poly-eats

[poly-eats]

Cantina Laredo

River: Last night, Jon and I went on a date! And that means it's time for some good food. Tonight's restaurant of choice was Cantina Laredo at the Mall of America, a self-described "Taste of Modern Mexico." Their dinner menu, which includes things like soups, tapas, tacos, fajitas, and enchilladas, as well as lots of fruity drinks, tequilas, and mezcals, seemed interesting and, despite me having been to the Mall many times before and passing by this very restaurant, I'd never tried it until now, so we thought it was perfect for a post-Spencer's-shopping-trip date idea.

When we got there, it was relatively quiet, though it was a Wednesday night, so that wasn't too weird. We got sat at a table in the corner with very pretty appetizer plates! Actually, the whole restaurant was decorated very nicely, with a classy, dark wood theme throughout and some woven baskets and other wall-hangings to give it some flair.

Our first dish was a classic tortilla chips and dip. I forgot to ask what was in it, as I like it very much, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say there were some kind of beans, chilies, cilantro and maybe some garlic in it.

This dish however, was where we ran into a main problem with the restaurant that was absolutely no fault of theirs. For those of you who do not know, there are some people with a gene that makes cilantro taste not like the yummy staple of Mexican cooking that it is, but more like getting your mouth washed out with a bar of soap, and, unfortunately, Jon has been cursed with this trait. That would have been fine, had we actually remembered to ask our waiter for no cilantro on things. So unfortunately, a large chunk of Jon's night was spent picking cilantro off of his food, and this dip, which I liked very much, was kinda off-limits to him, unfortunately. Again, I want to stress that it's no fault of the restaurant, we just forgot to make them aware of this.

Dragon Fruit Fresca

River: Anyway, Jon's going to tell you about the drink he got! I usually don't get anything since I'm the designated driver between us, but I get to have small sips of whatever cocktail he tries. In this case, it was the Dragon Fruit Fresca, a mix of Casamigos Blanco Tequila, Monin Dragon Fruit Syrup, fresh lime juice, and Fever-Tree Sparkling Grapefruit, for a price of $15.

Jon: Good drink! Much Fruit! Now, back to River with the food.

River: T...that's your whole review? Maybe I shouldn't make you be designated driver and I review drinks instead...

Jon: Okay, okay... In all seriousness, the drink was tasty, and the alcohol wasn't very noticeable (most alcohol tastes like how rubbing alcohol smells to me). I was a little disappointed by the amount, as the glass was mostly filled with ice, and that's a little sad for $15

River: I would agree, the lime masked the bite of the tequila well, which allowed it to be a smooth, tropical drink. I tend to not like lime as much, so it wasn't exactly my kind of drink, but I think that it was well-put-together and, had I liked lime more, I think I would have maybe stolen this one from him.

Anyway, as he said, onto the food!

Chicken Nachos

River: The first dish we ordered was the nachos, and, full disclosure, this was a lot more fancy than I thought it would be, since I was expecting something like the greasy pile of chips, cheese, meat, and other toppings in a basket that I served at my last job. Being on the tapas section of the menu, however, it makes sense that they would be more bite-sized and more refined. These had three options; one for $9.50 with no meat, one with grilled chicken (which we got) for $15, and the most expensive option at $17, which included fire-charred skirt steak.

I was pretty happy with the grilled chicken ones. They had a layer of refried beans hidden under the melted cheese that I didn't even notice until Jon pointed it out to me which added some nice flavor, and on top there was a nicely-seasoned slice of chicken, some refreshing diced tomatoes, and, of course, Jon's nemesis, cilantro. They also came with scoops of sour cream, guacamole, and some sliced jalapeños. I especially liked them with the sour cream, and they were a nice starter, and I got to take some home with me for lunch today! I'm also a bit of a "good plating" nerd, so the construction of this dish made my brain very happy.

Jon: As mentioned prior, I have a genetic bias against anything with cilantro (which sucks, as I now cannot call myself a true human trashcan who will eat anything put in front of me), but despite this (and a few minutes of picking off the cilantro), they were pretty good! My only real complaint is the amount we got for the price (I'm stingy by nature, though, so take that with a grain of salt).

Chicken Enchiladas with Beans and Rice

River: Just recently at work I got introduced to the magic that is creamy poblano enchilada sauce, as we made a version for our customers, so when I saw that the menu had, as they describe it, "Pulled chicken enchiladas, monterey jack, with sour cream poblano sauce," I knew I had to try it.

