Even VIPs had to wait in a long line for early admission to The Taste of México at Vibiana. Two hours later, the line outside was still impressive.
That's how great a draw Mexican food is, especially when you can walk around and eat as much as you please. Drinking that night was another matter. Victoria beer poured generous glassfuls, but tequila went mainly into punch.
Although it wasn't the Day of the Dead, scary faces were abundant. The fellow in the photo at the top handed out tamarind-tequila punch at Casa Azul Cantina's stand.
CaCao Mexicatessen's tostaditas (above) caused a lot of talk. A crunchy bite of chicharrón on a thick creamy corn mixture was normal enough. But what was that spongy orange stuff spilling over the top? Sea urchin.
Lotería Grill presented red pozole with pork, and Candela Taco Bar offered tacos filled with pork in chile colorado and crema de elote (above).
Tortas Bravas handed out tortas ahogadas--ahogada means drowned, and these sandwiches were "drowned" in chile de árbol sauce. Tortas Bravas has the same owners as Amapola, the market and deli that you can hardly get into during the holidays, because the demand for its tamale masa is so great.
Commercial sponsors gave away samples including Tapatío salsa picante, Tampico Spice Company's fajita seasoning, ground New Mexican chile and oregano; Goya extra virgin olive oil, Nescafe's instant cafe de olla and Abuelita's ground Mexican chocolate drink mix (above). The chocolate cookies are from La Monarca Bakery.
Mass tortilla producer Guerrero showed off the bright colors of its chips and tortillas with a quesadilla plate (above).
One of the tiniest samples was one of the best--Mexikosher's tequila guanabana sorbet, made on the spot and scooped into thimble-sized cups.
La Casita Mexicana, a founder of The Taste of México Association, put caramelized peanuts on its arroz con leche, which elevated this common dessert into something exceptional. Across the hall, La Tiendita, which is La Casita's shop, offered a dazzling array of traditional Mexican candy.
La Monarca, another founder, stocked its table with conchas and mini buñuelos with agave syrup (above), dulce de leche cake with toasted walnuts, sacks of cookies and more, turning this section of the tasting into dessert heaven.
Not to be outdone, Public Kitchen & Bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel contributed sumptuous tres leches cakes with pineapple cream and guava caramel (above). Its big, fluffy marshmallows were flavored with passion fruit and, surprise, hot chile, an addictive combination. Each was packaged in its own cellophane sack with a gold tie, like an early Christmas gift.
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