Lolita's Tacos: A Louisville Secret I'm Sure Humbert Humbert Would Have Indulged In

The first time I ever heard of Lolita's tacos was my senior year in college. I can't believe it wasn't sooner, but it makes sense because I hadn't really experienced Germantown until I had to move there. The advice came from my theology professor, after I responded to a simple question: If you could meet anyone in history, past or present, alive or dead, who would it be? I answered Vladimir Nabokov (tied with Jim Henson), and apparently that was just the right answer for this professor, because then we got into a nice off-topic tangent about how one can humanize socially-marked monsters, the genius of a man who had a better grasp of English than most native-speakers, and finally the use of foreign language references without consideration that the audience might not understand exactly what's going on (my advice is get a dictionary). So, needless to say I enjoyed that ice-breaker, and found it amusing that I was discussing Nabokov in a theology course...there's nothing like a liberal arts education to bring everything together!

As an endnote, Lolita's Tacos restaurant was brought up because on top of an incredible hole-in-the-wall, they had the token movie poster from Lolita. It was just too apropos. I had to check it out immediately, so I did, and I was very happy with the result, so I've made the trek over there a few times since. Recently, my friend and I, both deprived of Mexican food while living in Spain, chose to get our fix at Lolita's. She had never been there before! I absolutely love to show my friends the hidden treasures of Louisville, and this is one of them.

Lolita's Tacos is really one of Louisville's secrets. First of all, it is right before the ramp to the Watterson Expressway, so many people who are driving like speed demons probably miss it, and the rest don't really understand the parking lot, which is split in half-- part on Poplar Level and part on a side street. Also, the sign is not really a neon slap in the face, so if you aren't paying attention perhaps you'll miss the cute little green sign with a girl in her sombrero, donning the name Lolita's Tacos. Finally, it isn't really a big building; if you walk inside, there are six or so tables, and most of the seating is outside picnic-style. I have always gone during Spanish lunch (around 2PM) so I have never had problems getting a seat, but it is very popular during the lunch rush, or so I have heard.

You walk in and you are basically at the counter right when you open the door. The menu is on a plastic push-board, which reminds me of the 80s-style diners. It takes me no time at all to decide because I know what I want to get every time. This is strange behavior for me because I am one to try everything on the menu, but for some reason this is my ritual with Mexican restaurants. At Lolita's I always get the avocado burrito, which is seriously as big as my head, and I ask for it enchilada-style: smothered in cheese and their house enchilada sauce. This gorgeous burrito is just stuffed with the most velvety-smooth and just ripe avocados that I have ever had in a restaurant. They aren't pounded into guacamole, but they somehow change states of matter when you dive into it. The entire experience is other-worldly.

The avocados are paired with the traditional pico de gallo combo of onion, cilantro, and tomatoes. As I have been commenting as of late, the tomatoes at this time of year are so red it is amazing, so they added real color contrast to the brilliance of the avocado. Their burritos traditionally come with a side of chips, which I use to scoop up the pool of silky enchilada sauce that surrounds the burrito, and they have great hot sauce. On top of all that, the kitchen is throwing around Latino Español back and forth, so authenticity isn't even a question.

If you are looking for the holy grail of affordable Tex-Mex food with a fun atmosphere, head over to Lolita's tacos. I promise that you won't be disappointed!

¡Que aproveches!

Lolita's Tacos
4222 Poplar Level Road
Louisville, KY 40216
Phone: 502-459-4356

The Green Machine: Asian-Zing Zucchini and Avocado Salad

The last days of summer are upon us. The temperature is still blistering during the day, especially in the sun, but if you venture out in the wee hours you can smell that autumn is on her way. The dew is sweet, the air is crisping up, and the breeze has a little coolness to her. I always welcome autumn, but saying goodbye to summer is always sad, especially from a foodie's point-of-view. Today I am going to celebrate all that beautiful green by marrying the ever so delicious avocado with zucchini in a fabulous summer salad.

I am still at the point where I don't want to fire up the stove or oven or spend hours slow-cooking my meal. No, I want to eat raw, vitamin-rich, happy food while I still can (speaking of can...I need to see if I can do some canning this year), which means that heat doesn't have to touch my lunch dishes just yet. This afternoon I whipped up something off-the-cuff, yet still inspired by some musings that a friend was ranting about the other day: Zucchini-noodles. I saw a nice recipe on the Love and Lemons blog on her zucchini noodles with an avocado-miso dressing. Of course, I changed it up a bit depending on what I had at home, or what I was feeling like I needed in my diet--the body has an amazing way of telling us if we're willing to listen; I love that!

