Queso Fundido & Top 10 Restaurants

My hubby loves tortilla chips and queso dip – it is definitely his go-to snack of choice.  This past weekend, I decided to greet him at the door with some homemade Queso Fundido based on Rick Bayless’ recipe.  Many of you have probably heard of Rick Bayless before; he has been dubbed the godfather of authentic Mexican cuisine.  One of his restaurants, Frontera Grill, is located in Chicago, IL and is definitely one of the restaurants that I want to eat at before I die.  Yes, I have a long list of restaurants from around the world that I would absolutely love to dine at.  When I mean dine, I mean spend 3 hours eating the 5-course tasting menu with wine pairings (i.e. the works).  I can dream right?  Here’s my top 10 list in alphabetical order.  I have so many more restaurants I could’ve added, but here are the big papas!

• Chez Panisse– Alice Waters – Berkeley, CA
• Daniel – Daniel Boulud – NY, NY
• The French Laundry – Thomas Keller – Yountville, CA
• Frontera Grill – Rick Bayless – Chicago, IL
• Inn at Little Washington – Patrick O’Connell – Washington, VA
• L’Atelier De Joel Robuchon – Joel Robuchon – Paris, France
• Le Bernardin – Eric Ripert – NY, NY
• Le Chateaubriand – Inaki Aizpitarte – Paris, France
• Minibar – Jose Andres – Washington, DC
• WD-50 – Wylie Dufresne – NY, NY

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium tomato—cored, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• Sea salt
• 3 tbsp tequila
• 8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• Warm corn tortillas or corn chips, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the diced tomato, minced jalapeño, diced onion and a large pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Pour in the tequila and cook, stirring frequently, until the skillet looks nearly dry, about 2 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until fully melted, about 30 seconds.
4. Quickly transfer the queso fundido to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve immediately, with tortillas or chips.

*Adapted from Rick Bayless