El Cholo Spanish Cafe | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 1923 |
Owner(s) | Ron Salisbury [1] |
Food type | Mexican food |
Street address | 1121 South Western Avenue |
City | Los Angeles |
State | California |
Postal/ZIP Code | 90006 |
Country | United States |
Website | www |
The El Cholo Spanish Cafe is a Los Angeles restaurant serving Mexican food. Founded in 1923, the restaurant is credited with the introduction of the burrito to the United States in the 1930s. The restaurant has expanded to a chain with six locations in Southern California. It celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023. [2]
In 1923, Alejandro and Rosa Borquez opened the Sonora Cafe at Santa Barbara Avenue and Moneta Avenue in Exposition Park, near where the Coliseum now stands. [3] In 1925, a guest came into the restaurant and drew a caricature that he called a 'El cholo' – at that time referring to "field hands" of the Spanish settlers. [4] Alejandro liked the image and changed that name of the restaurant to "El Cholo" with the drawing becoming its mascot. [4] Alejandro and Rosa's daughter Aurelia, and her husband George Salisbury, later opened a second location at 1107 Western Avenue at the western edge of the city (now Koreatown). In 1931, the restaurant moved across the street to its current location. [3]
When it opened, the restaurant advertised that it specialized in "Spanish food", which was a whitewashed euphemism for Mexican food. [5] It is credited with the first restaurant-style burritos in U.S. [6] [7] El Cholo is considered a forerunner of other Mexican restaurants. [1] Carmen Rocha, a waitress at El Cholo, is credited with introducing nachos to Los Angeles in 1959. [nb 1] The dish – made of layered tortilla chips, melted cheddar cheese, and slices of jalapeno peppers – was a recipe learned in her native San Antonio, Texas. [9]
The Borquez family has roots in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora, and the food offered by the restaurant (e.g. enchiladas, tamales, albondigas, chile rellenos, refried beans) reflects the regional cuisine. [10] Items on the menu note their times of introduction (e.g. flour tortilla [1923], chile con carne [1923], nachos [1959], chimichangas [1967], crabmeat enchilada [1971], and filet mignon tacos [2009]). [3] [11] The restaurant is also known for its green tamales. [3]
Its proximity to Hollywood made the restaurant popular with those in the entertainment industry, though its clientele represented all parts of the community. [12] [1] Louis Zamperini used memories of the restaurant to keep up his spirits while being held at a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. [13] The restaurant has expanded to six locations in Southern California, [1] starting in 1962 with its second location on Whittier Boulevard in La Habra. [14]
A taco is a traditional Mexican food consisting of a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, beans, vegetables, and cheese, and garnished with various condiments, such as salsa, guacamole, or sour cream, and vegetables, such as lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and chiles. Tacos are a common form of antojitos, or Mexican street food, which have spread around the world.
Tex-Mex cuisine is a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejano people. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country. It is a subtype of Southwestern cuisine found in the American Southwest.
An enchilada is a Mexican dish consisting of a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a savory sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with various ingredients, including meats, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or combinations. Enchilada sauces include chili-based sauces, such as salsa roja, various moles, tomatillo-based sauces, such as salsa verde, or cheese-based sauces, such as chile con queso.
In North America, a corn tortilla or just tortilla is a type of thin, unleavened flatbread, made from hominy, that is the whole kernels of maize treated with alkali to improve their nutrition in a process called nixtamalization. A simple dough made of ground, dried hominy, salt and water is then formed into flat discs and cooked on a very hot surface, generally an iron griddle called a comal.
The cuisine of California reflects the diverse culture of California and is influenced largely by European American, Hispanic American, East Asian and Oceanian influences, and Western European influences, as well as the food trends and traditions of larger American cuisine.
Nachos are a Tex-Mex culinary dish consisting of tortilla chips or totopos covered with cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats, vegetables, and condiments such as salsa, guacamole, or sour cream. At its most basic form, nachos may consist of merely chips covered with cheese, and served as an appetizer or snack, while other versions are substantial enough as a main course. The dish was created by, and named after, Mexican restaurateur Ignacio Anaya, who created it in 1943 for American customers at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila.
A Mission burrito is a type of burrito that first became popular during the 1960s in the Mission District of San Francisco, California. It is distinguished from other burritos by its large size and inclusion of rice and other ingredients. A key method to the burritos' construction is to steam the wheat flour tortilla to increase its flexibility prior to adding the other ingredients, although that is not a requirement and burritos may be grilled instead. It has been referred to as one of three major styles of burritos in the United States, following the earlier, simple burrito consisting of beans, rice, and meat. It precedes the California burrito, which was developed in the 1980s in San Diego and contains carne asada, cheese and French-fried potatoes.
A wrap is a culinary dish made with a soft flatbread rolled around a filling.
New Mexican cuisine is the cuisine of the Southwestern US state of New Mexico. The region is primarily known for its fusion of Pueblo Native American cuisine with Hispano Spanish and Mexican cuisine originating in Nuevo México.
A taquito, taco dorado, rolled taco, or flauta is a Mexican dish that typically consists of a small rolled-up tortilla that contains filling, including beef, cheese or chicken. The filled tortilla is then shallow-fried or deep-fried. The dish is often topped with condiments such as sour cream and guacamole. Corn tortillas are generally used to make taquitos. The dish is more commonly known as flautas when they are larger than their taquito counterparts, and can be made with either flour or corn tortillas.
Western Avenue is a major four-lane street in the city of Los Angeles and through the center portion of Los Angeles County, California. It is one of the longest north–south streets in Los Angeles city and county, apart from Sepulveda Boulevard. It is about 29 miles (47 km) long.
Enchirito is the trademarked name of Taco Bell's menu item of the Tex-Mex food similar to an enchilada. It is composed of a flour tortilla filled with seasoned ground beef taco meat, beans, diced onions, cheddar cheese, and "red sauce".
A burrito in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. In modern times, it is considered by many as a different dish in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine that took form in Ciudad Juárez, consisting of a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape around various ingredients. The tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed to soften it, make it more pliable, and allow it to adhere to itself. Burritos are often eaten by hand, as their tight wrapping keeps the ingredients together. Burritos can also be served "wet", i.e., covered in a savory and spicy sauce, when they would be eaten with a fork and knife.
Korean tacos are a Korean-Mexican fusion dish popular in a number of urban areas in the United States and Canada. Korean tacos originated in Los Angeles, often as street food, consisting of Korean-style fillings, such as bulgogi and kimchi, placed on top of small traditional Mexican corn tortillas. Korean burritos are a similarly themed dish, using larger flour tortillas as a wrap.
Korean–Mexican fusion is a type of fusion cuisine originally from Los Angeles that combines traditional elements of American-style Mexican and Korean foods. The earliest Korean-Mexican fusion featured Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes such as tacos or burritos filled with Korean-style barbecued meats and kimchi. Typical dishes include Korean tacos and bulgogi burritos. Food critics Jane and Michael Stern state that Korean–Mexican fusion is a growing food trend that has steadily gained in popularity since 2009.
El Modelo is a Mexican and New Mexican cuisine restaurant in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was founded in 1929. It is located in the historic neighborhood of Barelas.
La Bonita: Food for the People, or simply La Bonita, is a small chain of Mexican restaurants in Portland, Oregon, United States. The family-owned business operates three locations in north, northeast, and southeast Portland, serving burritos, chilaquiles, tacos, tamales, and other traditional cuisine. The restaurant has a good reputation, and has been included on two Thrillist lists of the country's best burritos.