Café’s Coyote is introducing a new Langostino Lobster Taco and it is awesome!

Details:

Langostino Taco-Two soft corn tortillas stuffed with breaded and deep-fried langostino lobster, creamy chipotle sauce, with cabbage and salsa fresca. Served with beans and Mexican style rice for the incredible price of $12.95.

The Spanish word Langostino has different meanings in different parts of the world. In the United States, we use this word to refer to the delicious meat of the squat lobster.  However, in Spain, it may refer to a variety of species of prawn. Where as in Cuba it refers to crayfish, whereas in South America, it refers to red shrimp.

There are two species of squat lobster found along the California coast. Despite looking like lobsters, they’re more closely related to hermit crabs. Unlike their relatives, squat lobsters don’t carry shells with them on their backs. Instead, they squeeze into small crevices along the ocean floor and leave their sharp claws exposed to keep predators away.

Squat lobsters also hide under rocks to protect themselves. Safe from hungry fish and lobsters, they wait for snacks to settle nearby and then use their sharps claws to reach out and pick off that which passes by.

Two cool facts about squat lobsters:

1.) Squat lobsters’ arms grow to be several times the length of their body.

2.) Squat lobsters sometimes steal food from sea anemones. Sea anemones look like plants but they are really animals that eat meat.

Valentine’s Day in San Diego has never been more fun than when it is spent at Café Coyote! On this special night we have three romantic options for you to start the night off right:

1. A beautiful three-course menu for $20/person, add perfectly selected Tequila pairings for $10 and things will get real hot!
2. Fresh lobster dinner guaranteed to impress your lover – $34.95/person
3. Lastly, delicious Rose Margaritas for only $7.95 /each

If you want to show your lover how much Valentine’s Day means to a romantic like you, let us recommend a few facts about the holiday to weave into conversation throughout the night:

• In 496 Pope Gelasius I pronounced February 14  tobe St. Valentine’s Day.
• In the 1800s stories popped up that St. Valentine’s Day dated back to Rome and the festival of Lupercalia on the 15th of February, this was later disproved.
• It is now widely accepted that St. Valentine’s Day is a Middle Age tradition of choosing a romantic partner on the day believed to be when birds began mating each spring.
• It is not clear whom Pope Gelasiusintended to honor with Valentine’s Day. According the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were three early Christian saints by that name. One was a priest in Rome, another a bishop in Terni, and of a third St. Valentine died with very little known about him.Most interestingly all three saints were martyred on Feb. 14!
• In 1969, the Catholic Church revised holidays with questionable origins and removed the feast of Valentine’s Day from the church’s official calendar.
• The tradition of Valentine’s cards did not become widespread in the United States until the 1850s.
• Todaythe holiday has become a success that according to the Greeting Card Association of America accounts for 25% of all cards sent each year.

Café Coyote plans to celebrate a Puerto Nuevo tradition by serving Puerto Nuevo style lobsters every Thursday from 11 a.m. until close. Puerto Nuevo is an area in Baja that has achieved recognition from all over for its famous “Puerto Nuevo style” lobsters.  Puerto Nuevo style lobsters are served fried to keep the meat tender. Puerto Nuevo style lobsters traditionally come with a side of rice, beans and homemade tortillas.

Puerto Nuevo style lobsters have been a tradition in the Baja region since 1956. According to legend, the tradition started when two local women in a fishing village south of Rosarito decided to drop fresh lobster into hot, bubbling oil. Puerto Nuevo style lobsters quickly became a staple in the area because many families did not have refrigerators, and the lobsters did not require any refrigerated ingredients. Since 1956, Puerto Nuevo has served locals and tourist millions of lobsters each year.

At Café Coyote, diners can enjoy this Mexican tradition without traveling all the way to Puerto Nuevo. For $25.95, diners will receive a 1.5 to 1.75 pound lobster served with Mexican style rice, refried beans, handmade tortillas, drawn butter and fresh salsa. Lobsters are only available until supplies run out so get there early.

Café Coyote will celebrate Taco Tuesdays with $2 tacos every Tuesday from 3:30 p.m. until close. The menu for Taco Tuesday will include nine tacos that will be reoccurring regulars on the menu each week. These Taco Tuesday menu staples will include Beef Tacos, Fish Tacos, Chicken Tacos and Carne Asada Tacos.

In addition, Café Coyote will feature a special taco each week. Specialty tacos will center around fresh, creative ingredients in unusual combinations. These specialty tacos include the Fried Calamari Chipotle Taco, the Irish Taco and the Chicken Diablo Taco. Café Coyote’s website has a detailed list of each specialty taco they will feature so diners can plan ahead each week.

Café Coyote will also be creating a new taco that the restaurant’s Facebook and Twitter fans will have a chance to take part in naming. This new taco will become a staple on Café Coyote’s menu each week.

For more information about Café Coyote including a full list of the tacos served, please visit: http://cafecoyoteoldtown.com/taco-tuesday.html.

