6th St.: Tijuana's Seafood Alley

You'd expect a major seafood district to be ocean side, but in Tijuana, it's  downtown along a stretch of 6th Street. There are something like 20 individual markets, some catering primarily to the public, others to restaurants. But even mid-morning on a weekday, the area is bustling, looking like a street ceviche party waiting to happen.

Okay, the day I was there was the Thursday before Easter, so massive shopping in anticipation of the holiday was in full force. But the ceviche party metaphor remains. Parked on the street and included in many of the shops are stalls brimming with all the makings of a fresh ceviche--chiles, tomatoes, celery, cilantro, onions, limes--the ultimate one-stop shopping.

Much of the fish sold by the wholesalers there go to Chinese buyers, but you'd never know that by the throngs of locals there to buy everything from clams and octopus to red snapper and grouper. I was there with Catalina Offshore Products' Dan Nattrass, who visits regularly to buy for the company which has a warehouse a block away, and Chef Trey Foshee of George's at the Cove. With every turn, I could almost see the wheels in his head spinning as he took in the possibilities and periodically asked Dan to get him some of this and some of that for the restaurant. It was an object lesson in culinary creativity at work.

Me? I was gawking at the brightly colored fish, the brilliant mix of seafood cut up and sitting in bins for Caldo de Siete Mares (Seven Seas Soup), and all the people patiently waiting their turn to be served by (mostly) men in blood-stained aprons butchering fish. It's a remarkable scene and worth a visit if you're planning a day trip to Tijuana.

Dan Nattrass inspecting fish in a wheelbarrow

Burdillo--used a lot for fish tacos

Brown Baqueta--a member of the grouper family

Brilliant red Huachinango at Las Playas, one of the more popular fish markets

Sienas stacked up in Las Playas -- frequently used at George's California Modern

A Cabrella, or leopard grouper. Dan says only 1 percent turn this bright orange color.

Sorting fish at Las Playas

A split fish head, perfect for grilling, according to Trey. The best part? The tender cheeks.

Wholesale workers showing off the catch of the day, a black sea bass

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Top 10 Hot Weather Culinary Life Savers

It’s a hot and humid Saturday afternoon in San Diego and I can’t bear the idea of turning on the oven or even the stovetop burners. I don’t even want to grill. I don’t want to be near anything over 78 degrees.

This time of year is pretty much about having things around that satisfy hunger without requiring sweat-provoking activities like sautéing, roasting or boiling. I have some favorite cooling foods—some that I’ve found at the markets and some that are easy to prepare and are mostly about fruits and vegetables readily available at your local farmers market or produce store.

So, if you’re desperate for some ways to eat cool over the next couple of months, here are my top 10 favorites—half from the stores and half are recipes.

At the stores:

• Shangri-La Tropical Passion iced tea from Great News. I’m not a big fan of fruity teas. I like to keep things simple with green teas. But at a class last year at Great News I was ridiculously thirsty and, as always, they had pitchers of tea and water for students to enjoy during class. The water pitcher was empty so I reluctantly went for the tea and found I absolutely loved it. Since then I regularly keep my pantry stocked with it. There are five packets in each little red bag. Fill a large pitcher (with a lid) with water. Empty a packet into a large tea filter and gently lower into the mouth of the pitcher. Let the sun do the rest for a few hours, then remove the filter, put the lid on the pitcher and refrigerate.

• Sharon’s Sorbet from Trader Joe’s. I’ve never been a big ice cream person but this time of year I love a cold dessert after dinner. I found Sharon’s Sorbet and now keep it in the freezer. My favorites are lemon, mango and passion fruit, but other flavors include blueberry, mixed berry, raspberry, strawberry, coconut and dutch chocolate.

• Beet vinaigrette salad from Continent European Deli: I’ve written about this before. The salad is made with beets, potatoes, pickles, carrots and sauerkraut. It’s got a lot of flavors and textures going on at once—sweet, salty, crunchy and chewy. I enjoy this and I don’t even like beets!

• Ceviche from Northgate Gonzalez: I love this market and one of the biggest reasons is their selection of ceviches. I’m particularly fond of the octopus and the shrimp but all are delicious. Enjoy with fresh tortillas or chips from their tortilleria.

• Nopal salad from Foodland Mercado in El Cajon: Other Hispanic markets make this but Foodland’s is a winner because of the addition of red onion and crumbled queso fresco; again, pick up their fresh tortillas or chips (better than Northgate Gonzalez!)

