Beat June Gloom with a Puesto Summer Cocktail!

6/1/2019 
June Tacos of the Month

In San Diego and La Jolla, come taste the winning Next Top Taco as your June Taco of the Month! Cinthia Vega created a Chicken Tinga Taco that had our judges wanting more. Inside the taco, you will find chipotle braised chicken, guacamole, red onion, cilantro, and Cotija cheese. Here’s a little bit behind the inspiration for Cinthia’s taco:

“Having been born and raised in a 100% Hispanic family and experiencing only traditional Guadalajara/Mexican cuisine with minimal encounters with American cuisine (per my mother’s orders!). This has been a great benefit in my young married life. “Tinga” originated from the state of Puebla, Mexico and in my childhood home, my mother would actually make it into a hard-shell tostada dish. You would incorporate refried beans as your base and top it with your shredded chicken Tinga, shredded lettuce, crema, avocado slices, and some crumbled cotija cheese. It was one of my many favorite dishes as a child.”

In Irvine and the Bay Area, your June taco of the month is the Tomatillo Beef with Tomatillo-braised beef (duh!), nopales, avocado, cilantro, and white onion. We cook the beef in a tomatillo braised with garlic, jalapeño, onion, and salt for hours. The result is tender meat with a distinctive yet subtle tomatillo tang. After beef meets tortilla, it’s topped with a slice of avocado, diced white onion, and cilantro leaves.

This taco demonstrates a classic cooking principle that Mexican cuisine shares with hundreds of culinary traditions around the world: any meat if seasoned perfectly and cooked slowly and carefully, can be transformed into a delicious meal. After that transformative magic, the meat needs little else to be perfect.

Summer Cocktails are Here!

DRINKING & KNOWING THINGS

What’s in it: Mezcal, ancho chile liqueur, orange and lemon juices, and egg white.
This is a slightly spicy, smoky, citrusy concoction with a cap of airy foam on top. Using an egg white to create froth dates back to classic cocktail days, as early as the 1860s. There is no “eggy” taste. When the cocktail is shaken, the egg white enriches the texture like in a meringue.

ROSÉ ALL DAY

What’s in it: Gordon’s dry gin, rosé wine, elderflower liqueur, muddled raspberries, and fresh mint.
Crisp, refreshing rosé wine is a summer staple. Pairing it with dry gin gives it body, balance, and booziness. Muddled raspberries and a touch of elderflower liqueur soften the drink into an easy-drinking seasonal favorite.

MEZCAL LEMONADE

What’s in it: Añejo tequila, mezcal, fresh lemon juice, ground Canela, and smoked lemon.
Nothing says summer like lemonade! Our version takes it south of the border with tequila and mezcal and adds a hit of Mexican Canela. A smoked lemon garnish pulls all the flavors together.

Horchata for A Cause Beneficiaries

CHEFS CYCLE is a fundraising endurance event featuring award-winning chefs and members of the culinary community-fighting hunger outside the kitchen. For the past four years, the Chefs Cycle has engaged culinary talents who want to push their limits by completing a three day, 300-mile ride while raising funds and awareness in support of No Kid Hungry. The 2020 ride has a goal of 275 chefs riding to help raise $2 million, which translates into 20 million meals for kids facing hunger. Join us in supporting our local culinary community as they cycle for a cause.

Irvine Public Schools Foundation (IPSF) is a nonprofit organization with the mission of enriching the educational experience of each child in every school. Founded in 1996 by concerned parents and community leaders, IPSF sponsors enrichment programs and provides financial support to ensure educational excellence in Irvine schools. In addition, IPSF excels at uniting local corporate and community partners, parents and residents in raising funds to nurture student potential. Each year, IPSF provides millions of dollars in funding to Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) to support STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education, small-group learning, afterschool and summer programs, grants for classroom innovation, and support for mental health initiatives and athletic trainers.