A Very Gluten-Free Birthday, Concluded

Guess what?  I didn't find my camera card reader!   But that's okay - my wonderful roommate let me use her camera with my memory card so that I wouldn't keep you waiting any longer on the delicious food that I've been making these past few days.

But before we can get to those recipes, we need to talk about the birthday dinner we had last Thursday.  Listen to me - if you've never been to Rosa Mexicano, go.  Go now.  They have locations in most major cities around the country, including the wonderful New York City, so you have no excuse.  We went to the location by Lincoln Center, which is really convenient for Fordham students!

One thing I love about Rosa Mexicano is that yes, they have a gluten-free menu, but it really isn't a separate menu!  The food at Rosa doesn't really use gluten in most of it, so it wasn't more expensive or more of a hassle for Joe to get his food.  In fact, Joe and I ordered the very same thing... he didn't even say that he couldn't have gluten!

Here is our dinner at Rosa, in pictures:

We had to start off with Rosa's delicious fresh guacamole.  And when I say fresh, I mean it.  They make your guac tableside (to your spiciness specifications!) and serve it right to you with unlimited chips.  Sometimes, when it's not as busy, they serve it with hot tortillas as well, which makes for a great guacamole taco.

Yes, the guacamole is a little expensive, but you cannot skip it.  If you do, you'll be in trouble with me.  That's right.

They also bring two kinds of hot sauce, but this is my favorite.  It has a smoky chipotle flavor, and it tastes great with the guac.

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Now, it's time for the main course...

Pork tacos!  Last time I came, I got enchiladas, so I decided to go with something new.  Everything comes on the plate ready for you to assemble: tortillas, pork with marinaded onions, lettuce, THE MOST AMAZING CORN SALSA EVER, beans, and a hot sauce that I didn't try.

I didn't get a close-up picture that was very good, but the corn salsa was so amazing.  It was grilled corn in a sweet sauce that tasted a bit like mayo and creme fraiche.  I will find the recipe and make it... I can't be away from it.

This was Andrea's dinner - look at that humongous pork shank!

We all shared some refried black beans and cilantro rice.  Joe couldn't eat the beans because they had cheese in them, but he could eat the rice.

Remember my little quiz the other day?  "How can you tell authentic Mexican food from fake Mexican food?"  Here's the answer: CORN tortillas, not flour.  And that means that Joe can eat them!

Time to assemble: I put a little bit of everything into the tortilla, and it was amazing.  I added a little bit of that chipotle sauce too!

And in the end, I polished off most everything except for the pork.  Look at how much there is left!  I took it all home, and I'm looking forward to eating it with some corn, sour cream, and cheese!

Jeremy, on the other hand, couldn't save any of his food because it was so good.  He got chicken enchiladas... and it looks like they were amazing.

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So, what did everyone think of the food??

I think those smiles say it all.

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So, if you're looking for some authentic Mexican food, head over to Rosa Mexicano.  You can find their locations on their website: www.rosamexicano.com.

I've been on an Italian kick this weekend, and you will all reap the benefits.  Get ready for an amazing Arthur Ave grilled cheese!