To prepare:

Gazpacho

My mom gave me this gazpacho recipe years ago and now it’s a dinner party staple this time of year. It’s got a lot of ingredients, but once you get the produce chopped, it goes quickly and you get a hearty, cold meal that’s great for entertaining or a relief to have around for a few days during a heat wave.

5 -8 large tomatoes, quartered

1 large cloves of garlic, minced

½ English cucumber, roughly chopped

1 or 2 red peppers, roughly chopped

6 – 8 scallions, roughly chopped

6-8 radishes, roughly chopped

½ medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

½ bunch parsley with major stems removed and/or 1 bunch cilantro

1 tbl lemon juice

2-6 tbl red wine vinegar

A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

1 regular-sized can beef broth

1 can low-salt V-8 juice

1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned – I like the frozen roasted corn kernels from Trader Joe’s)

1 pound pre-cooked bay shrimp, lump crab or cooked chunks of chicken or pork

Pull out the food processor and a very large bowl. Process each of the vegetables and add to the bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients, except for the proteins, which I would have at the table separately for guests to add as they wish. Adjust seasoning to taste. Top when serving with sour cream or Mexican crema.

Serves 8 – 10

Cucumber Yogurt Bisque

Years ago, decades actually, I lived in New York, where summers can be truly miserable. So, when my friend Susan Leon made this for me, I added the recipe to my hot weather arsenal. It’s ridiculously easy to make and you can riff on it by adding other ingredients, like hot sauce or additional chopped veggies. I sometimes will toss some cooked shrimp on top to get some protein.

1 large cucumber

2 cups unflavored yogurt

2 tbl red wine vinegar

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp dill

¼ tsp ground pepper

1 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

¼ cup sliced scallions

Peel the cucumber, slice it lengthwise into halves and scoop out the seeds and discard. Cut the cucumber into chunks and combine in food processor or blender with yogurt, vinegar, onion, garlic, dill and pepper. Process briefly until blended. Stir tomatoes into yogurt mixture. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Garnish with sliced scallions. (If you use a very thick yogurt, like Greek yogurt, you can add a little chicken broth to thin the mixture.)

Serves 4

One-Hour Japanese Pickled Cucumbers

This is a wonderfully simple snack I love to munch on while trying to survive a sultry afternoon. In fact, I’ve got a little bowl in the refrigerator now that I’m going to pounce on shortly.

Use a mandoline to thinly slice an English or Persian cucumber. Place slices in a shallow bowl and add rice vinegar to cover. Refrigerate for an hour or so until the cucumbers have absorbed some of the vinegar and have chilled. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and hot pepper flakes. Pull out a set of chopsticks and dig in.

Hearts of Romaine Salad Dressing

My dad swears he doesn’t remember faxing me this recipe, but I have the original. I love this. It’s thick and goopy and the flavors are sharp—just perfect for the romaine it was created for, but also for a tomato salad or just dipping with veggies.

1 cup olive oil

2 tbl feta cheese, crumbled

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 to 8 anchovy fillets, minced

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh lemon or lime juice to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade or in a blender or process till smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Use as a salad dressing or dip for Romaine leaves.

Peggy Knickerbocker’s Fennel Salad with Black Olives and Arugula

This is why Bay Area writer and teacher Peggy Knickerbocker is so good. She takes unlikely combinations of foods—fennel and olives in this case—and creates something so splendid. Our La Cocina Que Canta class at Rancho La Puerta got to make this salad and I love it. Fennel is so refreshing a flavor and it benefits from the saltiness of the olives.

For the dressing:

3 tbl sherry vinegar

2 shallots, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:

3 to 4 medium heads of fennel, tough outer leaves discarded

12 black imported olives, pitted and cut into long slivers

½ cup chopped parsley leaves

4 stalks celery, thinly sliced into rounds

A few handfuls of arugula leaves, washed and dried

To make dressing: In a small bowl combine the vinegar with the shallots and salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to macerate for a few minutes, then whisk in the olive oil.

To make the salad: Cut the fennel in half lengthwise, removing the core. Cut the fennel into thin strips and place in a salad bowl. Toss with the olives, parsley and celery.

Make a bed of arugula leaves on a serving platter. Toss the salad with the dressing in a bowl and mound on top of the arugula leaves.

