Esquites Fundido at Broken English Taco Pub, Chicago
By Kathleen Furore
When a new dish is so delicious that the restaurant introducing it dubs it “Facebook videoworthy” and features it in close-up on an 11-second video, you know it must be something special. That’s just the introduction Chicago’s Broken English Taco Pub gave its Esquites Fundido shortly after its November 2020 debut.
“In queso you needed something to look forward to this weekend we’ve got something FUNDIDO for you at Broken English Taco Pub,” read the November 13 Facebook post. “Among a few new additions to the menu, we bring you the Esquites Fundido.”
The post went on to describe Corporate Executive Chef Frank Valdez’s creative rendition of a Mexican restaurant staple: “roasted corn, sautéed onion, poblano and serrano peppers and a melt-in-your-mouth Mexican cheese blend…”
Bringing New Queso Concepts to Life
Just how did Valdez come up with the idea to make what has become a customer favorite at
all three Broken English locations by combining esquites with queso fundido?
“I would say it was essentially me wanting to make a dish that was vegetarian friendly yet delicious enough for meat eaters to order,” he recalls. “I think at the time, esquites was having its moment and popping up everywhere — and I had an ‘aha moment’ of blending esquites and queso fundido. I felt it would be a great match as the warm corn is traditionally served with mayonnaise, cheese and some sort of spice. I thought, ‘Why not use the corn as an alternative to the more traditional chorizo, poblano and onion queso fundido?’”
Valdez’s recipe calls for a mixture of Queso Oaxaca and Queso Chihuahua, which he says he marries to blistered corn, poblano and serrano pepper, onion and cilantro.
“At the moment the Esquites Fundido is the only fundido that I offer at the restaurant — and there has not been push back about bringing back a more tradi tional variety,” he reports.
Creativity has also transformed the queso fundido at Anafre in Washington, D.C., where, as Anafre’s website explains, Chef Alfredo Solis “pulls inspiration from traditionally prepared dishes of Baja California, The Yucatán Peninsula, Acapulco and beyond with dishes like queso fundido prepared on top of the grill in a banana leaf.”
Although the restaurant pivoted to focus on Mexican pizzas during the pandemic, Solis kept about half of Anafre’s regular menu items – and his Queso Fundido en Hoja de Plátano made the cut.
“Every guest who orders it loves it,” Solis says. “Sometimes they order it for an appetizer and then reorder it for an entrée!”
The idea for the unique presentation was born when Solis decided to combine the cooking method used in Tamales Oaxaqueños, which are cooked in banana leaves, and his love of queso.
“I am a cheese lover,” Solis says. “And one day I said, ‘Why not try making a tamal de queso?’” The result: the Queso Fundido en Hoja de Plátano made with huitlacoche, three cheeses, corn epazote and served with tortillas.
According to Solis, mixing three kinds of Hispanic cheeses is the secret to the dish’s success: Queso Oaxaca and Queso Chihuahua are the melting quesos that give the dish its gooey, cheesy texture, while Panela gives the mixture enough heft to be scooped out without sticking to the banana leaf, he explains
Roasted pumpkin seeds are part of the queso fundido’s appeal at New York City’s La Esquina — a dish so popular that it made it into the pages of InStyle Magazine’s 2016 food feature “You’ll Want to Put This Tasty Queso Fundido On Everything” and in a 2020 Recipe Remake feature at eatingnyc.com.
As Chef Adrian Ramirez told InStyle, “What makes this queso fundido special are the layers of textures and flavors, the combination of the sweetness from the agave and spiciness from the chili powder, and the crunchiness of the roasted pumpkin seeds.”
The rich, creamy goodness of bubbling hot cheese, additional ingredients that enhance the flavor and texture, and accompaniments like crunchy tortilla chips or fresh tortillas combine to make queso fundido a favorite with restaurant diners.
But Valdez believes it’s more than all those things; and he sums it up this way: “I think people really enjoy breaking bread over communal appetizers such as queso fundido.”