What are you guys doing for dinner on Monday night? Well, whatever plans you had, cancel them because you are going to want to head over to Newhall for a taco pop up that is one of the best things (food wise) happening in Santa Clarita right now. Back in September, I wrote about Cathy’s Deli and how they were under new ownership, and in the future they would be having special dinners. Well, the future is now. On Monday night they have introduced Comida Familiar, aka a Mexican food + taco pop up.
I had heard about it but had plans in Hollywood for dinner so I wasn’t planning on attending, but after numerous texts from credible friends telling me I had to try it, we headed over around 9pm (after a full meal at Norah) to crush some tacos. No regrets. It was incredible and I can’t wait to go back and try more items.
The menu is composed of appetizers, tacos, quesadillas, and one dessert. Carne asada fries topped with chicharron, corn on the cob on a stick, and my personal favorite: chips and salsa. But, these aren’t ordinary chips and salsa. First of all the chips are made in house and are perfectly salty. They are served with two salsas, one being their house salsa, and the second being the most luscious queso I have ever tasted. And I love queso. I’ve been trying to think of the perfect way to describe it, but what probably sets it apart is the addition of corn among the queso Oaxaca, and rajas. Priced at $3, this is a must have. In fact the whole menu is reasonably priced with most dishes in the $3-$5 range.
As for the tacos, we tried 4 out of the 6 on the menu, and ended up getting second orders of the campechana. That’s how good they were. The only recommendation I would have is to eat them as soon as they come to the table because they aren’t meant to sit out for long. The tortillas are made by hand and taste best served hot. You can choose from campechana, which has asada and chicharron (a winning combination in my opinion), carne asada, carnitas, carnitas with mole, chicken, and chicken with mole. Mole being a chili and chocolate based sauce, not a rodent. Just for clarification.
The pop up takes place Monday after hours at Cathy’s Deli, where Carlos Burman and Joey Fernandez use the space to run their menu from 6pm-11pm or until food runs out. Burman’s goal is to keep the menu simple and bring the community together. He was inspired by the street food in Mexico City, and in time he might be adding more items but nothing too over the top.
I want to take a moment and talk about the quesadillas on the menu. People that know me, are fully aware of how much I love quesadillas…but not the typical folded over tortillas type. I mean the real deal fried quesadillas. It is part of the reason why I raved about Ay Caramba so much. In fact just two weeks ago I headed over to Cuernavaca Taqueria in Santa Barbara because I was craving their fried quesadillas. Little did I know what would be waiting for me in Newhall on Monday night. Three different variations of quesadillas are on the menu, cheese, cheese + chicharron, and duck confit. Tortillas are made in house and they are perfectly fried and topped with crema. For dessert they have flan served in a little jar with almond brittle and flowers, but by then we were too full to really enjoy it.
So, like I was saying, you are ALL going to want to head down to Cathy’s Deli between 6-11pm on Monday night to try these tacos and quesadillas and queso and chips…so basically you are going to want to try the whole menu. Food might run out so get there early. We as a community need to support the next generation of chefs that are trying to make their mark on this city. So go check out what Joey and Carlos are doing in Newhall. You wont regret it.
The Mexican Food Pop Up is taking place at 23120 Lyons Ave #24, Newhall, CA 91321 inside of Cathy’s Deli. I normally don’t take photos past dark, so you know it was good when I make an exception!
