mmm-yoso!!!

Mariscos Tone Camaron at Harland Brewing Bay Park

Sometimes it's just the smallest thing. A couple of weeks ago, I went to get my morning caffeine fix from Bay Park Coffee. I guess everyone else, and their mother decided that it would be a great time for an energy boost and there was no parking to be found on Napier or Ashton, so I had to park on Morena. While walking toward Napier, I noticed this trailer in the back of the Harland Tasting Room.

Interesting, a Mariscos Truck/Trailer was now in back of Harland. I guess they needed something to replace Rosemarie's which was here for quite a long time until they got their own brick and mortar shop.

An interesting recent development is that the Missus enjoyed the Japanese Lager from June Lake Brewing, that I had Her try Harland's version which She enjoyed even more! So, we decided to take a walk down Milton and check out Harland and the Mariscos trailer.

The place was fairly busy when we arrived. I ordered a Japanese Lager for the Missus and tried a sour.

The Missus said that She couldn't tell the difference between the draft JL versus the canned.

The Raspberry Sour was very light and I think a good candidate as a "gateway sour".

As for the food, it was done via QR code. And I'm guessing they do burgers as well as Mariscos?

As for the Mariscos, well, the name of the trailer includes "camaron" and that's what they basically have; shrimp except for the $25 rib-eye tostada.

So, we ordered the "OG Shrimp Ceviche" and the Aguachile Verde Tostadas. In a nice touch, our order was delivered to our table.

The portion sizes for $12 was quite good, though we'll be the first to say that the shrimp were really tough and rubbery. Each portion was enough to make three tostadas. Though I will say, it seems to us to be more about quantity than quality. The OG was really mild, lacking in spice, quite watery.

The Aguachile was better, with nice citrus tones.

The cucumbers were nice and palate cleansing and went well with the maize-y tostadas. Both dishes had a generous portion of creamy, mildly sweet avocado. It was still mild in terms of "heat", but maybe that's based on the demographic. This wasn't bad, though it lacked a good amount of spice and seemed a bit dumbed down.

Overall, while not my first choice with regards to Mariscos, decently priced with fairly generous portion to price.

Mariscos Tone Camarón at Harland Brewing
4112 Napier St.
San Diego, CA 92110

Road Trip - Lone Star Bistro (Lone Pine), Gull Lake, June Lake Brewing, and the La Parilla Truck (June Lake)

During our trip to the Galapagos back in April-May (yeah, I know, I'm really behind on my travel posts), the Missus really took to doing stuffs in the water. One thing She picked up on was SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) and in fact, we ended up getting one for Her. Several of Her coworkers are really into the kayak and paddleboard thing and will often plan their road trips around camping and those type of activities. So guess what the the Missus wanted?

Yep, She got some recommendations of areas to paddleboard and soon enough we were headed up the 395. Final destination a little town on the west bank of Lake Tahoe named Tahoma. But first, it was recommended that we spend a couple of nights in an area east of the Sierra's named June Lake. My mission as official planner and chauffeur for the Missus? Well, plan things out.

So, it was going to be like a 7 hour drive to where we were staying at in June Lake, which ended up being a comfortable motel/lodge named the June Lake Villager. Of course we needed to stop for lunch. It was early July and super hot, we ended up taking a break in the town of Lone Pine. I had a place picked out for a quick meal; the Lone Star Bistro. Yes, the Alabama Hills Cafe is much loved, but man, it was so busy. So instead we entered this combo ice cream-cafe-coffee-gift-sandwich shop. The place was fairly busy and we even saw some remote workers doing their thing as well. In Lone Pine!

I walked up to the sandwich counter and the friendly young lady filled me in on the "drill".

I basically filled out an "order form" and the Missus handed me two bottles of sparkling water.

I ordered the "signature" sandwich called the "Lone Pine Charmer"; with bacon, turkey, avocado, provolone, it sounded like a single sandwich would be enough for the both of us. I asked that they cut the sandwich in half, paid, and we took a seat in the covered back patio, which wasn't too hot.

