As I mentioned in my previous post on Oaxaca, our dinner at Casa Taviche marked a turning point with regards to dinners in Oaxaca. And our dinner at chef-driven Origen was our favorite of the trip.
We spent our time after exploring Monte Alban and lunch at Boulenc shopping. We found an adorable ceramic shop, but unfortunately the items the Missus wanted were waiting for pick-up by a restaurant. But, the wonderful young woman who worked here remembered the Missus and I and alerted us to some great items when we returned later on the trip.
While doing some planning for our trip, I came across mentions of Origen and the wonderful modern dishes with roots firmly planted in traditional Oaxacan cuisine. In fact, I read that the Chef's mom is regularly at the restaurant. Not as a customer, but actually working with the mole and doing quality control! So, I booked us a table. The restaurant is located in beautiful colonial style building right on the other side of the Zocalo from where we were staying.
We were seated upstairs with a nice view of the courtyard below and the wonderful decor above!
Our Server was amazing, so warm and friendly, professional, but with a great sense of humor. There was an item on the menu I didn't recognize and she didn't know the English translation, so she tucked her elbows in at her hips, brought her wrists up to her shoulders and with her hands started flapping her "wings"! It was perfect.....it was quail!
The amuse was wonderful! The corn flavor was so prominent, the mole rich but not overly sweet.
Things started off with the Ensalada con Gusanos de Maguey - A salad of wild greens with Maguey Worms.
The variety of flavors in the greens was amazing, peppery - anise - bitter - nutty as were the various textures. The hoya santa "pesto" had a nice peppery-minty tone.
The roasted maguey worms were crunchy, light, and nutty in flavor.
The Duck Confit Enchiladas were up next.
While the duck was a bit drier than we prefer, the mole was quite good, not overly sweet and complex in flavor. The tortillas for the enchiladas were really good, fantastic corn tones, which went so well with the local cheese and the gaminess of the duck.
The Missus had really enjoyed the Mole Sugueza we had at Casa Taviche, so when I saw Grilled Octopus with Mole Sugueza on the menu, I knew we had to order it.
Man, this was so good! The pulpo was so tender you could cut it with a fork, it had been simply seasoned and had a touch of briny-sweetness. The mole segueza was awesome; full of maize flavor, smoky, and quite complex in flavor! The black specks was Chicatana Ant Sauce, which had almost a smoky-milky flavor to it. An outstanding dish.
Last up was the Beef Tongue with Chichilo Mole Sauce.
This mole was a bit thinner than others we've had. It had a nice spice to it and went well with Beef Tongue. We loved all the veggies here, they were so full of flavor!
Our Tlayudas were provided in a fancy holder that I thought was an envelope at first!
The dessert; a corn spongecake with cacao ice cream wasn't overly sweet and was quite refreshing.
We loved this meal. As I mentioned earlier it was our favorite meal of the trip. The food was excellent, wonderful combinations of flavors and textures. Our Server was adorable, so warm, yet really on top of things. The pacing was perfect!
We can't wait to return! Soon, I hope!
Origen
Miguel Hidalgo 820
68000 Oaxaca, Mexico
Looks wonderful!
Posted by: RedDevil | Wednesday, 04 January 2023 at 10:45 PM
sounded like a wonderful meal
Posted by: kat | Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 02:27 AM
That looks so yummy!
Posted by: Dereck | Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 01:00 PM
That sounds fantastic. It's amazing how many of these are ancient flavors. Tasting history.
Posted by: Janfrederick | Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 03:20 PM
This was a wonderful meal RD!
It was Kat!
Yes, an awesome dinner Dereck!
Tasting history indeed Jan!
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 04:10 PM