San Gabriel: A Relleno to Remember at Babita Mexicusine

Feb 08 2011

Like most people, the first time I went to Babita Mexicuisine, I was a little surprised. The unassuming restaurant, once a house itself, sits on a low-lit corner of a residential street in San Gabriel. When you open the door, you find yourself in the middle of small square dining room with around 10 tables and wood-paneled walls clad in Elmer Dills plaques.

Babita’s lack of pretense is part of it’s charm. That, along with Chef Roberto Berrelleza’s Chiles en Nogada are what have kept me coming back for years. A relleno variation, Chiles en Nogada is a Pueblan dish that consists of a poblano chile stuffed with a sweet filling of tender slow-cooked shredded pork, pears, apples, peaches, raisins, dried bananas, cactus, almonds, pecans and walnuts. Though it looks heavy, the sauce is actually a light goat cheese cream. Pomegranate seeds are sprinkled on top.