Having just moved from the Southeast to Los Angeles, I've realized
that a staple of Mexican restaurants in the Southeast - a creamy,
white cheese dip typically called something like "chili con queso" or
just "queso" - does not seem to exist in the restaurants I've tried
here in LA.  I'd really like to find at least one - but preferably
more - Mexican restaurants in the LA area that offer this white cheese
dip.

A few notes: I am NOT looking for white cheese dip recipes I can make
at home.  I've found a few of these, and they're pretty good, but I
miss the experience of going to a restaurant and having it as part of
my meal there.  Similarly, I'm NOT looking for pre-maid white cheese
dip that I can buy online or at a store.  I'm just looking for LA-area
restaurants that have this on the menu.

A few more details about the cheese dip itself, in case you're not
immediately familiar with it.  It's hot, white, melted cheese dip,
typically served in a bowl of some sort, and often used for dipping
with chips and/or flour tortillas.  Usually it contains very small
bits of jalapenos for flavor, though I've been a few places that offer
it with or without jalapenos (and they're usually *very* small bits,
not big chunks).  I've read that it's typically made using Asadero
cheese, but don't hold me to that.

Finally, for those of you in LA, it's NOT the same thing as Queso
Fundito (or however it's spelled).  Queso Fundito is more of a dish
than this dip, and tends to clump together and harden quickly as it
cools.  This white cheese dip is a very creamy, liquidy cheese dip
that is offered separately as a dip for chips, etc., but also often
comes on top of nachos, burittos, enchiladas, and other dishes where
melted cheese is called for.

I'll pay a bonus $5 if anyone's able to locate a restaurant that
serves this within 5 miles of Culver City.

Thanks!!

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Request for Question Clarification by googlenut-ga on 24 Mar 2006 18:45 PST

Hello popechild-ga,

Does this description sound like what you are looking for?

http://www.ontheborder.com/menu/default.asp?catID=4&tierID=27&Unit_ID=750%2E709%2E0005


This restaurant is very near Culver City.

Googlenut

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Clarification of Question by popechild-ga on 25 Mar 2006 10:56 PST

It does sound like it just from the menu description (as it is "chile
con queso" and is cheese and jalapenos), but I've actually been to
various "On the Border"s a number of times and this is another of the
yellow cheese dips.  I called the restaurant to confirm that it's not
different than it used to be, but it's not.

I know to someone not familiar with what I'm talking about, the whole
"white vs. yellow" thing has got to sound ridiculous, they're both
cheese, right?  But the color is just the easiest way of telling if
it's probably a cheddar-like cheese, or a mexican cheese (typically
asadero), which just tastes completely different than cheddar/american
cheeses.

Obviously, a simple description of "chili con queso" on a website is
unlikely to contain enough information to be able to tell.  I'm really
hopeful that someone from the LA area has actually been to a
restaurant with a white mexican cheese dip that can help me out...

Thanks for the try though!

You could just ask the staff in your favourite restaurants if they
would be prepared to make you the dip if you ordered it in advance.

I would certainly try to schmooze up the local mexican restaurant
owners to try to get them to make it for me, except I haven't even
been to a restaurant around here that knows what I'm talking about. 
And since it's made from a type of cheese (Asadero I think) that they
don't even seem to have, I don't think they'd be able to help even if
they wanted to...