Give Green A Chance

That's me using our new green takeout containers

With all the chatter this week about the green of St. Patricks Day, we thought we'd add on a different kind of green event next week at The Tortilla Press & Tortilla Press Cantina. From Monday March 22 thru Saturday March 27 (Tues 3/23 in Pennsauken since we are closed on Mondays) we will be offering a meatless menu to give our earth a break from our usual eating habits. It is a really special menu that features some nice alternative proteins including tempeh & quinoa along with lots of fresh vegetables, dried chiles & delicious sauces ... & no meat or seafood. As a chef, I feel responsible to educate our guests. It seems to me that too many of us have grown up feeling deprived if we don't have our "meat & potatoes." So I created a menu that I am confident will leave you satisfied & impressed with no meat or seafood. I have 9 special dishes & you may choose any 3 of your liking for just $25/ person. If you're still hungry, our dessert menu will be presented so you can top off your dinner with one of our delicious desserts & a cup of organic, fair trade dark roasted Mexican coffee. Working with the environment does not have to be painful or a sacrifice, but can be an enjoyable evening without stressing our resources.

A couple of suggestions to make the evening a bit more environmentally friendly; in Collingswood, come in on Patco & walk to the restaurant. The trains are running anyway, so why not support them & save some gas. In Pennsauken, try one of our sustainably farmed or bio-dynamic wines with your dinner. Then, if you can't finish your dinner & want it packed up, make sure to take note of our green packaging. If we all do the little things, we can make a big difference for our environment

Please call 856-869-3345 to reserve your table in Collingswood (We are taking all size reservations for this event) Or 856-356-2050 for Pennsauken (We always take all size reservations at The Cantina!)


Choose any 3 plates $25/ person


Pineapple Guacamole Salad
Golden pineapple diced with avocado, lime, salt, fresh, chiles & cilantro served over spring mix with an mandarin orange vinaigrette

Vegetable Tortilla Flatbread
Crispy double stacked flour tortilla with chihuahua cheese sauce, mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers & olives served with pico, crème & guacamole

Vegetarian Pozole
A rich tomato, vegetable & chile broth with hominy served with tostada, onions, cilantro, sliced radishes & lime wedges

Pumpkin, Black Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadilla
Served with ancho chile crème

Vegetarian Chile
Black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, red & green peppers, eggplant & dried chiles. Topped with grated cheddar jack cheese & fresh chopped onions

Quinoa & Chick Pea Salad with Lemon Sesame Dressing
Red onion, cilantro & toasted sesame seeds

Tempeh, Cheese & Onion Enchiladas
With guajillo chile sauce served with cilantro rice

Chipotle Mushroom & Vegetable Taco Plate
Mixed mushrooms & zucchini braised with tomato & chipotle chiles served with warm corn tortillas, lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo & black beans

Chile Rellenos
Roasted poblano peppers stuffed with chihuahua cheese & queso fresco, battered & lightly fried served with tomato, jalapeno & cilantro broth.


Does not include, beverages, dessert, tax or gratuity

Meet our new eco-friendly wine list

We are introducing some new wines at Tortilla Press Cantina this month & wanted to kick it off with a tasting. We chose our wines for a couple of factors. We looked at the dishes that we can pair each wine with, the ability to sell it to our guest at a reasonable price & then at a the growing & producing practices of the wineries. I'm proud to say that the wines that we have added to our list are all created using sustainable farming practices, are bio dynamic or our from a local winery. We also added a local beer to our draft beer selection this month....Flying Fish's Hopfish India Pale Ale. I love a hoppy beer & it pairs nicely with our award winning chipotle peanut bbq pork. We are also featuring a jersey cranberry sangria with cranberry wine from Bellview winery. It's still a bit chilly outside for sangria, but I see this refreshing a lot of palettes as the weather warms up. Anyway, here is a copy of the wine tasting menu, we are taking all reservations for the evening with the festivities starting at 6:45 & the formal tasting starting at 7. Hope to see you all there.

Wine Tastings and Tapas…

perfect together!

Our select accompaniments blend the perfect wines with perfect flavor combinations

…in ways that say, “Green, sustainable and environmentally friendly!”

