Authentic Mexican Dishes at Que Chula es Puebla

Que Chula es Puebla was opened by Pablo Ilagorre and his brother Santiago in July 2007; their bold plan was to focus the menu fully on the authentic food of Puebla, a Mexican city long recognized as the birthplace of some of Mexico's most famous dishes. To help execute the plan, they hired Isidro Bravo, a chef at Guadalajara in Briarcliff Manor, where Pablo Ilagorre also worked.

Bravo, born and raised in Puebla as were the Ilagorre brothers, was familiar with the dishes that had long ago established the City of Angels as a major culinary tourism destination. This included Puebla's most acclaimed gastronomical triumphs: chiles en nogada (believed to have been first cooked 200 years ago) and mole poblano.

Chef Bravo had cooked for ten years at Tio Pepe, a picturesque Greenwich Village, Spanish-Mexican restaurant and for three years at Tequila Sunrise in Bayside, Queens, before going to Guadalajara in 2005. He understood what the Ilagorre brothers hoped to accomplish and when he joined them in 2007 as executive chef, he brought the exact expertise they needed to cook the traditional food of Puebla. 

Chile en nogada is an extraordinary treat and the portions at Que Chula es Puebla are generous. For as long as Pablo Ilagorre can recall, it has been served in Puebla only in August. He is not exactly sure why. It combines separately roasted poblano peppers with ground beef, peach, apple, pear, raisins and walnuts and is garnished with peeled walnuts, chilled cream, parsley and pomegranate seeds. The ground beef, fruit and nuts are always cooked together minus the peppers. Chile en nogada reflects the colors of the Mexican flag with its toppings of poblano peppers (green) and pomegranate seeds (red) sprinkled on white sauce. It is served primarily on holidays and special events at Que Chula es Puebla but it is available occasionally as a special.

Mole poblano is a spicy sauce containing a variety of ingredients including peppers, nuts, cinnamon and Mexican chocolate.

Another of Que Chula es Puebla's popular dishes is an old Mexican favorite called Pollo con Huitlacoche. This tempting dish is made by stuffing chicken breast with cheese, corn, poblano pepper and huitlacoche: the dish is topped with poblano pepper sauce and served with beans and rice. Pablo remembers that when he and Santiago were growing up on their father's farm, huitlacoche was thought to be undesirable corn fungus so it was cut away and discarded. It was not until much later that he learned from his wife Sonia that huitlacoche was considered by chefs as a delicacy, even referred to as Mexican cavier, and was much more expensive than corn.

By luck, Sonia had retained a number of family recipes that used huitlacoche as an ingredient and she gave them to Pablo to bring to Chef Isidro.

Two dishes have recently emerged as the most popular meals ordered at Que Chula and your taste buds will explain why. One is Mixlote de Pollo; its exquisite taste results from marinating the chicken in two sauces-guojillo (garlic and chile) and pasilla; the chicken is wrapped in parchment paper and served with black beans and rice. The cost is $15.25.

The other candidate for most popular dish, Puerco Estilo Sonora, is pork loin sauteed with green tomatillo sauce and roasted cactus leaves with beans, rice and a corn tortilla. It's priced at $18.25.

The very popular Guacamole En Su Molcajete (see accompanying recipe) can be ordered as an appetizer or as a pre-starter. You'll see it prepared by waiters table side in a heavy stoneware bowl and served with freshly fried chips and fresh-made salsa. It can be ordered with dinner or purchased to bring home in a container. In either case, the cost is $8.

On holidays, special menus are available and sometimes dishes are included that are not exactly of Puebla origin such as lobster stuffed with shrimp and crabmeat or surf and turf (filet mignon with lobster tail). On some festive occasions,  the management provides a drink on the house—such as a flavored margarita or a pineapple tequila.

The restaurant will have a stand at the Tarrytown Main Street stand on June 6. 

Que Chula es Puebla means "How Beautiful is Puebla."

The 70-seat restaurant is located in the Valley Street business section of Sleepy Hollow at 180 Valley Street. The bar seats ten and in warm weather another 15 or so patrons can be accommodated on the patio facing Valley Street. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. It has a small self-parking lot across the street. Street parking is available. 914-332-0072.

Recipe for Guacamole En Su Molcajete

2 tsp. Finely chopped onions

2 tsp. Finely chopped cilantro

1 Hass avocado

1 Tbs. Finely cut tomato

Lemon juice to taste

Salt to taste

1 tsp. Finely chopped jalapeno (optional, include if spicy taste is desired)

In a small, wide-mouth bowl, smash onions and cilantro together using the back of a spoon. Mix in Hass avocado pulp, jalapeno (if a kick is desired), tomatoes, lemon juice, and salt. Be sure not to over mix. Keep the guacamole chunky. Serve with freshly fried tortilla chips and salsa.