Here at Barrio and also at our management office (Heavy Restaurant Group), we are doing our part to spread awareness for Colon Cancer Awareness Month. This is an important issue for us as we had a close member of our “Heavy” family survive colon cancer. As a result, we are getting the word out and participating in the following:

• Today, Friday March 6th, is “Dress in Blue Day”. All employees have been encouraged to dress in blue and/or wear a blue ribbon to promote awareness and show their support.
• On March 22nd, employees will take part in the Mercer Island Rotary Club’s Half Marathon, 10k or 5k. All the money raised will be donated to Colon S.T.A.R.S and other colon cancer organizations here in Seattle.

Unbeknown to many people, colon cancer is the #2 cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. The interesting thing and in many cases tragic, is that colon cancer is 90% preventable when detected early. That is why it is so important to know your family history and spread the word! For more information, please visit the Seattle Colon S.T.A.R.S website.

Many of you have been asking for the recipe to our Steamed Local Mussels…well, here you go!

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Penn Cove Mussels
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• 2 Tablespoons White Onions, Minced
• 2 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
• 1 Habanero Chile, Halved
• 1/4 Cup Crema Mexicana, Creme Fraiche or Heavy Cream
• 1 Tablespoon Micro Cilantro or Cilantro Leaves
• 3 Slices Baguette, Toasted

Method

1. Sweat the onions, garlic and halved habanero in the oil until it just begins to color.
2. Add all of the mussels at once, turn the heat to high and cover the pan.
3. Shake the pan vigorously with the lid on to coat the mussels and agitate them so that they will open.
4. Steam the mussels with the lid on for 3-4 minutes until they all open. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
5. Drizzle in the Crema Mexicana and swirl the pan so that the cream mixes with the liquid.
6. Transfer the mussels to a serving bowl and garnish with the cilantro.
7. Serve with toasted bread.

ENJOY!

A Very Large Comal

When it comes to cooking, Mexico is a huge country. There are many regional variations from one part of Mexico to another, which makes for a vast and diverse cuisine. There are however, several items which tie the whole of Mexican cooking together.

The cooking of ingredients on a comal (a flat cast iron pan) is uniquely Mexican. Many Mexican cooks put foods on these comales and roast them until the exterior is often slightly burned. This burnt garlic, onion or chile skin is then removed…but what is left behind is a subtle and smoky flavor that is found throughout Mexican cuisine.

The use of corn masa is another uniquely Mexican culinary trait. This paste, made from dried field corn, significantly affects nearly every dish served in Mexico. Where you see a bread basket on every European and most American tables, you will see a basket of freshly made corn tortillas in Mexico. There are also tamales, enchiladas, and an entire category of dishes called antojitos (small plates) that are traditionally made from this corn masa.

Fusion cuisine was all the rage in the mid 1990’s. Chefs were fusing cuisines from all over the world on the same plate, and some of the combinations were very forced and strange. Mexican cuisine is a natural fusion cuisine because it slowly fused Spanish continental cuisine with Mexican Native cuisine. A robust and vibrant cuisine existed in Mexico prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores nearly 500 years ago. The Spanish brought spices, pork, rice and European cooking techniques to supplement the cuisine that already existed in Mexico. These two cuisines naturally fused over the centuries, but in Mexico the cuisine of the gulf coast actually exhibits more Spanish influence than in areas which remained more true to native cooking such as Oaxaca and the Yucatan Peninsula. It is the natural blending of cuisines that makes Mexican cooking so ingenious and adaptable.

Tequila is arguably the most popular and misunderstood Mexican alcohol. It is a spirit made from the fermented and distilled agave plant. While there are over 400 types of Agave, Tequila is made only from the Blue Agave plant. Even though U.S. and Mexican experts both state that Tequila can be produced in any region of Mexico, it is traditionally made in the northern and northwestern areas of Mexico, known as the “Tequila” are of Mexico. This area is located in the Western Mexico state of Jalisco.