Serves 6

Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? What do you do to beat the heat in the kitchen? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:

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Taking on Thanksgiving

I’m not normally a fan of potlucks, but let’s face it, Thanksgiving is the ultimate potluck dinner and the best. Of course, every family has its ironclad traditions when it comes to food—don’t bother to rhapsodize about your mom’s oyster stuffing or your grandma’s cornbread stuffing; I want my mom’s chestnut stuffing. Period. So, if you’re a guest, it’s going to be a challenge to make everyone happy with a dish that works with the dinner you’re invited to. And, if you’re the host, how do you get your guests to bring a dish that complements what you’re serving?

I think the answer is to keep all the hardcore dishes intact—the turkey, the stuffing, the gravy, the mashed potatoes and the sweet potatoes probably all revolve around recipes handed down through generations. They’re the immovable objects of the meal. So, do the novel flourishes at the periphery—the appetizers, side dishes, salad and dessert.

Certainly, the recipes for Thanksgiving dishes overfloweth. But, if time or talent is in short supply and you need to bring something smashing to the big meal, you’ve got a great selection of high-impact, low-fuss prepared foods from around San Diego County that you can choose from.

Let’s address appetizers. No, we don’t want to fill up on them before the main act, but no one wants a crowd so hungry they feel compelled to pounce on the food as it makes its entrance. So, here are some suggestions for host assignments or guest offerings—and some will work well as side dishes, too:

• Brie en croute or a plate of luscious cheeses from Venissimo (Del Mar and Mission Hills). If you’re confused about what to order, Gina and her staff can help you select just the right cheeses, along with crackers, bread or fruit to accompany it. And, in Mission Hills, head across the street to Sausage King to pick up sliced Hungarian salami to accompany it.
• Homemade vegetable salads from the newly revamped Aaron’s Eatzz on Convoy—the spicy Turkish salad with carrots, tomatoes, onions and spices like cumin; the Matbucha salad (also with a bit of a bite) with tomatoes, eggplant, red and green peppers, onions and garlic; the sweet Spanish sliced eggplant with tomato sauce and the grilled chopped eggplant that’s magnificently rich in flavor. They also have tahini and baba ganoush and chopped liver, and in their refrigerated section, smoked mackerel in oil, herring and vegetarian chopped liver.
• Fresh ceviche (fish, shrimp or octopus) from Northgate Gonzalez Market, along with freshly made tortilla chips.
• Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) or other stuffed vegetables (cabbage leaves, peppers, zucchini, eggplant and kale), fried eggplant and grilled eggplant are a little exotic and truly delicious. And, is there anything easier than buying cans of these at Balboa International Market, North Park Produce, Aaron’s Eatzz or Parsian? I’ve tasted them all and, yes, they are perfect party pleasers. All you need to do is plate them. Another option is a plate of fresh sliced feta, olives, hummus and freshly baked flat bread.
• The beet salad at Continent European Deli in La Jolla. It converted me to beets, with its sweet accompaniments of walnuts, prunes, garlic and mayonnaise. And, that beet vinaigrette salad with potatoes, pickles, carrots and sauerkraut is delicious with sliced mini rye bread. Like garlic? Try their mushroom salad. Finally, I’d suggest the Israeli salad, with its mild flavors of eggplant, garlic and mayo.

Assigned to make the green salad? Trader Joe’s comes in handy here. All you need to do is buy some bags of pre-washed lettuces—perhaps baby spring mix or the herb salad mix—along with a bag of dried cranberries, a package of candied pecans, a container of pomegranate seeds and their cranberry, walnut and gorgonzola salad dressing (or make a vinaigrette yourself). Add some thinly sliced red onions and slices of peeled orange and you have an amazing salad. Want to really impress? Add crumbled cranberry stilton from Venissimo (yes, I do love the place).

Speaking of Trader Joes… they really are the go-to resource for prepared foods for Thanksgiving. My friend Paula is a sucker for their corn and chile tomato-less relish, as am I. She loves to serve it as an appetizer with tortilla chips on a bed of greens. Pick up a few jars of one of their tapenades—olive or roasted red pepper and artichoke—or bruschetta—plain, mixed olive or mixed grilled vegetable—and loaves of sour dough baguettes to slice. Just stand in front of the refrigerated section of dips, close your eyes and pick. You’ll land on something amazing, like their spinach and artichoke dip, cilantro roasted pecan dip, artichoke jalapeño, or three-layer hummus (traditional, cilantro jalapeño and spicy). Then all you need are some boxes of crackers or, better yet, bags of pita chips with sea salt or “everything” bagel chips.

What about dessert? Again, Trader Joe’s is easy with their fresh pumpkin and pecan pies and a delicious-looking pumpkin cranberry pecan upside down cake. They also have pumpkin and apple pies as well as a lovely French apple tart in the frozen food section.

