We’re in Harlem, my cousin borough, posted up at Cocina Consuelo. Some of the best Puebla cuisine by a husband and wife team. It’s intimate, it’s soulful, it’s a labor of love.
They’re serving jalapeños stuffed with tuna from a family recipe that goes back a generation, filet tataki dusted with worm salt, barbacoa tacos, masa pancakes. Masa pancakes are one of those things that stop you mid-bite. Gamiliar but different in all the right ways. They’re made from corn, the same base as tortillas and tamales, but poured onto a hot griddle like a pancake. The result is something fluffy and earthy with a whisper of sweetness and a rich, toasty flavor that only comes from masa. You throw some butter on there, maybe a drizzle of honey and syrup, and it’s a wrap.
by Lester Walker
Cocina Consuelo
Cocina Consuelo: Worm Salt Tataki in Harlem
Ghetto Gastro’s profiling the slept-on, underrated eateries around the world with host Lester Walker. We're live on GGTV.
Cocina Consuelo
Then there’s the Caesar salad—a dish that somehow ended up on every American steakhouse menu, but actually started in Mexico. It was created in the 1920s by Italian-American chef Caesar Cardini in Tijuana. The story goes that he whipped it up on the fly during a busy night at his restaurant, using what he had on hand: romaine, garlic, lemon juice, eggs, anchovies, Worcestershire, olive oil, and Parmesan. Tossed tableside, no frills, just flavor. And it stuck.
Both the masa pancake and Caesar salad tell a bigger story. About migration, improvisation, and how good food always finds a way. Whether it’s corn transformed into something soft and golden, or a salad born in a border town that went global, it’s all a reminder that culture lives in the details. And in the sauce.
Harlem itself is buzzing. People love to talk about the Brooklyn creative scene but Harlem remains the renaissance of art, food, and community. The energy at Cocina Consuelo is real.
- Chef Les