The Blue Agave harvest is a centuries old tradition and is done by men called “Jimadors”, who harvest the plants by hand, using a special knife called a “Coa”. Roughly 300 million Blue Agave plants are harvested each year to make Tequila and each “Pinta” (the pulp of the agave plant) weighs in the neighborhood of 40-70lbs.

While agave based alcohols have been around since the late 16th century, Tequila, as it is known today was first mass produced in the Tequila region, near Guadalajara, Mexico in the 1800’s.

Once distilled, the clear Tequila is left to age in oak barrels. The preferred barrels come from America, Canada and France. Typically, Tequila is aged in white oak though some distilleries use charred oak, similar to Bourbon or Scotch, or barrels previously occupied by other types of alcohol such as Whiskey or Wine.

The flavor profile of Tequila depends on many variables including region, sugar content or even how high above sea level the Blue Agave grew before it was harvested. Often times, older (Anejo) Tequilas will inherit distinct flavors from whatever barrels they were stored in as well as from the alcohol previously stored in the barrels.

Though the preferred and traditional way to drink Tequila is straight, it is also known as a very versatile spirit in which to mix cocktails. Many drink straight Tequila with salt and lime, though the more traditional Mexican way of imbibing Tequila is to alternately sip the Tequila and a non-alcoholic, tomato and citrus based mixture called Sangrita (translates to: “little blood”). This technique is widely popular in Jalisco.

The Tequilas of BARRIO fall into 3 main categories…

Blanco (White) or Plata (Silver): This is Tequila in its “purest” form. It can be bottled directly after distillation or settled in stainless steel tanks for up to 4 weeks, after which it is moved to oak barrels to begin the aging process.  Though, it can be held up to one more month in oak barrels and still be considered a Blanco. Any more than 2 months and it is considered a…

Reposado (Rested): This is a Tequila that has been settled in oak barrels for anywhere between 2 and 11 months before bottling. In this stage, the spirit begins to get a golden hue from the oak barrels and begins to show a good flavor balance between the sweet agave and the wood flavors of the barrels.

Anejo (Aged): As the name implies, Anejo Tequila is aged in wooden barrels for a minimum of 1 year and as much as 3 years.  It is in this aging stage that the spirit darkens to a deep amber color and the flavors become deeper, richer and more complex. Anejo Tequilas are often compared to Scotch or Bourbon.

Our Blancos incldue Corzo, Cuervo Familia Reserva, Partida, Casa Noble, Aha Toro, Herradura, Patron and Gran Patron Platinum.

Our Reposados include Milagro, Corrolejo, Partida, Chinaco, Aha Toro, Chamucos, Cazadores, Sauza Hornitos, El Jimador, Hussong’s Agave and Gran Centanario.

Our Anejos include Milagro, Cuervo Familia Reserva, Partida, Chinaco, Casa Noble, Aha Toro, Don Julio 1942 and Sauza Commemorativo.

Some tasting notes from our lead bartender, Casey Robison…

The Don Julio 1942 is my favorite high-end Tequila. It has notes of toffee, caramel and vanilla. Unlike most Tequila, this one goes through a second distillation known as “Pot Still 6″ which gives it a more refined flavor that many other Tequilas. It is warm, smooth and magnificent.

The Milagro brands are some of my favorites. The Anejo is aged 18 months (technically making it an “extra anejo”), and it is triple distilled, making it one of the smoothest Tequilas available. It is aged in a single oak barrel giving it a distinctive light wood finish.

My favorite Reposado is Corralejo.  It is aged for 4 months in three separate barrels; American Oak, French Oak and White Oak. This gives it a very unique and distinctively earthy flavor that truly separates this brand from many other reposados.

Salud!

We were super excited to get a great review from Leslie Kelly in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer! Click here to read it.

For all you chocolate lovers out there…we have something new for you to try as our homemade churros come with a xocalatl chocolate dipping sauce! In ancient Aztec culture, xocalatl was the drink of the gods. The term translated means “warm or bitter liquid”. We use a 70% chocolate made from cacao grown in Mexico, and add a blend of cinnamon, ancho chiles, Mexican vanilla and a little cream and sugar. C’mon in and get your xocalatl on!