Of course, Julian pies are always a pleaser. If you can't get up to Julian, lots of shops sell them year round. I can find them locally at my little Tierrasanta Farmers Outlet and their sister store off Friars Road and Mission Gorge.

Want to send the crowd swooning though? Go for the non-traditional but oh so amazing pastries at Sage French Bakery on Convoy, next to Nijiya. Owned by a Korean baker, this Japanese-style French Bakery is one of the best in town and you can focus on chocolate with the Chocolate Mousse cake, Raspberry Ganache or Elby or enjoy the raspberry Mistral. This man is truly gifted.

I’ve only touched the surface. So, I leave it to you, dear readers, to offer some other irresistible ideas. Just click on “Comments” below and add your thoughts.

And, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Caron

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Today I Was Seduced by a Guava

Yes, it’s true. Well, actually, I understate it. A pile of gorgeous green guavas, none much bigger than a kiwi, conspired to woo me from my pre-guayabas ignorance. It was the heady musky fragrance of the tropics that took me down this morning at Foodland when I wandered over to the display where my friends Angela and her mom, Bertha, were bagging some fruit. I remember that when the powerful scent hit me, my mouth dropped and my eyes widened trying to figure out what I had walked into. I think I even laughed in delight. Bertha pointed to the fruit and told me they were guavas, something I'd obviously heard of and probably even drank as juice, but had never actually seen.

They were irresistible, though, and I immediately bagged half a dozen, not even caring about whether I’d like the taste. I simply had to have them. So, that sweet aroma—part jasmine, part passion fruit and a huge dollop of pineapple—trailed me home and has now taken over my kitchen. In short, guavas are to fruit what gardenias are to flowers. Intoxicating. Sure, one bite of that creamy white, pear-like sweetness sealed it for me, but, to be honest, their flavor was almost irrelevant. I got, well, olfactorily sucker punched.

I honestly don’t know how I’ve gone all these years living in Southern California without ever having been exposed to the guava before. They grow in San Diego, but I haven’t seen them in any gardens I’ve been in—at least I wasn’t aware of them.

So, I’m a late bloomer, pardon the pun. But, oh, does it really matter when you discover something wondrous once it finally happens?

Guavas, I learned today following a little bit of research, are in the myrtle family, and are native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America. While the guavas I bought have white flesh under their thin green skin, other varieties range from pink to red on the outside and have orange-salmon flesh. All have lots of small, hard edible seeds. And, the best news is that they’re rich in vitamins A, B and C. In fact, they have more vitamin C than a typical citrus fruit, mostly found in the rind. And, guavas are rich in calcium. So, eat them whole—enjoy the flavor and improve your health. They’d also be great cut up in a fruit salad and I can imagine them poached like a pear, but are often used to make preserves and juices.

Okay, I’ve calmed down now. I didn’t just freefall for guavas at Foodland today. I actually returned there to check out more of their prepared foods. I wanted to try their nopales salad again, see how their ceviche compared with Northgate’s quality and selection and try more salsas. Of course, I had to pick up their freshly made chips and tortillas. And, couldn’t possibly walk out without their sweet bisquetes.

The result was that I effortlessly had the makings of a feast of a lunch for my friend Angela and me. All I needed to do was reheat a stack of gorditas—thick corn tortillas. I took out a couple of the $1.50 trays I bought at Daiso and placed on them containers of guacamole with jalapeños, salsa fresca, roasted tomato salsa, fish ceviche, ensalada de nopales and a small wedge of panela cheese.

No surprise that the chips—again light and crisp—and the warm gorditas didn’t disappoint. The guacamole was rich but had a residual kick that needed to be toned down with the panela. I discovered that while I liked the flavor of the roasted tomato salsa, the consistency—like a thick tomato sauce—just wasn’t what I wanted in a salsa. I prefer the chopped freshness of the salsa fresca. As for the fish ceviche, that little container didn’t stand a chance. I couldn’t identify what kind of fish was used, but its sweetness melded nicely with the tomatoes and onions, and the lime juice gave it just enough of a punch. Angela and I ate about half at lunch and I polished off the rest for dinner. Now, was it as good as Northgate? Not quite. I simply prefer Northgate, which has a wider variety of ceviches (loved the octopus) and I like their recipe better. The flavors are just that much perkier. On the other hand, Foodland has a much, much better nopales salad. The primary reason is the salty queso fresco they add that slips in another layer of flavor and texture.

On a whim, I also picked up a small container filled with chocolate flan—well, actually a layer of chocolate cake beneath a layer of flan.

