By Rick Riozza
¡¡Aye-Ya-Yie!! Babe’s is at it again!! The last time we wrote about the culinary antics of our favorite bar-b-que & brewery establishment—known lovingly as Babe’s Bar-B-Que & Brewery, we had just filled our bellies with some of the best bar-b-que grub in town at Babe’s first Brewmaster Dinner.
This last week, Babe’s thought they would adjust the solstice for everyone and begin the summer in May with the overture and presentation of their new Latin Fusion BBQ Menu. We understand. Summer quickly arrives here in our desert, so why not just declare the thing done and allow us to toast to the new season and get on with our favorite summer past times—such as eating and drinking and… well, you know.
So not only did our Latin dinner launch include inventive tacos, tamales, plates such as honey habanero BBQ baby back ribs and more of some south of the border delights, one of the stars of the show was the fresh and new Mexican Lager that quenched the thirst of the Rancho Mirage crowd.
As we are all aware, this particular CV Weekly issue not only has Babe’s Bar-B-Que & Brewery on the cover, but we have a wonderfully written article on the whole shebang, bringing us up to speed on the popular eatery itself. And how much fun is the story around the Brewery’s new Mexican lager on the scene and the exciting canning process in the works.
So, in this column of drinks, eats & events, we have the liberality of getting into the meat & potatoes of things—or in this case, meat and tamales—and speak our minds about the quality and tastiness of the new Latin Fusion dishes served at last week’s event. And by the way—we loved their eco-friendly appetizers served on edible spoons!
As everyone is discovering, Babe’s restaurant venue is a great place to congregate. It’s spacious, it has outdoor settings, and, an inviting bar to the right as you enter, that is easy to sit at. The restaurant is well designed with very comfortable booths and easy arranging tables to accommodate lovers, groups and parties.
Last week’s dinner event started out with a Mexican bang to the palate. We were served both Babe’s classic Margarita which was fresh, limey and not too sweet, and we had the privilege of enjoying the Brewery’s new Mexican lager that everyone is talking about. Indeed, after getting through this current CV Weekly issue, you folks will probably be dreaming about the beer!
I’ve got one better: why not get over to Babe’s Brewery and partake the new Mexican suds on the scene. We like this beer a lot: The brown lager was light and not filling, tasty with lime notes and perhaps tequila notes, if you will, and works well at the bar with munchies and, as one would expect, pairs wonderfully with Mexican delights.
The entire Mexican lager story will undoubtedly enlarge as our new summer hours expand. The Brewery has won many awards in the past for its inventive and quality brews and we will rightfully assume that many more accolades are on the way! Cheers to that!
For the record, my wife and I were joined at the table by no other than owner and publisher of our cherished CV Weekly, Tracy Dietlin and her husband, Phil Lacombe. They say four stomachs are better than one—at least the cows do when they come home. So, at our table, we not only enjoyed the fun of the evening but our appetites kept us especially keen on the quality of the cuisine as we properly and journalistically shared our plates.
And now—some Babelicious food!
The Latin Fusion BBQ menu has 6 creations of tacos with the choice of corn, flour or green nopal tortillas. I’m a big fish taco aficionado, so I immediately ordered up the Batter-fried Icelandic Cod served on summer slaw topped with creamy guacamole and orange slices. I’m already calling it the Babelicious Batter-fried Bomb as this may well be the best fish taco in town. And isn’t everything better with guacamole!
Some of our other favorites were the Pork Belly taco with its crispy pork belly topped with piloncillo (unrefined whole cane sugar), guacamole, mango salsa and cilantro. Definately a bacon-lover’s taco! For you foodie-types who love sampling the real thing, the Smoked Chicken Mole taco hit the mark. A delicious dish of pulled chicken, chocolate mole, queso fresco, almond slices, cilantro & escabeche sauce.
Another favorite is the time-tested Tamale. They serve a Pulled Chicken or Goat Cheese Tamale. We ate the chicken and believe me there was no squawking heard here. The tamale was tender and full of meat and flavors of chile, garlic and cumino. It was served with rice, turkey chili, tomatillo sauce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes and micro cilantro. Now that’s flavor.
Perhaps the cuisine coup of the evening was the Short Ribs and Mexican Gravy. The tender boneless short ribs were topped with an exquisite gravy of blended mild chilis accompanied with Mexican rice and pico de gallo. And to top it all off, dessert consisted of fresh churros and warm chocolate dipping sauce. Good job Chef Brian!
Since summer has arrived, so have the savings. “¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! Already happening on the weekdays from 4:30-6:00pm, take 50% off all items served on Babe’s dinner menu. Why not be rewarded for spending your summer close to home?
Babe’s Bar-B-Que & Brewery. Monday – Sunday 11am to 2:30pm, 4:30pm to 9pm
71800 Hwy 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 – (760) 346-8738