The young lady who dropped off our sandwich wasn't quite as friendly....when I thanked her, she went "umph....." Can't win 'em all, right?

 I was pleasantly surprised to see that Marbled Rye was used, which added an interesting yeasty-tangy-sourness to the sandwich. As a whole, a routine sandwich, basic mass produced sliced turkey; we enjoyed the cucumber and sprouts the most. It was enough for our lunch and we walked thru this western theme town to our car and headed off.

Lone Star Bistro
107 North Main St.
Lone Pine, CA 93545

From here it was up the 395. I had wanted to stop at Manzanar, it's one of those places on my "list", but it was over a 110 with crazy winds as we drove by, so that visit will have to wait until the next time.

About two hours later we got to the southern junction of I-395 and I-158. The 158 is a loop road, known as the June Lake Loop and passes four different lakes before reconnecting with the 395 just past SR 120. It was a fairly nice drive up to about 7,600 feet.

We arrived at the charming little village of June Lake and went to the motel to see if our room was ready. It was a bit too early, but I had a plan just in case. Gull Lake, the smallest of the four lakes along the loop is close by. And the Marina and launch area was just a few blocks away.

We easily found parking and the Missus set off on Her adventure.

I took a stroll around the lake a bit and then headed to the Marina Shop, which does boat rentals....I saw families and folks fishing off boats in the lake.

The area is quite charming......

I walked into the shop to get some sparkling water.

And I asked about the sign above, which cracked me up. I was told that the cats here are really tough and territorial; "they don't play around!" But there was a sweet pooch hanging out by the sign? I was told "oh, he knows better....he learned his lesson a long time ago!" I would actually find out that the sign is true a bit later on during our visit.

I had a seat and checked emails and stuff.

Looking over the lake, I felt so relaxed.....

Soon, I got a text from the motel telling me our room was ready. The Missus had the car keys with Her, so I took the short walk up the hill and got the room keys. When I walked back down to the lake, the Missus was packing things up.

Once in the room, which was quite large, it was a one bedroom unit with a kitchen; the Missus freshened up and then we took a short walk . Most of the restaurants, the general store, and businesses were on the main road. But there were some nice shops down driveways and side streets.

We weren't particularly interested in any of the restaurants; so we decided to head on over to the June Lake Brewery which was basically around the corner from where we were staying....but most everything was!

The brewery had a large, welcoming outdoor space, with a food truck at one end of the lot. 

Boy was this place popular! It was the most people we'd see during our time here.

While I went to get our brews, the Missus went to order our food at the truck.

The two gals pouring the beers were so nice and friendly.

We wanted something on the lighter side since it was pretty warm out; so we got the two lagers, both were under 5% ABV.

I found us a table and waited for the Missus. She soon arrived with a buzzer which would go off when our order was ready. The Missus took to the Japanese Lager, which She thought was smoother and easier to drink than the lighter "Lager for Joggers".

There were some pretty interesting "seats" in the place.

Soon enough we got "buzzed" and I went to pick it up and return to our table.

We had gotten the "Boss Nachos" with Carne Asada. The portion size was large and this supposedly was quite spicy, the Missus was warned, but it wasn't overly hot to us. The portion size was quite generous.

The carne asada was nicely grilled, but quite chewy, and mildly seasoned. There was just a small amount of ghost pepper cheese on this, which had some kick, but there wasn't enough to really matter. The chips were routine, there was sour cream and guac added. Overall, just like what you'd get at an Americanized Mexican spot here in San Diego.

I had wanted to try the Al Pastor, so we ordered a taco.

From the bland and brittle tortillas, to the dry and flavorless al pastor, this was not to our taste.

Still, we enjoyed the vibe of the brewery and the service was quite friendly. We'd return for a brew on the following evening.

June Lake Brewing and La Parrilla Grill & Tacos
131 S Crawford Ave.
June Lake, CA 93529

After dinner we walked back down to Gull Lake and took in the view.

It had been a pretty long day; but I'd say the view and vibe was worth it!

Thanks for stopping by!

