Worst. Rellenos. Ever.

[Jenise]

Yesterday dear friends took me out for lunch and a movie--Mexican food to start, and Mamma Mia afterward. (Carrie, we have to talk about this film!) It was a Mex restaurant I hadn't been to before, and which friends had described as being a lot like the average So Cal Mex--good but not exemplary. I ordered my benchmark evaluation combo: a shredded beef taco and chile relleno.

Won't be going back.

The chile relleno was not only the worst I've ever had, it was also the most devious, assembly-line deception of a chile relleno. First of all, there was no whole chile. Also, there were no beaten egg whites. It was just two thin strips of canned green chile that had been rolled with a little cheese inside an extraordinarily tough shell of scrambled eggs. I wouldn't know how to make scrambled eggs that tough.

It's a sad sad day when cheap old Mexican food gets even cheaper.

My heart bleeds for you, love.

rwj

[Jenise]

My heart bleeds for you, love.

rwj

Probably couldn't happen in Texas--too many of the real deal around. But up here in Gringo Central, abominations are too numerous to mention.

I can top that. The only time I have ever sent food back in an ethnic restaurant.

In a galaxy far away (Memphis, TN) there is a "Mexican" restaurant.

I had been eating chilies rellenos in Mexican restaurants in California for about 16 years.

I made the mistake of ordering it here.

It looked kind like what I was used to on the plate. There was a batter.

Inside the batter was a dried red chile with the skin still on it. It had been partially rehydrated.

It was filled with Cheez Whiz.

Got one of those experiences also. Oklahoma City...years & years ago...I ordered the relleno plate and was served 2 Bell Peppers stuffed with hamburger & fried potatoes w/ a drizzle of salsa & a few sprinkles of grated cheddar.

Not quite as horrifying as Chefs' cheezwhizzenos...but certainly a more liberal interpretation on the dish than I expected.

Richard

Jenise wrote:

Probably couldn't happen in Texas

Oh no...I wouldn't go so far as to say that. Plenty of chicken fried rellenos (crunchy lil things with a wisp of cheese in the middle..might as well be finger food) down here. Lack of decent chiles in southern parts of the state and the ubiquitous "chile gravy" to be ladled over the top of everything?

No thanks...if you want authenticity in Texas, ya gotta go west. El Paso will do...New Mexico is even better.

Richard

My heart bleeds for you, love.

rwj

Probably couldn't happen in Texas--too many of the real deal around. But up here in Gringo Central, abominations are too numerous to mention.

It happens here to. I just know how to stay away from them.

rwj

garg.

I feel for you, Jenise! What a horrible experience!

John

Damn, there are some bad rellenos out there!

I've had crummy Mexican food, but never anything quite like those.

[Jenise]

It looked kind like what I was used to on the plate. There was a batter.

Inside the batter was a dried red chile with the skin still on it. It had been partially rehydrated.

It was filled with Cheez Whiz.

Oh, this made me laugh! So did Richard's hamburger and potato filled bell peppers. I have to say that there actually is one family-run place in this town that makes sensationally good chile rellenos--they're so good I've never eaten at that restaurant and not ordered one. The little Mexican mother makes a few every day from fresh pasillas and when they run out, they run out. The relleno itself is very traditional and perfectly so, but what they do that's so special is to serve each in a large bowl covered with a light but flavorful tomato-chile broth.

Speaking of non-traditional rellenos, had one at Sanford Winery once (there isn't a restaurant there, but Richard Sanford's cook had just made these when we happened by, and we were given a taste) that was stuffed with crab meat and goat cheese. Oooh la la!

I can top that. The only time I have ever sent food back in an ethnic restaurant.

In a galaxy far away (Memphis, TN) there is a "Mexican" restaurant.

I had been eating chilies rellenos in Mexican restaurants in California for about 16 years.

I made the mistake of ordering it here.

It looked kind like what I was used to on the plate. There was a batter.

Inside the batter was a dried red chile with the skin still on it. It had been partially rehydrated.

It was filled with Cheez Whiz.

Oh, yum!

I have to say that there actually is one family-run place in this town that makes sensationally good chile rellenos--they're so good I've never eaten at that restaurant and not ordered one. The little Mexican mother makes a few every day from fresh pasillas and when they run out, they run out. The relleno itself is very traditional and perfectly so, but what they do that's so special is to serve each in a large bowl covered with a light but flavorful tomato-chile broth.

That does sound good, Jenise. Interesting that they make them from pasillas. Usually, green Poblanos are the choice for their capacious interior space. Having spent 5 years in NYC in the '80s and now close to 20 in Indiana, I have seen my share of truly awful "Mexican" fare, which was also the main inducement for my learning to cook it. Nowadays, we have some very authentic tacquerias here (as well as countless places serving SF-style burritos) but if I want a good chile relleno, I still make it myself.

