FoodieCuisine.com

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Taqueria Karina Cafe - Asada Tacos

I’ve been eating at Taqueria Karina Cafe for close to a decade now but not often enough.  The reason for my absence is that they are located on West 65th street that is far outside of my normal area.  The other issue is that they don’t have many low-calorie options and I don’t eat fattening foods during the week.

I used to go scuba diving with my father in Cozumel many years ago before it was a tourist trap.  Back then, the town ended about two blocks outside of the “city” square and the best place to get food was at a thatched hut.  Two guys would drive up on a scooter with an ice-chest on the back, unload, and cook lunch at the hut.  It cost around 50 cents for two asada (beef) tacos and they were amazing.  Nothing beat drinking a Corona , sitting on the beach under a hut, and eating authentic homemade tacos.

Teleport across the Ocean to the United States and then into Arkansas and the best alternative to Mexico can be found at Taqueria Karina Cafe.  It’s not under a hut and it’s not located on a beach, but the food is spot on.  It costs more than 50 cents for two tacos but given inflation it’s not much more. 

Every lunch or dinner starts with free homemade salsa served warm with homemade tortilla chips.  The salsa tastes different every time I eat there but is very good.  It has a bit of a kick to it so be forewarned if you don’t like spicy hot food. 

Taqueria Karina Cafe - Beef Red Chili

You can order tacos for $1.25 each and they come on a corn tortilla, with onions, cilantro, and lime.  Typically you can pick carnitas (pork) or asada (beef) for your protein along with other options such as tongue and tripe if you so choose.  I like to order three or four asada ones for my lunch and call it a day when not hungry but opt for a lunch special if I’m particularly famished.  They have many lunch specials for under $5 and my favorite is the Red Beef Chili.  It has chunks of beef simmered in a red chili sauce and is served with corn tortillas, rice, beans, and guacamole.

For my trip I ordered three Asada Tacos with the Red Beef Chili special.  It was way too much food but I ordered extra in case my son wanted some.  As usual the tacos had a lot of flavor and the tortillas were perfectly made.  I really liked a squeeze of lime on each one and the onions were cooked well.  The Red Beef Chili had tender chunks of meat in it and the red sauce was spicy enough but not overwhelming. 

Meals also come with red and green salsa to put on your food and I really like the red one.  The salsas almost have the consistency of a chutney and add an extra layer of flavor.  I recommend trying them both when you go.

My entire lunch was under $10 and could have been much less had I not ordered too much food.  It’s not atypical for me to spend $5 for lunch there and it’s worth it.

(501) 562-3951
Little Rock
5309 W 65th St
Little Rock, AR 72209
Lunch and Dinner 

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Homemade Burger

Cheese burgers are an American classic but really good ones are elusive.  We’ve all had burgers that tasted like shoe leather or ones that had the flavor of cardboard.  Over the years I’ve developed a burger that I think is perfectly tender, juicy, and flavorful.  Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Spice Rub

• ½ cup sweet paprika
• 2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Celery Seed
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
• 2 Teaspoons Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Teaspoons Chili Powder

Toppings

• 6 Slices Smoked Bacon
• 6 Large Buns
• 3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Meat

• 4 ½ Pounds 80/20 Angus Ground Beef (80% Meat, 20% Fat)
• 4 ½ Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 3  One Ounce Packets of Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix

Spice Rub

Combine all spice rub ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Cover and set aside.

Toppings

Cook the bacon in a pan for 5 minutes and flip once seared.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until seared.  Make sure the internal temperature of the bacon slices reaches at least 170 degrees to ensure doneness and is crispy.  Remove from the heat and set on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Meat

Put the meat into a large mixing bowl.  Pour the Worcestershire sauce over the top of the meat.  Open the seasoning packets and pour them over the top of the meat.  Using a large metal spoon, combine the ingredients for one minute.  Be careful to not make the mixture dense.  Let the meat rest for five minutes.

Form six balls of meat that weighs ¾ pounds each. 

Place a sheet of wax paper on a safe cutting board.  Place a ball of meat on the paper and top it with another sheet of wax paper.  Use a plate to press down slowly on the top sheet of wax paper until the burger is ½ inch thick.  Remove the patty to a plate and repeat the process for the rest of the balls of meat.

Sprinkle 1 Teaspoon of the Spice Rub over each patty, flip each patty, and sprinkle another 1 Teaspoon of Spice Rub on the other side.  Let the patties rest for five minutes.

Cooking

Turn the griddle to 400 degrees and let it come to temperature.

Place each patty on the griddle and cook until a sear forms.  This usually takes about 8 minutes.  DO NOT TURN UNTIL A SEAR FORMS.  Once a sear forms, turn the meat over carefully (so that it does not break,) place a slice of cheese on top, and continue to cook until a sear forms on the other side.  Remove the patties once they reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees (about another 3 minutes).  They should be Medium Rare in doneness.  Let the meat rest for three minutes.

