A commenter on the Times’ Diner Journal blog calls it “the culinary equivalent of the Peterman Catalogue” and we couldn’t describe it any better ourselves.
We’ve always thought the hyper-verbose menu at Los Catrines & Tequila’s was kind of great. It turns out that New York Times food critic Frank Bruni does too. He recently gave the crowd outside Philadelphia a detailed, thorough parsing of the Tequila’s menu:
For example, a $20.95 entrée of Carne a la Trenza was described in terms of much, much more than its ingredients or cooking method. Reading about the dish, you could easily wonder if what you have in your hands is a menu or an essay on follicular anthropology.“Trenza (braids) are par excellence the most fashionable style for the country woman,” the description begins, continuing: “Nothing is more beautiful than an imposing and timid country woman, adorned with the complex knots that crown her head. Our chef gives this rich dish … the look of the trenza worn by our Mexican heroines.” […]
I went on line to look at Tequila’s current menu, to see if it was substantially different from the one my friend gave me and to see if its tradition of ripe, generous prose continues. I’ll let you decide, based on this description of an $8.95 appetizer of Nachos Obligatorios:
“ ‘La Frontera’ (Mexican border) has become an illusion. The real frontera is a third country which extends 100 miles into the U.S. and 100 miles into Mexico. Its citizens are the Mexican-Americans. Odd as it may seem, the ‘Nacho’ is the perfect representative of this area. It denounces its traditional origin yet retains it. Simultaneously, it is drawn towards its destiny yet does not embrace it. Corn tortilla chips, refried beans, ground beef and Chihuahau cheese.”
A commenter on the Times’ Diner Journal blog calls it “the culinary equivalent of the Peterman Catalogue” and we couldn’t describe it any better ourselves.
We’ve always thought the hyper-verbose menu at Los Catrines & Tequila’s was kind of great. It turns out that New York Times food critic Frank Bruni does too. He recently gave the crowd outside Philadelphia a detailed, thorough parsing of the Tequila’s menu:
