Dining Scene
'La Cucaracha' brings Mexican flavor to Waikiki
By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic
 |
| Waitress Paulina Angulo serves up Mexican food at La Cucaracha in Waikiki. Traditional favorites such as enchiladas, burritos, tacos and quesadillas are available.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser |
"Hey, Mama, do we have any pork today?" is what the waitress yelled into the kitchen in an inquisitive tone. The muffled voice of the chef (Mama?) sounded as though we were close, but not quite there. And so we would be designing our Mexican repast around chicken, shrimp, and beef on this day. Pork would be bountiful on our next visit.
La Cucaracha is a colorful little place in Waikiki with an open-air sidewalk cafe look to it. If you're looking for some pretty good Mexican food, you should try this place. It feels cozy and local, without the usual touristy trappings of so many eateries in that part of town.
Every day brings a drink special with it, whether it's a deal on a margarita or a bottle of beer, or whatever. Mexican food seems to go well with something that's got a kick to it. You might want to begin with an order of nachos ($7.95), the standard messy combo of melted cheese, sour cream and guacamole over crispy tortilla chips. The guacamole ($4.50 half order, $8.50 full) was a bit salty, with bits of tomato, served over lettuce instead of by itself, which it should be. Also, the use of Island avocados makes an inferior product when compared with guacamole made with richer Mainland varieties.
When it comes to the entrees and house specialties, La Cucaracha does a good job.æAll the familiar Mexican foods such as enchiladas ($9.75), burritos ($8.95), tacos ($7.95), fish tacos ($10.25) and quesadillas ($8.25) are available.æThe tequila shrimp ($15.95) were tasty, a bit spicy, sauteed with onions and tomatoes. One of my favorite dishes, chile relleno, is part of the Mexican plate ($14.95) and really hit the spot for me, finding its rightful place in the cheese-stuffed-chile arena. It was paired with carne asada, a marinated and grilled steak. All dishes come with the requisite Spanish rice (yes, I know it should be called Mexican rice) and refried beans.
You must try their excellent chicken mole (pronounced mo-lay, $11.95). Mole is a thick, dark sauce that combines native Mexican ingredients such as chiles, chocolate, cilantro, tomatillos and tomatoes with nuts, raisins, garlic and bread, which are then blended with fragrant spices such as cinnamon and cloves. There are as many variations of moles as there are curries in India.æ
Many knowledgeable cooks contend that a mole must contain pork and cilantro; others say that onions are a must, while others assert the opposite, that onions are taboo. I do know one thing; a well-made mole represents many hours of skilled work in the kitchen and is definitely worth trying.
Many of you will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo tomorrow. If one of those catchy commercials comes on TV touting beer, scantily clad women and Mexican flags, remember one thing: The 5th of May is not about buying a six-pack of Corona or Budweiser; it's a celebration of an improbable victory of an impoverished and proud Mexico over what was then one of the most powerful nations on earth, France.
Send comments, questions and suggestions to ChefMatthew@ LoveLife.com
