A Century Of Good Food

 It's rare a restaurant hits the 100 year mark, yet Los Amgeles' El Cholo has managed to do just that. This beloved staple  has been feeding celebrities college stidents and families. What's their secret? Good food and good drink.

Deputy business editor Kevin McKenna takes a break from finance writing and wrote this informative piece  along with giving recipes for today's New York Times Food section. El Cholo is one of those unique  eateries that you would see more in Europe where families own restaurants through the centuries.It started in 1923 when Alejando and Rosa Borquez opened up the Sonora Cafe  named after their home state in Mexico. It was renamed EL Cholo a couple of years later  in 1925.and located near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Their daughter Aurelia took over with her husband George Salisbury , a regular she met while waitressing there. The current owner ,their son Ron was born in 1935. His earliest memories are of helping his mother count change  at their cash register . He also managed the place for his father when he was eighteen and also going to college. His youngest of seven Bennett, will be running the restaurant now. during its' one hundred years it attracted the burgeoning Hollywood community. regular customers were Clark Gable, Loretta Young and Nat King Cole. Jack Nicholson was also a regular and brought his girlfriend Michelle Philips to el Cholo. Her voice provides the outgoing message for the restaurant. Tom Seaver was a big fan and part time owner  during his college days. he later brought Nolan Ryan there. 

Have the recipes changed over the years? Yes. Mexican food was not really big with the Anglo community and the dishes were often bland witohut any of the usial spices. Over the decades American tastes changed and people were becoming more adventurous. Chimichangas were added in 1967 and crab meat enchiladas in 1971. It was the addition of nachos that  brought in more customers for  El Cholo.This was thanks to waitress Carmen Rocha who brought them in by stealth . Her knowledge of the dish followed her from Texas. she started to prepare them for diners who loved them. Yet it was the introduction of the margarita in 1960s'. The first ones were not that great according to Ron Salisbury  A fellow restaurant owner gave hima few tios, namely blending a variety of tequilas for the drink. Mr. McKenna offer ElCholo's signature dish Sonora style enchiladas. He also includes the green and red sauce recipes too. The filling is shredded cooked chicken sauteed with Mexican oregano, garlic polamo chilis and a tomato. Each are different. The red has guajillo and California chilis cooked with chili di arbol and a onion The green is made   from chicken stock , green bell peppers, spinach onion and poblano chiles. Both are used in assembling the enchiladas and then they 're stacked and served with a fried egg on top. cheese and black olives are sprinkled on top.

el Cholo represents a family's  century devotion and hard work. it has severed generations of Angelenos amdintroduced Mexican food to Hollywood. It is the king of restaurants.

Vive Le Cuisine Belgique!!

Belgian cuisine is as diverse as the country itself, influencing the world with their  chocolates,frites and waffles. There are also influences from neighboring countries of France, Holland and Germany, but reworked to a distinctly Belgian taste. It is a cuisine of the sea and the land, perfectly married together.

Belgium was one of the first ":manufactured" countries, having been established in 1830. The original people, the Belgae were a Celtic-Germanic mix of people.Through centuries and the French Revolution the country either belonged to France or The Netherlands.It  finally came into its own during the Belgian Revolution of 1830 when the  French  nationals of the country's southern region overthrew the despotic rule of the Dutch king William I. The Dutch influence is still felt in some of the cuisine, especially the seafood.Mussels or moules are huge  throughout the country and feature largely in stateside Belgian restaurants , especially in the Manhattan ones. A pot of steamed mussels in white wine,or moules Marniere  is a treat.It is a savory and briny blend of plump mussels steamed in white wine, garlic, tarragon and parsley. Some chefs add cream to it for more lushness. Eels are also popular  as they are served in an herbal green sauce, rich with spinach and parsley, tarragon and dill . Mint and sage are also added for more flavor along with an onion. A truly hearty dish is carbonade flamande,a take on the famed French dish, boeuf Bourguignon. It  loaded with beef and onions along with beer and mustard.Thyme and bay leaves are also added to it, and it's served with a crusty baguette.

Of course most of these dishes are served with the famed frites or fries, first made as early as 1760. This is where America gets its' fries from however there is a slight twist. Pomme frites are served with mayo along with other sauces that features tomatoes, garlic , peppers and pickles.. They are usually bought from friteries , stands or restaurants that feature them along with kebobs,carbonade flamade as well as meatballs , hamburgers and sausage.Many Belgian home chefs have fryers at home and make them fresh on a regular basis, using beef fat for the frying oil. This gives them a more meatier flavor. Waffles are another Belgian import, beloved around the world. The original recipe produces a lighter crisper version usually served with fresh whipped cream, strawberries and occasionally a dark chocolate sauce, Chocolate, too , has put the country squarely on the map of culinary contributors.It's been associated with the country since the 1630s when the country was under Spanish rule and raw cacao was being brought in from Mesoamerica. It was Belgian chocolatiers who gave us the praline, a chocolate dipped nougat and the fancy ballotin box.


Belgium cuisine has influenced the world. It's is an amazing blend of cuisines , and influences  melded together to  create a mouth watering array of savory and sweet . We have them to thank for our favorites, from our waffles to our fries to our chocolates.!


Stay strong Belgium, our hearts and thoughts are with you, toujours!

.