Given the hundreds of customers that visit Patty Delgado Elliot’s landmark Mexican restaurant on a daily basis, Chef Torres has learned to be cool, calm and collected under fire during  his more than 20 years at Las Casuelas Terraza.  He started as a dishwasher and has held virtually every kitchen job there is.

The menu is a blend of traditional Mexican favorites, regional Mexican dishes and more contemporary fare ranging from chile rellenos and fish Veracruzana to steak picado and pollo en mole, chicken smothered in a complex sauce of pepper, garlic, spices, chocolate, nuts and a number of different chiles (Anaheim, negro, pasilla). 

The tortillas work perfectly to sop up the extra sauce, or just use a straw!  For his salsas and sauces, Chef Torres uses primarily guerro, a small light yellow-green chile which is moderately spicy, as well as more assertive chiles like chile de arbol and chipotles.  Guacamole is also one of his signature dishes, the recipe conceived by owner Patty Delgado.

When cooking at home, in his spare time, he enjoys preparing ceviche and fish in garlic sauce (pescado a mojo de ajo).  Given his vast experience and repertoire and with sufficient advance notice, he can prepare virtually any Mexican dish your heart desires.  Be it chile en nogada (roasted pobanos stuffed with ground beef, dried fruit and nuts and drizzled with a walnut cream sauce with pomegranate seeds) or chicken en pipian, containing a sauce similar to mole which also includes toasted ground pumpkin seeds.

Las Caseulas is participating in June's annual Restaurant Week and celebrates the summer season with a 11-week "Kid's Night Out" promotion every Wednesday evening from June 13 through August 22 , featuring free soft drinks, balloons, prizes and entertainment for children 12 years and under. Parents can also enjoy live music, dancing and dining!

It's a fun night to beat the summer heat.

For more information:
Las Caseulas Terraza
222 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
(760) 325-2794  http://www.lascasuelas.com/