46 | BOROMAG.COM | JUNE 2015 FOOD & DRINK Saint Story & Photos by BRADLEY HAWKS FIT FOR A The wall along the back dining room at Pachanga Patterson is a decoupage tribute to many of the great Mexican lechadores, including several black and white snapshots and clippings of El Santo, “The Saint.” Just before the entrance to the lightstrewn back patio, a beaded Santa Maria dangles, guarding the partition between the dining room and the baño. Across the room, a papier-mache Dia Los Muertos skull grins over feasting patrons. If the room’s décor pays homage to so many saints, perhaps Chef Peyton Powell is on his way to his own culinary christening as a saint. His take on traditional Mexican cuisine infuses knowledge and experience with tradition, family and good old-fashioned raw talent. At brunch, a tlayuda arrives first. A house-made masa crisp rendered with duck fat serves as a pedestal to a slathering of black bean puree, house-made chorizo, house queso fresco, spicy radishes, cool crema and a shining sunny-side-up egg. “This is a classic Oaxacan dish that I picked up in the mercados there,” explains Powell of the breakfast treat. “I saw everyone eating these huge tortillas that resembled pizzas and fell in love.” Tender grilled lengua (beef tongue) arrives with a tangy ramp chimichurri, huitlacoche puree, juicy medallions of charred daikon radish, and pickled ramps. The dishes are fresh, light, bright and simply transcendent.
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