On Friday, I ran into the always-uplifting Jaime Martin del Campo at East LA Meets Napa, where he was acting charitable for AltaMed Health Services. La Casita Mexicana co-owner Ramiro Arvizu was back in Bell, manning their restaurant. Jaime tipped me off about the impending pumpkin blossom season, saying to swing by La Casita Mexicana for some unique dishes made with blossoms. Considering La Casita Mexicana is the best Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, this wasn’t exactly a hard sell.

Jaime and Ramiro just defeated an Iron Chef on “Throwdown with Bobby Flay.” Maybe it was their “Throwdown” victory, but La Casita Mexicana was especially festive. Mariachis played, people laughed and Jaime greeted friends and admirers. The duo has developed a following by appearing weekly on Univision, where they dispense advice on how to save money in the kitchen.

The four of us started with obligatory bowls of fresh tortilla chips slathered with burgundy-hued mole Poblano, pepian verde made with Serrano chiles and burnt-orange pepian rojo. Spicy burnt-orange salsa was an added dipping option.

Jaime prepared three dishes for us using the pumpkin blossoms, beginning with elote (sweet corn) tamales mixed with tomato and strewn with cilantro. The delicate, fragrant blossoms paired well with the just-picked corn and sweet masa.

Pumpkin blossom quesadillas featured lightly-browned but supple tortillas wrapped around slabs of mild white cheese and more blossoms.

The tamales and quesadillas were excellent, but the best pumpkin blossom dish turned out to be the mind-blowing enchiladas. Tortillas contained sweet cream and corn kernels. They were blanketed with sweet tomato sauce and topped with crumbles of queso fresco.

We ate three pumpkin blossom courses, then hit reboot on our stomachs. Queso Azteca was a firm four-cheese slab studded with mushrooms, Poblano chilies, nopales (cactus paddles) and epazote. We made tacos with steaming tortillas and drizzled them with spicy red salsa.

Each entrée comes with a bowl of the soup of the day. Today that meant fideo with noodles. Our waiter described this as an Italian soup with a tomato-base.

Jaime and Ramiro won their Chile Relleno “Throwdown” with a vegetarian version, which is terrific, but I actually prefer the Chile Nogada. The blistered Poblano chile came smothered with pecan cream sauce and pomegranate seeds. It was filled with seasoned ground beef, dried fruit, walnuts and candied cactus. Even the rice is sensational, studded with carrots and peppers and flavored with chicken stock.

Enchiladas were filled with finely chopped chicken topped with three different signature moles: mole Poblano, pepian verde and pepian rojo.

Sea bass fillet was steamed in a banana leaf, leaving the fish incredibly moist. It was topped with a smoky, spicy chile strips.

We drank sweet pineapple-cactus aguas frescas and large glasses of tart lemonade with sinkers of chia seeds.

We fought to the finish line with an order of hot churros. These fritters were a revelation, crispy outside, filled with gooey cajeta.

It’s always worth the drive to Bell to eat at La Casita Mexicana, but thanks to Jaime, his pumpkin blossoms and the friends we brought, this was a truly special dining experience.

Click the following links to find more great Mexican food in Southern California:
My Taco – Los Angeles (September 22, 2008)
Mercado La Paloma – Los Angeles (August 25, 2008)
Cook’s Tortas - Monterey Park (May 9, 2008)
The Best Fish Taco in Ensenada - Los Angeles (February 22, 2008)
La Super-Rica - Santa Barbara (February 16, 2008)
El Mar Azul (October 7, 2007)

Related Posts

1. La Casita Mexicana - Bell, CA - July 14, 2005
2. La Casita Mexicana - Bell, CA - November 2, 2007
3. La Casita Mexicana (17-Course Feast) – Bell, CA – March 25, 2009
4. La Casita Mexicana Expansion Update
5. La Casita Mexicana Expansion

This entry is filed under California, Los Angeles, Mexican, Southern California.