Guacamole at Besito in Roslyn

At many restaurants there is an air of mystery about how your food is prepared – chefs labor long and hard behind closed doors only to wheel out the finished product. It is far more fascinating when your meal is prepared tableside so not only can you see how they make it, but exacly what goes into the process.

Considered by many as a simple dip, guacamole is in another category entirely at Besito in Roslyn and sometimes worth the visit alone.

The dish is freshly prepared at your table to your taste – mild, medium or spicy – made in a molcajete, a stone mortar and pestle traditionally hand carved from volcanic rock, one of the world’s oldest kitchen tools. The molcajete appears in Mexican pre-history as early as 6,000 years ago. The molcajete, round and standing on three feet, is often decorated with the carved head of an animal on the outside edge of the bowl, resembling a pudgey little three-footed creature.

The Dish: Guacamole at Besito

What’s In It: the Besito guacamole contains avocado, cilantro, jalapeno chiles, onion, tomatoes and salt. The chopped cilantro, onions and chilies are ground with some salt into a paste; the avocado is scooped into the bowl and crushed with the paste; more cilantro, onions, the tomato are folded in. Additional jalapeno chilies and salt are added to taste.

The dish is brought to the table with chips and salsa.

If you want to create your own drama at home, Besito supplies a simple recipe. Be warned that food prepared in a bowl or blender lacks the depth of flavor found in that prepared in a molcajete. In a molcajete the ingredients are slowly crushed together, releasing different layers of flavors and happily interacting with the stone mortar.

How’s It Taste: fresh, with the exact balance between the smoothness of the guacamole and the crunchiness of the chips.

Cost: an order of guacamole costs $12.