LAReview
photo credit: Marc L.
Alejandra's Quesadilla Cart
Included In
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 leaf, and leafy fresh squash blossoms.
Food Rundown
Chicharron & Squash Blossom Quesadilla
Not only are the blue corn tortillas freshly made to order and deliciously chewy, but they're filled with plenty of shredded Oaxacan cheese and spicy chicharron prensado that’s brimming with rendered fat. The wilted squash blossoms bring texture to the soft pork rinds and a floral, mildly sweetness that can’t really be replicated.
Huitlacoche Quesadilla
This earthy and smoky fungus is both soft and chewy after being cooked with plenty of sweet onion, garlic, and grassy epazote. The fresh herbs create a lemony situation in this mushroom mix that gets beautifully folded into handfuls of melted cheese. Don’t forget the cart’s salsas for some extra heat either.