bajajazz
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Registered: 12-18-2006
Location: La Paz, BCS, Mexico
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GREAT APPLE PIE IN LA PAZ
Finally remembered to try John Ashman's little restaurant on Bravo between Revolucion and Madero in La Paz. For dessert we were served the best (and
only) good homemade apple pie we've ever had anywhere in Mexico. Absolutely top drawer baking, presumably by John and his wife.
They've also expanded their menu beyond Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches and we're going back to try their Kraut Dogs and Chili Dogs. They're open five
days a week, Tuesdays through Saturdays, and serve a different dessert each day of the week.  
Hope this place survives long enough for them to get the seasonings and other details right to improve the flavor and tenderness of the cheesesteak
sandwiches -- which they also serve as a salad by losing the bread roll and putting the meat, cheese and onion on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes.
Since Mexican beef and cheese are so flavorless to begin with, it's going to take some experimentation to produce an authentic cheesesteak sandwich.
I'd recommend they shave the beef into very thin strips, marinade it, look for a more flavorful cheese, add bell pepper to the mix with the onion,
toast the bun facedown on the grill and dress it with a seasoned oil dressing, heavy on the garlic. Not being a Philly boy I don't know what kind of
bun the sandwich requires to be authentic. Sourdough, maybe?
Anyway, we were impressed enough to want to see the place keep its doors open and grow into its potential as a Gringo Sandwich Emporium. And you
can't go wrong with the apple pie.
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bajalinda
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I agree with you 100% on the apple pie! We stopped in there a few weeks ago and had their apple pie (a la mode no less) and it was super. Also hope
this place survives - name of the place is Americano's.
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wessongroup
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 All the
best, sounds like a great menu to choose from, with a great deal of effort put forth to make a good meal, what else could one ask for..
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JESSE
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajajazz
Since Mexican beef and cheese are so flavorless to begin with |
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arrowhead
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Audiobaja: Isn't your wife's uncle the senator, Coppola, for Baja California Sur who had a failed assassination attempt made on him at his home a few
weeks ago? I reacall he accused the Baja California Sur governor of being behind the assassination attempt.
Whatever became of all that?
No soy por ni contra apatía.
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bajalinda
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audiobaja - many thanks for the update on what you are planning to do at your place in the future.
In this hot season, we try to go to La Paz as infrequently as possible, but will try to get there for lunch on our next trip to town.
Besides the great pie we had the other day, the free refills on iced tea were much appreciated and the chilidogs were darn good too.
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astrobaja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by JESSE
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajajazz
Since Mexican beef and cheese are so flavorless to begin with |
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Hmmm like Jesse I'm not sure how you came to this conclusion! I would take Mexican (the great stuff from Sonora or even the free range Baja raised!)
beef over the bland feed lot stuff we get in the US and Canada any day!
And the cheeses? Wow give me the great goat cheeses and artisinal Manchengos and the wonderful stuff coming out of Ojos Negros over the banal yellow
stuff they call cheese that is so ubiquitous in the states!
All a matter of perspective I guess!
\"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.There is another theory which states that this has already happened\"
Douglas Adams
our website: http://bajadarkskies.com |
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bajajazz
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Location: La Paz, BCS, Mexico
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Beef & Cheese
| Quote: | Originally posted by JESSE
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajajazz
Since Mexican beef and cheese are so flavorless to begin with |
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My comment regarding the lack of flavor in Mexican beef and cheese is really a plea for help. So much of the beef we buy makes me think it comes from
dairy cattle, animals not raised for eating whose flesh is both tough and tasteless.
And every cheese counter I see in the stores seems to have 75 different cheeses, all of them white and as bland in taste as in appearance. The
Mennonite cheeses are especially disappointing, as one would think those transplanted Krauts would know a thing or two about cheese making.
Maybe, as in the 'States, the best cuts of meat go to the restaurants. We'd appreciate it greatly if those-in-the-know would steer us (ahem) to
butchers who stock (ahem, again) beef that is both tender and flavorful.
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astrobaja
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Well if its a plea for help, I can recomend places here in Baja Norte, but that does you little good in La Paz! Ask Jesse I'm sure he can steer you
;>
right!
\"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.There is another theory which states that this has already happened\"
Douglas Adams
our website: http://bajadarkskies.com |
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JESSE
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Best beef in La Paz right now is at Sorianas. Don't tell your friends, don't spread it around, just go and get yourselves a big fat steak. CCC,
Aramburo, Sams, are just not worth it. And stay away from the small butcher shops, the cattle is local, and you can get a decent steak one day, only
to return later and get the sole of a shoe the next.
I ain't saying nuthin bout no cheese
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comitan
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If you want a tasty Mexican white cheese buy factory pkg like chen lite which is what we use but we leave it in the bottom of our outside refer for at
least 3 months or more, you have to have a quantity and keep it restocked...
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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snowcat5
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OK, I'll try the bite, where is the apple pie found in La Paz? Location of the rest. please.? By the way, where is Jesse's place? Thanks, Rock
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bajajazz
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We're very sorry La Meta closed. The problem was the location, we think, not the burgers, they were terrific. They were also under-capitalized, as
is so often the case in restaurant start-ups.
The Buffalo Grill on Madero a couple of blocks south of the Flying Cow (Aramburo's market) also serves a dynamite burger.
But La Meta's were unusually good, on a par with Nations' in the 'States. We'd like to know how they seasoned their beef before grilling. Anyone
know? And thanks for the tips (ahem) on where to buy good beef and cheese. Wiley -- what's "chen lite?"
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wessongroup
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Stay out of my kitchen
All the best, sounds like a great menu to choose from, with a great deal of effort put forth to make a good meal, what else could one ask for..
