Remember last week when I wrote about El Lobo and I said:

The drink selection is limited to bottled pop and some really weird rice milk stuff, but we weren't adventurous enough to try that crap.

Well we went back last weekend and I learned two things, I am a judgemental asshole and rice water is pretty damn good. I've also further entrenched my belief that El Lobo is the greatest restaurant on the planet.Â

Just like last time we were there everyone eating lunch was ordering this rice water to drink. It looked rather unappealing, but I took my own advice and left my comfort zone. I'm glad I did. To give you an idea of how much I liked the stuff; I went home and scoured Google for rice water recipes.Â

Rice water is the greatest thing since regular water. And I'm 75% regular water. The best way to describe the taste is to imagine the flavor of a non-alcoholic Pina Colada. It tastes just like that. That's pretty hot damn impressive to get there from rice soaked in water. They soak rice in water, add sugar, vanilla and maybe some cinnamon, let it sit overnight, puree and strain. I've even seen some recipes where its not strained, but rather put into a large container where the chunks can settle to the bottom.

Further reading:Â List of various rice water recipes