The status of Mexican restaurants in the area is becoming increasingly fascinating to me. They appear to be moving further and further into Instagrammable spaces that pulsate, and at the same time offering food that is moving up the culinary sophistication scale. That is not to say it is always better. It is sometimes better, but is always hipper.
In contrast to that, places like Casa Garcia in Kenner are doing what they have always done, and our favorite on the North Shore La Caretta remains much the same as it has been since we first started going in the 1990s. Both remain busy.
Yesterday we went to the latest addition to the Habanero’s chain, a Northshore place which in its short existence is moving rapidly, with locations around the North Shore, Metairie, and Shreveport. The lates addition took over the space in Mandeville that began as New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood, and was replaced by the ill-fated and puzzling Cucina Congemi, which departed during COVID.
Habanero’s bought it years ago and has been taking their time renovating it. Much money has been spent here, but the overall look comes across as cheesy. This model of the “new” Mexican restaurant seems to be taking its cues from Tacos del Cartel, which has made a lot of noise, literally and figuratively, in the warehouse district.
A caller to the radio show reported the same thing last week about El Paso in Kenner, which had spruced up the place in the Del Cartel model. I am puzzled by this development. Do most people want their insides vibrating from bass while they eat? This seems highly unappealing.
The Habanero’s phenomenon has always been interesting to me. Two brothers split off from the La Caretta bunch to open a tiny space on Hwy 21 in Covington with food that was shockingly authentic for its time. They were serving cactus pads, for Heaven’s sake! I gave the place little chance of survival, but I grossly underestimate the palates of my fellow Northshorinians. Habanero’s not only survived but thrived, and there were soon two. Then five. And now six.
The original got updated, lost the cactus pads, and the brothers split up. One kept the larger Covington location and changed the name to Kantunil, doing a beautiful renovation that reminds me of Oaxaca. The food and place are understated and we prefer it.
But the meal we had a the new Habanero’s was also very good. We got brunch and a few things from the regular menu. The guac and choriqueso, a flight of Flautas, Steak and Eggs, and Sopas Divorciados.
The current style vogue of guac is what I call the "new” style, where less is more. Mashed avocado is mixed with minimal other ingredients. There is little that needs to be done to the goodness of avocado, so there is no such thing as a bad one of these, provided Haas avocados are used.
I was surprised at the size of the choriqueso. Comparing any choriqueso to our favorite at La Caretta is doomed to failure, but we liked this very well. There just wasn't as much of it. When Habanero’s first arrived on the scene they used blue corn tortilla chips as well as the others, which we felt set them apart in a good way. But that has long ago stopped. Too bad.
L
Mary Leigh was excited about her flautas. It was a cool presentation. Flights of anything are fun, especially unexpected ones. These came in three tall and narrow glasses where a green sauce occupied the bottom half. A flauta stuck out of each one. We tend to stick with carnitas, but she said each flauta was different. There was a carnitas, Barbacoa, and Chicken Tinga.
Tom likes steak and eggs. The slab of beef (grilled skirt steak) seemed to be a higher quality of beef than we are used to in such instances, but most of the plate was grilled onions. There was a nice pyramid of “Mexican” rice, and a smattering of pico de gallo and shreds of lettuce coated in sour cream. Two beautiful sunny eggs sat on top of the steak, and a half avocado was sliced and fanned out on the side. These came with tortillas, and we chose corn.
My Sopas Divorciados was interesting. Divorciados means just what it sounds like: divorced. Two eggs are usually separated by refried beans but they weren’t here. It’s like the song “You say tomato…”, because the two eggs are separated by refried beans, and one has Salsa Verde while the other has Salsa Roja on top. Verde is made with tomatillos and Roja with red tomatoes.
These sunny eggs were perfect, and the “Divorciados” presentation was distinct. The remainder of the plate included pico de gallo mixed with thinly sliced lettuce that was covered in sour cream. There was lumpy guac on the other side of the lettuce. Two sopas, or blue corn dough patties were covered with meat: one had carnitas as a topper and the other chicken. These were topped with pickled onion and crumbles of queso fresco. Collectively, this plate was a mess.
For once we skipped the flan that makes it more palatable for Tom to be dragged to eat Mexican food as often as he is. The bill with tip was already over a hundred dollars. More evidence of the evolution of the “cuisine.”