As you can see, I got the option with two enchiladas for $13 (you can get a third for another $3), which isn't bad based on just how much food there was on the plate. I don't know if this picture really does it justice, but a problem (or a bonus, depending on how you look at it) that we had were that all of our plates were enormous, especially Jon's, which you'll see in a bit. We ended up taking home two full takeout boxes, so really, it's like you're getting two dinner's worth of food for the price of one. In terms of taste, the enchiladas were very smooth and rich, and not overly-soggy. The sauce was mild but flavorful, and my only complaint would be that I was struggling to pick it up cleanly with my fork, which made it a bit messy (though that could be just an enchilada thing in general).

The rice is fairly good, it wasn't mind-blowing, but it was definitely better than my attempts at making mexican rice at home. It was subtley tomato-y without being too overpowering, and was a nice side dish. The beans, however, were very good, and I guess I've just never had good refried beans before, because I've always pictured them as being soggy and gritty, but these ones were neither. They were smooth and were topped with cheese, and went very well on our leftover tortilla chips. Overall, I would absolutely get this again, and I'll probably have the leftovers for lunch.

Grilled Steak Fajita Burrito

Jon: I can actually rate this one fairly, as the cilantro was only a garnish!

The rice was pretty good! I personally prefer my rice to stick, but overall, pretty good rice! The beans were pretty good refried beans, I just wish it had a bit more mozzarella (What can I say, I'm a whore for cheese). The main dish, the Steak Fajita Burrito, however, was an honest shocker. I was expecting something similar to what you would probably make at home, just with fancier ingredients. What I wasn't expecting was a monster of a burrito, slathered in a delicious cheese sauce with a wonderful kick of spiciness inside. And it was no slouch with the steak either, the whole thing was packed with it! I would have eaten it all if I wasn't told to save some space for dessert (I am eating the leftovers as I type this, it's even good cold).

My only issue is that, when ordering it, you have to specify that you want the burrito, NOT the fajita. The menu has this placed under the 'Burrito' section, with its name being 'Grilled Steak Fajita,' and there's also a fajita section with steak fajitas. Everything in the burrito section has fajita in the name, so be sure to specify, so as to not confuse the waiter!

Overall, with the sides and the massive size of it, definitely worth the $17 price!

Flan

River: Finally, we had one of my favourite desserts that I have to get every time I see it on a menu, flan! For those who don't know, it's a mexican caramel custard dessert, and the texture is a mix of jell-o and egg tart filling. I am a huge texture person and a lot of the way I experience and enjoy food is by how it feels in my mouth, and flan always feels so soft and luscious, it's great. This version was no exception to that high praise, and at just $8, I'd definitely get it again!

Jon: I had never had Flan before, so I was pretty excited with how much River had been hyping it up! The texture was nice and smooth, and it tasted pretty good! It's not my favorite dessert by a longshot, but i'll happily eat it again!

In Conclusion...

River: I'd say this is a fantastic restaurant with good food and reasonable prices. We spent about $90 there including a tip, and I think that's good given that it was a fun date and with the amount of leftovers we got out of it. I'd absolutely come back here again to try some more food, such as the Sopa de Tortilla ($6.50 cup/$10 bowl), the Pescado Tacos ($14.50 for 2/$16 for 3), the Carne Asada ($25), or the other yummy-sounding desserts like the Mexican Apple Pie or Mango Tres Leches (both $8.50). I'd definitely recommend it to someone who has a taste for quality mexican food that's a bit higher-end, or just anyone who likes flan like me.

Jon: I agree! Although I say some of it is a bit overpriced (Over a dollar per nacho!!), the food is good enough to warrant many return visits in the future! Will definitely have to try the 'Cancun' next time I'm there!

#food #food diary #cantina laredo #food review #foodie #restaurant #mexican cooking #enchiladas #flan #nachos #burrito #mexican cuisine #good food #food blog #mall of america #cooking

[poly-eats]

Cheese Haul Review #1

So, we finally tried the cheeses from the last post. I've never really reviewed food in any sort of descriptive way before, so sorry if I'm not the best at it.

These are all cheeses we got from Byerlys, and they have a pretty good spread. We'll definitely have to go back and try some more from there, as the local one has a "scrap cheese bucket," where they have tiny, leftover blocks of cheeses for a dollar or two each. It's a good way to not overgrown the fridge, while also getting to sample lots of things.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the cheeses!

Milton Creamery: 4 Alarm Cheddar

River: Originally Jon and I were kinda afraid of this one, as it had "ghost peppers" listed as one of the ingredients. It was decently spicy, but not as terrifyingly so as we feared. Other than the spice, it was a yummy cheese.

