Danny Trejo, the character actor most recognized for the bad guys he’s played in film, partly owes his more recent success as a restaurateur to his time in San Quentin State Prison.
He recalls how, on Sundays, he and his fellow inmates would sometimes gather around a concrete table in the prison yard for a picnic of instant noodles upgraded with leftover bacon from breakfast, bags of chips torn open and spiked with hot sauce, cookies from the commissary, and occasionally some cell-brewed hooch.
“When I think back, it’s kind of like we turned that corner of the yard into our version of a cantina,” he writes in his latest book.
The menu offerings of Trejo’s growing empire of Los Angeles eateries are considerably more sophisticated than those makeshift spreads. But as he sees it, the spirit and ingenuity behind them are much the same.
In his 2020 cookbook, “Trejo’s Tacos,” Trejo explains how his life’s rocky trajectory — from L.A.’s mean streets to the big screen — shaped the menu of his first restaurant. “Trejo’s Cantina: Cocktails, Snacks, and Amazing Nonalcoholic Drinks From the Heart of Hollywood” (Potter, $28), takes its cues from his second restaurant venture, where the drinks have as much star power as the food.
Cocktails such as the Juan Collins and Nacho Dirty Martini reference Trejo’s Mexican upbringing and unabating love for his home city. Having been sober for 50-plus years, he gives equal billing to grown-up booze-free drinks such as Papaya and Cilantro Agua Fresca and Grapefruit Expectations spiked with Black Pepper-Agave Syrup.
The book’s second half covers the makings for a full fiesta: salsas, cheese dip, nachos, empanadas, tacos, glorified burgers and hot dogs, and more. I invited neighbors over to try two of his tostada renditions: one with shrimp and avocado; the other with chicken tinga ( shredded chicken simmered with tomato sauce and chipotle). I set out sauces and garnishes and poured drinks.
And as we dug into this quickly assembled, flavor-packed spread around my patio table, I got what Trejo means by “cantina.”
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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