La Casita Mexicana in Bell delivers truly exquisite, authentic Mexican cuisine

The city of Bell's recent city council scandal may have put this small Los Angeles suburb on the map, but it's the culinary delights of La Casita Mexicana restaurant that are keeping it there for something positive, giving people on the westside and Orange County reason to flock there to see what it's all about. Having competed versus Bobby Flay in his Throwdown and won, and regularly appearing on Univision's local and national morning news shows, Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo are taking the culinary world by storm, helping to reeducate Angelenos on what real Mexican cuisine really is. As Jaime says, you won't find yellow cheese there, nor tacos or burritos. Those are all Americanized versions of Mexican food. Instead, Ramiro and Jaime only use queso fresco, a variety of white cheeses, and the fresh fruits and vegetables indigenous to Mexico to create their exquisite dishes.

 

They opened La Casita Mexicana 13 years ago, back in 1998, but have recently gained more notoriety as people have started to take notice. They admit, in the beginning it was a challenge, as even the Mexican community here in L.A. was telling them their food wasn't Mexican, not accustomed to authentic, traditional Mexican cuisine, of pre-colonial times. As Ramiro and Jaime explain, upon moving to the U.S., Mexicans no longer had access to many of the fresh ingredients they had in their native country and had to adopt those sold here to create Americanized versions of Mexican dishes. Slowly, customers began to appreciate the cultural traditions Ramiro and Jaime brought back to their palates. And foodies everywhere are so glad they did!

 

For my review, I was enthusiastically greeted by Ramiro and Jaime, natives of the Mexican state of Jalisco, who right away make you feel like you're really in their "casita", right at home in their cozy restuarant. I started my culinary adventure with a fresh Jamaica juice to whet the taste buds, and non-greasy tortilla chips drizzled with their three different moles, the traditional mole poblano, and pepián rojo and verde, made from toasted pumpkin seeds. I was ready to indulge. They then presented me the scrumptious appetizer, Queso Azteca, a house specialty with four delectable Mexican cheeses wrapped in a plantain leaves, filled with poblano chile slices, nopales (cactus), mushrooms and Mexican herbs. Wrapped inside their freshly made tortillas, this is the perfect way to start your meal...simply delicious! I wanted more, but knew I had to save room for more treats to come.

They then treated me to their nutritiously rich and flavorful crema de nopal soup, made purely of cactus (don't worry...no spines included) ;). You can always find a different soup of the day at La Casita. Next, I tried one of their other specialties, Ceviche Verde. I have had ceviche many times, but never like this. It was a refreshing appetizer with fresh fish, marinated in citrus salsa made with serrano peppers, cilantro and cucumbers..giving it a little green twist, making it truly delightful!

I was now primed to indulge in what is probably Ramiro and Jaime's most acclaimed dish at La Casita, the Chile en Nogada...not only is it absolutely scrumptious, but it's also aesthetically pleasing. It's a large green chile, stuffed with meat, dried fruits, walnuts and candied cactus, with an exquisite pecan cream sauce poured on top with fresh pomegranate seeds, representing the colors of the Mexican flag, a dish representative of Mexico's rich traditions, that's been around since 1821, combining indigenous Mexican ingredients with those brought over by the Spaniards.

Another one of my favorite dishes was the Filete de Pescado with morita or chipotle chile, a delicous fillet of fish, perfectly flaky, cooked with aromatic herbs and chile morita or smoked chipotle chile to create what was probably the most flavorful fish fillet I had ever tasted. You can also not go wrong with any of their delicious enchiladas, made the authentic Mexican way, with their freshly housemade tortillas filled with fresh Cotija cheese. You will really not be disappointed by anything you order at La Cosita. But regardless of what you order, be sure to leave room for dessert.

You can opt for their rich churros filled with cajeta (Mexican caramel) or on the lighter side, you can enjoy their fresh guavas in their delightful rompope (Mexican-style eggnog). I absolutely loved their House Flan much more than other flans I've had at restaurants, because La Casita's flan is made with real cacao and the bottom of the flan has a pure chocolate crust, which is just divine. They also have a wonderful fried rice pudding wrap with their pecan cream sauce drizzled on top. I also recommend ordering a traditional Mexican coffee, café de olla, flavored with cinnamon, to go along with your dessert.

To drink during your meal, they also offer a refreshing Agua de Limon con semillas de chia (lemonade with Chia seeds) or you can even order some fantastic Mexican wine from Ensenada, that is now on their menu. I must say I had never had wine from Mexico, and I was very impressed.

Oh, and if you want an especially unique experience at La Casita, you can ask for the Platillo del Chef, the Chef's dish, where they will whip you up a delicious dish with their fresh ingredients of the day, or you can even order the Chef's Table, where they'll prepare different courses for you to enjoy. If you're lucky, they may even sit with you to explain what they are. They are great company!

I can't say enough good things about La Casita. I highly recommend you take a trip to Bell, sandwiched between Huntington Park and Bell Gardens, to see what all the hype is about. They even have a little store next-door to the restaurant, called La Tiendita, where you can purchase apparel, arts and crafts, pottery, sweets...all straight from Mexico, you will feel like you've just taken a trip south of the border. You can even purchase Ramiro and Jaime's spectacular jarred mole to go!

So what are you waiting for? La Casita Mexicana is located at 4030 East Gage Ave. in Bell, off the 710 freeway. They are open every day from 9 am until 10 pm. For more information, visit their website at www.casitamex.com. You can reach the restaurant at 323-773-1898. You won't be disappointed, and will no longer wonder where the city of Bell is. ;) Buen provecho!