Alejandra's Quesadilla Cart de Oaxaca
Oaxacan restaurant · Greater Echo Park Elysian ·
Hand-pressed blue corn quesadillas with huitlacoche, squash blossoms
Hand-pressed blue corn quesadillas with huitlacoche, squash blossoms
"The hand-pressed quesadillas at Alejandra’s Quesadilla Cart are a major upgrade from the late-night ones we make at home in our underwear. The cart’s owner, Alejandra, has been operating her Echo Park stand for nearly 20 years, and you’ll still find her rolling out long, oval-shaped blue tortillas on her hot griddle from Friday to Monday. The whole process is muscle memory as she simultaneously stretches out fresh masa and mentally jots down your order. Besides the essential Oaxacan cheese, fillings include softened chicharron stewed with salsa roja, huitlacoche cooked with epazote, and leafy fresh squash blossoms." - sylvio martins
"Alejandra’s quesadilla cart has been an Echo Park fixture for as long as I can remember. Stationed at the edge of a parking lot under a rainbow umbrella, the often one-woman operation specializes in Oaxacan blue corn quesadillas stuffed with a choice of fillings like pollo, huitlacoche, and chicharron. The quesadillas start with blue corn masa hitting a tortilla press, before landing on the grill to develop a gentle char on the side. Alejandra deftly flips the thick tortillas with her hands while chatting with customers before adding in cheese and fillings. Once the quesadillas have developed color on the outside, and the cheese is well-melted, Alejandra plates them and offers a choice of salsas, cilantro, and onions. Every bite of the quesadilla is excellent — the tortilla thick and chewy, the huitlacoche deeply earthy, the cheese offering a pleasant fattiness, and the salsas adding a sharp heat at the end. Just be aware that Alejandra only sets up from Friday to Monday, from around 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Rebecca Roland, editor" - Eater Staff
"Every Monday, Friday, and Saturday afternoon, you’ll find Alejandra rolling out long, oval-shaped blue tortillas on her hot griddle in Echo Park. She’s been operating this stand for over 16 years and has her process down to muscle memory—it’s almost mesmerizing to watch her stretch out fresh masa and simultaneously memorize customers’ orders. Besides the essential Oaxacan quesillo, she creates incredibly tasty fillings using chicharron stew with onions and salsa roja, huitlacoche cooked with garlic and citrusy epazote leaf, or leafy squash blossoms that complement the oozing cheese." - brant cox, sylvio martins
"Hand-made tortillas folded into deep blue quesadillas with Oaxacan fillings using regional cheese, squash blossoms, or huitlacoche. Prices start at $3 and the $7 large quesadilla can easily feed two." - Eater Staff
"I’ve long considered Alejandra’s quesadilla cart an Echo Park fixture: under a rainbow umbrella she presses Oaxacan blue corn masa into thick tortillas, grills them to a gentle char, flips them deftly, and stuffs them with fillings like pollo, huitlacoche, and chicharron before melting the cheese and plating with a choice of salsas, cilantro, and onions. Every bite is excellent—the tortilla thick and chewy, the huitlacoche deeply earthy, the cheese adding pleasant fattiness, and the salsas bringing a sharp heat at the end. Note she only sets up Friday through Monday, roughly 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m." - Eater Staff