Jon: Taste was alright, not the greatest cheese I ever tasted. Definitely spicy, but thankfully not as spicy as feared (whether that's thanks to the cheese, or my own tolerance, is not known)

Westminster: Rustic Red, Grass Fed

River: This one was a nice cheddar with an interesting texture to it. It's relatively easy to pull apart in uneven chunks, and I would almost describe it as being "paste-y" on the tongue. It tastes good, if a bit mild.

Jon: It tends to crumble if pulled/bent. It's definitely a mild cheese, but not bad!

River: Crumbly! That's the word I was looking for.

Milton Creamery: Prairie Breeze

Jon: We've both decided that the taste is 'Sour'? It's not like, a spoiled sour, it's just the word that came to mind. All I all, not bad, if a bit mild for my taste

River: Yeah, that one was a very mild cheese, but I can taste it at the back of my throat. It's slightly pungent. I think it might be good with some kind of jam, on a sandwich maybe.

Milton Creamery: Tomato Garlic Cheddar Cheese

River: Okay, I absolutely love this one. Garlic, tomato, and cheese are already an awesome combination, but they've managed to get the balance of the three just right.Yay, Milton Creamery!

Jon: While you can definitely taste the garlic and cheese, the true star of the show is the tomato, which is honestly amazing! Most things tend to go too heavy on the garlic for my taste (sacrilege, i know), but like River said, it hits it all perfectly,  giving the herb cheese (i have been told to call it by its name, 'cheddar gruyere: herbs de providence' from a previous post) a run for it's money!

Beehive Cheese: Seahive

River: Gonna be honest, this one was kind of disappointing in a certain aspect, as I thought it would be sweeter and more honey-tasting, but that doesn't mean it was a bad cheese! It was very mild, having a subtle, pleasant flavor that was a bit salty. The real thing for me though was the texture. It felt very smooth, almost buttery, which was very nice.

Jon: I gotta agree with River on this one, a good cheese, just disappointing through no fault of its own

In conclusion...

River: So I definitely think the Milton Creamery Tomato Garlic Chedder Cheese was my favourite, it's just so yummy, and I'd almost say it tastes like a pizza.

Jon: Gotta agree with you there! Though you're probably gonna eat all of it, so I'll tuck into the one with ghost peppers.

#food #food diary #cheese #cheeses

[poly-eats]

So there's a basket at the store where we shop that is full of scrap cheese, basically, the bits of cheeses left over from when they cut and package the big blocks, and they're only like $1-4! So of course, we got a bunch.

Along with that, we also got this interesting-looking, honey-and-salt cheese, and sa ball of mozzarella.

I'll probably post a review of them soon whenever we have a cheese-and-crackers lunch next. I'm excited!

#cheese #food #food diary

[poly-eats]

We had cheese!

Having cheese and crackers is a fun lunch, and we sampled some new ones from our local grocery store. They've got a pretty good selection, imo.

I was really a fan of the Cheddar Gruyere (herb-y and good on crackers) and Blueberry vanilla goat cheese (it was a nice mix of sweet and savory, kinda reminded me of my favourite smørbrød combination). I wasn't as big of a fan of the Cinnamon Cranberry one, but I know Jon liked it a lot.

Jon: The Cinnamon Cranberry cheese honestly caught me off guard with how good it was. The Cinnamon and Cranberry just went very well with the goat cheese. The Blueberry vanilla was just a bit too sweet for me, while the Gruyere was unapologetically Cheddar, with fantastic herbs to match

We had to lock Sylvester in the other room because he kept trying to sneak crackers while we weren't looking. He's a dweeb.

#food diary #food log #food #cheese

[poly-eats]

Howdy, Partners

Hi! We're River and Jon, and we're a couple from Minnesota who are a wee bit obsessed with food. We're gonna be chronicling our adventures in the culinary world on this here blog, as well as showing off the food we make.

A bit about both of us: I'm River (they/them), the primary writer of this here blog, and a somewhat-decent cook. I work in the culinary field but am still fairly new, so I'm still learning. Outside of food my interests lie in DnD, writing, and reading.

I'm Jon (He/Him), resident food-whore/cheese-monger/bread-baker! While not as culinarily gifted as my partner, I have a willingness and love to try every food imaginable. I am a TTRPG fanatic, as well as an avid book reader and video game enjoyer.

We've also got two cats, Sylvester and Wongo, who enjoy sampling our food, even when we'd rather they didn't.

So yeah, that's us! Enjoy your time on this humble little slice of our culinary exploits.

#introductory post #food #food diary