It’s a vacation that never ended. José Menéndez came to Canada for a visit in 1992 and after exploring B.C. for a few months, he decided to uproot himself and move from Mexico City to Vancouver.

“I thought I’d stay for four or five months, see what it was like, and then go back to Mexico. I wanted to know another country, another culture, especially for the food,” Menéndez told the Georgia Straight during a recent interview at Las Margaritas Restaurant y Cantina (1999 West 4th Avenue) in Kitsilano. “When I was in Mexico, I had heard about Canada, that it was beautiful and had mountains and parks. First, I moved to the U.S. for a few weeks, and then I came here and I found a group that showed me how to live here.”

Before moving to Vancouver, Menéndez worked as an accountant; however, language barriers prevented him from finding a similar job in Canada.

“I didn’t speak English at that time, so the best opportunity for me to work in Canada was in a restaurant,” he said. “I started working at an Italian restaurant in Kitsilano where I was a kitchen helper.”

In 1993, Menéndez began working at Las Margaritas, where he started as a line cook and slowly worked his way up to executive chef and kitchen manager. Menéndez noted that while he has watched West 4th Avenue and many of its restaurants and shops change over the past two decades, Las Margaritas, which has been under the same ownership since 1994, has remained a constant.

“We’re still making the same enchiladas we made 20 years ago,” he said. “People like it, and it’s very fresh, and I think people can tell when the food is fresh.”

Most dishes at Las Margaritas are adjusted to Canadian tastes, taking inspiration from the Mexican cuisine of Baja and Southern California. However, the restaurant has been introducing more authentic Mexican dishes, such as cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork from the Yucatán area of Mexico) and mole Oaxaqueño (chicken cooked in a dark mole sauce), to its menu over the past few years.

Menéndez said that several of the recipes belonged to his mother, who was from Puebla.

“It’s a two-hour drive from Mexico City and it’s known for really good food,” he said. “The people in Puebla created mole sauce. My mom learned to cook in that city, so she was a very good cook. She made everything from scratch.”

One dish that Menéndez learned from his mother is salsa de molcajete. Unlike regular salsa, which is typically served cold, salsa de molcajete is a warm sauce made using a mortar and pestle (molcajete and tejolote). Menéndez said that this versatile salsa is not just a dip for tortilla chips—he suggested using it to top grilled steaks, chicken, or fish, or trying it on homemade tacos.

“This salsa has a smoky flavour,” Menéndez explained, noting that the recipe welcomes variations. “My version has Roma tomatoes, but you can use green tomatillos or tomatoes, and add peppers like serranos or jalapeños, garlic, and onion. Sometimes people like adding cilantro as well.”

To pair with the salsa’s smoky flavour, Menéndez recommended a light beer or glass of Riesling.

José Menéndez’s salsa de molcajete

Ingredients

6 serrano peppers, stems removed
2 Roma tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp (5 mL) coarse salt

Method

1. On the grill or in the oven using the broiler setting, roast the peppers and tomatoes whole for 5 minutes, or until charred, turning frequently.
    
2. Using a medium-sized mortar and pestle, grind the roasted peppers with garlic, salt, and pepper to taste.
    
3. When mixture is roughly ground, incorporate roasted tomatoes.
    
4. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Yield: 2 servings.

Recipe has not been tested by the Georgia Straight.