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News
from el Restaurante Mexicano
The
monthly online newsletter from el Restaurante Mexicano
magazine
January
2010
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Welcome to the first 2010 issue of eMex, the
monthly email newsletter from el Restaurante Mexicano
magazine. We hope the information you find below will help launch you
into a successful New Year.
 Be sure to tell your
employees, and any of
your
foodservice or retail
industry peers, to subscribe to this monthly e-newsletter. And don't
forget: all foodservice professionals can receive el Restaurante Mexicano
magazine by mail or in digital form via e-mail six times a year.
Sign up now at elrestaurantemexicano.com.
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Industry News: Go
Green with the NRA's Conserve initiative
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 The
National Restaurant Association's Conserve: Solutions for
Sustainability website will help you reduce your environmental impact
without hurting your bottom line. Use the Virtual Green Restaurant tool
to learn about no-cost and low-cost options for any restaurant, large
or small. The site also features success stories from operators and
other resources: conserve.restaurant.org
Price cut on March
cooking trip to San Miguel de Allende
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 Culinary tour
leader and Mexican food expert Nancy Zaslavsky has announced a price
cut on her March 4-10 trip to San Miguel de Allende. The excursion will
feature cooking and tequila classes; a cheese class and wine party;
visits to local restaurants, folk art boutiques and artisan workshops;
a full-day tour to the state capital of Guanajuato; a visit to
Atotonilco's famous church; and shopping in Delores Hidalgo at the best
Talavera pottery factories. Accomodations are at a bed & breakfast
inn only a block from town's famous central square.
The trip is
now priced at $1,955 per person based on double occupancy (regular
price: $2,300). A single supplement is now $300 (regular price: $400).
Prices include 6 nights hotel, all meals taken with the group, all
tastings, cooking classes, demos, tours, museum and site entrance fees,
and local tour transportation. Airfare not included. To download an
application: nancyzaslavsky.com
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Independent Restaurant Watch: Chicago restaurant's guide to Colombia
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 Carnivale's
Tour of the Americas series continues this month with a culinary "trip"
to Colombia. From Jan. 18-24, this Chicago restaurant will present a
menu highlighting the beef, plantains and sweets for which Colombian
cuisine is known. A final "tour" is scheduled for Feb. 22-28, when Chef
Mark Mendez will offer a menu featuring Ecuadorian cuisine. Events
calendar: carnivalechicago.com
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Chain News:
Panchero's debuts iBurrito app
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 iBurrito
lets you see and create your own virtual Panchero's burrito. You press
your own tortilla, pick up the spoon and scoop up all your favorite
fresh ingredients, then pick up "Bob the Tool" and mix all your virtual
flavors together. When you're done, share your iBurrito masterpiece on
Twitter or Facebook. Also use the iBurrito app to find the Panchero's
Mexican Grill near you. For more information, or to get the app:pancheros.com/iburrito
El Pollo Loco chain
adds steak
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 El
Pollo Loco recently announced its newest offerings: two varieties of
Flame-Grilled Sirloin Steak Tacos, a Sirloin Steak Bowl, and the
Sirloin Steak & 3-Cheese Quesadilla that debuted in stores Jan. 9.
Beginning Jan. 17, El Pollo Loco began rolling out two new TV
campaigns, one each in English and Spanish, that introduce the
Flame-Grilled Sirloin Steak menu as well as new "flame" characters that
communicate the difference that grilling over an open fire makes.
qsrmagazine.com/articles/news/story.phtml?id=9963
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Retail/C-store Report: La Tienda.com opens first retail store
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 La
Tienda.com opened its first retail location in mid-December in
Williamsburg, Va. An online resource for imported Spanish foods in the
United States, La Tienda.com offers artisanal food, wine and
handcrafted ceramics from Spain. In addition to purveying those items,
the retail store will host events including cooking classes, wine
tastings and demonstrations from the nation's top Spanish chefs. "After
serving the U.S. market online for over 12 years, we are excited to
provide our loyal customers with a retail experience that is worth the
journey," says owner Tim Harris: tienda.com/press/releases.html
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From the Archives: Meatless Mexican
menu options
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 With
the Lenten season approaching and interest in vegetarian dishes on the
upswing, January is an ideal time to plan vegetable-based dishes and
promotions. The following excerpt of the Meatless Menu Options story
can get you started. It's by writer Jay Lyon from el Restaurante Mexicano's July-August 2007 issue.
Hear the word "vegetarian," and what comes to mind?
Forget
the old notion of the sandal-wearing, tree-hugging hippie eating a
dandelion salad out of a wooden bowl. Vegetarians are far more common
today than chefs might think, and impossible to pick out from a crowd.
The
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has reported
that younger Americans are following vegetarian diets more than ever
before. Some 20 percent of American college students report they follow
a vegetarian diet, and the number of those following the stricter vegan
diet is on the rise as well.
Today's vegetarian is
knowledgeable, educated, and - most importantly for restaurants -
looking for dining out options to meet their dietary needs. In fact,
more than 55 percent of Americans will occasionally order a vegetarian
meal at a restaurant, according to the Vegetarian Research Group.
Why
the change? Chefs say consumers are taking a hard look at how food is
grown and cooked (as well as its effect on the environment).
Full story: restmex.com/recipes/0704.shtml
Michoacan Vegetable
Burritos
recipe: restmex.com/recipes/0704burrito.shtml
Recipe archive:
restmex.com/recipes
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