MACHETES WILL BRING MEXICO CITY-STYLE STREET FOOD TO OK OMENS THIS FALL

Machetes, the Mexico City-style street food pop-up run by husband-and-wife team Diego and McKenna Palacios, will settle into wine bar OK Omens for a residency this fall, starting October 13, with plans to run through the winter. The duo are both industry vets, with Diego working part-time at OK Omens and McKenna working at Gado Gado.

Machetes is best known for its massive oblong quesadillas made with heirloom corn masa and dyed in colors reminiscent of a summer camp T-shirt. McKenna usually leads the masa shaping process before handing the uncooked tortillas to Diego to fill and grill.

For the pop-up, Machetes will serve its namesake dish stuffed with fillings like carne braised in ancho and guajillo sauce, chicharrón prensado, huitlacoche with heirloom corn and locally foraged mushrooms, flor de calabaza with queso fresco, picadillo made with confit beef head, and more. Popular antojitos like elotes with chipotle mayo and tételas packed with Oaxacan cheese will play alongside octopus and shrimp ceviche served on chicharrón and a confit turkey leg with mole negro. Desserts get similarly playful, with sweet treats like carlota de limón (lime icebox cake), tartaleta de chocolate (a small chocolate tart), and a homemade Choco Taco made with xocolatl ice cream and chocolate “krispies.”

For the length of the residency, Machetes will run the kitchen on Sunday and Monday nights; the wine list from OK Omens will still be available to pair. In addition to the full wine list, pop-up nights will offer pairings specifically tailored to dishes on the menu.

The machete is said to have originated in Mexico City’s Colonia Guerrero, where people have been flocking to Los Machetes Amparito since 1964 to get a taste of the sword-shaped quesadillas. Even with the machete’s storied history, few restaurants serve it in the Portland area. In addition to Machetes, the cheesy stuffed tortillas can be found at restaurants like El Yike Oaxaqueno and El Zalsoso.

2024-10-01T15:40:42Z