That went down nicely. The sweet smooth flan was nicely complemented by the rich, chewy chocolate. Neither was too sugary and the textures came together nicely. Definitely something to return for.

Have some thoughts about Foodland Mercado or other Latin markets in San Diego? Have you met up with a guava yet? Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:

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Northgate González Market: A Taste of Jalisco in Southcrest

It happened as soon as I published my Foodland entry at the end of April. All of a sudden people started asking me if I’d heard of this great Mexican market off the 805 called Northgate. Friends of mine got there before I was able to and touted it as the Whole Foods of Mexican markets. Well, all of this chatter of course made me more than a little curious. So, last weekend with little time to spare, unfortunately, I headed over with my friend Angela on a turbo-charged run through the place, loved it and returned during the week for a more complete experience.

Northgate is terrific, but comparing it to Whole Foods isn’t fair to either market. For one thing, Northgate doesn’t do organic, it’s not anywhere near as pricey (in fact, its prices are very reasonable) and it isn’t exactly gourmet. But in one major respect, the comparison is understandable. The produce section at Northgate is remarkable—full of variety with gorgeous offerings and the setup and lighting actually looks kind of like Whole Foods.

The Northgate González Market in Southcrest is the only San Diego branch so far in a chain of 26. According to store manager Benito Medellin, the family-owned business is planning on expanding in San Diego but the location of the next market hasn’t been selected yet. Even this place is just celebrating its first anniversary here on June 22. The other markets are in L.A. and Orange Counties. The first store opened in 1980 in Anaheim, the vision of Don Miguel González Jiménez and his older sons, who immigrated here from Jalostotitlán, Jalisco. The “Northgate” name was the original store name before the family took it over and it stuck. Gradually, the family bought more stores, with the various González siblings running them.

That’s the history. The San Diego store is a bustling place. On the Saturday morning Angela and I visited, you couldn’t even get to the meat counter to see what was there, it was 10 deep at least in shoppers across the entire back of the store, where there are counters for beef, pork and lamb, poultry and seafood. You want fresh pulpo (octopus)? They’ve got it, along with whole, cleaned tilapia and snapper, fillets of lots of other fish and tons of shrimp—all very fresh looking.

In the meat department, no part of the animal goes to waste—pork lard, snouts and hocks sit side by side with beef tongue, lips, cheeks, liver and guts. You’ll find tripe and chicken feet—as well as the regular cuts of these animals. And, if you need a bit of an assist, there is a wide selection of meats already marinated and ready for the grill.

All that is great, but to me, there are two really compelling reasons to go to Northgate: the produce and the salad counter.

The produce is beautiful. In anticipation of a Sunday lunch party I was throwing, I went with a list of ingredients I needed. The avocados were just right, about to be perfectly ripe the following day when I needed them for a salsa with cilantro, white onions and limon juice. The limons—tiny key limes—also were lovely.

I bought utterly flawless tomatoes on the vine, a small watermelon, a pineapple, mango, peaches and apricots. Then, I took a breath and saw that among the beautiful rainbow of chiles, vibrant yellow squash blossoms, paddles and prepared bags of fresh nopales, bulbous Mexican onions, now familiar xoconoxtles and barrels of jamaica and tamarindo were some products I hadn’t seen before.

The first were in the chayote family. Little white chayotes and prickly chayotes. I bought both, more curious about the latter, of course. To be honest, when I got home and started researching prickly chayote to figure out how to use it without becoming horribly disfigured, I was at a loss.

I could find nothing online that explained how exactly to deal with the blanket of tiny golden needles. So, this evening after thinking about it, I decided to boil it whole for 15 minutes, then don some heavy dishwashing gloves and peel it. It worked. I got a smooth, spring green squash ready for … what? Easiest is best so I sliced it into strips and placed them in a bowl, tossing them with thin slices of red onion, minced garlic, olive oil, freshly grated dry Sonoma Jack and salt and pepper. Then I spread the mixture in a baking dish and baked it at 375 for about 20 minutes or so. Lovely. Was it worth the pinpricks? Maybe not. It didn’t taste much different from a smooth chayote, but it was a bit of an adventure.

