Green Chile Kitchen Marin: New Mexican Cuisine in San Rafael

We've been to Green Chile Kitchen in San Rafael a number of times, it's the only New Mexican style restaurant we know about in the Bay Area, and it's outstanding.

These are some shots from a visit last summer I just found. I think this is a Sandia (Watermelon) Agua Fresca.

Consistently high quality cuisine, some of the best chile rellenos you can find, even the beans and rice are over the top.

Christmas chiles.

Chile Relleno: stuffed Poblano. As you can see, this Chile Relleno is quite different from the breaded Anaheim from our first visit. Xmas Chiles (red & green), cheese and beef.

Carne Adovada: pork (probably shoulder) slow-roasted in sweet chiles (anchos & pasillas would be my guess), and probably a bit of orange to add more sweetness. Best version of this dish I've ever had at a restaurant.

Four Corners Salad, mixed greens, roasted corn & red pepper, avocado, jicama, red onion, black beans & cilantro, with shredded chicken and buttermilk dressing. Quite good, but couldn't stand up to the exalted level of the relleno and adovada dishes.  

Slow cooking is half the game.

The Poblano itself was still pretty firm--you can see the skin was just starting to peel. I thought this made this dish great, Robin wanted it more done. Always a good idea to ask waitstaff for details. Or check reviews. The other relleno dish at Green Chile is cooked so the Anaheim is soft. I wonder if they'll use Hatch chiles during Hatch season?

Pretty good salad, but it's like a good AA pitcher getting lit up at the show.

Chile Relleno at Green Chile Kitchen Marin.

New Mexican Cuisine in Marin County? I was highly skeptical, as that's not something I would expect. Marin County isn't exactly a "food desert," but there's not that many restaurants I'm keen on, either. But dang, I'm glad to have my preconceptions exploded. The menu (see the link below) is worth checking out--we've got to go back--take a look at the salads, for example. This location, in downtown San Rafael, is connected with the Arts Center Downtown, and Green Chile Kitchen's site talks about their other (and previous) restaurants. This isn't their first rodeo. 

Chicken Enchiladas with Christmas chiles.

But for our first time, we wanted to get a good idea of how they do the "classics" of the genre. I love the rolled tube version of enchiladas when done with skill, but there's many regional variations on enchiladas, and here's one that's done masterfully. Succulent chicken, tortillas with a nice tooth to them, and of course the green and red (thus, "Christmas") chile sauces, which clearly were made from scratch. 

Possibly the first dish I've ever had in the North Bay that verged on what I would call "picante" (but just a nudge of it). As great as this version of Chicken Enchiladas is, let's share the spotlight with the sides, and take a moment to praise the beans and rice. Robust pinto beans, cooked perfectly soft without exploding, garnished with a nice blend of fresh spices such as cumin and coriander. The rice clearly is cooked with stock, probably a vegetable-based stock.

Green Chile Stew.

This is the stew version of Pork Chile Verde in a rich broth. But the best one you've ever had, unless your mother, grandma or other family member raised you on it. Pretty sure there's onions, chiles, and tomatillo in there, possibly some ground pumpkin seeds. Soul food.

Chile Relleno plate.

I have never encountered Chile Relleno done this way, a New Mexican Anaheim stuffed with rich Cotija and Jack Cheese, with a crispy blue corn batter, and served with the slightly picante green chile sauce. Absolutely fabulous. Imagine the contrasting textures: crisp batter with green chile without and within, rendered perfectly luscious but still with a bit of dense pepper meat, then the Cotija & Jack oozing inside. I want to cut this up in smaller pieces and eat it slower to savor the sublimity. If there's a better version of this classic, I have yet to encounter it.

http://www.greenchilekitchen.com/gckmarin/

China Lounge, Authentic Sichuan in Pleasant Hill

Hand pulled noodles with beef.

My understanding is China Lounge was the first Sichuan-style Chinese restaurant to open up in the East Bay.

Tea and pickled cabbage.

Above & below: Stuffed Eggplant in Garlic Sauce. We had ours with Prawn. Crispy batter contrasts nicely with the soft texture of eggplant.

Many Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area serve hand-pulled noodles made in-house. The beef here is particularly flavorful.

