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Saturday,
August 02, 2003
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The Culinary Detective: A little taste of Mexico
in Hawthorne
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BY CHRIS COGNAC
Special to Rave!
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If you have been reading my column regularly you know that one
of my beliefs is that the best, most authentic food is often found
within a strip mall.
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Strip malls attract mom and pop places with great food; places
run by families where everyone plays a part in the operation.
These places often serve “authentic” food, food that’s
eaten by members of the ethnic community in which it originated.
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It’s often food that provides a little taste of the homeland.
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I was walking through the parking lot at a strip mall at the corner
of Prairie and Marine avenues, heading to one of my new favorite
places, “Pho-Hoa,” when I saw out of the corner of my
eye, between the dentist and the meat market, a nice little Mexican
place I’d never been to. So I changed direction and headed
into Las Hamacas.
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The first thing that hit me was how clean it was — it got
an “A” from the public health department (places I review
don’t always have an “A” in the window).
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I asked the man standing behind the cash register “Tu hablas
Ingles?” and he replied, “Poquito.” I knew then
and there that I was in for a great meal.
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I ordered the Burrito Tecampa
(mojado) with Carne Asada, $5.99, and a Mexican Coke (imported
bottles from Mexico). A little girl, probably the owner’s
daughter, brought over a nice basket of multicolored chips and
some great homemade salsa.
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When my burrito arrived, I was quite impressed — not by the
size, but by the presentation. The
burrito was covered in mole sauce, and then a nice pattern of
sour cream was artistically drawn on top. Anyone who
presents food that attractively, truly takes pride in it.
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And the burrito was fantastic. The mole was a nice change from
the standard red sauce, plus there are not a lot of places to
get mole, let alone a good mole.
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I decided to put this place to the test later in the week when
I returned with reinforcements. I grabbed the ? Amigas” —
chief’s secretary Gloria Martinez and Karen Cabrera and
Kimberly Moreno, our assistants from the juvenile/gang unit.
They were all raised in Mexican families and can give me the deal
on what’s real and authentic.
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We sat at one of the seven tables in the restaurant and admired
the numerous paintings and images of Pancho Villa. They started
all speaking rapidly in Spanish to owner Jose Juan Cuevas and
his wife, Isabel Ramos. A few minutes later a wonderful array
of dishes appeared at our table.
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The food looked wonderful. We decided to share the food and try
a little bit of everything. We were also brought strawberry
and tamarind Horchata (rice) drinks.
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We dug in. I started with the Cecina
plate with meat, $7.99. It’s a plate of Chilaquiles
(shredded tortillas, sauce, and cheese) topped with a nicely flavored
skirt steak.
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Cuevas told us that the shrimp
we were about to eat is called
the “Calzones
Plate,” $10.99, and is his own creation. It was
wonderful, with just enough spice and butter to taste amazing.
It’s served over rice with
fresh tortillas made from masa, right when you order.
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We then dug into the Enchiladas
de la Revolution, which were chicken enchiladas served with mole,
topped with Mexican cheese.
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Martinez told me that eating the food reminded her of home —
it was authentic, like the food her mother used to make. Moreno
couldn’t stop raving about the beans.
I thought that was kind of odd, but they all explained to me
that a way to judge a Mexican food place is by how good and authentic
the beans are.
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She made the following comment: “The
beans here are really, really, really good,” and
proceeded to eat her plate of beans and Cabrera’s plate of
beans as well.
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I thought we were done until Ramos came out with the
best dish of the day. Huarache ($4.49) is from the
Districto Federal area of Mexico and means Sandal. It
consists of beans inside a thick fresh tortilla, then some sauce,
meat of your choice, sour cream, lettuce and that wonderful Mexican
white cheese.
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My guests asked where the inspiration for the food comes from.
Cuevas and Ramos said that they are from the Teloapan area of
Tecampana in southern Mexico.
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The food is far from your standard Mexican fare and is something
that I would expect to eat in a small cafe in Puerto Vallarta.
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Las Hamacas is a great place with real, authentic food made by
people who really care about presentation and flavor. If this
place were in Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach you would pay three
times the price, but it’s in Hawthorne, so check it out for
a great culinary deal.
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AROUND THE SOUTH BAY
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Mary Martin of Lawndale wrote wanting to know where to find a
good Manhattan Style Clam Chowder. Rave! readers came through.
Tom Parks of Torrance said the Emerald Room at Alpine Village
in Torrance has chowder on Fridays and Douglas Cowgill told us
that the best Manhattan Chowder is at Fat Face Fenners Fishack
in Hermosa Beach.
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Las Hamacas, 15022 Prairie Ave., Hawthorne, 310-676-4219, open
daily 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Burrito Tecampa with Carne Asada,
$5.99; Cecina Plate with meat, $7.99; Calzones Plate, $10.99.
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Chris Cognac, a detective for a South Bay police department,
specializes in reviewing hole-in-the-wall restaurants. If you’d
like him to conduct a culinary investigation at a restaurant you’ve
been hesitant to try, write to him at the Daily Breeze, 5215 Torrance
Blvd., Torrance, CA, 90503.
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Publish Date:August 1, 2003
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