If a restaurant’s slogan is “Making Tamales the Hard Way,” that is usually a great indicator that the tamales, and anything else they offer for that matter, will probably be pretty damn good.
Enter Mi Ranchito Veracruz Tamalería y Cocina, an almost-secret hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant hidden deep in the industrial zone between North Hollywood and Panorama City that has been pumping out a unique type of tamales far beyond rajas, chile verde, or rojos.
Banana leaves are the name of the game in this masa-fueled establishment. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with traditional corn husks, there is just something magical about a banana leaf-wrapped tamal. For starters, they help retain a tamal’s moisture, because they are less porous than corn husks. So instead of a cakey texture, you get a pudding-like custardy one with the masa—but without turning to corn mush.
Banana leaves are the tamal standard in the southern coastal state of Veracruz, where Pedro Barrientos, one of the co-owners of Mi Ranchito is from. Barrientos’ business partners who also co-own Mi Ranchito, Robert Gamboa, and Marcos Ramirez, are also from Veracruz. Specifically, the town of Martinez de la Torre, known for its tropical fruit and fresh seafood.