El Taller De La Barbacoa (Spring Valley)

While picking out my photos from our visit to Las 9 Esquinas, I (obviously) got a hankering for some birria or barbacoa. A few weeks earlier, I had been wondering what was going on with the former location of Emily's in Spring Valley, which was an awesome recommendation from "FOY" Kenneth! Sadly, Emily's had closed and gone to doing catering only in Chula Vista. While doing my search I found that the location now housed a restaurant named El Taller De La Barbacoa...hmmm.....barbacoa "workshop/factory" eh? 

So, on a recent Sunday, I decided to make the 20 mile drive to Spring Valley. It was still quite early, like 845 am when I arrived, one source said the place opened at 9am, while Google said 8am. The little parking lot still had open stalls and the signage said they open at 8am.

I could make out the fragrance of birria in the air from the parking lot. A good sign!

And the interior is now quite colorful!

Not quite knowing the drill, I walked up to the counter. The gentleman working, I'm thinking he's the owner looked very serious, but was quite friendly and the young woman working was very nice and said I could just have a seat. Though I just went ahead and placed my order for a Taco de Barbacoa de Borrego, a Birria de Res, and a small Consomme de Borrego.

The salsas were soon delivered to my table.

That salsa roja had a nice kick and bit of smokiness.

Soon enough my order arrived. I was surprised to see how hefty the tacos were. I was surprised at how much consomme was provided. This was going to be quite a filling breakfast.

 The consomme was aromatic and  slightly rich without having that greasy "tongue feel" that I don't like. It was just slightly gamey, but not bland, and you knew there was some "chivo" swimming around here. It wasn't very salty and really needed the lime to help things out. I prefer my consomme having a bit more goatiness, but this was decent.

As for the two tacos......

  I preferred the Barbacoa, which was moist and more tender than the Birria, which was on the chewier side of things. The birria did well with a dip into the consomme, some salsa, and a squeeze of lime. While it was a level above what I have nearby, in terms of the smokiness - spice - complexity - beefiness, it's still not as good as what I've had at Fernandez, though it's been a while.

As for the Barbacoa, it looked chewy, but was fairly tender, milder in seasoning which actually brought out the rich - gaminess more. It also did nicely with a dip into the consomme.

The tacos were enrobed in double tortillas which held up well and provided some nice maize tones.

When I went to the counter to pay my bill, I was shocked at the price - $13.47! I definitely expected it to be more. The portion sizes were quite generous and the service very nice. I thought this was a decent meal though I really do miss Emily's.

El Taller de la Barbacoa
1015 Grand Ave
Spring Valley, CA 91977

Speaking of Emily's, I'm wondering if Kenneth who recommended Emily's to me has had a chance to check this place out?

Guadalajara - Birria de Chivo from Birriería Las 9 Esquinas and a Walk Around Centro Historico

After our Food Tour of Santa Tere, we headed on back to the hotel and had a short nap time. After waking and freshening up, we decided to head on out for dinner. I had a place in mind, one that had been recommended to me, by no less than three folks with Tapatio heritage. In case you didn't know, a Tapatio is what you call a person from the city of Guadalajara. In trying to figure out why; well, I came across several different "stories", but thought that this article was the most informative. 

It was still early, so in spite of the hot weather, we decided to take the "long way" to dinner, strolling thru Centro Historico. We had a private walking tour of the city scheduled for the next morning, but thought it might be fun to get a preview.

Being that the city was established in 1532 and founded in 1542, declared as the capital of Nueva Galicia, there's a lot of history here. And the diverse architecture illustrates the changes. We heard that Guadalajara is called the "Florence of Mexico" from several sources during our stay.

 Instead of heading straight down Avenida Juarez, the main drag, we strolled down Calle José María Morelos and of course we passed a couple of churches. This one caught our attention because it was open for visitors, so we decided to take a look.

According to the signage, this is Parroquia Santa Teresa de Jesús, which started it's existence as a convent. Construction on the structure was started in 1690 and completed in 1720. At the time of it's completion, this was considered the edge of the city!

