New Mexican place - St. Marks Vandy

Hi all,

so there's a new Mexican restaurant opening on St. Marks and Vanderbilt. the sign says "Puebla Cosina [sic]". apparently it's going to be Mexican home cooking - I'm pretty psyched.

Sweet. Closer than Calexico on 5th ave & St Marks, my fave.

There's also a Mexican place opening on Classon, at Park Place, taking over for the failed fish 'n steak shop.

Subject: New World Coffee on WA.

I didn't talk to the owner, but the door was open and I took a look in - looks very close to being done, hopefully it's not going to be too long... but then again, we're all pretty well versed on the licensing/permit waiting game.

yipee! keeping my fingers crossed for some yummy mexican!

VeggieQueen wrote: yipee! keeping my fingers crossed for some yummy mexican!

and hopefully tasty margaritas in pint glasses...

Hearing about two new restaurants in one week? Yay! *fans self*

This kicks ass! We needed this in the area!

Subject: it's about time

the food options in this area are nill.

Subject: Re: it's about time

nodirection wrote: the food options in this area are nill.

never heard of nill - is that a new restaurant?

I have to admit a local margarita would be sweet. And maybe they will do frozens...

Subject: Re: New Mexican place - St. Marks & Vandy

alafairnadia wrote: so there's a new Mexican restaurant opening on St. Marks and Vanderbilt. the sign says "Puebla Cosina [sic]".

¡y mi corazón salta con alegría!

I hate you rain in your parade but I honestly doubt it will be autentic mexican food. It someone native was involved in this venture they would have pointed out the name was wrong, it should have been Cocina Poblana o Cocina de Puebla.

Did anyone ever tried The Big Enchilada, next to the Village Cinema on East 12 and University?

They used to have the best broiled chicked and rice dish.
I am talking over 10 years ago.
It was such a great little place and their salsa was to die for. But it did not go unnoticed to investors. They purchased it and open a second one on 28th street and the food taste changed incredible.

I keep my fingers crossed that at least 'Cocina Puebla' will have mexican cooks.

Any word on when this place is opening?

apollonia666 wrote: Any word on when this place is opening?

"a few weeks"

dds580 wrote: I hate you rain in your parade but I honestly doubt it will be autentic mexican food. It someone native was involved in this venture they would have pointed out the name was wrong, it should have been Cocina Poblana o Cocina de Puebla.

Hate to rain on YOUR parade, Mr/Ms Naysayer, but one typo does not a fake restaurant make. The chefs are indeed from Mexico. The food will be very authentic Mexican homecooking.

If the person knows enough about Mexican food they would know the correct way to call it, and having a Mexican cook does not warrant you will have authentic Mexican food.
To give you an example I tried the chilaquiles at Tom's, where the Mexican waiter assured me they were prepared by a Mexican cook. Those were the worst chilaquiles I have had in my life; they were made with flour tortillas, not even fried, and to top it off with beans and rice. The fact that they call it chilaquiles does not make them chilaquiles. Besides Mexicans do not put rice and beans on everything they eat.

If you are involved in that venture, do not get offended, amigo/a. Take notes to improve the business. Pay attention to what the customer looks for. Show the consumers the real and delicious Mexican food. Do not call them tacos ‘al pastor’ if you are simply selling ‘taquitos de carne’. Teach us about Mexican food, give us more options than mole, pozole, tacos, chiles rellenos and enchiladas. There are so many more dishes that you do not find in restaurants in this country, only in Mexico.
Do not treat us like ignorant gringos, some of us are not so ignorant about Mexican cousine.

This is a board to exchange ideas, not to start wars. With that attitude, you will not get much return business.
Defensiveness will not win friends nor customers.

Good luck in your business.

a) what were you thinking?! ordering chilaquiles at Tom's?!

b) why don't you save the menu commentary for the menu?

c) Mexico is a big country. many dishes are regionally interpreted and named. my chilaquiles, for instance, are real chilaquiles ... if you're in Merida. or San Luis Potosi. most of what is served in this country that is called chilaquiles is, in fact, migas. and don't get me started on the eggless wonder food that isn't chilaquiles or migas.

d) not everyone from Mexico is necessarily gramatically literate in any language. calm down with the Spanish lesson.

e) having talked Mexican food with some of these cooks, and eaten their food in their current restaurants, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of their kitchen. it's sure to be good, whatever it turns out to be.

most of the staff at tom's is guatemalan, not mexican.

nonetheless, they make a pretty good huevos rancheros (although for some reason they've taken it off the menu for the summer).

never saw chilaquiles there or would have had to have tried them. one of my favorite desayunos. but they what you describe doesn't sound like chilaquiles at all.

as to the grammatical lapse, i'm certainly willing to give the place a chance to prove its authenticity in the kitchen, where it counts, and i hope for the best.

but i used to live in mexico and while i saw countless misspelled signs, i never heard anyone, no matter how illiterate, get the noun and the adjective in the wrong place. unfortunately, this sign reminds me of the local semi-chain "fresco tortillas," which clearly had no spanish speakers involved and whose food, while not bad, is about as mexican as doritos.

Oh come on, dds580. Do you think the chefs are also making signs and doing administrative work? They are not. When it opens, and you've tasted the food, nitpick away. If you like it, great, if not, great. :roll:

I just think it's absurd and a tremendous waste of time to go into this kind of fantasy food authenticity analysis based on one letter wrong on a temporary sign on a restaurant that's not even open yet! One of my hobbies is pointing out typos on permanent signs, and I assure you, they are all over the neighborhood. I don't think that has anything to do with what's going on inside, I have never connected the two, because IT"S THE SIGNMAKERS FAULT! Get it?

I'm not responding to this anymore, so flame away. It's not my place, I just know the owners, so don't bother going down that fantasy route, it's also a dead end.

"some of us are not so ignorant about Mexican cousine."

Who wants to tackle this, in light of dds' rant regarding the authenticity of ethnic food, and the important role spelling plays in that?

Also, surely we're talking more about Mexican cooking here, rather than "cuisine".

i've seen some activity at the mexican place... the gate has been up the past few nights. didn't stop in to ask when they are opening. has anyone heard anything?