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Contra Costa Marketplace - Oct 2016

was made of roughly chopped cabbage, and had a pinkish hue resulting from her use of both green and purple cabbages. It was an excellent accompaniment to the Pupusas, and was equally good when eaten by itself! Following the pupusas, we were treated to chicken lasagna. Although lasagna is not on the regular menu, it is part of Judy’s “special” menu and she gladly makes it upon request. Generous pieces of shredded chicken, combined with three kinds of cheeses, black olives, onions, bell pepper, and Judy’s own sauce recipe, made for a very delightful dish. The sauce was not a tomato-based sauce like Italian marinara, but a milder, lighter sauce that had an excellent flavor. For all of Judy’s creations, she grates ingredients like onions, bell peppers very finely so that there are no big chunks of these in her sauces, salsa, etc. This enhances both the texture and flavors of her creations. The lasagna was very enjoyable and we both cleaned our plates, although we were already getting full! For our final samplings, Judy prepared smaller portions of two popular items. The first of these was Chicken Mole and Coconut rice. Judy explained that the Chicken Mole is also part of her “secret” menu that must be ordered ahead because it requires advance preparation. Judy’s Chicken Mole is not like the traditional Mexican dish; she creates her own mole sauce using ingredients and spices that are not used in Mexican Mole sauces. Our senses were treated to a marvelous aroma as she brought the dishes to the table. There was tender white chicken breast pieces served with coconut flavored rice that was slightly sweet. The mole sauce was savory and not overly spicy and truly had an excellent flavor! The last savory dish that Judy made for us were Yucca 38 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM OCTOBER 2016 Fries. Yucca is a plant of the agave family, and the Yucca Fries are made from the Yucca roots. The tender Yucca fries were shaped like typical French Fries, but were lighter and more white in color. They were fried on the outside and tender on the inside, but overall were firmer than potato fries. Judy explained that Yucca takes on the flavor of the accompaniment with which it is served. Ours were topped with tender, thinlysliced and marinated beef, with curtido. My guest likened them to Yucca nachos! We both tasted Yucca fries that day for the first time, and I would definitely order these again when I return to Judy’s Place. For dessert, we were served small, homemade Salvadorean Quesadillas. Salvadorean quesadillas are not the typical Mexican tortillas with cheese and other fillings, but instead are a dessert prepared with corn flour and are shaped like cupcakes or muffins. Judy had prepared these small bite-sized cakes in decorative cupcake papers, and served them to us with a scrumptious cup of coffee. The quesadillas were dense and enjoyable, and had just the right amount of sweetness, and were made using Judy’s own special recipe. The quesadillas and coffee were the perfect ending to our culinary samplings from Judy’s Place. Currently, Judy’s Pace is only open on weekdays from 11 AM to 7 PM. The restaurant used to be open 7 days a week, but due to slow business on weekends, Judy decided to close on Saturdays and Sundays about two years ago. However, she is reconsidering opening again on Saturdays because of requests from her loyal customers. If she can gain enough commitment and support to reopen on Saturdays, Judy is considering offering different menus every weekend. Recently, Judy’s Place opened on a weekend when a Classic Car Show was in town, and business was very good. Judy will gladly open her 1207 Pomona Street, Crockett | (510) 787-7768 RESTAURANT REVIEW Owner, Judy Herrera Chicken Mole with Coconut Rice


Contra Costa Marketplace - Oct 2016
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