According to Wikipedia, the convent was converted and sold to the Archdiocese of Guadalajara in 1977 and is now in service as a Catholic Church.

Just a few blocks down is the bustling Plaza Guadalajara, one of the four plazas that surround the Cathedral.

There are also several fountains in the plazas. This one is Fuente de Guadalajara, in other words, "Guadalajara Fountain".

It's really popular with the kids! 

We knew that the Cathedral would be part of the tour the following day so we took a left and quickly noticed a Rotunda.

  Looking at my Google Maps, I identified this as the Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres (Rotunda of the Illustrious Jaliscienses). The actual name I saw in my Google Maps was Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres which is literally translated to "Rotunda of Illustrious Men". Which is a monument to those who have made Jalisco what it is today. There are 98 niches to house urns of those prominent figures. And 22 statues surround the monument. I quickly saw a statue of a woman, and would find out that the addition of Rita Perez de Moreno and Irene Robledo García would hasten a name change from our guide Diego the next day. 

Past the Rotunda, we saw a nice walkway and after a couple of blocks came across this charming looking Carousel.

  Guadalajara, at least what we saw of it seemed like a nice family friendly city. This is the Carrusel Monumental de Guadalajara.

And right past the carousel was yet another temple.

This is the Temple San José de Gracia, which was completed in 1890. It has an interesting story which you can read by clicking on the link.

By now, we were getting hungry, and our destination for dinner meant another 15-20 minute walk south. Past the plazas and the lively streets. 

We strolled past a very busy location of Liverpool, a popular department store chain, before finding ourselves in a nice plaza.

This is Plaza De Las 9 Esquinas. It is surrounded by restaurants, including several birria shops. You know us and birria de chivo, right? Well, like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there was one restaurant that came highly recommended. And the name was easy to remember as it is the namesake restaurant here; Las 9 Esquinas.

We had arrived at about 530 and the place wasn't too busy. It would eventually fill up with families.

The service was very warm and friendly and we could watch the women making tortillas, salsas, and guac.

Well, of course we were going to get Birria de Chivo; we got a small order and the Missus wanted to try the Quesadillas and got one each of the Huitlacoche, Champinones, and Flor de Calabasa.

Loved the salsas. The salsa rojo to the left was super smoky and spicy! 

And the beans were lovely; earthy - nutty, with just the right amount of salt.

Nice a creamy as well.

The Quesadillas were fine. The huitlacoche (corn smut) was fabulous, mushroomy-earthy-sweet, with a touch of "truffleishisness".

After tasting that, the mushroom version seemed quite weak, though the flor de calabasa (squash blossom) had a mild earthy-nutty-sweetness. The cheese was so stringy and paired well with the huitlacoche adding a mild milkiness.

And of course the Birria de Chivo.

    What to say about this? The meat was on the toothsome side, but the goat was oh so gamy; flavor of the pasture indeed. There was a nice goaty-smokiness to the broth which had a lightly rich tongue feel without being greasy at all. For some reason, those pickled onions were just amazing with this. The freshly made tortillas were hardy and up to the task. By far the best birria de chivo we've ever had.

We really enjoyed our meal here.

Funny thing, when I got back to the office, I spoke to one of the managers of another group who asked me where we travelled to. I told him CDMX, Guadalajara, and Tequila. He told me his family is from Guadalajara and I should have asked him for some recommendations. He said there's a birria place they always go to when visiting family....guess where it  was? Yep, Las 9 Esquinas! I guess we made a good choice!

Birriería Las 9 Esquinas
Calle Colón 384
Zona Centro, 44100 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

It was still pretty darn hot as we walked back to the hotel. I went and got my phone out and took a look at the temperature. Sheesh!

Still, having that birria de chivo made it worth dealing with the heat!

Thanks for stopping by!

