This is what you get when you order guacamole with chips at Torchy's.
It is pureed guacamole with lime and salt. By my perception it tastes bland, one-dimensional.
How can it be repaired?
It needs:
* double its volume and weight with diced tomato, squeezed and de-seeded.
* diced onion
* copious chopped aromatic cilantro or basil if you are an anticilantroite.
* cumin (essential for Old World Mexico)
* coriander (the ground seeds of cilantro plant)
* jalapeno peppers
* cayenne powder
I prefer lumps in the guacamole, that is, the avocado not processed to smoothness. Puree paste is for sissies. Every time that it comes like that I go, "Ooooooh, bummer."
I like Torchy's quite a lot. I do really like all the people over there. They've got a great thing going on. My experience is they cannot quite get a mixed order straight, an order for there and to-go at the same time. Wrong things bagged. Missing items. It's too much. Too complex to get straight. While they're so obsequious and charming and attentive about correcting the error that they cannot be faulted. Everyone that I've encountered over there is splendid, workers and guests. There's something about the place that has everyone behaving pleasantly and helpfully.
A guest gave way graciously at the refill area. But I wasn't refreshing a drink.
"Where's a trash can around here?"
The woman stopped short. Looked around. Puzzled over the absence of a trash bin. Recalled the large box concealing two bins near the front door. She veritably insisted on running my trash cup up to the font for me. A customer! She really really REALLY wanted to save me the trouble of walking over to the bin once she assessed the situation with my two canes. It's embarrassing. "That's fine. I'll be going out the front door. Thank you." Still, it's an example of how people are moment to moment right up to the very last moment of being in the place.
Edit: I must mention.
* The bag of chips that they give you is larger than the amount that you get at the table. It is a lot of chips.
* It's also a lot of guacamole. I didn't weigh it, but it is not a small container and it is heavy. It felt like two avocados worth by volume and weight.
* There are lumps in the mixture. Once I dug into it.
* Mine was repaired with generous cayenne and cumin.
Edit: I must mention.
* The bag of chips that they give you is larger than the amount that you get at the table. It is a lot of chips.
* It's also a lot of guacamole. I didn't weigh it, but it is not a small container and it is heavy. It felt like two avocados worth by volume and weight.
* There are lumps in the mixture. Once I dug into it.
* Mine was repaired with generous cayenne and cumin.
I like your ideas and observations about Guacamole, but I prefer every ingredient to be fresh and mixed just before serving. Nothing dried. Except maybe the cumin, but only if you toast it and pestle it just before you throw it in. A fresh hot chili. Fresh cilantro. A diced shallot. I like a really flavorful tomato and sometime some diced tomatillo too. And it needs to be chunky.
ReplyDeleteYou can use lime or go with orange or grapefruit for something different for citrus.