Comments on: Fire & Spice, an’ Everything Nice

By: For Better or Worse

For Better or Worse — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:27:12 +0000

[…] missing it from back home, and some clueless visitors. About three years (4/08) ago I came across Xalapa, El Salvador 4800 in Palermo, 4833-6102. We were actually reasonably impressed on that first visit. […]

By: dan

dan — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:03:25 +0000

So, went back for the first time in about a year to this spot, and a disappointing experience. First, service, about as inept as it was possible to be – our waiter managed to forget, completely, one main course (we didn’t bother to reorder it) and our bottled water (4 requests before we got it), and wanted to bring us a plate of arroz (rice), instead of agua (water) – how those relate, I couldn’t quite get. He was less than interested in requesting the kitchen make things spicy, and instead brought a small dish of hot sauce that, as my friend put it, we needed to dive into quickly before the vast quantity of a tablespoon evaporated – and, was about as spicy as cocktail relish. The food itself, delivered devoid of spice other than, once again on the quesadilla combination plate, two of the quesadillas had a faint drizzle of chili oil, no more than that. The one main course we did receive, a cochinita pibil, was not only devoid of spice and flavor, but had probably been sitting out on a steam line since early in the day – the shredded bits of pork dried out, nearly crusty, and served atop a couple of stale tortillas. Margaritas are now only available as “up” when frozen and therefore mostly ice, or “on the rocks” in the same glass, with a couple of huge cubes that take up somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the volume – no discernable tequila, sickly sweet and a bare dusting of salt on one part of the rim.

I can only guess that, perhaps, they’ve changed chefs, or, more likely, decided to cut corners wherever they can. Prices have definitely gone up since my original post a year and a half ago, for two margaritas, two beers, a bottle of water, guacamole, the combo quesadilla plate, and one main course – 152 pesos – given how much less food we got (not even accounting for the lower quality), it’s at least 50% higher in price since that time.

By: Sugar and Spice

Sugar and Spice — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:47:20 +0000

Hi Dan,

Oops, I forgot to mention that my mother brought it down for us. Now I know what I can bring for you in the future. There is just no comparison really.

I guess I will give Xalapa another chance. The dish you ordered looked pretty good and your description has given me hope that they have upped the ante.

By: dan

dan — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:53:53 +0000

First off, most Peruvian food, even in Peru, isn’t remotely as spicy as Mexican food. But more importantly, they’re simply different cuisines, with different dishes. We eat at Peruvian places all the time (and I’ve plenty of writeups on this site about the places we’ve been and what I think of them), but it’s different food. It’s not really just about the heat/spice – it’s about various flavors and such – I could also go out for Indian curry, or Thai curry, or Korean (especially the spots in Barrio Corea) or Vietnamese here, or Bolivian, or simply bring along a bottle of hot sauce, but, when you want a good enchilada with mole sauce or something like the pollo almendrado above, you won’t find them at those places.

As to Peruvian food from the north, there are some places around that specialize in the cooking from the Trujillo area – there’s Primavera Trujillano in Belgrano which I’ve written up, Los Trujillanitos which I haven’t, but is on Corrientes a couple of blocks from the Abasto. They do an okay job, but not with any “wow” to them. So far our favorites for “authentic” Peruvian, based more on Henry’s assessment than mine, would be Contigo Peru and Solopescados, both of which I’ve written up – though neither is specifically northern cuisine.

I think the most important point, though, is that you have to ask – regardless of where you go, if it’s a cuisine that typically has some spice and heat to it, it’s often… “dumbed down” here for local palates – it’s the nature of catering to your primary clientele. But I think most places have figured out that there are more and more expats and visitors who welcome the more traditional and spicier versions, and are willing to make dishes that way, if you let them know – sometimes it means waiting a few extra minutes for your food while someone whips up a new sauce, but it’s worth it.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:27:37 +0000

I was immediately hesitant to try any more Mexican food until I found a worthy recommendation. The first two spots I tried made Taco Bell seem gastronomically enlightened. So I was excited when I found out Xalapa was nearby. We tried it and will certainly be back, food was great and there were tons of people there.

But my question is, if you’re looking for heat, why not go Peruvian? Can anyone suggest a place focusing on northern Peru in particular?

By: dan

dan — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:48:19 +0000

Marc – I think it just comes down to asking and making it clear you know what you’re talking about. Plus, of course, being friendly, a smile, chatting a bit, always goes alot further than the folks who go in “demanding” that things be done the way they want – something I see here more and more as tourism is increasing.

Frank – we were there on Wednesday night, so it seems like a good bet that it’s doable on weeknights. I do grow a few peppers myself, but it’s nice to be able to go out and eat something spicy around here! Now, where do you get the tortilla corn flour? I’d be making my own regularly if I had a good source of it…