20 Spiced Pork Shoulder, served with Baby Bok Choy. Tender, falling apart, melting in your mouth. Rich accompanying sauce. Bok Choy cooked perfectly.

Chaats Cuisine in Fairfield

Lamb Saag, Basmati Rice, and Goat Curry at Chaats Cuisine in Fairfield.

There's even more and more Indian restaurants I'm finding out about. Well here's another nice surprise. We started off with a couple of appetizers. Above is a Fish Pakora, a good version if a bit too salty for my taste. Below is their Bhel Puri, a dish I've only had once before. Love this version with lively texture, awakened spices and touch of fresh vegetable.

From left: Lamb Saag, Basmati Rice, and Goat Curry. There's so many great Lamb Saags around here, what with the world-class Allspice in American Canyon, Taj Grill in Vallejo, and Aroma in Benicia. This one's great, but doesn't quite reach the exalted echelons of the three afore-mentioned. Still, a great a version not dialing it in. 

Goat Curry and plain Naan. Now, this, the Goat Curry? This is the definitive version. Great Goat flavor, and the blend of spices and vegetables (especially the sweet onions, sauteed but with still a hint of crunch) makes this a very memorable version.

www.chaatscuisine.com/

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Mi Zacatecas in American Canyon

Chile Relleno at Mi Zacatecas. This time they brought it out sans sauce, but they brought us some chipotle when we asked for it. These and the rellenos at Green Chile are defintely the best I know of in the Bay Area. On these, the breading is crisp, the chile cooked to a nice soft consistency, and cheese isn't just some generic Monterey Jack delivered by a Sysco eighteen wheeler--it has body and depth and oozes like lava. 

The sauce helps, but it would be superb without it.

You can't fake the cheese oozing like that.

Now here's the real discovery: our first time having a seafood dish at Zacatecas--this being a tostada appetizer with shrimp, octopus and fish ceviche. Perfect combination of fresh flavor, bright colors, spot on texture. 

Lime! Oh yeah, and perfectly ripe tomato, red bells & avocado.

Chicken enchiladas with verde sauce. As perfect a rendition as I've ever had. Chicken was shredded but still moist & flavorful. Green sauce clearly made from scratch, as I'm sure the tortillas were. Rice and beans done exactly how they should be with soul & depth.

Chicken enchiladas with Chipotle sauce. Same thing as above, just a different sauce,  which clearly was made in-house from scratch. Good to know there's a place nearby doing Mexican cuisine how it should be done.

Robin & I returned to Mi Zacatecas recently. This time we got the Mocajete Mi Zacatecas, above left,  with chicken, carne asada, prawns, with a side of guacamole, pico de gallo, rice and beans. Below, you can see the chipotle chicken enchilada and chile relleno with rice and beans.

Outstanding Mexican Restaurant in American Canyon. Above: carnitas plate, perfectly cooked, with a Negra Modelo on draft.

Tried some ala carte items to get an idea about their game. They can bring it. First up, a chicken enchilada with a chipotle sauce that was vivid and intense. Chicken cooked right and shredded. Outstanding pork tamale, and finally, one of the best chile rellenos I've ever had.

A pasilla/poblano better perfectly cooked, with oozy Mexican cheese. Look at it! Stunningly good. Prices seem slightly high, but you damn well get what you pay for. Next door to Allspice, my favorite Indian restaurant on the west coast.

SF-MLT: Szechuan on Clement

Toothpick Lamb at SF-MLT.

We decided on a hunch to check out this Szechuan restaurant in the Outer Richmond last week. Has the air of an internet cafe.

Here's another shot of that Toothpick Lamb. You'll notice these are cubes of lamb, along with chunks of chilies, garlic and onion, as opposed to strips, like the version we had at Chengdu Taste in Los Angeles. This version has less spice infusion, and more fat, so different from the Chengdu Taste, it's practically another dish. Quite delicious, but not as exalted as the LA chain, IMHO.

Duck neck in chili oil with chilis, garlic, and Szechuan peppercorns.

Another shot of the duck neck. Intense flavor. Cold dish.

Above and the next two: fish fillet in chili broth. Plenty of onion and cabbage. 

Great food but very indifferent service.