Speaking of non-traditional rellenos, had one at Sanford Winery once (there isn't a restaurant there, but Richard Sanford's cook had just made these when we happened by, and we were given a taste) that was stuffed with crab meat and goat cheese. Oooh la la!

Regarding chile rellenos and tradition, I'm interested to see that everyone here speaks of cheese as the filling. The Mexican tradition is a lot more variable, with picadillo, beans, rice/nuts/raisins, potato and even seafood serving as the filling. I love them all, but the meat fillings are a bit heavier than I prefer. There might even be a tradition of goat cheese fillings in some region, but it's more likely to be a recent innovation.

Mark Lipton

[quote="Jenise"]Yesterday dear friends took me out for lunch and a movie--Mexican food to start, and Mamma Mia afterward. (Carrie, we have to talk about this film!)

Jenise you have me so curious!

I, too, LOVE rellenos and even turned Len onto them. He'd never had one before he met me. Now he can't have Mexican without one. I'm sorry about your bad experience. How disappointing. And you're right, how expensive are poblanos, cheese, eggs and oil??

Yes, yes, okay, bad food, but can we talk about Mamma Mia??? I loved loved loved this silly movie. Loved it.

Ugghh Jenise...sounds terrible!

I have to admit that finding good Mexican food here in NJ has been a challenge. I recently had a nightmare Mexican experience in NYC. I went to a Tex Mex place in Manhattan that is probably akin to a Chili's...so that should have been my first clue...second clue: For Sunday brunch, the menu included an entree and 2 margarhettas (alcoholic) for about 10 bucks. Don't know what I was thinking! I ordered the "Mission Burrito" which was an enormous flour tortilla filled with rice, sour cream, beef, onions, peppers, refried beans, cheese, avocado...not to mention a rogue pea and one corn niblet. Absolutely disgusting! I ate some, which I later regretted. All I can say is thank goodness for the margarhettas.

Here's a question for all the members here who don't live in the Southwest where good Mexican food is available. How good...or bad...is the Mex grub in your area and how difficult is it to find the good stuff? I guess the range should be from 'easy' to 'impossible' For those of you in the 'impossible' areas, perhaps we can arrange for emergency rations via this board!

It's terrific here,west but not southwest. I was at a roach coach a few months back, and noticed that the guy in line behind me was Michael Chiarello. Not a bad endorsement!

We have more bad than good but the good can be very good.

I cheered out loud when they closed the last Chi Chi's.

It's possible to get some good Mexican food in Oklahoma as well.

[Jenise]

Yes, yes, okay, bad food, but can we talk about Mamma Mia??? I loved loved loved this silly movie. Loved it.

So did I. It's the perfect chick flick, and as good a time as you can have at the movies. Not that all movies have to be a good time to be great, but gosh it's nice once in awhile to have such harmless fun.

Carrie, have you seen it? (You, Barb and I should live in the same town. Between food, wine and movies, we could kill some real quality time!)

[Jenise]

Interesting that they make them from pasillas. Usually, green Poblanos are the choice for their capacious interior space....Regarding chile rellenos and tradition, I'm interested to see that everyone here speaks of cheese as the filling. The Mexican tradition is a lot more variable....

Pasillas = poblano. Same pepper. Now I understand that technically poblano is the correct term (or, when dried, ancho) and that a pasilla actually refers to another pepper in a dried state, but in markets in California and Washington where I've lived, 'pasilla' is the name used, so that's what I use too.

About the fillings, I've never once had a relleno that wasn't cheese-filled unless I made the aberation myself. Certainly in west coast Mexican restaurants, it's cheese and only cheese.

We do okay here at taquerias...S. Florida...
b

OK, I have one for you. We went to Bar Harbor Maine for a vacation, some time back in the 1990's. Our son was still little, and he was on a Mexican food kick. Otherwise I can't imagine how we would have ended up in a "Mexican" Restaurant on Mount Desert Island. We didn't get angry and send stuff back but every dish was basically a joke, so far from any Mexican reality that you had to shake your head and say "what are they THINKING." I think I had a bowl of the chili, which had a square of gingerbread sitting in the middle of a batch of mildly flavored beans. Gingerbread!?

Of course 90% of our meals contained lobster which was cheap and absolutely delicious. And we saw no end of whales and puffins...

Frank

[Jenise]

I think I had a bowl of the chili, which had a square of gingerbread sitting in the middle of a batch of mildly flavored beans. Gingerbread!?

Are you kidding me? I thought that the Mexican food restaurant in the Dutch town near me, where every combo plate comes with a helping of cole slaw (which many don't realize is a Dutch invention, 'cole' being a phonetic interpretation of the Dutch word 'kool' for cabbage and 'sla' for salad), was strange, but you've definitely got that topped.