The second discovery I made was fresh garbanzo beans. These lovely little gems are enclosed in a thin papery pod. I bought a couple of handfuls of them, since I had no idea what to do with them. It turns out they are the essence of cheap thrills. Think edamame. First off, you can eat them raw. Just push in the pod and out pops the green bean, which tastes very similar to a fresh pea out of the pod. Snack on them, add them to a salad. Online you can find recipes for fresh chickpea hummus and salsa. I didn’t try these because I didn’t buy enough, but here’s a salsa recipe from supplier Califresh of California:

Fresh Chickpea Salsa

2 Cups Chickpeas - Cooked and Cooled

1 Clove Garlic

1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves

1 Jalapeno Pepper- seeds removed finely diced

1 Large Tomato - chopped

3-6 Green Onions - finely chopped

Juice of 1 Lime

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place chickpeas, garlic and cilantro in blender or food processor and blend just until coarsely chopped. Scrape into a medium sized bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir - season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips or as a garnish over grilled chicken, beef or fish.

You can also roast them. It’s quick and the results really are like edamame. Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray or a little olive oil. Add a single layer of garbanzos in the pod, then add just a teaspoon or so of water. Cover and cook on medium/high heat for about five minutes, shaking the skillet from side to side periodically. They should smoke a little and the pods will turn dark on the bottom. That’s it. Slip them into a bowl and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Then, just like edamame, bite the bean out of the pod and discard the pod. They’re delicious and will surprise your guests. And, the great thing is that these are in season from May through October, so you should find them at Northgate fairly easily for the next several months.

Alongside the produce section is another great find, the Palapa station. Northgate prepares fresh salsas, guacamole, pico de gallo, nopales salad and, my favorite, a variety of ceviches. I bought small amounts of several and each was better than the one before. There’s the ceviche de pescado with catfish fillet—chopped fish, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, cilantro and lime juice. It’s got the tartness of the lime and saltiness of the olives and simply a wonderful fresh fish flavor. The ceviche de camaron (shrimp)—chopped shrimp, tomatoes and cilantro with lime—has a simple but profound shrimp taste. The ceviche de camaron con pulpo y chile was my favorite. Smooth shrimp, chewy octopus and a bit of heat from the green chile was marvelous. I also tried the aguachile verde shrimp, a dish of whole shrimp marinated in a spicy verde sauce. Very good, particularly in a fresh warm corn tortilla. I didn’t enjoy the ensalada de nopales as much as Foodland’s. It needed more seasoning and I missed the addition of queso fresco. The salsas are all delicious and the pico de gallo is a perfect combination of flavors and a real deal. If you don’t have the time to chop up veggies, buy a container and enjoy with tortilla chips.

Near the produce section is the Pasteleria, or bakery. They have flat cema breads, a variety of cakes, gelatina de leche, rice pudding, buñelos and an amazing flan. You can buy a whole flan or by the slice. It’s simply divine in both texture and flavor.

The Panaderia is an entire wall of pan dulce, hot bolillos (football-shaped rolls, great for sandwiches), bisquetes, churros and other sweets. Shopper Sergio Beszeditz helped me distinguish between the various pink-, yellow- and brown-topped pastries.

The big, thick cookies were “polvorones” (powder), so named because they crumble almost at the touch. The conchas on the other hand are big and puffy with a colorful crumbly topping. Inside they’re almost like slightly sweet doughnuts in texture. There were some crescent-shaped pastries, but don’t assume they're croissants—these are dense, solid breads that break apart, not tear.

On the opposite side of the store are more prepared foods along with the tortilleria. So, yes, you can get freshly made corn tortillas, chips, tostados and masa fina. Then get ready for an inundation of pollo asado, a wonderful butterflied roast chicken with overtones of chile; surprisingly delicious moronga (pork blood sausage); carnitas; costilla de puerco (pork ribs); buches (pork stomach); pupusa de chicharron or de queso, a very greasy pancake-like item stuffed with pork crackling or cheese; and other completely unhealthy but probably delicious foods like fried chicken and pizza.

On the way to the checkout, I found a stack of containers filled with some unidentifiable vibrantly red ingredient. They glistened under the fluorescent lights and I was pulled in. The label said they were chamoyada de mango—dried mangos with chile. Okay, they looked interesting and they are, but kind of chewy and not really snackable. One of my tasting partners had a great idea for them, however—cut them into small pieces and serve them on cheese and crackers as an appetizer. I liked it and am passing that onto you as something unique to serve with drinks.

As usual, there’s a lot more to see and taste. I’m planning on returning for more garbanzos and ceviche. And, what makes Northgate especially tempting is its location. Take the 805 to 43^rd St. and the freeway exit drops you right in front of the store’s driveway.

Northgate González Market is located at 1410 S. 43^rd St.

Have some thoughts about Northgate González Market or other ethnic markets in San Diego? Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:

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