A quick side note on percentages as it relates to chocolate…this is interesting stuff that I just learned about also. The 70% we use refers to the ratio of cacao to sugar. The more cacao, the deeper, darker and more pronounced the chocolate flavor will be. As a rule, milk chocolate is at about 35-45 percent cacao to sugar, semisweet chocolate is at about 50-60 percent and bittersweet is at about 60-70 percent.

Ah, the eternal battle between “American Coke” and “Mexican Coke”….reminiscent of the Hatfields and McCoys. While our allegiances lean towards our South of the border Coke counterpart…luckily, you can get them both at Barrio!

The next logical question would then be…what is Mexican Coke? So glad you asked. Before the mid 1980’s, coca-cola used a cane sugar sweetener rather than the high-fructose corn syrup that is used today. Alas, rising costs drove U.S. bottlers to make the switch. However, Mexico still uses cane sugar with many discerning palates claiming that it has a sweeter, cleaner flavor.

Habanero Pepper

Many people ask us, “How can you guys sort out all of those chiles? How do you know which ones to use with what?” Believe us, it took a lot of research, tastings, and more than a few burned mouths to learn about all of the subtleties of flavor that these delicious fruits can bring to our cuisine here at BARRIO.

There are two main types of chiles, dried and fresh. Fresh chiles are characterized by their grassy, vegetal and under ripe flavors. They are typically used raw or roasted and then the skin is removed. The majority of the fresh chiles we use at BARRIO are green chiles, though we also use the habaneros which are orange, and fresnos, which are fire engine red.

When chiles are allowed to grow until completely ripe and then dry out on the plant itself, you have a dried chile instead of a fresh one. Dried chiles have aromas of leather and other dried fruits like raisins. Because they have been dried, and therefore the ratio of capsaicin (the compound in chiles that makes them hot) to their overall volume has increased, dried chiles are often more picante than their fresh counterparts.

When thinking of chiles, it is important to know how hot they are going to be. In Spanish, we use the word picante to describe chile heat so that it does not get confused with a dish’s actual temperature. We use what is known as the Scoville Scale to measure chile heat. Bold indicates chiles that we use or will use at Barrio.

  Scoville Rating                     Type of Pepper

• 15,000,000 - 16,000,000     Pure Capsaicin
• 2,000,000 - 5,300,000         Standard U.S. Grade Pepper Spray
• 850,000 - 1,050,000            Naga Jolokia aka Ghost Pepper (World’s Hottest Chile)
• 350,000 - 580,000               Red Savina Habanero (World’s Hottest Chile Hybrid)
• 100,000 - 350,000               Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Jamaican Hot Peppers
• 50,000 - 100,000                 Pequin, Chiltepin, Thai Bird Chiles
• 30,000 - 50,000                   Chile de Arbol
• 10,000 - 30,000                   Cayenne, Chipotle Mora
• 5,000 - 10,000                     Serrano, Chipotle en Adobo
• 2,500 - 5,000                       Jalapeno, Guajillo, Cascabel
• 500 - 2,500                          Anaheim, Ancho, Fresno, Pasilla, Poblano
• 100 - 500                             Pepperoncini, Spanish Pimiento, Spanish Piquillo
• 0 - 100                                 Bell Peppers

Scoville units are used to measure the amount of capsaicin in the chile. This is done through a process called high performance liquid chromatography. We’re not sure how that works any more than you, but what it does provide is a scale to measure how much hotter one chile is than the other.

We hope this scale helps you determine just what dish at BARRIO you might want to taste. In future blogs we will feature specific chiles and tell you all there is to know about them.

We are pleased to announce the opening of Barrio the first week of December. Along with our new restaurant comes a fun, new blog! Barrio is Spanish for neighborhood and it is our hope that this blog becomes a true resource that provides useful information on not only the events and goings on here in our Barrio but in and around your Barrio as well.  Over the coming months and years, you can expect posts on various topics such as food and cocktail recipes, seasonal food information, fun and helpful links and local community events just to name a few.  Welcome to our Barrio!