Merry Christmas? Nah. Feliz Navidad, baby!
Putting a fun spin on the traditional Christmas party, the wife and I just hosted a lively Mexican-themed "Feliz Navidad" celebration, complete with pork carnitas, brisket enchiladas, beef empanadas, tasty margaritas and tres leches cake.
We even had a stuffed piñata that her co-workers did a number on, showering candy, trinkets and gift cards all over our deck, leading to a mad scramble that briefly made me fear for my safety.
During the course of that south-of-the-border affair, a friend came up and asked me what I thought of the new "authentic" Mexican restaurant in St. Albans he's been hearing so much about.
I knew nothing, but made a promise to do some digging.
Turns out, I didn't have to. In a crazy coincidence, the next day I received an email from a reader giving me the scoop!
"As a transplant [long ago] from Tucson, I'm always on the lookout for the wonderful Mexican cooking I was raised on as a teenager in the Sonoran style not found in this area," wrote David Gurley. "I've continued my search over the years as each new restaurant opens, but none have been up to par according to my memory and taste buds."
But now, he said, the search is over!
The new Cielito Lindo Mexican Restaurant in downtown St. Albans (54 MacCorkle Ave., across from Gateway Animal Hospital) is the closest he's found here to the food he remembers from his youth.
David said he's been to the new place quite a few times - "Both by myself and with a lady friend who understands good Mexican food and how it should taste" - and absolutely loves it.
"The salsa itself is really different from any other in the Valley, and I have urged Miguel to sell it to his customers. I just learned his mother has come up from Mexico to visit and comes in every day to cook for him from 7 to 11 a.m., which has allowed him to take your order, visit with you, run the operation and make sure you find both the food and the dining experience to your liking."
He concluded: "I hope you will join me in making Miguel feel at home here, and help make his wonderful food known to all our folks."
David, your email couldn't have come at a better time. I've since heard a few others mention "that great new Mexican place in St. Albans," so I'll definitely be checking it out. And soon!
nnn
In the meantime, David, for another taste of Sonoran-style Mexican food, don't forget about Mi Cocina de Amor on Charleston's West Side. Easily the most authentic of any Mexican restaurant we've seen in these parts to date, Mi Cocina also offers some of the traditional-style cooking you mention.
We're such big fans that we even hired Mi Cocina to make a few of the dishes we served at our own Mexican party. Their tres leches cake was fantastic, but the slow-roasted pork carnitas (served with pickled red onions and spicy avocado crema) were off-the-hook delicious.
Thanks to chefs Frank Gonzalez and Robert ("Taco Bob") for the good eats!
nnn
In other restaurant news, I attended the official grand opening of Red Fire Asian BBQ & Japanese Grill this past week out at Southridge - and learned something really cool in the process.
Owned by the same man responsible for Kanawha City's Su-Tei restaurant, Red Fire offers sushi, Asian entrees and Hibachi-style meals cooked and served to you tableside. This I knew.
But what I didn't realize is that Red Fire also now offers the state's first Korean BBQ-style dining, in which you order and then cook your own food on small grills built into each table. There are six or eight of these small tables in a separate dining area, but they also can be pulled together to create a single seating area for larger groups.
Looks super fun, and the owners say it's the first known Korean BBQ in West Virginia. I'm sure glad we got it here.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for an official Food Guy review!
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and an occasional food blog. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or wvfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook as "WV Food Guy" and on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as "WVFoodGuy".