At La Neta Cocina, the mother of all quesadillas
In the normal course of the flat top, the construction of a quesadilla would not be worth noting. There’s not much to discuss: fill, fold, brown, flip, slice, garnish, serve. A quesadilla, its inner workings unremarked, would still be as delicious.
And that’s certainly true of the Truff quesadilla ($34), with an off-menu addition of butter-poached lobster, served at La Neta Cocina y Lounge in Downtown Summerlin (the names refers to the Truff hot sauce used in one garnish). But to understand why this quesadilla ranks among the most distinctive in town, it’s helpful to share the blueprint.
First, mezcal, shallots and butter are mixed to fashion a compound butter. The lobster is poached in this butter (that includes — repeat — mezcal!). A 12-inch flour tortilla hits the griddle. It’s topped with poached lobster chunks, then folded for some browning.
Meantime, a slaw of shaved Brussels sprouts, pickled onions, Fresno chiles, cilantro, olive oil and citrus is tossed together.
The browned quesadilla is taken from the flat top and sliced into six wedges. A mix of mozzarella, manchego and Oaxaca cheese is added to the griddle, quickly forming a crust. The wedges are placed on their sides across this crust, then everything is removed to the plate.
The wedges are arranged upright, covered by the cheese crust. A mound of slaw joins the plate. Fat dots of avocado mousse, purple beetroot crema and Truff aïoli complete the dish.
“We really want to make a statement with every single item,” chef Israel Castro said. “I wanted to give it a little more volume. I didn’t want it to be just another flat quesadilla.”
Mission accomplished, chef.
For more information, visit lanetacocina.com.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ItsJLW on Twitter.