Famous in Maine

This is an article written by Cal and Denise's daughter Kristin. Guess I am famous in York County Maine now.

By Kristin Fuhrmann-Simmons

March 11, 2010 2:00 AM

I have a friend who brings me food from her home state of Arizona when she visits.
I love these culinary presents, as they make their way into an annual summer Mexican party. Linda is a benevolent heart who is also an amazing Southwestern-style cook. Each year when she comes to the Seacoast, she creates a feast of enchiladas, deep-fried tacos, green chili, salsas, guacamole, and margaritas. However, until recently, when she tried to cook authentic-style Mexican and Southwestern food, she was dismayed that finding ingredients familiar to her culinary repertoire was extremely difficult. She loved the abundance of lobster, water crackers and brown bread, but said, "I'll just load what I need in my suitcase and take extra time through security!" And that she did.
Her bags are now so full, and her visits are so regular, that space once occupied by toothbrushes, swimsuits and underwear is now taken up by tortillas, refried beans, chiles, and spices. She leaves her necessities on hand at our home so that she can schlep our much-beloved groceries back and forth from the desert to Maine.
In Arizona, her local Walmart employs a cook who, for $1, will make you a sack of 12 fresh corn tortillas while you wait. I envy this fact and am always so excited to open the bag each summer and fry the tortillas for the feast.
Our party has become so popular, with friends and family vying for an invitation, that Linda's bags have been bursting. I wanted to help Linda with her gourmet burden, and this winter I set out to see what I could do to remedy what was quickly becoming a camel-caravanning food burden.
I was excited to see authentic-style tortillas at our local Hannaford. Additionally, several local restaurants, one here in York County and one up the road past Portland, have captured my attention for a much-needed true-Mexican food fix.
My top picks for going out and staying in:
1.) Hannaford's carries La Tortilla, Hand-Made Style Corn Tortillas. They are as close to homemade as you can get. Replace them with your hard taco shells next time you make the dish at home. Make sure to heat them in a skillet or on your oven to warm them up. They will take your family taco night to the next level and give you the authentic flavor that real southwestern tacos can have.
2.) El Loco Coco in Kittery: Loco Coco is a counter or sit-down spot with a tasty array of margaritas, tacos, and salsas. The fish tacos are either fried or grilled — I eat both kinds and enjoy the flavors of the shrimp and fish. The taco salad is immense and filled with fresh and well-seasoned ingredients.
3.) El Camino in Brunswick: This swanky lounge turned restaurant has captured my heart. Their guacamole is divine and devour-worthy, along with their homemade flour tortillas. True to their localvore roots, the quesadillas boast a slow-roasted and spicy pulled chicken with Maine-made cheddar. They are great topped with El Camino's Jicama slaw.
Kristin Fuhrmann-Simmons of Kennebunkport, also known by her initials KAF, welcomes your ideas for future columns. E-mail her at kafcooks@gmail.com