Apparently
top chefs let their own pickiness seep into their restaurants' menus. I happen to like sweet potatoes, lentils, and oats, three of the rejected food items, but agree completely that green peppers, cilantro, and celery have no place in the kitchen. If I were a chef, I'd ban the following: all types of liver and mushrooms, mayonnaise, cream, sour cream, cream cheese, whipped cream (but not ice cream), and poultry (including hens, quails, and, needless to say, pigeons). No cream-of-mushroom soup, no chicken salad, you get the idea.
No cilantro, no sour cream, no good Mexican food. I mean, I'm no Mexican, and I'm sure that you can make some damn good Mexican grub without those two, but in my experience, they're pretty integral. At the very least, you'd be really taking it to nachos, burritos, and a whole host of Americanized, but tasty, Mexican dishes.
ReplyDeleteI've been quite pleased with Mexican/"Mexican" food, from Chipotle in Chicago, Kitchen in NYC, and even, in my less picky high school moments, Fresco Tortilla, and have steered clear of sour cream and, if possible, cilantro. Cilantro is not nearly as offensive as sour cream, so it could be that I was eating it and not noticing.
ReplyDeleteThe classification Nathan is looking for is Tex-Mex. Phoebe, Dr. B's protestations about salsa fresca aside, no cilantro means no pico de gallo, and no pico de gallo is a sad thing.
ReplyDeleteagm
there's cilantro in chipotle's salsas and probably the rice too as they put some kind of green stuff in there.
ReplyDeletechipotle does use a weird sour cream that's almost like a liquid though other places use sour cream that has the consistency of wax.