Perfect Patron from Cantina Laredo.
My mouth waters for Mexican food the minute I arrive in Phoenix. Luckily Maralyn and Norm are there to pick me up and head out for the hot and spicy real thing.
One my favorites is the upscale, yet casual, Cantina Laredo at San Tan Village in Gilbert, Arizona. I begin as usual with the most highly recommended Margarita, “Perfect Patron” The bar staff makes the traditional recipe, but with the finest ingredients of Patron silver and citronage. Maralyn and Norm chose the tasty, slightly tart pomegranate Margarita.
Sitting, sipping, and scanning the menu as the orange sun sets in the desert, or over the ocean, is one of the best moments of my day, anywhere in the world!
At the Cantina, your guacamole is muddled fresh at your table, allowing you to hand pick the amount and v arivariety ingredients, mine with hot peppers and Maralyn and Norm without.
In our decade long quest to discover the finest chili Rellano, the Catina’s Mexico City version is close. Of course, we will never find the actual favorite, just need to keep traveling and tasting.
We cannot reveal the exact proportions, but here are the ingredients. It is fun to experiment at home or find a Cantina Loredo and order this dish. Maralyn claims it is similar to outstanding cuisine she found in Puebla, Mexico.
The chili is filled with ground beef, pork onoins, bell peppers, garlic, cloves, raisins, almonds and salsa rojo. The chef, dips the pablano chili in egg batter and deep frys it very lightly.
Right now it is 5 am and I am, for once, not hungry. Yet I could devour this dish for breakfast. This Cantina does serve a bountiful brunch on Sunday.
I usually oder their black beans, but Allison recommended the Borracho pinto beans. They were delectably made with fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, cilantro, and beer.
Most notable is that every time I return to Cantina Loredo, the chef or the manager appears in the dining room, greeting patrons and taking time to learn what we like. This attention to detail, and to the customers, is what we choose to highly recommend.
Brenda C. Hill
International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association
Books By Hills Success Log Global Log
Finalist in the Writing and Publishing category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, “$uccess, Your Path to a Successful Book”
Author: Brenda Hill
As a longtime food writer for Where Magazine New York City, Brenda Hill, along with her writing partner, Maralyn Hill (no relation), writes and publishes books about chefs, food and international travel. They co-authored "Our Love Affairs with Food & Travel" and joined French Master Chef Herve Laurent in writing "Cooking Secrets: The Why and How" Brenda has been active in the California Writer's Club, IFWTWA, and the Santa Barbara's Writers Conference. Brenda Hill and her partner Maralyn Hill conduct marketing and writing seminars. Maralyn and I will be heading back to Rancho La Puerta in July to give our presentation on writing and marketing your book, as well as bringing back some freshly picked off the farm nutritious and tasty recipes.
