Chalio restaurant Archives - Local Food Eater

Five Ridiculously Ethereal Ethnic Cakes – and Where to Find Them

February 16, 2022 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) These ridiculously ethereal must-try cakes seem to have won over even the most die-hard, “no dessert diner.” You can include me, and a host of others in that statement because when you have a perfectly balanced meal, you don’t want to mar that perfect last bite.

Berry Chantilly Cake

This Whole Foods Market exclusive southern belle of a treat features layers of delicate vanilla cake, fluffy Chantilly cream frosting and fresh berries. It’s so irresistible, in fact, that people have been known to stand in line for it through power outages and impending natural disasters. Curious what the hype is all about? Read on for more delicious details about Berry Chantilly Cake.

This cake first made its debut 13 years ago at the Arabella Station store in New Orleans, where one of our talented Bakery team members formulated a recipe based on her grandmother’s original creation. It was an instant hit, and other stores picked up the recipe.

Two sizes of Berry Chantilly Cake Whole Foods Markets. Slices are sold out.

The cake is available in two sizes at Whole Foods Market for six or eight people. Slives are available if the cakes aren’t spoken for already. This rarely happens. I know. I tried the month of December.

//www.wholefoodsmarket.com/departments/bakery/berry-chantilly-cake

The Restaurant at Mr.C’s Merengue Cake

Restaurant Manager, Miguel Morales and server Derek made the lunch special. Service is attended to with old-school charm and aplomb. This makes the food and the dessert we came for taste even better.

We had spotted the Vanilla Meringue Layer Cake on a tray prepared for guests at a spirited 21st birthday party outside earlier in the year. Restaurant Manager, Morales, told us it is the “signature cake” of the hotel worldwide. We had come back and try it.

**Vanilla Meringue layer cake** at The Restaurant at Mr. C’s

Instagram – //www.instagram.com/mrchotels/

Facebook – //www.facebook.com/mrcbeverlyhills

Website – //www.mrchotels.com/hotels/beverly-hills-los-angeles-ca/dining/

Mr. C’s Beverly Hills, Rest1224 Beverwil Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90035, (310) 277-2800

Equally light and angelic is the chocolate cake at The Restaurant at Mr. C’s

Tres Leches Cake

Light, richer than rich Tres leches (three milks) is one of the most popular Mexican desserts, let alone cake.

On the ARO-LATIN menu is a light, most moist, tres leches cake, created by Candy Garcia Raina, co-owner of with husband, Karan.

AROLATIN,Co-owner, Candy Garcia Raina ‘s moist, *tres leches*

AROLATIN, 1019 Mission Street, S. Pasadena, CA 91030 (626) 799-9400. (//arolatin.com/). Order online for pickup or delivery below.

Tres Leches Cheesecake

The description, “Tres Leches Cheesecake,” at Chalio Mexican Restaurant , accurately describes this signature dessert there. The tall, round supremely moist tres leche cake made with three kinds of milk has stripes layers of sponge with cheesecake. Perfection.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 66357044718__D1DF74F4-C5BA-496C-B509-3FB1B3CCFF53.jpeg — The homemade tres leches cake at Chalio restaurant

www. ChalioMexicanRestaurant. com, Chalio Restaurant, 760 S Atlantic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90022

Gulab Jamun and Ras Malai Cake

Gulab Jamun is a classic, tried and true dessert at every Indian Restaurant. Banana Leaf is no exception. The elevated presentation here, however, adds to the intensity of its individual components . Here it is in a little black bowl on a banana leaf embellished by one single drop of cardamum

Gulab Jamun at Banana Leaf in Culver City

**Baker Vivek Kiran’s airy Gulab Jamun sponge at Banana Leaf Restaurant in Culver City**

The desserts require a special flour and a deft touch.

**Vivek Kiran’s** Gulab Jamun and Rasmalai sponges at Banana Leaf in Culver city

Banana Leaf, 10408 Venice Blvd Suite: B, Culver City, CA 90232, (SW corner of Venice & Motor),(310) 838-2130 (www.bananaleafla.com)

Chai Tea with cinnamon is perfect with any of the desserts

Lemon Hazelnut Torte

My heart belongs to this Lemon Hazelnut Torte that was once served at the Rose Cafe as a slice and then as a little round cake on its own. The baker once worked for the brilliant Amy Pressman in Pasadena.

Back on the Beach //www.backonthebeachcafe.com

Il Forno 2901 Ocean Park Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 450-1241. //www.ilfornocaffe.com/

Liven Up Sun in Capricorn with the Best Goat Dishes!

January 13, 2022 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Celebrate sun in CAPRICORN with us. Capricorn is symbolized by the sea goat, a mythological creature with the body of a goat and tail of a fish. The figure comes from the shape of the constellations in the sky determined in ancient times. The hardworking and loyal Mountain Goat that rules this zodiac sign are known to be persistent, determined, and willful, high-minded and focused.

The goat represents sun in Capricorn (Deember 19-January 20)

Yet this the rugged little goat still has all the makings of the most marvelous, complex rustic dishes. And we have Stepladder Creamery Rocky Butte goat cheese made from 100% farmstead goat milk. You can also sponsor a goat at the Creamery, and visit them although tours are now on hold.

We have Goat Halal Dum biryani, goat marinated in yogurt, spices, saffron and cooked in the special Dum (sealed lid) method Banana Leaf Restaurant, along with Rogan Josh, a fragrant goat curry prepared form a special masala spice mix. The goat is remarkably tender from long hours in marinade.

