The meal segued to a hearty risotto. But,
here, too, tradition is turned on its head.
Made, yes, with Arborio rice, it incorporat-
ed meaty heirloom eye of the goat beans
and pearl barley. The risotto’s creamy rich-
ness came not from cheese—there was
none—but from the barley as well as wildmushrooms, zucchini blossoms, black
truffl e and black truffl e oil, and a healthy
topping of smoky tasting huitlacoche, the
fungus on corn. Topping the risotto was
epazote foam and a sprinkling of tiny ge-
ranium petals. With this, Plascencia spins
traditional rice and beans into an elegant
yet earthy dish. I loved the distinctive tex-
tures and fl avors of the Arborio, the barley,
and the beans.
The meal ended with a faux pork belly
taco as Plascencia again upended expecta-
tions, this time merging three cultures.
Instead of a corn tortilla there was a masa
and maiz crêpe pinched together with a
hint of cilantro peeking out. The three
sauces? A curious combo of sweet soy,
chile de árbol, and tomatillo and habanero.
Inside was more cilantro and slices of
scallions topping strips of creamy pork
belly. I added the chili sauces then topped
it with a healthy drizzle of the soy blend,
picked it up, and took a bite. Then laughed.
Clearly, Plascencia was riffi ng on Peking
Duck. The pork belly was a combination
of tender juicy fl esh and crispy salty skin.
The soy sauce and the richness of the pork
was so “Peking Duck” but then there was
the cilantro, the scallion, and those spicy
salsas. Taco... encased in a crêpe.
This isn’t the Mexican food that people
go to TJ for—but it should be, because
it clearly expresses the ingredients and
cultural infl uences that are so key to the
region. So bypass the cliché of what out-
siders think encompasses traditional Mexi-
can food, which is, well, primarily street
food, and head to Mision 19 for the real
deal.
Mision 19 is located at Misin de San
Javier, 10643 in Zona Urbana Rio, about a
fi ve-minute drive from the border crossing
off the 805. // CARON GOLDEN❯❯ DINING | Review
120 SanDiegoMagazine.comNovember2011
“This isn’t the Mexican food
that people go to TJ for—
but it should be, because
it clearly expresses theingredients and cultural
infl uences that are so key
to the region.”