A-Maizing
Street Culture Yet Again Joins the Zeitgeist, #MothaShucka
With Taco Tuesdays enshrined on people's weekly social schedules, and immigration having been one of the main topics of the 2024 Presidential election, the United States' Southern neighbors have never had a stronger role in the country's cultural dialogue.
With North Americans celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, food-focused New Orleanians have an obsession with elote, also known as Mexican street corn. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Mexicans make up approximately five to seven percent of New Orleans' population. According to ChatGPT, there are 50 to 70 Mexican restaurants in the metropolitan area. Elote has become a go-to street food for its ease-of-preparation, simple ingredients, and the ability to alter the taste with very little trouble.
The new and old, local and national all have some ideas but the "kernel" ingredients remain the same. Elote's recipe—which finds its roots in pre-Columbian Mexico City—is a simple one that starts with a normal, boiled, corn on the cob. The ingredients are as follows:
-Shucked corn on the cob
-Mayonnaise-based sauce (sometimes sour cream based creme creche) for creaminess
-Cheese, preferably cotija (though they do not carry it yet, a St. James Cheese Co. rep said it's one of their most requested)
-Seasonings per taste: lime, cilantro, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic
In the CBD, the new destination for all things trendy is Taco de Cartel (located at 1010 Girod St. across from Willa Jean's). With its flower-filled awning that seems to be made for selfies to its lavish and artsy decor, their menu and presentation emphasizes that street food is malleable and creative with the presentation as delish as the ambiance.
A stone's throw at 930 Poydras is host of FOX's Master Chef Aaron Sanchez's Johnny Sanchez, which serves a specified version of street corn known as esquite and is basically "corn in the cup" (elote en vaso). Considered elote in "salad form," General Manager Adam Martinez said that street corn comprises 60 percent of side dish sales, and, because of their "strong roots to Mexican cuisine," this dish is "particularly attractive."
Meril's (424 Girod St.), Chef Emeril Lagesse's homage to his daughter, also serves their version of esquite while reinforcing the dish's familial orientation. It is available for lunch and dinner for $10.
Another version of elote are corn ribs, which are also vertically diced and served at Mr. Oso's (601 Tchoupitoulas). Mr. Oso's is a Denver-based chain with multiple locations and has taken over the much-beloved, post-Saints game, tailgate hotspot formerly occupied by Barcadia. Bartender Meghan Bott said, "Mr. Oso's takes street corn to the next level by dicing up the cob to better share with fellow diners, thus honoring the Mexican tradition of eating as family or community."
Also, be aware that corn season is approximately from late spring to early autumn, with sweeter corn being harvested earlier. It being seasonal means that some restaurants, particularly non-Mexican, offer seasonal specialties, including the Oprah-invested True Foods (801 St. Charles Ave.) and the Link Group staple Cochon (930 Tchoupitoulas St.). Between the healthy food visage of True Food and the Southern Louisiana game fare featured at Cochon, diners can expect multiple local twists when the dish is in season. There was even chatter about an "elote lasagne," according to one Taco Tuesday enthusiast.
Speaking of street food staples from NOLA, the most obvious is the sno-ball. At Don Cruz's (Metairie & Chalmette), the menu includes sno-balls, fruit cups, and elote. Cruz said he likes to "give back to the Southern heritage" of corn by using seasonings such as Tony Chacherie's and Slap Ya Mama.
At Bon's (620 Decatur St.), the mentality is as such, "Why is it in a city renowned for its culinary prowess, world-class chefs, and regional recipes handed down for generations that the only thing you can get on the street is a hot dog?" Like some of the others, Bon's puts its NOLA spin on elote, and their website dubs their gator street corn as "flavor on a stick."
Over on the Westbank, which has seen a boom-and-bust of south-of-the-border immigration since prior to Hurricane Katrina, El Patron's (516 Gretna Blvd.) owner Martin Avoelous said, "It is the simplicity of the dish that make it perfect for street food."
"It's easy to create and, whether in a cup or on the cob, is easy to prepare and serve," said Dennis Lee, longtime daytime bar manager at Lucy's Retired Surfers' Bar & Grill (701 Tchoupitoulas).
Before succumbing to the siren's call de elote, it is worth noting how, in regards to cultural synthesis, language can also play a key role. Forever favorite El Gato Negro (Uptown, Old Gretna, Lakeview) dubs their miniature tacos "street food" and confirmed there are no corn ingredients, as well as comparing them more to "Mexican hamburger sliders" than anything else. Lee, further equating cultural evolution with the human palate, continued, "Lobster used to be a peasant food, and every New Orleanian knows the origins of red beans and rice."
Cruz supported this, saying, "You see, in Mexico, elote is seen as a poor man's food. But in America, it is seen more like a delicacy. Hence its popularity."
Elote, which is Mexican street corn, brings together nouveau flavors of vegetables, seasonings, and cheese under the vehicle of corn on the cob. It also brings together core values of America, both North and Central: community, creativity, entrepreneurism, and evolution of taste.