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Our Special Wine & Tapas begins at 6:30pm

Small Plate 1

Mimosa fire grilled shrimp over fried masa plank with mandarin orange vinaigrette

With Col Vetoraz Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut NV (sustainable practice)

Small Plate 2

Sauteed mushroom queso dip with blue & orange corn chips

With Ukiah Cellars Chardonnay 2008 ( "sustainably farmed")

Small Plate 3

Pan seared sea scallop with avocado cream sauce & toasted pine nuts with cilantro rice

With Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray Sec Cuvee Silex 2007 (biodynamic)

Small Plate 4

Open faced strip steak torta with queso fresco & rajas poblano
With Ukiah Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ("sustainably farmed")

Small Plate 5

Twin coffee braised baby back rib with bacon wrapped redskin potato
With Chono Syrah 2007 (sustainable practice)

$29.95/person

(excludes tax & gratuity)

A cooking trip to Mexico with Chef Mark Smith

I know this is really short notice, but if you are interested in learning authentic Mexican Cooking & getting out of the frigid winter weather this February 21-28 why not sneak away for seven days of authentic Mexican cooking with myself & Chef Ana Garcia at La Villa Bonita, her specially designed hotel & cooking school in the beautiful mountain village of Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Click here for a typical weeks schedule with Chef Ana.

Chef Ana was able to offer us an incredible deal for the week $1150 per person + tax for double occupancy & $1550 + tax for single occupancy. There are 6 rooms available. You will need to secure your own transportation to Mexico City for arrival on Sunday Febuary 21. This will be small be a small, hands on learning experience with lots of good food & warm weather. I have until the January 22nd to reserve the hotel, so if you are interested please contact me asap @ chefmark@thetortillapress.com.

Mac & Cheese Segment From Fox

Here's a rundown of the Macaroni & Cheeses that the Chef's put together for the show. I really appreciate all their work, especially delivering it to the restaurant. I'll be getting your dishes & casseroles back to you all soon. I think that Chef Jim from blueplate & I we're the only ones to actually taste all 11 dishes, but remember, everyone can this Monday night at Tortilla Press Cantina 7716 Maple Ave, Pennsauken 08109. Call 856-356-2050 for reservations. $10 per adult $4 for kids & the bar will be open.

Mexican
The Tortilla Press
Chef Mark Smith
Key ingredient: the five cheeses! Cheddar, monteray jack, Chihuahua, queso anejo, cotija; Crumbled home made tortilla chips on top give it extra crunch.

American
Blueplate
Chef Jim Malaby
Key ingredient: one is gluten free (lobster and goat cheese)
Second one is “regular” BLT mac and cheese – bacon and oven dried tomatoes with greens.

French/Italian
Blackbird
Chef Alex Capasso
Key ingredient: Riviera style macaroni and cheese with Fregola eggless pasta, mascarpone and truffle oil and fresh truffle.

French
La Campagne
Chef Rich Benussi
Key ingredient: Our mac and cheese key ingredient is trois lait or three milks (cow, goat, sheep). To represent them we will be using three French cheeses. Brie (cow's milk), Chevre (goat's milk) and Petit Basque (sheep's milk). A hint of truffle and an almond crunch topping should also be noted.

Italian
Mirabella Café
Chef Joe Palombo
Key ingredient: lobster with several Italian cheeses. Chef Joe’s mac and cheese demonstrates how this homey dish can be dressed up.


Viennese Cafe
Chef Richard Marsh
Short rib mac n cheese with pine nut crust topping

Italian
Bistro di Marino
Chef Jim Marino
Key ingredient: penne pasta & gorgonzola make this extra creamy.

Indian
Coriander
Chef Vipul
Key Ingredient: a combination of the spices that are used in many Indian dishes including ginger, cumin, coriander powder and tumeric. (It was nice & spicy) my note!

Greek
Kuzina by Sofia
Chef Sofia Khoury
Key ingredient: a secret! Let’s just say it’s chef Sofia’s TLC

Moroccan
Norma’s Mediterranean Café/ Cous Cous
Chef Elias

Homestyle classic menu Jan25 thru Jan28

Well, the holidays are over & The Cantina is re-opened & I'm done testing margarita & mojito recipes for a little while at least. I've just finished tweeking my recipe for the first annual (I hope) Mighty Mac Battle of the Chefs. I call it the "Mac Off" much to my wife's dismay. The event is to be held at Tortilla Press Cantina on Monday Jan 18th at 6:30, and will be featuring the mac & cheese of at least 10 of the areas chefs. Please make your reservations soon at 856-356-2050. The cost is $10 for adults & $4 for kids. Part of the proceeds will go to The South Jersey Food Bank. We will also have a cash bar available with great drink specials.

