cinco de mayo brunch, Kevin style

Feliz cinco de mayo! We spent this celebration of the defeat of the invading imperial French army by the newly formed independent Mexican government chilling at the glam pad of our friend, Kevin, in Hayes Valley. Kev is a fabo Mexican chef and offered to host us with his famous huevos rancheros.

huevos rancheros

We’d had this Kev specialty once before on a ranch between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe at Kikki’s parent’s home, so we knew that we were in for something good.

San Francisco City hall, viewed from Kev's roof

Kevin lives in a huge three bedroom apartment with sweeping views of San Francisco city hall, Twin Peaks and parts of Pacific Heights . He’s a talented artist in glass and painting as well as an opera singer, gardener, computer whiz and all around awesome guy. He greeted us with a mimosa alternative: champagne (or “champers” as Kev likes to say) with a splash of St. Germain. This last is a French fortified drink made from grapes. It’s not dry, unlike grappa or cognac though. Slightly sweet, this cocktail matched perfectly with the spicy Mexican treats that we were about to enjoy.

cocktail mixers

This time, Kevin made his huevos rancheros with sautéed nopales, those cactus paddles that I see sometimes in grocery stores and shops in the Mission that always seem to freak me out. Are they a food or are they a weapon? I’ve rarely eaten these, so it was a special treat. Kev did most of the prep work for them before we got there; mainly cutting off all of the thorns; a dangerous job. He really is a good friend. The dish was made up of layers of refried beans, deep fried corn tortilla, nopales, the amazing spicy chili sauce that makes the whole thing rock (Kev told me the recipe but swore me to total secrecy; sorry folks), the obligatory fried eggs,  avocado and sautéed onions. You have to eat it right away so it doesn’t get cold.

prepared refried beans

We had more champagne cocktail to accompany it. When that ran out, we drank some tasty white wine and sampled (no, really devoured) the yummy pignole cookies that Kristen brought from home. She made these, slightly modifying the Martha Stewart recipe we used in an Italian feast. Instead of almond paste, she used butter in the same amount. Also she mixed slightly crushed frosted flakes with the nuts, to give a crunchy more caramelized texture and flavor.

Kevin slices nopales. Yum!

Afterward we lounged on the roof, admiring the gorgeous views, sipping our lovely wine and talking trash about life, love and the mysteries of Bay Area real estate. (Good luck with that house, Kikki!)

wine tasting on the roof

All good things must eventually come to an end. Too soon, we ran out of wine. But that was a mere bump in the road of our celebration of Mexican liberation from tyranny! Joined by one of Kev’s super nice roommates, we trooped out to the ‘hood for window shopping and more carousing. We eventually hit the jackpot at the local drag bar, Marlena’s, where we arrived just in time for an incredible musical review in honor of cinco de mayo. The music was all classic ‘80’s American tunes, sung in Spanish.

welcome to marlena's

All of the girls looked amazing, though I was particularly fond of the bubbly MC and the stunning China Silk. Jell-o shots made the rounds with more white wine, shouting and dancing until we were hoarse and exhausted!

marlena's m.c. takes control!

Kevin, you sure know how to throw a party!

too many jell-o shots

finished nopales, ready to plate

Preparing Nopales

4 baby nopale segments, thorns removed, rinsed and cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 tbs canola or olive oil
salt and pepper

Sauté nopales for about 8-10 minutes, till soft and slightly browned on the edges. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over huevos rancheros.

Twin Peaks in fog, from Kev's roof

behold, a green goddess!

the incomparable China Silk!

roof-top garden

more garden shots