That goes to all the folks in the "restaurant" industry who have to do their best with what appears to be tough picken's for their supplies, in many
cases...
Cookin in a hot kitchen, is best left to those who are in it... I'm out of here
And it's all a matter of taste, said Mrs. O'Leary as she kissed the cow...
[Edited on 10-22-2009 by wessongroup]
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Santiago
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Bajajazz: If you want to rate someplace’s carnitas, salsa, fish tacos or enchiladas, I've got no problem with that. There are, however, a few food
items that are very, very important that they be done correctly: fried chicken, greens, biscuits and, of course, apple pie. Please answer the
following:
1. What part of the country did you grow up in?
2. Was there a ‘baking day’ in your home and if so, what day was it?
3. Where were the pies placed in order to cool while the cookies, cakes and breads were also baked?
4. Were any men allowed anywhere close to the kitchen during this time?
5. Is the crust made with shortening, lard or butter and cut into the flour with a fork or is it permissible to buy crust already made?
6. Is a Pyrex glass baking dish better than a tin?
7. Must there be a top crust?
8. If a top crust, what is the connection method between the bottom and top crust: fork pattern or P-nched pattern?
9. If a top crust, is it a full crust or layered strips?
10. Is apple pie better still warm or the next day cold in your lunch box?
11. If in your lunch box, is it wrapped in cellophane or wax paper?
12. Is it permissible to have a slice of sharp cheddar cheese with your pie?
13. If ice cream (vanilla of course) is served, is it on top, on the side of the same dish so the ice cream and pie touch, or in a separate bowl so as
not to foul the pie itself?
14. Must the pie be tart with under-notes of sweetness or is a ‘French Apple Pie’ acceptable?
15. When eating the slice of pie, one always starts at the tip and works to the back. When you get to the back, are the last few pieces eaten with
the extra crust attached, or is this cut off to be placed in a spoon and dipped into your coffee?
16. Finally, is it critical that the baker have long grey or white hair, rolled up in a bun with a hairnet held in place by bobby pins with slightly
arthritic hands from many, many baking days? Is it OK if the pie is slightly salted from her tears over her wayward son?
My mother passed on in 1994 and my life has been a fruitless search for her apple pie since then. Hence, before those of us who are similarly
deprived drop everything and drive a thousand miles, we need to know if you know what constitutes a good apple pie. Your answers will say volumes.
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bajajazz
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Location: La Paz, BCS, Mexico
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GREAT KEY LIME PIE
And the prize goes to . . . the Key Lime Pie. Absolutely terrific. And considering the abundance of the fresh limes/limons we have at our fingertips
here there's no reason why the dish shouldn't be on the dessert menu in restaurants all over the Baja.
Similarly, with the abundance of fresh vegetables and seafood that we enjoy here the output of the kitchens in the many Chinese restaurants in La Paz
should be top-notch, instead of the uniform slop that it is.
The sourdough bun that John's using now is baked at Billy's Bakery on the Carreterra just north of the Pemex at Calle Mediterreano, and is a big
improvement over the bun he'd been using for cheesesteak sandwiches before. Has more texture and supports the ingredients better than the previous,
softer bun.
My S.O. has had John's Curried Chicken Salad w/Pineapple twice now and that dish alone is a good reason to go to Americano's.
Santiago, nobody has asked me that many questions since the Feebs came visiting during Vietnam. Are you sure that apple pie is the only thing that's
on your agenda?
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bajajazz
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Registered: 12-18-2006
Location: La Paz, BCS, Mexico
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PIE A LA PAZ
We stopped in for lunch at John and Carmina Ashman's Americanos Cafe on Bravo between Revolucion and Madero in La Paz today and for desert had one of
the best pieces of Pumpkin Pie we've ever had, still warm from the oven. John's secret is his mother's recipes, a lady who used to win prizes at
Pennsylvania's state fairs. We had a piece of the Key Lime Pie, too, and it was every bit as good as the last time we ordered it. We also
encountered some friendly faces at the restaurant today, some people we already know well and others we'd like to know better -- altogether a very
enjoyable and inexpensive lunch. 
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C-Urchin
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My observations on all meat available in stores in La Paz is that it all looks like it was cut by a mad man with a chainsaw.
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vandenberg
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| Quote: | Originally posted by C-Urchin
My observations on all meat available in stores in La Paz is that it all looks like it was cut by a mad man with a chainsaw. |
Yes I agree. Trying to get the cut of meat you like is tough, even if you have the Spanish/ English translation, which many times doesn't come close.
We sometimes carry a picture chart with the different cuts and that helps, especially looking for roasts, like primerib. Prime..yeah..right!! 
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Don Alley
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Location: Loreto
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| Quote: | Originally posted by vandenberg
| Quote: | Originally posted by C-Urchin
My observations on all meat available in stores in La Paz is that it all looks like it was cut by a mad man with a chainsaw. |
Yes I agree. Trying to get the cut of meat you like is tough, even if you have the Spanish/ English translation, which many times doesn't come close.
We sometimes carry a picture chart with the different cuts and that helps, especially looking for roasts, like primerib. Prime..yeah..right!!
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A couple of weeks ago Loreto's El Pescador had packages (styrofoam tray) of rib eye steaks. They were labeled "New York" steak. Pretty good price, and
I bought a couple. Yum, pretty good.
Then last week or so they had some packaged T bones and Porterhouse. They were good too.
Both times, the steaks were ready to cook the first day, then frozen 'til they sold out.
Something to keep an eye open for. Maybe they'll have some more some day. And maybe they'll be good. Or maybe not.
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