Rogan Josh features goat at Banana Leaf LA Restaurant

Goat Halal Dum biryani, tender goat marinated in yogurt, spices, saffron

Goat is made unbelievably tender by marinating in natural ingredients for a long time

Stepladder Creamery adds Rocky Butte goat cheese made from 100% farmstead goat milk only available this season. Mynor at the farmers market tells us how Rocky Butte goat cheese is a washed curd cheese aged at least four months in the cave it is named for at the end of the Santa Lucia range. The creamy, mild cheese is delicious on its own, with crackers or fruit.

Added to greens, dried cherries or cranberries and toasted hazelnuts Rocky Butte goat cheese combines to make our favorite salad that only needs a drizzle of basil-infused olive oil, a squeeze of meyer lemon and a sprinkle of pepper.

**Stepladder Creamery** Rocky Butte Cheese, hazelnut and dried fruit salad

Mexican Birria is a house specialty of Chalio Restaurant in East LA. Birria is a Mexican ancestral stew from the state of Michoacan. The Spanish term “birria” is used to describe immaterial things without value or quality. It is a traditional ancestral soup or stew made from a combination of chili pepper-based goat meat adobo, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, and thyme, and cooked at a low heat. Read the story in

Birria reflects the ancestral stew of its origin

For there’s decadent rasmali or tres leches cake for even the most disciplined Capricorn!

Four-Generation-old famous Birria Recipe at Chalio Mexican Restaurant

June 10, 2018 Comments Off

A family member always at Chalio, her grandson, Rick.

(Gerry Furth-Sides) for young Chalio Luis in Jalisco, watching his grandparents cook delicious birria to ready for each weekend was more than a welcome treat. This was a 1930’s and the ritual became a highlight of his childhood. By that time the recipe has already been in the family for four generations, ever since the 1880’s.

Today, birria is also the longtime favorite of several generations at Chalio’s, family-owned Chalio Mexican Restaurant in East Los Angeles. And it got its initial claim to fame with birria, a spicy goat stew. And rightfully so. Layers of flavor permeate the dish of tender strips of marinated meat in a rich broth.

Young Chalio was not the only one who loved the traditional birria. Family legend has it that the townspeople would order and wait with great anticipation for their special occasion order to arrive. It was a “must-have” from weddings to funerals. Chalio wanted to re-create this feeling for customers. And he has succeeded.

Chalio Restaurant Birria (bottom) with all the trimmings. We were served the most popular House Specialty: (4)Pistola or Hueso, nervio, carne or bone with nerve & meat.

In the 1980’s Chalio made his way to the US working as a field hand. Before long he was selling birria out of his backyard. He would drive warehouse to warehouse selling to workers, too. Eventually, the dish because so popular that customers came looking for him — with up to 150 in the backyard. So it wasn’t surprising that when he opened his first restaurant it was an instant a success.

The spicy stew dish, Birria, which originated in Jalisco, is traditionally made of goat meat marinated in adobo spices, mutton (yes, sheep!) or less often out of chicken or beef.

Chalio’s honors the goat dish with no less than 8 choices of parts including (1) Pescuezo or neck and bones; (2) Aldila or Carne con Nervio, Meat with nerves; (3) Pienesillo/Espinazo, Espinazo Hueso or Tender meat with bones; (4)Pistola or Hueso, nervio, carne or bone with nerve & meat; (5) Costilla, Carne con Hueso or Tender Rib (6) Maciza/Pierna, Carne sin Hueso or boneless meat).

Chalio’s freshly prepared chips & salsa House-made corn tortillas, with onion and lime.

Chips made in-house with a habanero sauce so popular the restaurant bottles it for sale by customer demand.

Chalio’s hot Habanero sauce

A refreshing Chalio wine Margarita goes with everything (only $6.50!)

Family friend and Chalio manager, Frank Mendez, thoughtfully guided us through the 6-page menu of special, unusual traditional dishes.

Family friend/Chalio manager

In the background, we could see homemade tortillas being made in the performance kitchen.

Homemade tortillas made performance kitchen style at Chalio Restaurant

Chile Verde, with a meat of your choice, rice, and beans covered in green chile with melted cheese piled on top features a variety of wholesome and spicy tastes. It is a favorite of our writer friend, Barbara Hansen, who wrote it up for the Los Angeles Times

Chalio’s Chili Verde –

Molcajete Azteca in a black stone pot is filled to the brim and over with chicken, beef, chorizo, quasi-ranchero and molcajete salsa (below). The Yucateco version adds shrimp, steak, and avocado.

Dramatic Molcajete Azteca at Chalio Restaurant

Molcajete Azteca with a beautiful smile coming right up at Chalio Restaurant

The word machaca comes from machacado (pounded or crushed) and used dried, hydrated and pounded spiced beef that results in extremely textured, tender meat.

A bowl of Barria (in the background) sits next to a platter filled with the traditional lime, onions, plus rice and beans is next to it. Huevos con machaca and Chili Verde represent a perfect cross-section of the menu.

Frank thankfully talked us into dessert: “Tres Leches Cheesecake.” The dessert arrived and it was indeed tres leches, and it was cheesecake, and was still a surprise! – it was an appealing slice of around regular (supremely moist tres leche) cake made with three kinds of milk, striped with cheesecake. Perfection.

It is bittersweet that the last picture we saw at Chalio was of Anthony Bourdain, who visited the restaurant for the Travel Channel. The engaging video is below.

www. ChalioMexicanRestaurant. com, Chalio Restaurant, 760 S Atlantic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90022

Chalio restaurant

Five Ridiculously Ethereal Ethnic Cakes – and Where to Find Them

Liven Up Sun in Capricorn with the Best Goat Dishes!

Four-Generation-old famous Birria Recipe at Chalio Mexican Restaurant

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