If you want to have the best experience visiting tequila distilleries in Mexico you must plan in advance. Tequila, Jalisco is the most tourist friendly if you want to see some great tequila production. About 90 % of all tequila distilleries are located in this town and many are open for public tours. La Rojeña (Jose Cuervo), La Fortaleza (Los Abuelos), La  Alborada (El Gran Jubileo) and La Cofradia ( Casa Noble) are just a few distilleries you can visit in this magical pueblo.

It is crucial to make an appointment to see any distillery because there are times of the year when they do not open. November 29-December 13^th is the town’s annual tequila fair. It is sometimes difficult to visit distilleries during this time because this a two week holiday for them. If you are looking for a place to party, this time of the year is filled with festivities, food, music and great tequila. Spring Break is another time of the year when it is difficult to visit a distillery in Mexico. Most people from the town take advantage of the long break and go to the beach cities to vacation.

For a list of distilleries of Mexico you can go to the website tequila.net and find information of names, addresses and phone numbers were you could contact an executive to schedule a distillery tour to the distillery that makes your favorite tequila. Tequila Jalisco is a little over an hour from Guadalajara’s International Airport. It is wise to book a hotel in Guadalajara to take advantage of the sightseeing in this great city. You can spend all day in Tequila and enjoy the nightlife of the big city.

If you want visit a distillery in the highlands of Jalisco plan for a longer day of travel and make sure you have booked an appointment because most distilleries are not open to the public. In the highlands one can find brands like Patrón, Cazadores, Siete Leguas, Don Julio, and El Tesoro De Don Felipe. These are great distilleries to visit but advanced notice can make your trip worthwhile.

Do pace yourself if drinking tequila at a distillery. Sometime you can drink tequila right after it has been distilled. This tequila comes out at 55 percent alcohol and does hit you harder than tequila that has already been bottled. Eat something before you begin drinking and drink plenty of water. Don’t forget to tip your tour guide. They work hard at making your visit a great experience. I hope you learn a lot.

Salud!

December 16, 2010

One of the most popular rituals used when drinking tequila is the famous shot. Salt licked off the top of your hand, tequila and finally biting into a wedge of lime. This ritual dates back to the 1930’s flu epidemic in Mexico. It is said that doctors would prescribe this to their patients to kill the germs. The salt and lime was used help extinguish the tequila burn and sometimes bad taste. This ritual is sometimes practiced today due to the fact that tequila education has not reached out to everyone.

Quality tequila has emerged from the numerous low quality, “mixto” tequilas that flood the market. It is all about 100 percent agave tequilas now. Tequila that tastes good, is complex and does not give you a hangover is what many people are discovering. The question is, do we continue to shoot back a product that took so long to create?

I have learned that there is a better way to consume tequila. Sipping on tequila is an alternative to help you appreciate its complex aromas and flavors. First choose tequila that is 100 percent agave to avoid hangovers. The glass you select is also crucial when tasting tequila. A brandy snifter or a Ridel flute-like tequila glass is a perfect selection because it has a stem that you can hold so that your hand does not warm up the content. It also permits you to swirl it to funnel up the alcohol and is wide enough to let you put your nose in it without getting to close to the liquid.

Step one: Pour about an ounce and a half of tequila in a nice glass.

Step two: use your sense of sight to look at the liquid. If the tequila is not aged it should be as clear as water.  If the tequila is aged it should have a gold to amber color. This depends on how long it is aged. A quality tequila should not have any sediments in it. Give it a swirl and it should form a nice viscous neck with slow dripping tears or legs. This is the body of the tequila.

Step three: use your sense of smell. After the swirl let a sit for about 30 seconds before you “nose” it. If you nose it right away the primary alcohols give you a burning sensation. Let it breath to let the strong alcohols funnel out. Take your time to discover the complex aromatics. 600 different aromas have been discovered in tequila so far.

Step four: use your sense of taste. The key here is sipping. Your tongue perceives four basic components of taste: Sweet on the tip of the tongue, salty and acidic on the lateral parts and bitter on the back of the tongue. Start by making sure that the front of the tongue is exposed to the tequila first and the back last. This will permit you to discover more flavors. The finish is when you swallow the liquid. Is it smooth, rough, silky? These are only some of the adjectives used to describe the finish but there are more.

Repeat these steps more than once to let your senses and the tequila open up. Soon you will discover and find that there is more to just shooting back good tequila.

Salud!!!

One of the biggest misconceptions that I encounter when I talk to my customers about tequila is the question about the worm in the bottle. Today I would like to clarify the worm myth.

It is quit simple; tequila never has a worm in the bottle. The spirit that sometimes has the worm in the bottle is called mezcal.

Tequila and mezcal are related but differ in many ways. Mezcal has been around since the 16^th century. Tequila is simply the son of this mother spirit. Tequila is a type of mezcal but has acquired the name of its town, Tequila to distinguish itself from mezcals that are produced in states such as Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Durango and Zacatecas.

To be called tequila, the agaves used for tequila production can only come from the entire state of Jalisco and selected counties of the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Tequila can only be distilled from only one variety of agave, the Agave Tequilana Weber Azul.

