Desert Dining

A reminder why I hate the microwave

OK. All of us get them. During the day. In the middle of the night. At work. In the pool. Watching TV. Especially going grocery shopping. Cravings. The other night I had one. I had made some queso fundido the other day and it was great. It's just what I wanted give or take some half-melted panela. So, while it was a little while after I got home from work, I didn't want to go to Taco Bell (even though they have nachos now for like 89 cents) to get anything that late. I just some of the great, super-fresh tortilla chips from Cardenas. So I was craving something similar to nachos, and I didn't have the time really to make the queso dip in my awesome pans so I thought, well I haven't used one in a LONG time so I'll put together the nachos in the (ugh) microwave. My roommates and and I have one of the dreaded machines. I haven't used one in over three or four years. Seriously. Maybe I have to make popcorn but that's the ONLY thing I've used the microwave for in the past few years.

So I throw the asadero in the fridge so it's easier to shred. I take those awesome chips and make my first layer. Make a real quick salsa fresca. The cheese is ready. I shred it up, throw it down, cover it with chips and Tapatio, I love the dang stuff especially with cheese, then repeat till it's a freaking tower. At first I was going to throw it in the oven, but the plate I used wasn't made to go in the oven. Crap. So, my last resort, the microwave. OK it started off well, the cheese melted, the chips weren't getting soggy or warped or soft. Then I started to put some of the salsa on, and it looks like I did a great job even the the zapping machine. Wrong. The cheese got really hard, the Tapatio got a lot of the water taken out of it from the microwaving and the mixture of the salsa and grossness didn't work. But I was hungry so I ate a good deal of the stuff. It wasn't even mediocre. This just reminds me about why I don't use the microwave to warm anything up.

I've got a toaster over. I've got a regular oven. I've got four gas ranges. I'll even resort to throwing the stuff outside on the concrete before I put something in the microwave again. I hate the stupid thing. I really do. Nothing ever good, except maybe kettle corn has even come out of the thing and I'll refrain from using it ever again.

So that being said, I had a craving for nachos. I also had a craving for some of those fries from In and Out, you know those animal fries I think. My sports editor had some and they looked great.

So where can I get some really great nachos or even some really great carne asada fries? I've seen them on menus around the Valley, but I've never really ventured too far from the carne asada plates. Where do I go to get great plates of both?

James Arens/Foodie/Sports Writer

What sort of places do we need in the Valley?

I was thinking, this area, with such proximity to Mexico, we've got the lock-down on Mexican food. I love Mexican food. It's my favorite cultural food hands down. But I was wondering, what sort of other food places, or ethnicities would you like to see represented here in the Valley? We have some sushi. We have Chinese food. We have one Thai place. But sort of food would you guys like to see in the Valley? I'd like to see a few more Thai places. Maybe some Indian food or Middle-Eastern food. Greek might be nice. I'd go to Greektown (an area in Detroit) quite a bit and I loved the food. Cajun food or creole would be awesome. I'd love me some alligator or some gumbo! Cuban food I hear is great as well. Also, give me a sub shop down here in the Valley! I'd love a Jimmy John's somewhere here in SoCal but alas there isn't one. Regardless, we should have some sort of deli where they make great subs! We have all this access to great meat and cheeses, but we don't have a deli that makes great subs? That's what I want, what do you want!!!!!!????

James Arens/Sports Writer/Foodie

This might be the toughest food find

OK, so, I'm going to ask the question that I'm sure is going to cause some controversy, a whole lot of comments and hopefully some discussion: What place here in the Valley has the best Mexican food? I'm talking all-around authentic, good if not great, reminds you of mama and takes you back 20 years, or however old you are, back to the days when you burnt your hand on the stove trying to taste what was cooking.

Let's set up some guidelines and that might helps us all funnel our thoughts and responses so we're not comparing apples to well, naranjas.

Let's keep it to tacos and burritos even though there is a plethora of other Mexican food out here in the Valley. Or maybe I should add something so we have three areas that the establishment has to be spectacular in. This can be Valley wide in terms of including Mexicali. But keep in mind, there's like over a million people there and there's got to be a whole lot more places to go down there than we have here. But for my sake, being that I've yet to get my passport or passport ID card, try to give me places to go here until I get either of the two.

Hopefully I don't cause a culinary crossfire but I do hope I can weed out some of the places I shouldn't go and stick to the places I should. Comment away!

James Arens/Sports Writer/Foodie