Delici-yoso Mollejas at De Cabeza/El Único

On a recent Sunday morning the Missus was in a well, "offal" (pun intended) mood. And She was thinking about how enjoyable the Lengua, Tripas, and Maciza was on our last visit to De Cabeza/El Único. Yes, we are regulars for the Cabeza en su Jugo (head soup) there, but that's usually during cooler weather. She had really enjoyed the "offal three", so we decided to head down to Chula Vista for our version of "Sunday brunch". We usually get there a bit earlier, but this time arrived at 1030 and the place was pretty busy.

We were heartily greeted by Jesus, the boss man, who always seems so happy to see us.

We had a seat and this time, really looked at the menu more carefully. And my goodness, they have Mollejas (sweetbreads)! The Missus enjoy the Alambres here and ordered the version with Lengua (tongue) and Maciza (head meat). The Missus really wanted to try the Sesos (brain) and since She wasn't ordering the Tripas (intestine), I ordered one each of the tacos. And, we also ordered the Mollejas. The young lady waiting on us was very nice and serious, but it was interesting watching her eyebrows go up and down as we ordered.......

 Love the tortillas here, full of maize goodness, heated on the comal with drippings, it is always up to the task. The tripas have a nice mild crunch with beefy goodness. I bet you'd never figure out what it was if you were served one of these.

The sesos was somewhat mushy-soft and there was a metallic tinge to the flavor which the Missus wasn't fond of. I personally thought this did fine with the Salsa Verde which had enough sour-acidity to balance things out.

The lengua here is so beefy and tender, and combined with the bacon in the Alambres it's quite a treat.

Combines with the Maciza; this is beefy heaven. Though I think the combo of tripas with the beefy crunch and the bovine wonderfulness of the lengua might be the perfect combo.

And then it arrived.

   My goodness; this was even better than we thought! Fried to a light crispness, the interior was light, creamy, and almost fluffy. There have been times when we've had a iodine like aftertaste when having mollejas, but this was mild with a slight offal-nutty-buttery-sweetness. We actually didn't need salsa, lime, or heck, even the wonderful tortillas.

I think we have yet another go-to dish here! This turned out to be an "offaly good" (yes, I know...) meal. Man, if only De Cabeza/El Único was closer!

De Cabeza/El Único
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911
Current Hours:
Open Daily 8am - 9pm

Guadalajara - A Food Tour of Barrio Santa Tere

There were so many iconic dishes from Jalisco, that doing a food tour, which we'd done with great success in Oaxaca and even CDMX, seemed like a no brainer. So, I went ahead and booked the small group Gastronomic Tour of Santa Tere. It seemed like it would tick all the boxes, we'd learn so much about barbacoa, birria, tortas ahogadas, stuff that had become quite popular in San Diego over the last few years.

The area, Santa Tere (Santa Teresita) is still known as being "working class", yet is but a 30 minute walk away from where we were staying. We were looking forward to tales and history of the items we'd be trying. Unfortunately, the tour guide was a very nice young lady, whose basic duty was just leading us to various eating establishments and ordering food for us.

Still, it was an interesting introduction to local places in the city.

We met a block away from the Mercado and were led into the market.

And this stand; Fonda Mariquita which was super busy.

We were told that it's all about the quesadillas with green sauce here. So, we asked for the version with nopales con huevo. Very tangy salsa verde.

The tortilla was thick and quite crisp, almost like an empanada. The milky queso helped to quell the puckery and tangy salsa verde.

Fonda Mariquita (In Mercado Santa Tere)
Calle Andrés Terán 523
Santa Teresita, 44200 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then stepped out of the Mercado and across the street to this place.

I was quite thrilled; after all Jalisco is the home of Birria and of course, I love birria de chivo.

The folks here were so friendly, our guide ordered us birria de chivo which was quite good; gamey, nice spice, the broth was rich and flavorful, nice smokiness. 

This might have been the best we'd had....but there was a place we headed to for dinner that was even better!

Still, birria de chivo, better than anything I've ever had in San Diego.

And the service was wonderful!

Birriería La Victoria
Calle Manuel Acuña 1511
Villaseñor, 44200 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then headed back around the Mercado.

And we were brought to this storefront.

Which cracked us up. That whole modern looking area is just seating. Everything really happens here.

