It is a fairly obscure Mexican dish made from guaje seeds. In the case of La Chocita in Bladensburg, it is a green soup served with some pieces of mutton on the bone. It’s the kind of mild flavor you might not think much of at first, but it does grow on you. It is helped by their hot sauce which is otherwise a bit too hot for me to add to tacos. See link for more info about this dish (and what the seeds look like):
La Chocita is a big place with some indoor seating but also a large outdoor area with cover. Very festive atmosphere. They have some taco options I’ve never seen before, so I got some tacos as well.
I got a taco de rellena (stuffed taco) and a taco de cachete (pork cheeks). The rellena filling came out very black, very savory, and very soft. Turns out it is blood sausage. The pork cheeks were not as savory, but were very nice as well. The corn tortillas were quite hot, crispy, and puffy.
These aren’t my favorite tacos, but they have the longest list of fillings (23) I have seen in this area, so there’s much to explore as well as a ginormous menu of other items.
Wow, that menu looks great! Dove or Quail with Pipian, Nice looking Mole Poblano.
I am surprised to see some some lesser know Mexican Dishes in the Metro DC Area! Guaxmole is rare to find even here on the West Coast.
I will try the quail with pipian next time. This area of PG County has an impressive concentration of Mexican places. It’s a question of finding the gems. The blood sausage was notable because it was so soft and intensely flavored.
Thanks for the report, Steve! There are swarms of Mexican/Central American restaurant sin PG County, and I’m eager to hear about more. Southern Maryland as well (Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s)
Inspired by the post by @BierMonk , I decided to order the quail with pipian sauce. I have found, I think, what they do best. The sauce was addictive and by the end I was spooning it directly into my mouth.
I doubt they sell enough of this to keep fresh quail on hand, so it was probably from frozen.
The only quail I’ve had before was at Vietnamese and French restaurants, roasted, without a sauce. In those cases, I am used to eating it with fingers. I tried at first with a knife and fork, but I don’t have the patience for that sort of thing, so I just went with my animal instincts and used a ton of napkins.
Glad that that they do it well.
Any Mexicano would be proud to see you going at it with your Hands!
“A quail’s small size fairly demands it be eaten with fingers.”
