Taqueria Mexicana

I've never been more serious in my life. If you don't already live in Seattle, you need to move here NOW so you can take a cooking class at the Pantry at Delancey and learn how to cook a meal like the one I just made tonight. This place is that amazing. The food is that good.

I heard about the Pantry at Delancey before it was even open, through Molly Wizenberg's blog, Orangette. Her and her husband started up the beloved pizza restaurant, Delancey, here in Ballard and a few years later her husband and two friends founded the Pantry at Delancey! This place is an incredible community kitchen that offers a WIDE array of cooking classes, family style dinners, and catering. Upon entering their facility, you walk up a path surrounded by beautiful gardens growing produce they use daily. The Pantry at Delancey places a strong emphasis on where and how they get their foods, offering only the best and most trusted resources. Since opening in July, their classes and family dinners are known to sell out the same day they are posted. So far though, I have been lucky enough to attend a cooking class AND a family style dinner: Taqueria Mexicana and Down South Dinner.
This place truly has it going on. I would be in total heaven if I could learn under the two main gals that run that place...maybe someday. A girl can dream, right?

One of my best friends and myself attended the Taqueria Mexicana cooking class. Let me tell you, it EXCEEDED our expectations by a mile. We were truly blown away. In one night we learned how to make flour and corn tortillas, pork carnitas, queso fresco, tomatillo salsa, and two different versions of guacamole. Not only did we receive step-by-step and hands-on instruction, we got to FEAST on the fruits of our labor AND take home recipes for everything! On top of all the mouth-watering foods I already named, they put out corn tortilla chips, homemade cabbage slaw and radishes for our tacos, Dos Equis beer and homemade horchata for dessert! Is your jaw to the floor? It should be!
The food was mind-blowingly good, and the pork carnitas stole the show. That pork was so tender it literally melted in your mouth.
My friend and I were so unbelievably full at the end, I'm pretty sure we had to unbutton our pants on the way home. Worth it? UM YES!

Ever since that night, I have been telling everyone about the class and about how amazing the food was and I've been dying to recreate that night at home. The true test is if you can do what they taught you ALONE, in YOUR own kitchen! So yesterday I had the day off and I decided to dedicate the day to this meal.
On my menu:
Corn Tortillas
Pork Carnitas
Tomatillo Salsa
Guacamole
Corn Chips (not homemade)


Everything turned out perfectly. The pork was melt in your mouth, fork tender and so flavorful. The tomatillo salsa was so fresh (tomatillo salsas and chile verde are my absolute favs)! The corn tortillas were so fun to roll out and tasted authentic and homemade. And the guacamole delicious as always. This meal was SUCH a success, I'm so proud! (Recipes coming soon)