It is a rare occasion that a dish in cville almost succeeds in bringing me “back” to a country I have visited, and surprisingly I can thank Mono Loco this month for making it happen. Not too hungry the other night, but accompanying a friend of mine for dinner, I decided on trying the grilled corn appetizer, a new item (at least since the last time we let crazy monkeys cook for us) on the Mono Loco menu.
Man was I happy I did. Served a la street food in Mexico, grilled “elote” or corn is a really basic fix. Grill the corn on a charcoal grill slowly so the sugars comes through, and then over a high heat very briefly to char some of that corn and prove to your friends that you did indeed cook it over a grill. While it is hot, you can roll it in mayonaisse or sour cream/fresh cream/creme freche. Next roll it in some shredded white cheese (maybe queso de pais), chili powder, and sprinkle some lime juice on top. On the list of things to eat when you are drunk, this should definitely be on the top 10….its that good. Now, the few restaurants in the states that makes this do a slight variation on the recipe above, but the result is usually amazing.
We are very lucky to have a restaurant in town serving this, and for only $6 for 2 cobs of corn slathered in deliciousness it is a relative bargain than that drive to Richmond and flight to Mexico City. So to answer any un-asked questions, NO, the pic above is not from Mono Loco but comes dam close. I will let the D/R boys try it themselves and take pictures in HD glory. In the meantime, I strongly suggest you serve this at your next BBQ, so here are a couple links to recipes to make things really easy. I would get the corn at the farmers market if possible, but for the cheese and cream do yourself a favor and hit up the Hispanic food market in cville. Definitely try different variations on this recipe to find your sweet spot. There are many flavors/textures in this recipe and its all up to you:
- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mexican-Corn-on-the-Cob-Elote/Detail.aspx
- http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1197178
- http://www.elliemay.com/vegetables/MexicanGrilledCorn.html
- http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36757,00.html
- http://www.recipezaar.com/64853
You will notice some of these recipes call for parmesan cheese…I don’t think that is the original recipe but parmesan is great, so give it a try. While you are trying nutty cheeses, see how a buttery nutty Gouda from Feast! will fare on this.
Pic from Flickr.
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Tagged as: Albemarle County, appetizer, Bars, best dish, best food, Charlottesville, cVillain, grilled corn, Gripes, Mono Loco, Rants, Raves, recipe, Restaurants, Reviews
First time I ever saw this dish was at Cafe Habana in NYC. We went in for lunch and nearly everyone had one on their table. I said, I’ll have one of those, and a love affair began. I’ve tried making many versions since but it looks like I’ve been mssing the cream step. Hmmm, back to the BBQ lab.
sorry but that doesn’t look very appealing at least to me… Though I tend to eat a bit more healthy… Don’t get me wrong, grilled corn is awesome, but adding mayo and cheese kind of takes the beauty away from the concept of grilled corn… Though it if it is traditional I don’t mean any disrespect, but I love my grilled corn with a touch of local butter and some salt, maybe a sprinkle of lemon pepper too, try it… For a real killer healthy alternative try rubbing pickled plums on the cob too!
I loved grilled corn. MB, if you think it’s unhealthy, make your own aioli and use goat cheese or something like that. It really is a good combo.
Wow. I think I just found my dinner for tonight.
KCB-Havana in NYC/SoHo is where I had my first experience with grilled corn as well…and so my fascination began! Mono Loco’s recipe is different, but yummy, and sure beats the drive to NYC.
@2: this isn’t really a health concious dish…more like one of those mouth watering side dishes for a long dinner/bbq. And don’t let the picture sway your palate…just think of sweet grilled corn with creme, cheese, chili pepper and lime juice all together. Sweet (corn), creamy (creme), sour ( lime), spicy ( chili) and salty (cheese). Maybe you can come up with a leaner version?
@3 I would make the Spanish style aioli which is just garlic that you pound in a mortar and pestle into olive oil one bit at a time…the result is a creamy garlic spread that looks like an egg-based aioli but is dairy-free. That and Thor’s goat cheese could be sweet.
I’m beginning to think I drank too much last night. it should look delicious, but that photo……… uggggh.
cocoNUT, Thor: You are both dorks. If you want to talk recipes there are some nice women waiting for you over at Style.
i agree the photo is not that flattering, and to be honest, this isn’t something that will win on presentation…its definitely about taste.
@7 double dipping on two spicy bear sites? Is that legal? If Thor does it I’ll take a break for a couple hrs, can’t beat food and women!
What? That photo looks delicious. I want some. Mmm crème fraiche…..
@9 i’m with you, shen. i don’t know what the hell you just said in french, but i am sure i agree. the corn in that pic looks DELISH
my mini-hangover subsiding, I now want corn on the cob. carry on everyone.
Crème fraiche is like sour cream but a little beiger and slightly nutty. DEE-LISH. I put it on everything!
@11 my MAJOR super-duper-world-ending hangover is not gone, unfortunately. i would still go to town on that damn corn, however.
Nice find, cocoNUT. What kind of cheese does Mono Loco use? I’m guessing asadero.
(Also: cuidado with the “Hispanic” when you probably mean “Latino” or, more specifically, “Mexican/Central American”.)
Just noticed your animal-free recipe for aioli , cocoNUT. Luvs ya!
@14, na, I think its fine to use the term Hispanic to describe an ethnic supermarket. I am well aware of what Hispanic does and does not mean. To your point tho most Hispanic/latin mkts in this country are Mexican/Central American. Where the hell do all the Argentineans and Brazilians buy food? Is that how they stay so hot and skinny? And you know they live here too!
@15 Shans your more than welcome but that recipe definitely comes from Spanish Chef de Cuisine Jose Andres (who btw just one best chef of the year award on Bravo’s A-List Awards). To be more specific on prep for the recipe, smash many cloves of garlic with the edge of the knife, then put it in a mortar and pestle. Mash it as much as you possibly can, and then add some course salt (to have the garlic grip the mortar and pestle), and slowly add olive oil. I think with 8 cloves of garlic you add 1 cup of olive oil. You do this SO FRIKKING SLOWLY YOU ALMOST PASS OUT FROM BOREDOM. Drop drop drop at a time, mash mash mash, really get that olive oil in the garlic. You should begin to form a thick “eggish” colored paste which is just an emulsified olive oil punched through the nose with garlic. I guess you could add some spices too, but its pretty taste, just takes forever to make. It would make a great marinade for grilled veggies on the grill, or your always necessary boca burger.
Just read this in August Food and Wine Magazine:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/new-mexican-street-corn
ingredients
* 4 ears of corn
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
* 1 1/2 teaspoons snipped chives
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 ounces grated Cotija cheese
* Lime wedges, for serving
*
directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Peel back the corn husks, leaving them attached. Discard the silk. Season the corn with salt and pepper. Replace the husks, wrap each ear in foil, transfer to a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until just tender.
2. In a mini food processor, blend the mayonnaise with the chipotle. Add the chives; pulse. Add the oil; process until smooth.
3. Light a grill. Peel back the husks, leaving them attached. Brush the corn with half of the mayonnaise. Using the husks as a handle, grill the corn until lightly charred. Brush it with the remaining mayonnaise and roll in the cheese; serve with the lime wedges.