They offer steak, chicken, or a combination of the two, but carne’s the best way to go. It stands up nicely to the bold spice of the condiment in which it swims, which has gotten increasingly aggressive over the years. The last time I enjoyed it, I left with purple lips and a thin mist of sweat across my brow. It was definitely a case of hurts-so-good.

As is tradition with molcajete, Mi Guadalajara serves theirs with a plate of accoutrements, which includes tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, rice, and beans. Add in the gooey queso and cactus strips and you have all you need for some killer build-your-own tacos. The only untraditional thing about this dish is the fact it’s served in a faux molcajete that doesn’t hold heat like the traditional stone variety. It’s safer, but leaves something to be desired.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/14/26234/

On a recent trip to Tijuana to investigate a craft beer bar recommended by fellow contributor Ian Pike, I was whisked by several locals from said suds-hole to a grand and festive dining hall a few miles away. Upon reaching the middle of the restaurant’s multi-page menu, I found, splayed out like a sultry centerfold, an entire section devoted to different varieties of molcajete.

It sounds kind of silly—maybe it was the effects of the Baja-brewed imperial stout I’d just downed—but I suddenly felt like I was home. That sentiment only grew when I saw a long banquet table of diners all sporting their very own scorching stone cauldrons of peppery goodness. Lots of dishes evoke reactions of “yum” or “wow,” but only one brings on a sense of cultural pride for me the way a molcajete can.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.