El Balcon de Gicel: The Taste of Mexico

The 4th Annual Taste of Mexico happened this weekend at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown Los Angeles. And for those of you that didn't make it due to lack of (insert your reason HERE), let me fill you in and attempt to persuade you to attend the next time around.

The Taste of Mexico is a food event that showcases some of the best leading restaurants in Mexican cuisine. In the past, it has only been an evening event. This year, The Taste of Mexico was a two part event. During the brunch hour (12:00pm-4:00pm), they hosted a picnic. The picnic was very family oriented. The restaurants outlined the gorgeous quad area, leaving the grass area open for folks to enjoy the entertainment, all while sitting under patio umbrellas and throw blankets provided by the event. The musical guests performed everything from jarocho sounds to cumbia beats. There was a myriad of food to select from. If you were looking for spice, you might head out to grab a taste of the chilaquiles being served by La Casita Mexicana or the perfectly crafted tacos by Mexicali Taco & Co. Or you might be looking for something sweet to delight your palate, in which case you would be hovering over the amazing pan de muerto being served at La Monarca Bakery. Perhaps you just wanted to feast your eyes on something creatively delicious, then I'd probably find you at Compania de Cafe admiring their Azulejo cookies and sipping on their amazing tamarind drink with a hint of coffee. Yes, coffee and tamarind. Don't knock it till you try it! Oh, and me you ask? If I had it my way, I'd prop up right next to the Michemobil beating the heat with a michelada (or two) and listening to Metralleta de Oro spin their cumbias. But alas, one can dream since I was on a three hour lunch break from school. *sigh*

The evening event was the picnic on steroids. But before I let the pictures do the rest of the talking, let me give you a list (in no particular order) of the amazing restaurants at the event. These were some of the vendors that were there exciting everyone's taste buds, La Casita Mexicana, La Guelaguetza, Michemobil, Coni Seafood, Compania de Cafe, Northgate Supermarkets, La Monarca Bakery, Amor y Tacos, El Borrego de Oro, Mexicali Taco & Co., Mariscos Jalisco, Artesana Pops, Mr. Churro, Tacos Punta Cabras, Ceviche Project, Yxta, Tortas Bravas, El Coraloense, and my favorite of the night Mariscos El Faro! And many more! Some of the restaurants were there for both events, and others were at one or the other.