Though tequila is generally known to be a type of mezcal, rules and regulations have been implemented to distinguish between these two spirits from Mexico. Since tequila goes through a steam cooking process, in masonry or stainless steel autoclaves (steam pressure cookers) the end product conserves a steamed agave flavor that is most notable in blanco (silver) tequilas. You will never see a bottle of tequila that has the name mezcal on the bottle or vice versa.

Mezcal can be made from various types of agaves such as: Espadin, Tóbala (wild agave), Cierego and Mexicano, just to mention a few. One of the most notable features about mezcal is its production. The traditional method of roasting the agave in underground wood-fired pits, stone milling, and distilling in small batches using small copper pot stills helps mezcal aquire its smokiness, unique aromas and flavors. It is important to note that some mezcals today are acquiring more state of the art production methods but still keep some traditional touches to distinguish among other agave-based spirits.

Tequila is what I call, an evolution of mezcal. There is an old saying that goes:

“For everything bad, drink mezcal; and for everything good, you also should. ”

Salud!

Mario Marquez

Tequila Ambassador

Café Coyote

No need to travel to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California to taste great tequila. Cabo Wabo tequila is available here in sunny Old Town, San Diego. For the month of December, Cabo Wabo will be our tequila of the Month. Cabo Wabo is flavorful tequila that is produced in Arandas, Jalisco by Destiladora San Nicolas (NOM, 1440).

Currently Cabo Wabo is produced in 4 styles: blanco, reposado, añejo and extra añejo. Its blanco is crystal-clear with a fresh floral bouquet. It has spicy lime notes with full agave flavors. The reposado is rested for 4-6 months in American oak casks. It has a bold peppery flavor and hints of fruit that linger on the palate briefly, followed by a long, spicy finish. If you prefer something a little bit richer try the añejo is a perfect fit. It is aged for 14 months in American Oak barrels that give it a full vanilla caramel nose with honey and chocolate flavors.

If you really want to treat yourself and be a tequila king/queen Cabo Uno, extra añejo will satisfy your sophisticated palate. Aged for 38 months in charred American oak. This small batch tequila uses only the ripest agaves and the heart of the distillation process. It has herb and tropical fruit aroma with, chocolate caramel and roasted coffee flavors.

These tequilas are sold at Café Coyote for: $ 7.50 (blanco), $ 9.00 (reposado) $ 11.00 (añejo) and $30.00 (Cabo Uno, Extra Anejo). You can try these tequilas neat or in a margarita. If you want any of these tequilas in a margarita it will only cost $ 1.95 more. I recommend that you sip the extra añejo to discover its unique complexity of aromas and flavors.

Salud!

Mario

What an exciting day I had this Tequila Thursday. My day began with moderating a class in the San Diego Bay and Wine Food Festival. Chefs, sommeliers and tequila aficionados participated in the “Art of tequila class”.

The panel of experts was made up of representatives from four different prestigious tequila brands to help create meaning and awareness of tequila culture, quality and different production styles.

Ruben Aceves, Global Brand Ambassador for tequila Herradura flew in from Guadalajara, Jalisco to share his brands rich history.  Marco Ramos, Brand Ambassador for tequila Fortaleza explained his brands unique production style. Eric Ruben, co-owner of tequila Tres Agaves introduced his relatively new brand and gave us some great tequila-food recipes. Finally, Nene Gonzalez, Brand Manager of tequila Alma de Agave had some great insight on Terroir.

All four panelists and audience learned from each other. People that had experience with wine, cooking and other spirits shared a wealth of knowledge about their specialty that helped to create connections and endless possibilities to create new innovations with tequila and food.

I put my studies to practice right away when arriving to Café Coyote. With the help of my colleague, Kenny Kaufman we decided to play around with old traditional Sangrita recipes to create the mango sangrita. Our old recipe was based on Orange Juice, hot sauce and spices. We substituted the traditional salsa for a mango salsa that made our tequila chaser different and a bit sweeter than usual. Next time you are at Café Coyote, ask for Mario, your one and only Tequila Ambassador and I will personally make this mango wonder.

Salud!

Thank you everyone who attended last weeks memorial gathering for Brad Hoover of Tequila Corrido. The tequila community in San Diego is a very close community that supports one another when times are tough. For a brand out of Scottsdale Arizona that is produced in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco Corrido was quickly recognized throughout San Diego for its unique production style and quality. Imagine, a single-estate, single-barrel tequila that gets aged to taste not to time in their aged tequilas.

Who could forget the late Brad Hoover, an individual who had a true passion for tequila? I first met Brad Hoover about a year ago at the Spirits of Mexico grand tasting at Liberty Station. What I mind I thought? We began working together about six months ago and feel that in this short amount of time I was able to learn an abundance of information about the tequila aging process. Brad was a mentor and true friend.

In his remembrance we featured tequila Corrido during last weeks tequila Thursday. Specialty Corrido cocktails were served all nightlong we gave a toast drinking our favorite Corrido style. Mine was the añejo that I always found so complex. This single-barrel, triple-barrel tequila that gets “racked” in three different types of barrels reminds me most of Brad’s creativity to make and awesome tequila. You will be missed!! Rest in peace my brother.

Salud!