And when you open the door to leave, is this what belongs on the sidewalk?
It looks more like — as one of my tablemates said — what belongs on the rim of a margarita glass. A giant's margarita glass.
Hail. It could be worse:
Shrimp can be worse too:
September 28, 2009
Disorienting dinner.
The company was sublime, but, seriously, is this what you expect in a stylish-looking Mexican restaurant when you order shrimp fajitas?
And when you open the door to leave, is this what belongs on the sidewalk?
It looks more like — as one of my tablemates said — what belongs on the rim of a margarita glass. A giant's margarita glass.
Hail. It could be worse:
Shrimp can be worse too:
And when you open the door to leave, is this what belongs on the sidewalk?
It looks more like — as one of my tablemates said — what belongs on the rim of a margarita glass. A giant's margarita glass.
Hail. It could be worse:
Shrimp can be worse too:
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35 comments:
Yes, we were at friends' house for dinner when the hail started. The kids went out and scooped it up.
And now its Fall.
That plate is too orange.
It's the twelve shrimp of Christmas.
High winds, yesterday and today in my neck of the woods. Cool temps, today. This happens every year about this time. Then, within the first 3 days of Oct. the ladybug and box elder bug infestations will start.
Could you serve that in NYC?
I should have added, that when the bugs arrive, the temps will be warmer than usual and the winds will be from the SW.
"Jello de la fruta de la cereza."
Quotes:
1. Bubbles... the temperature of the sun. (from the shrimp video)
2. I'm never going to eat shrimp again. (me, last night... and I didn't even get sick... just de-appetized)
I've told you this already;
In France, they put those shrimp on pizza,...
The Macho Response
Nope. The shrimp should be sizzling on a cast-iron pan and the tortillas should be covered in a warming dish. They got that right even in Memphis, which isn't exactly a hotbed of Mexicans and Mexican food. (Although fajitas aren't Mexican, I don't think, so maybe authentic Mexicans have nothing to do with it.)
Listen, shrimp are just bugs anyway. Delicious bugs, from the water, but most decidedly BUGS.
Definitely much better tasting than Ladybugs, which are absolutely awful. That and too small to get their damned shell off.
Your fajita platter reminded me a little of tres hombres: Link.
Even the dive bar in my city that serves "Mexican" food and is owned by the whitest people in Wisconsin properly serves a fajita.
With the blogging heads post and the orangy plate of shrimp, all I can think is plate of death. Sad pink shrimp on an orange plate of death. And I love eating shrimp.
When I die, bury me at sea so the shrimp can eat me.
Hail, however, is one of the most interesting of weather events. Always dramatic.
That dinner is what happens when style is valued over substance.
I hate to be picky, but as a lover of true Mexican food vs the chain store TexMex variety, the use of the adjective "shrimp" to modify the noun "fajitas" has the same effect on me as fingernails on a blackboard do for a lot of people. As does the adjective "chicken" to modify the noun "fajitas". A fajita is a cut of beef, hence the problem. I will admit that my feelings have nothing to do with how good the food tastes.
The fajitas were nasty looking, but the pistol shrimp is nastier!
What a great video! Loved that.
I wonder if there is meat in that claw? Yum. ;-)
Amending to "fajitas". Thanks, FortWorthGuy. Heh.
God hates shrimp.
All the things wrong with that presentation:
1. Orange plate
2. Shells on shrimp that are going to be eaten inside of what is basically a sandwich
3. Tortillias in the midde of the plate getting soggy and cold, instead of in a covered dish
When we make this at home, we put an electric skillet on the table and warm our tortillias as we go.
Nope. The shrimp should be sizzling on a cast-iron pan and the tortillas should be covered in a warming dish
Agreed. The tortillas are going to get cold and the shrimp or whatever other meat should be on a sizzling hot cast iron plate.
Pretty presentation, but totally impractical.
Disorienting dinner: this meal compelled me to go around disparaging the East.
Agree with Fort Worth guy: "Shrimp Fajitas" is an oxymoron. Like "Steak Scampi."