I wanted to eat all the colors of the summer, especially the greens. All in all I had mostly green and purple with some yellow from the lemon. Anytime I see purple and green together in a bowl, I just get all giddy and excited because I know something great is about to be consumed. The Japanese Bento tradition for lunch has always inspired me because the meal is based on pillar colors and textures to balance the diet, meeting all of the body's nutritional needs. I'll probably get more into this when I have to make take-away lunches...something to look forward to!

Moving on to the evolution of this dish... I couldn't find the julienne today so I couldn't make beautiful noodles, but grating them on a cheese grater on the fattest hole worked just fine for my anxious taste buds. I had a gigantic zucchini from the farmer's market, so I cut it in half and grated it lengthwise to get long, continuous strands. Then I combined some additional flavors I had kickin' around in the kitchen, and made a delicious asian-style dressing to toss everything in. Want to know more? Of course you do :)

Asian-Zing Zucchini and Avocado Salad

Zucchini

Avocado

Wasabi peas

Red cabbage

Fresh ginger

Lemon

Sesame oil

Olive oil

Salt

Chili powder

First, you need to prepare all of the ingredients in order to assemble them. The zucchini should be washed and grated as per the aforementioned directions. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit--the easiest way to do this is to get a sharp knife and tap it into the pit, then you have some leverage to pull it out. Score the avocado while it is still in its skin--this makes for easy removal, just turn the skin inside-out--or just scoop it out with a spoon. Measure out some wasabi peas in the palm of your hand and reserve. Wash the red cabbage and remove the not-so-delightful outer leaves, then thinly slice a few shreds off of the top. Final prep is preparing the ginger: take off a little thumb of ginger, peel the outer skin off and mince. Remember! You can keep the skin of the ginger and steep it with your green tea later in the afternoon...it is wonderful for settling the stomach, it tastes great, and you lessen your food waste! Yay!

Next, you can prepare your salad dressing. I took the avocado that I already had in cute little cubes, thanks to my scoring technique, and then I added about 2 tsp each of the sesame and olive oils. Slice off a smallish piece of the lemon and squeeze the juice out--you can add zest too if you want...even more colors! Then season with salt and chili powder to taste. Pulverize these ingredients in a mixer, immersion blender, or with a fork, like my lazy bum did. Next time I make this, I would also put in black and white sesame seeds.

Finally, the assembly: Take your zucchini noodles and put them in the bowl first, then add the fresh ginger, wasabi peas, and sliced red cabbage. Toss together well. Then you add that glorious green dressing on top and toss yet again, and you're good to go!

The wasabi peas and the ginger give this salad a nice little kick, but it isn't overpowering for those of you who have picante-aversion. The avocado balances the flavors nicely as its amazing velvety texture usually does. The red cabbage brings the colors to life and also has a great flavor and crunch. All in all, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I sat down with some pita chips, a fork, and a glass of water, and I was totally satisfied by the end of my meal! I hope you enjoy it too.

Eat well!

Snack Attack! Avocado and Queso Fresco Toasties

I've been gaining inspiration via the lovely avocado lately. It is quite possibly my favorite vegetable due to it's incredibly fun texture and brilliant coloring. I love to be able to open a fruit and vegetable and just marvel at nature's art. Some good examples of this would be dragonfruit, papaya, peaches, red onion, okra, heirloom tomatoes, the list goes on. Perhaps this is why I have such an affinity for knife-work...I just like to see what rolls out when that first chop is finished.

Today I will bring you a snack that the Handsome Spaniard and I prepared back in Barcelona. I love the picture it took (even with my old camera/camera skills) and I promise you that this snack is the most satisfying nibblie imaginable. Simple as can be, and you can take advantage of those beautiful soft, velvety avocados begging to be eaten! Love it!

The queso fresco that we used came from Granja Armengol in Gràcia, Barcelona--the most majestic dairy store I have ever been to. To be honest, it is the only purely dairy store I have been to, and they have been in operation since 1036--nearly 1,000 years of awesome cheese-making, yoghurt, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate, honey, jam, and milk-making. Please do this recipe justice by using your favorite queso fresco (ricotta would work too), hearty multi-grain bread or a bread with a quality crust, and a high-quality olive oil that pours with a golden color and has real flavor to it, all that will make the experience even more enjoyable. On to the Snack Attack!

This recipe was originally inspired by an endnote on a Bon Appétit blog (one that I can't find right now).

Avocado and Queso Fresco Toasties

Hearty multi-grain bread 

Avocados

Queso fresco

High-quality olive oil 

Salt

Chili powder (I use Chimayo chili)

Toast the crusty bread in slices as thick as your toaster will allow. Spread avocado over the bread like the beautiful green butter it truly is. Then you slice up the queso fresco and lay them on top of the green, while letting a little bit show through. Finally, you sprinkle with a little bit of salt (the queso fresco has salt in it, so you don't have to overdo it), drizzle liberally with olive oil, and sprinkle with chili powder.

You're good to go! Enjoy your snack attack :)