Mexican Food- What do you think about when someone says these two words? For some, it’s visions of tacos, burritos, beans, and rice. Or roach coaches and food trucks parked next to construction sites. Well let me tell you, there is a lot more to “Mexican food” than those things! Depending on where you travel in Mexico, you could have the freshest seafood available in Veracruz, or 7-8 different colors of Mole from Southern Mexico. In Northern Mexico, you have flavors that morphed into what is now known as Tex-Mex. Recently I had the pleasure of chopping it up with two people who along with their other partners are doing everything they can to change the idea that Mexican food is basic and bland. I sat down with Sergio and Elianna of Maestro’s in Old Town Pasadena and discussed why they decided to open a restaurant and what they are doing to change those perceptions. Sergio, one of the owners, is all about “La Familia”- a place where everyone who walks through the door is treated like family. They likened it to the classic 80’s TV show Cheers- where everybody knows your name, and they are always glad you came. Sergio wants people to be comfortable enough while there that they can come out of their comfort zone and be willing to try something that they may not have had before. As everyone knows tequila is the national liquor of Mexico, and Maestro’s has done a great job of bringing in some great choices to enhance the meal. In my opinion, however, the star of the show is the food prepared by Chef Elena. After our amazing chat where my mouth was watering by the time we were done, I had the opportunity to try several of the dishes prepared by Chef Elena. At Maestro’s they are all about seasonality. She is a regular at the Santa Monica Farmers market on Wednesday (my favorite as well), tasting her way through the amazing produce and deciding what ingredients will work in her dishes for that day or week. She told us during our visit that she does not use recipes for her dishes; now you may be thinking, how can you ensure that something will taste good no matter who cooks it? Well, there are a couple of ways to do this. First, her ability to adapt recipes based on seasonal ingredients. An early season pepper or a late-season vegetable might taste different than the same one from a different part of the season. One week you might be using peaches, and later in the month, you might have to switch to pears. And second, Elena trains her cooks to taste everything, to be able to understand how to adjust quantities or even switch ingredients completely to achieve the desired flavors. I had the pleasure of being able to try three different dishes. Up first was the Hiramasa Sashimi Aguachile. This dish is comprised of sushi grade New Zealand yellowtail in citrus juice base. Served with cucumbers, pears, red onions, cilantro and serrano chilies. If you are a fan of ceviche, this will blow your socks off! The fish was phenomenally fresh and light. The marinade gave it a great citrus flavor with that slightly cooked texture you would expect. The combination of the cucumber along with the pear and Serrano also worked perfectly together with the fish. This is.a must try! Growing up in Colorado and being here in SoCal for the last 15 years, I absolutely love Chilaquiles. I like to describe these as Mexican ‘brunch’ nachos. So it’s a good thing that the Chilaquiles at Maestro’s is the bomb. This dish features home-made corn tortilla chips; house-made salsa Roja, Mexican crema and queso fresco (a soft, crumbly Mexican cheese). The chips were super crunchy and stayed that way through the entire dish (which for me is key to a good ‘Quiles). The two types of cheese balance out the acidity and spice in the sauce. Again, definitely, a must have, especially on Sundays for their brunch. The last dish was a special request from my Editor in Chief, a vegan of over 20 years. We got to try the Enfrijolada, which normally comes with chorizo and cotija cheese, but the one we had was completely vegan. I must admit, as someone who is unapologetically a carnivore, featuring house made-corn tortillas stuffed with cactus, peppers and several other exceptionally delicious veggies smothered in a fresh cooked black bean puree. I would happily eat this dish in either form. One of the coolest things about Chef Elena’s food is that a lot of the dishes can be modified for people with special dietary requests. As anyone who lives in LA knows, that is a huge bonus. But what you do not get is a loss of flavor. Yes, the flavors might change (which is expected), but any of the dishes she modifies will still taste absolutely delicious! You will not even know there was no animal in the food Chef Elena, Sergio, and the rest of the crew at Maestro’s are doing a phenomenal job here in Pasadena. They are well on their way to helping change the perception of what Mexican food can and should taste like. If you are in the area and want great food with the la Familia vibe, go check out them out. You will not be let down! In fact, tell them that Bryant from Thank God I’m a Foodie