My blog this year will be a place to check out upcoming events at The Tortilla Press, Tortilla Press Cantina, South Jersey Culinary Events & SJ Green Dining. But, mainly it will be the musings of an independent restaurateur/chef running two restaurants & the daily triumphs and challenges that arise. Of course, this will be the place to see all special event menus & changes to either restaurants' menu before the rest of the public, so check back often & feel free to comment anytime with suggestions, ideas or ways to improve The Tortilla Press or The Cantina.

Our second annual Homestyle Classics is the first event for South Jersey Culinary Events in 2010 & it will run from Jan 25 thru Jan 28. The event is $30 for 4 courses & it will feature all of the chefs' unique twist on the classics we grew up with. Here is the first draft of the menu to be served at Tortilla Press & The Cantina. Remember, feedback is always welcome here.

Homestyle classics

Choose 1

Fried Cheese Sticks

Breaded chihuahua cheese lightly fried & served with tijauna marinara sauce

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Our award winning chipotle peanut bbq pork served on a toasted mini brioche roll with a side of spicy slaw

Hot Wings

Our twist on the classic buffalo wings served with honey cholula sauce & avocado ranch

Choose 1

Cesar Salad

Romaine lettuce, Aztec salad dressing queso cotija, garlic chile croutons,

roasted red pepper rajas & twin fire-grilled shrimp

Skyline Style Chile

A cup of an Ohio favorite served 5 ways with beef, black beans,

onion & grated cheddar over spaghetti

Vegetable Soup

A rich vegetable, tomato & chile stock with hominy & mixed vegetables

with a tostada, shredded lettuce, diced onion, lime & sliced radish garnish

Choose 1

Friday Night Fish Fry

My mom’s special breading on mild white fish filets

served with french fries, cole slaw & 3 dipping sauces

Mac & Cheese

Cheddar, monteray jack, queso fresco, chihuahua & cotija in a creamy guajillo chile sauce

with crunchy tortilla chip topping. Served with corn mexicana

Chicken & Dumplings

Roasted chicken pulled & simmered in a yellow mole

with masa dumplings served with green beans & carrots

Steak & Potatoes

Carne Asada grilled to your liking with achiote roasted Yukon gold potatoes

& a spicy lime chile dipping sauce

Choose 1

Rice Pudding

Slow cooked till creamy with mexican cinnamon then served

chilled with goat milk caramel sauce & whipped cream

Cream Puffs

Classic shell filled with coffee ice cream & finished with a

Patron XO enhanced coffee sauce & whipped cream

Bread Pudding

Mexican chocolate & challah baked into a rich egg custard with mexican cinnamon & vanilla

served with a spoonful of mixed berry salsa & whipped cream

All treats, no tricks this week at The Tortilla Press

It's a really really exciting time in the Philadelphia area. The Eagles kicked butt on Monday Night Football, The Phillies take on the NY Yankees in the World Series & Halloween is Saturday. So much to do & think about, but in all the craziness, don't forget about your local independent restaurant. We're still here to serve you & we at The Tortilla Press have added some really neat feature to help you enjoy the upcoming week.

We have a great deal on wings, our famous honey cholula wings & traditional buffalo wings plus our new really spicy wings for $8 1 dz, 2dz $15 3dz $21 & 4 dz $26. They are the perfect snack food during any game. Also our FAB Burrito would be a great centerpiece for any sporting get together. It's a 5# monster as big as a baby. If you haven't checked it out watch our burrito video on youtube

Our special Halloween treat for parents is bring your kids in for dinner this week Monday thru Friday & kids eat off our kids menu for $1.99 with an adult entree.

Also, Tuesday is "Date Night" 3 courses + a half picture of Virgin Margaritas for $38/ couple & Wednesday is Here's the Beef Night with 8 oz filet mignon for $15.95 includes 2 sides & a salad. So make sure you stop in either or both nights for some of the best value dining in South Jersey.

Next week date night will premier our Paella dinner for two, the recipe is almost complete & we're sure you'll be impressed with our take on the Spanish Classic dish. Also make plans for our upcoming Off the Hook promotion Nov 16th thru Nov 19th which will feature 4 course $30 of some of your favorite seafood dishes.

It's a FAB Burrito

Well to celebrate our Build your own Burrito Mondays, we built the mother of all burritos. It's our FAB Burrito & it's there to feed a family of 4. $25 each & free if you eat it by yourself in 1 hour.