Mexico
I kept the passport close to home both figuratively and literally by choosing Mexico as the country and El Molcajete in Rock Hill as the restaurant. This is a relatively new Mexican place that is just a couple of miles from me and web research pointed to them having some dishes more authentic than a lot of the standard tex-mex joints that all have the same basic menu. You know, where you can just give them the number of your favorite combo and it’s the same from place to place.
I was excited to try them out and hoped they might have at least a couple of different items and they did. First let me say they didn’t totally forgo the old standbys everybody knows and they have the lunch menu dutifully numbered so those more comfortable with consistency are covered. For my purposes though they did have a few less common items and I indulged in three of them. I got the lengua taco (that would be beef tongue), the carne con platano frito (grilled steak, eggs, plantains and beans) and some horchata (rice milk with cinnamon) to wash it down.
I’ll be honest, having never had beef tongue before I expected it to be a little chewy but this was some tender tongue. As you can see in the picture they keep it simple and have just onions, cilantro and a side of grilled onions on soft tortillas. I squirted a little salsa verde on part of it after I tasted it as presented and that was tasty too. The carne con plantano frito is just more proof that steak and eggs are good for any meal no matter your nationality. The steak was a thin cut and cooked well but not too the point of being shoe leather. It was lightly seasoned so the steak flavor came out. It didn’t strike me as I was wolfing it down but I’d have to say this meal, as a whole, was very light on any flavors other than those of the food. It wasn’t bland but more like the food stood on it’s own and if you wanted to spice it up with a condiment you could without fighting a ton of other flavors. I don’t know that horchata is all that rare on Mexican menus because I don’t look for it that often but it caught my eye today and if you haven’t had it you should give it a try. It is a sweet, cold, refresher that goes well with spicy foods and even non-spicy meals.
I believe this is a family place and they seem to have pride in the restaurant. The service was good and the place was very clean and bright and still had that new booth smell. If you live in the area you should give them a shot.
They didn’t have a web page that I could find but they do have a Facebook page, El Molcajete.
Look for a horchata recipe on the Tell Me More page and because it’s almost Easter as this gets posted you can find a bunny there as well.
I really enjoy lengua tacos, but my favorite are cabeza (beef head). If you ever have a chance to try them, I highly recommend them. They have a high collagen content and are a bit sticky, but totally delicious! Another authentic taco is the nopales, which are prickly pear cactus pads. They’re not my favorite, but they are interesting. They have a fairly slimy texture and are best eaten (in my opinion) with a bit of fresh lime juice squeezed on top. Serving tacos with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese is Tex-Mex, so when you find an authentic Mexican place they will normally be served with just onions and cilantro. I have never tried the horchata but have seen it on menus before. I had no idea what it was. I’ll have to give it a try next time I see it! Thanks!!
Cher, glad to pass along something you haven’t tried before. I was reading some of the stuff on your blog and as much as I like different you definitely are willing to go the extra step trying new foods.