Jersey Exploration: Jose Tejas

If there's one type of cuisine that DJ craves more often than others, it's good spicy Mexican food.  Unfortunately, we had yet to find a Mexican restaurant we really like in our area.  One of DJ's old coworkers who also lives in Jersey suggested Jose Tejas, and it looks like the search may finally be over!

Technically, Jose Tejas is not a Mexican restaurant; it's "authentic tex-mex and cajun cookin'".  But after being in Jersey for a few years and being woefully disappointed with most of the Mexican meals we've tried, this place will fit the bill just fine when we want to enjoy some chunky guac and flavorful meat/rice dishes.

The atmosphere is kitschy, which can be a lot of fun when you're in the mood for it.  Lots of hot pepper lights and tongue-in-cheek signs. 

It's also extremely kid-friendly: crowded and loud with lots of lights = muted cries and distracted eyes - score!

Even though we were there during the lunch rush on a Saturday, all the servers were extremely friendly, courteous, and FAST!  Within minutes, our food came out piping hot and fresh.

DJ tried the chicken enchiladas with jambalaya.  He could tell immediately that the chicken was marinated well so every bite was flavorful.  And it had the perfect amount of cheese and sauce so the tortilla and rice were not too dry.  He would order it again for sure.

Mel decided to try the crawfish etouffee from the cajun part of the menu.  It was fabulous!  They did not skimp on the crawfish, and the sauce had just the right amount of spice to pack a punch but not catch your mouth on fire.  The little piece of sweet cornbread on the side provided a great balance to the saltiness of the fish.

Even though Jose Tejas is a bit far from us, we actually think it would be worth the drive next time we have hankering for such flavors.  Hooray for finally finding a place we know will not disappoint!

Chrissy Teigen's Cacio e Pepe = FOOD.HAPPY.DANCE!

It has been a while since we've blogged.  We've had our hands full with the newest addition to our family: an adorable little guy who ironically hates all food except milk...  Yeah, we're working on it.  But anyways, we still love food, and now that he's older we're happy to have a little more free time back for cooking and blogging.  The first new recipe we dusted off the aprons for:  Chrissy Teigen's Lemony Arugula Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe.

There are a few reasons it's fitting that we chose this recipe to get back in the kitchen.  First, we've been on a quest to find the perfect plate of cacio e pepe ever since one of our epic honeymoon meals in Rome.  Second, Mel really loved trying recipes from Teigen's blog, Delushious (including this awesome scallop dish).  So the minute Chrissy's cookbook, Cravings, was published Mel snatched it up and read it cover-to-cover.  (Yes, it's such a fun cookbook you actually want to read it from start to finish.  Teigen is queen of funny, short paragraphs that make every dish sound like the best time ever.)  Third, Teigen and John Legend had their little girl not long after we had our son, so we're all pretty much meant to be besties at some point in life.  We'll have our people call their people.  ;)

Making cacio e pepe always seemed intimidating, but it's actually not super complicated.  In fact, dare we say it's very simple:  pasta, a ton of pepper, a ton of cheese, and voila.  Teigen's version calls for pancetta or bacon (we used pancetta), which makes the entire kitchen smell AMAZING as it sizzles.  The flavor from that adds a phenomenal kick that helps balance out the pepper and lemon.  The addition of arugula helps you feel like you at least tried to include something healthy in the meal, and also helps to counter the saltiness of the cheese.  Overall, an awesome splurge meal when you're in the mood for zesty, cheesy pasta!

One heads up:  the level of flavor is intense.  At the start of Cravings, Teigen warns that she loves spice so one may want to dial back the amounts she recommends putting in each dish.  Next time we make this, we may put a little less pepper and a little more arugula because the pancetta and lemon pack a punch that definitely needs to be balanced out.  But we are so glad we found this recipe and can't wait to try more of the comfort foods featured in her book.  Stay tuned!