San Diego County CA— Serving up festive fare with a holiday twist, Diane Powers’ award-winning Bazaar del Mundo Restaurants – Casa Guadalajara, Casa de Pico, Casa de Bandini and Casa Sol y Mar – present new delicious dishes that infuse traditional holiday flavors into their authentic Mexican offerings, and are available through the New Year.
Each restaurant is beautifully decked out for the season with colorful Christmas trees dressed in handmade Mexican ornaments, Mexican paper flowers, piñatas, painted tin ornaments, and lighted chili ristras. Strolling Mariachis add to each restaurant’s cheerful ambiance.
In keeping with the restaurants’ annual holiday tradition, each will serve the ever-popular Turkey Mole Tamales (available for take-out too), filled with tender turkey, raisins, chopped pecans and apples, all topped with a rich mole sauce and sesame seeds.
The holiday menus also include:
Casa de Bandini, Carlsbad: Enchiladas Navideñas, two corn tortillas filled with sautéed carnitas, onions and cilantro, topped with a rich cranberry-chipotle mole sauce and drizzled with Mexican crema, and served with rice and frijoles de la olla; and the Spicy Pumpkin Burrito, a delicious dessert prepared with pumpkin, walnuts and raisins wrapped in a crispy, crunchy tortilla, served with vanilla ice cream and garnished with sugar and cinnamon cream. 1901 Calle Barcelona, Carlsbad, CA 92009; 760-634-3443; www.casadebandini.com
Casa Sol y Mar, Del Mar: Turkey Enchiladas Poblanos, two enchiladas filled with seasoned, tender turkey and sautéed vegetables, topped with roasted tomatillo and poblano sauce, drizzled with Mexican crema and served with arroz poblano and black beans; Green Chiles and Cheese Tamales, tamales filled with Monterey Jack cheese, corn, green California and jalapeño chiles and topped with more cheese, served with arroz poblano and black beans; and Deep Fried Pumpkin Flan with caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. 12865 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130; 858-792-4100; www.casasolymar.com
Casa Guadalajara, Old Town: Birria de Res, a traditional recipe from Guadalajara Mexico featuring beef cooked in three different chiles and spices; Crema de Elote, roasted corn, potatoes, onions, poblano chiles, pepper, cilantro and chipotle combine to create a delicious cream soup; and Flan de Calabaza, the restaurant’s signature flan combined with fresh pumpkin. 4105 Taylor St., San Diego, CA 92110; 619-295-5111; www.casaguadalajara.com
Casa de Pico, La Mesa: Cranberry Chipotle Chicken, grilled chicken breast topped with a mildly spicy chipotle-cranberry sauce, fresh mango salsa and a touch of salsa verde; Enchiladas Banderas, two enchiladas – one shredded chicken and one shredded beef – topped with salsa verde, salsa roja and jalapeño cheese sauce; and Deep Fried Pumpkin Ice Cream with caramel sauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon. 5550 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa, CA 91942; 619-463-3267; www.casadepico.com
In addition to these new seasonal items, all the Bazaar del Mundo Restaurants present a beautiful environment for holiday parties, especially while splendidly decorated for the season. Catering is also available.