Tastemakers: Red Mesa‘s Flaming Chile Con Queso - Cabo Wabo Tequilla

May 4, 2005

he Greeks have been flaming cheese at the tableside for years and Magnum Hospitality co-owner and corporate Chef Mary Palmer thought there was no reason that her Latin-themed Red Mesa Grill couldn’t have its own version of the popular appetizer. She created the Flaming Chili Con Queso that starts with a chunk of white cheese and is topped with sautéed red and green bell peppers and onions. Add a roasted-tomato salsa and crumbled cheese and it looks delightful as is when arriving.
But the fun is just beginning. Stay back because the server is going to pour a shot of tequila over the top of it and light it. The result is a wonderful dish that has those roasted flavor profiles that are signature in Latin dishes. The tequila gives hints of a smoke essence but no strong alcohol flavors: those went up with the smoke. Add steak, chicken or portabella mushrooms and scoop into the warm tortillas and you have a meal. Pair with any of the Red Mesa Grill tequila flights. Chef Kyle Marshall suggests trying the dish with the Corazon flight or the Casa Margarita. Available at both the Boyne City and Traverse City Red Mesa Grills.


CABO WABO TEQUILLA


Tequila and rock-n-roll have been linked together since 1958 when The Champs’ instrumental “Tequila” went number one, winning a Grammy for best R record that year and eventually selling six million copies. Then Jimmy Buffet came along and popularized “The Margarita Lifestyle,” and Americans assumed that tequila was best with sour mix and served in a glass rimmed with salt and a lime.
Along came the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar, who made a name in the ‘70s for his blistering vocals in the band Montrose and then in the ‘80s as a solo artist and eventually as lead singer of Van Halen. Sammy loves his tequila and decided to find the best. He claims he did and for the past seven years has been importing Cabo Wabo.
“I have been living in Mexico part-time for the past 20 years and I tasted the handcrafted tequilas and they blew my mind,”Hagar says. “Before I had been drinking like everyone else in college that rotgut make you sick tequila. Not anymore.” So what did Sammy teach us? “Good tequila is to be sipped like a fine cognac.”
His Cabo Wabo is the official tequila for the Stones on their tour as they take two-dozen cases with them (“now there’s an endorsement,” laughs Hagar). Most beverage critics have it among the top tequila’s in the world. Cabo Wabo comes in three styles: Anejo, Resposado and Blanco. All are best sipped and paired with a loud dose of Sammy Hagar singing “Bad Motor Scooter” and “Rock Candy” from his days in Montrose. (For additional information on tequila and its flavor profiles see the article in this issue) -- Rick Coates