While the meat rests, open each bun and spread butter on the open buns.  Place each bun, butter side down on the griddle, and cook for three minutes or until a light brown crust forms.  Remove the buns once complete and set aside.  Do not let them burn.

Forming

Do the following for each burger: Place the bottom bun on a plate.  Place one meat patty on top of a slice of bun.  Cut a slice of bacon into two pieces and layer on top of the meat.  Top with a slice of cheddar cheese.  Place the top of the bun on top of the burger.

Serve and enjoy!

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Quesadilla from Chili Verde

When I made the Chili Verde I wrote about here, I ended up with a lot left overs after making the tacos.  My family loves quesadillas so I decided to make some with the chili Verde and they turned out great! 

Of course you can attribute the flavor mostly to the chili, but the ingredients in the quesadilla helped too. 🙂

Ingredients (Makes 4 Quesadillas)

• 4 Cups cooked Chili Verde from previous recipe
• 8 Large flour Quesadillas
• 1 Red Onion
• 4 ounces queso fresco cheese (or any mild crumbling cheese)
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 Package Lipton onion soup mix
• 1 Lime
• 1 Bunch Cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Butter

Prep Work

Turn your griddle AND oven on 400 degrees.  Pull the leaves off of the cilantro and coarsely chop it.  Peel and thinly slice the red onion.  Quarter the lime.  Crumble the cheese into a bowl.  Mix the onion soup mix with the sour cream.

Caramelizing the Onions

Put a skillet on high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and all of the butter.  Once the butter starts to brown add the onions and season with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper.  Stir the onions as needed to prevent burning.

After 3-5 minutes, once the onions are translucent, add the vinegar.  Be careful as the mixture will sizzle and pop quite a bit.  Stir for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid is mostly reduced.

Grilling the Quesadillas

Your griddle should be warm by now.  Work in batches as necessary and put two tablespoons of olive oil on the griddle.  Once it is hot, add two quesadillas to the griddle.  Spoon 1 cup of chili Verde on top of each quesadilla.  Sprinkle onions, cilantro, and queso fresco over each quesadilla.  Top with another quesadilla and cook until the bottom quesadilla is browned (about 8 minutes.)

After the quesadillas are browned on the bottom, use a large spatula and remove to a cookie sheet.  Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.  Complete the last two quesadillas while the first two are baking. 

Putting them Together

Once they are all done, quarter on a cutting board, sprinkle queso fresco and cilantro on top, put a dollop of the sour cream mixture in the middle, add a lime to the top, and serve.

Be careful not to over-salt the onions since the chili Verde already has plenty of seasoning.  Enjoy!

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Baked Stuffed Mushrooms

How do you celebrate a birthday?  Why, with a family feast of Italian food of course!  In my family that’s how it’s normally done at least and history repeated itself last month for my step-father’s birthday.  My mother, step-father, wife, and son (the oldest was away at college) all met at Carino’s Italian Kitchen in Little Rock for good company, good food, and good times. 

It was a very cold night by Arkansas standards (19 degrees) so we rushed inside upon arrival.  Carino’s Italian Kitchen is a chain restaurant and is not someplace I would typically eat at but my family likes it and I’ve had good experiences there in the past.  The rest of our party was waiting for us and we were seated immediately in the middle-front of the restaurant, surrounded by tables and booths. 

Carino’s has a dark-wood décor with an open architecture where you can see the entire restaurant and the open kitchen in the back.  It feels very casual and open but also has a welcoming quality to it.  I enjoy the ability to watch the kitchen in action and you can sit close to it for a better view if you want.  It also feels like a chain, which can be a problem if you are looking for an intimate dinner.  Given our festive situation though, the atmosphere wasn’t a concern.

Fried Mozzarella

Our waiter arrived quickly and was very friendly in taking our orders.  We ordered the fried mozzarella ($6.99) and the stuffed mushrooms ($7.99) for appetizers and I opted for the braised short-ribs with pasta ($15.99) for my entrée.

The appetizers came out relatively quickly and looked as expected.  The stuffed mushrooms were packed nicely with spinach, parmesan, onions, garlic, and were baked in a flavorful lemon basil cream sauce.  One of them was cold in the center but they weren’t molten hot on the outside.  This tells me that they were baked and not micro-waved but were just not baked long enough.  Overall the mushrooms were very tasty. 

The mozzarella sticks had a decent marinara sauce to dip them in but were over-fried and heavy.  I realize that mozzarella sticks by definition are not light but for this appetizer you could only taste the fried batter and not much else.  They may be decent for kids as my son liked them quite a bit.

We were all having a good time talking about family, friends, and other stuff but started to notice those around us leaving and being replaced by new tables.  How could this be?  People who showed up after us had received their food, eaten, left, and been replaced by new people.  Over an hour had passed since our appetizers first arrived so we summoned our waiter to find out what was going on.  That is, we summoned him after we finally located him.  Something had gone obviously wrong in the kitchen, with or order, or both, but they resolved the issue and our food finally arrived.

