Eat This.
Drink This.

The ceviche at JoJo’s. Really, anything at JoJo’s is excellent.

I’m a sucker for a German-style soft pretzel and these did not disappoint! I ordered a dozen from cottage baker Ashley of The Dough Girl. Crusty exterior and chewy inside, my family finished ’em all in one day. Order through her Facebook or call Ashley directly at 520-820-5620.

The spinach artichoke dip with house-baked baguette is one of my favorite dishes at Flora’s Market Run. The truffle oil brings a classic dip to the next level!

Vegan Gansitos at Del Cielo!

Frida’s Flight from Beyond Bread is amazing.

After living in New Mexico for a few years, I ended up eating a lot — I mean, a lot — of chile rellenos. With Hatch, New Mexico maybe an hour away from where I lived, green chile was everywhere and the streets were filled with the aroma of them being roasted in front of grocery stores. The only problem was that I got roasted/burned out on them because I ate them so often. Once I took that first bite of the chile rellenos at Amelia’s, I was reminded how much I’d missed the taste. I’m glad I went with my gut, so to speak, on ordering them.

The Carne Seca & Guacamole can easily be shared but can also greedily eat it all on your own like I did. The stone bowl the dish comes in is impressive (and super heavy) and carries a heaping amount of housemade guacamole. The strips of carne seca surround the guacamole, which were then used for dipping and loading into my mouth.

These just came out of the oven. Don’t get the wrong impression. I didn’t bake from scratch. These are from the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough from Rocco’s Little Chicago. Rumor has it the recipe is from Chicago Public Schools. Lots of peanuts. Creamy. Not too sweet. They also have chocolate chip cookie dough. Depending on the size you make, you’ll get two to four dozen.

The chicken tamale plate from La Chaiteria instantly became my most pleasurable tamale experiences to date. The crunch of the tamales made a lasting impression and added a crispy touch of care and completeness. The amount of chicken (and veggies!) in each tamale was unbelievable. And I will now settle for no less than one Spanish olive in the middle of my tamales so long as I live. Add-on: a drizzle of cashew cream. This dish was fueling in more ways than one. Appetizer, also pictured: the Pick Me Up fresh juice. They use organic produce, which was really valuable for me, especially on the root vegetables front. Care, intention, and flavor out the wazoo, they’re serving up.

The Rajas Gordita from Gorditas Las Lupitas.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake from TT’s Treats.

The vegan pizza from Pizza Sonora (located at MotoSonora Brewing).

The Cuban Tacos at La Chaiteria.

The Chicken Parmesan sandwich at Guissepe’s.

Oshinko (pickled vegetables) at Yamato!