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.

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.

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

Cafe Coyote is proud to announce our festivities for the upcoming  San Diego Beer Week 2010 from Nov. 5-14!  We are excited to host a range of fun events for our guests including a meet and greet with Mark Stone of Stone Breweries (Monday, Nov. with a pint glass giveaway, and two Pint nights on Tuesday & Thursday(see below for details!).

So come on in all you beer lovers ’cause it is time to Fiesta in our Cantina, where it is always a party!

Hasta Pronto!

Mon Nov 8-

meet & greet with Mark Stone of Stone breweries
Pint Glass giveaway

Tues Nov 9-

Pint night giveaway featuring our Mexican Beers. Tecate, Negro Modelo, Pacifico & Dos Equis ALL $3.75 from 3:30-close

Thur Nov 11-

Pint Night- Purchase any draft beer at reg price and refills just $3 from 3:30-close

Lehn and Ritch were honored this past Friday, October 22nd with an award for their invaluable contributions made to the celebration commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs.

The Confrerie de la Chain Des Rotisseurs is the world’s oldest international gastronomical society,founded in Paris in 1248! The society is devoted to preserving the camaraderie and pleasures of the table and to promoting excellence in all areas of the hospitality arts. Each year the society sponsors young chef and sommelier competitions that attract contestants from throughout the world, while the Chaîne Foundation provides scholarships for students in these fields. Chaîne is based on the traditions and practices of the old French royal guild of meat roasters. Revived in 1950 after the World Wars, the society has professional and amateur members in more than 70 countries worldwide. In the United States, there are nearly 150 bailliages (chapters), each offering a variety of culinary activities to suit the interests of local members.

This past weekend, the Confrerie hosted an international conference in celebration of its 50 years of American member chapters (Baillage d’Etats-Unis) in America’s Finest City: San Diego! Cafe Coyote is proud to be recognized by the society and was honored to host such a significant event!

Congrats to Lehn and Ritch and Vivre les Rotisseurs!

What a vacation!!! August and September was work, work, and work when it came down to tequila events and Mexican holidays.  In August I participated as a judge in the 7^TH annual Spirits of Mexico tasting competition. Trying almost 200 agave spirit entrees is always a challenge. Two weeks after I flew down to Guadalajara, Jalisco to educate myself even deeper on the art of tasting tequila. I took a four-day course with one of the most recognized tequila masters in the world, Francisco Hajnal Alfraro. Mr. Hajnal is one of the master distillers that created Jose Cuervo’s famous Reserva De La Familia “Extra Añejo” Tequila. Two days of theory and two days visiting 6 distilleries. I now obtain expert certifications on tequila from both, La Academia Mexicana de Tequila A.C. and La Academia Mexicana De Catadores de Tequila Vino y Mezcal, A.C.

September, was a month long celebration. On September 15^th we hosted the first annual Sangrita Cocktail competition finals. Finalist from tequila and Mezcal brands created a signature cocktail made with traditional sangrita ingredients. The party continued when I reenacted Miguel Hidalgo’s cry of independence, “el grito”.  Long live and all the heroes that that fought for Mexico’s independence! Reenacting a two hundred year tradition was an honor for me to share with all my friends, customers and family that joined me for this historic event.

Who can forget the fiesta de flavors in the Old Town’s main park and the grand tasting at the Cosmopolitan Hotel?  After my seminar on the Evolution of Tequila I enjoyed the rest of the night talking to tequila celebrities and enjoying the rest of the night sipping on quality tequilas, mescals and sotol.

September ended with a two-week vacation down to Guanajato and Jalisco, México.

For the last 12 years I travel with my family to these two states to visit family and for the past 8 years to discover tequila and its myths. I had never taken my family with me to explore tequila country until this last trip. It is really not about the drinking. It is about the magic of this place called, Tequila. The people, food and the landscape are what lure me to visit this place so often. Finally my family understands why the land where tequila is produced is so important to me.

Tequila and Mexico is a symbol of my identity, my roots and the place that I come from. Sharing the wealth of knowledge I acquire from every trip I take to Mexico helps me educate our guest at Café Coyote to make their experience at this great restaurant more fulfilling and rich.

More Photos From my Trip!

Photo 1

Photo 2

The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls’ Day) is a holiday celebrated by Latin Americans across the globe. The holiday brings together families and groups of friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have passed away.

The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints’ Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls’ Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building altars honoring the deceased and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Café Coyote, located in the heart of San Diego’s historical Old Town, and San Diego premier traditional Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, will be celebrating its heritage and its tight-knit staff by participating in the Dia de Los Muertos celebration of life.

Café Coyote will host a staff-built altar, honoring our families and loved ones from October 27 until November 2.  From Oct 29-Nov 3^rd, Café Coyote will be offering a traditional Dia de los Muertos  menu. Café Coyote invites and welcomes the San Diego community to join in on the event by contributing personal mementos and offerings to the altar, or just stop by and enjoy free Mexican Hot Chocolate on November 1^st and 2^nd!

See you there!