Braised Short Ribs

My braised short ribs were boneless as promised and topped with julienned sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and spices.  I attempted to cut into the first piece of beef with my fork but it stubbornly bounced back.  Typically braised meat will fall apart but that was not the case here. 

Undeterred I broke out my knife and cut into the meat, or tried to at least.  It was rubbery to cut into as well and resisted my attempts until I added a lot of pressure.  I finally sawed through the meat and tried a bite.  Mmm, it tasted very good which was surprising.  Given how tough it was I didn’t think it would taste good but it did! 

Someone created a decent recipe but the cooks had failed to deliver on the execution.  If the meat had been braised for 3-4 hours I think it would have been great.  Unfortunately, they didn’t cook it enough and it suffered as a result.  You can also see in the photo I took large pieces of fat present.  In a proper braising the fat would have rendered out leaving nothing but tasty meat.  Ah well, it did taste very good at least!

Overall it was a fun celebration and I really enjoyed the company.  I can’t say the same about the food but am willing to give it another chance down the road. 

W. Little Rock
11600 Pleasant Ridge Rd.
Little Rock, AR  72223

Phone: 501-225-3434
Catering: 1-877-PASTA-411
Fax: 501-225-3545
Curbside: 501-225-3212

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

My wife and I love to entertain and host 4th of July, New Years Eve, and Super Bowl parties just about every year.  We also host several dinner parties throughout the year as we never run out of excuses to have people over for food and drink. 

 The following are recipes for some of the easier but popular appetizers I put out for our parties.  Keep in mind that they are by no means gourmet items or even hard to imagine.  They are super simple but good.

Artichoke Dip

• 2 Cans quartered artichoke hearts
• 2 Cups mayonnaise
• 2 Cups Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese (Kraft)

Combine ingredients into an oven proof dish.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat for 30 minutes or until brown crust forms around the edges and the dip is bubbling.  Cool for 20 minutes and serve with Ritz crackers.

Meatballs

• 1 32 ounce bag frozen meatballs
• 2 bottles honey and ginger marinade by K.C. Masterpiece
• 1 bottle Bullseye BBQ sauce (original)

Combine ingredients into large pot and set on low heat.  Cook for 2-3 hours, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  Once thoroughly cooked, remove and put into a crock-pot for serving.

Beanie Weenies

• 12 packages hot-dogs (5 in each package)
• 2 bottles Bullseye BBQ sauce (original)
• 4 cans beer (I use Coors)
• 2 Tablespoons mustard

Slice hot dogs into 1/8″ small slices.  Put into large boiling pot.  Turn on high and pour in beer.  Boil hot dogs for 30 minutes to an hour or until most of the juice has evaporated.  Strain the beer out of the hot dogs.  Put the hot dogs back into the pot if you removed them during the straining.  Add the BBQ sauce.  Turn to Low heat and cook for another 30 minutes, stir often to prevent burning.  Remove from the heat and serve.  Keep warm in a crock-pot as they aren’t as good cold.

Onion Dip

• 2 Packages Lipton Onion Soup Mix
• 32 ounces Sour Cream

Combine ingredients and put into serving bowl.  Refrigerate for 4-24 hours.  Stir and serve with Ruffles potato chips.

That’s it!  As I said, easy enough to be printed on the back of a box of chips but tasty. 🙂

by Todd Barron at FoodieCuisine.com

Chili Verde Tacos

You may not realize it, but the name chili comes from chili con carne (“Chili with meat”) which is Spanish for “peppers with meat.”  It was invented by the Spanish Canary Islanders in San Antonio, Texas, and is even the official dish of Texas.  The official chili has no beans in it and if you use beans it’s technically not even chili.  In this article I cover a bean-less dish.

One of my favorite chili dishes to make is Chile Verde which means “Green Chili” and it’s very simple in composition.  It has slow cooked pork, tomatillos, garlic, chicken broth, onions, and peppers such as jalapeno, Serrano, or even Habanero.  I also added some cilantro to this dish for a citrus tone.  As you will read, I like to put my chili on corn tortillas, add some lime, cilantro, queso fresco, and eat them taco style.  The family loved this recipe!

 Ingredients (Makes 24 tacos)

• 4 pounds pork loin
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 6 limes
• 10 tomatillos
• 10 cloves garlic peeled
• 2 white onions
• 6 fresh large jalapeno peppers
• 2 chicken bullion cubes
• 1 16oz jar salsa verde
• 6 cups water
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper
• 36 yellow corn tortillas
• 4 ounces queso fresco

Prep work

1. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees
2. Wash all of the vegetables
3. Remove the head of the cilantro and chop it roughly, reserve half a cup for later
4. Dice the onions
5. Dice the jalapenos
6. Quarter the limes and reserve for later
7. Quarter the tomatillos
8. Cut the pork loin into 1″ cubes and salt and pepper BOTH sides liberally
9. Peel the garlic if not done so yet

Sear the pork

1. Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a Staub Coq Au Vin CocotteTweet