Shrimp are more flavorful cooked in the shell, so I can't fault them there, even if eating them would be messy. Compare shrimp in Chinese dishes, which may well have the head, etc., still on, even though heavily sauced.
FLS, fine, cook the shrimp in the shells, then -- but have them shelled in the kitchen before you plate them, so the diner doesn't have to deal with it. If I'm cooking shrimp, I shell them at some point before they reach the table.
Serving tortillas like that should result in a revocation of that restaurant's license to serve Mexican food. Nothing worse than a cold, soggy tortilla.
Hmm. Well that plate looks fine to me. But I rarely order fajitas.
"stylish looking Mexican restaurant" - you should have known you were in for trouble right there!
TXbeck
wv: grimness - what a good Mexican food restaurant projects from outside, and that one sends out from the kitchen.
Agree with Fort Worth guy: 'Shrimp Fajitas' is an oxymoron. Like "Steak Scampi.'
Fajita.
Yeah, it really chaps my hide to hear people saying things like buffalo burger or tofu burger, or any other sort of meat-flavored burger. I mean, don't people realize that words and concepts are not supposed to evolve?
If it were a Mexican restaurant, then yes, that's along the lines of what I would expect. Maybe the tortillas would be wrapped in foil.
It it's a Tex-Mex restuarant, then, no, I would expect sizzling shrimp on a cast iron plate with onions and peppers.
I'm with the "fajitas = beef" folks, but if you are going to enjoy shrimp, make it good Gulf of Mexico shrimp. And do something wonderful with them. Don't overcook them and lose their flavor.
From the looks of that plate, you could have done better at a Chico's or any other Mexican chain restaurant. How sad!
Shrimp Creole - make a stock with the shrimp shells and heads, celery, onion, carrots, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Use maybe 3-4 cups of cold water, for a lb or two of shrimp. It will reduce to about 2-3 cups if you let it simmer an hour. Strain it and set it aside.
Saute some onion, peppers (green, red, yellow), celery and garlic in a little oil. Once they wilt a bit, add good canned tomatoes, and the shrimp stock. Let that all simmer together for a bit, then season with salt, pepper, a little thyme and oregano. Add as much cayenne or Tabasco as you are prone to enjoy. Make a nice pot of fluffy rice. Add the shrimp to the simmering red sauce about 10 minutes before serving. Voila!
Fajitas are grilled marinated strips of skirt steak served in a flour tortilla. If Fajitas were a Yankee dish we would call them "skirtlets" by analogy with Fajitas, because Faja means "girdle" or "sash" (fajita means little girdle or little sash). The skirt steak wraps around the beef animal, a la a girdle or sash.
Was the restaurant a copy cat called Los Orange Lobster? Add to that plate a glass of Polish sparkling water and you will be in Wisconsin culinary heaven.
What kind of restaurant makes you assemble your own sandwich?
onion, peppers (green, red, yellow), celery
Ah the Trinity. My father was born in New Orleans and my mothers family is from the Southlands originally and this was the food I grew up with.
Mmmmmm. Shrimp Creole.
The one advantage of that presentation is that you get to decide the proper ratio of shrimp:vegetables in each fajita. Otherwise... good idea, bad execution.
As for the fajita = steak thing: whatever they are called, I'm happy for the existence of vegetarian fajitas, lentil burgers, mushroom burgers, and tofu burgers. If you don't like the names, invent different ones.
DBQ - you can smell it on the stove, can't you?
theobromophile,
"As for the fajita = steak thing: whatever they are called, I'm happy for the existence of vegetarian fajitas, lentil burgers, mushroom burgers, and tofu burgers. If you don't like the names, invent different ones."
We have: it's called "rabbit food". It's NewAge acceptance of that name that's the problem. They'd rather bastardize everything else - for everyone else - than "invent different ones." Why? They're afraid of being laughed at. Much better to strike a defiant pose and ruin life for everyone but themselves. We know what a fajita is, what are you eating?
Rabbit food.
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