To the left of the "dining area" is where the tacos for Tacos Juan are put together.

Of course, being on this tour meant we'd just have a seat......

Man, those caramelized onions and charred peppers were so good.

The actual grilled queso and tortillas for the barbacoa tacos dorados were fabulous.

It actually outshone the barbacoa....which almost seemed like an accessory. That texture; the corn and cheesiness.

Tacos Juan Santa Teresita
Calle José Clemente Orozco 465
Santa Teresita, 44600 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then headed back thru the Mercado.

And made a stop for agua frecas....sorry, was having too much fun and didn't take a photo.

Our last stop was for something I'd been wanting to try in Jalisco.

Tortas Ahogadas are a way of life here. And this shop...again, the food is prepped outdoors and there is indoor seating, seemed like just what we wanted.

The line made it seem so promising. Here's where having to just find a table and not order made things easy for us.

Man ,these guys work hard!

So, when we were asked how spicy, we told the young lady that we love spicy, we've had some pretty spicy tortas ahogadas here is San Diego. 

But, I think they went easy on us. The Birote (bread) was outstanding, yeasty, almost like a good sourdough, the meat tender, the sauce had a nice level of acidity, but was not very spicy.

I think they might have gone easy on us.

Tortas Ahogadas El Profe Jimenez
Calle Andrés Terán 841
Villaseñor, 44600 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

In the end, while I wish the "tour" was more than someone taking us to places and ordering....I really can't recommend this, it was nice to have the variety and exposure to dishes we'd had many times in the past.

Guadalajara - Dinner at Restaurante Allium and Antojitos Sanchez (at Tianguis del Parque Rojo)

Our flight from Mexico City to Guadalajara International Airport was right on time. Our driver was on time and the drive to our hotel; the Hotel Portobelo took about 30 minutes and was uneventful. The hotel is large, modern, and close to Zona Centro and all the historical sights. It is also right across the street from Parque Revolucion, which I found out is more commonly known as Parque Rojo, the Red Park to locals. Our flight had arrived at 1130 and it was just after noon when we arrived at the hotel. Check-in time was 3pm, so we decided to stow our luggage and go for a stroll. Lucky for us; there's a huge flea market, called Tianguis del Parque Rojo that occurs on Saturday.

And we spent a good amount of time exploring.

There was just about everything under the sun available here.

Something we soon noticed. Folks were quite friendly here, people would smile at us, wave us forward, we were the only Asians in sight, so I'm sure we stood out.

Soon we came across a food stall named Antojitos Sanchez. Folks seemed to be enjoying their meal, so we decided to give it a try.

One of the young men eating spoke perfect English and told us to sit next to him....folks actually moved over for us, in case we needed some help. Like I said, great people.

The Missus got a coconut agua fresca, which She loved so much and chugged down in like a minute! We ordered a second one!

We ordered tacos. The chicharron....the young man was surprised we ordered that, was so tender and full of flavor.

The fatty portions and meat basically melted in your mouth! Such porky goodness, we didn't want to spoil the flavors by adding anything....we just wanted to "pig out" if you know what I mean.

We got the quesabirria tacos. The tortillas were very good and the cheese had been expertly melted and were so crisp!

The birria was fairly mild in flavor, though quite tender. For us, this was mostly about the wonderful texture.

The folks working were just plain wonderful; as was the young man who volunteered to help us! This was such a nice start to our visit here!

Antojitos Sanchez (at Tianguis del Parque Rojo)
Americana, 44160 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Market on Saturdays

We headed back across the street to the hotel. It was getting pretty hot and we thought we'd just wait in the air conditioned lobby of the hotel. Luckily, our room was ready early and we settled in.

As for dinner; well, it was going to be the total opposite of lunch. I had made reservations at Restaurante Allium which I had read about being a champion of local products and possibly the best restaurant in the city. To make things interesting, the restaurant was 5 kilometers (like 3 miles) away from Hotel Portobelo and we decided to walk, which was quite interesting.

Anyway, we made it to the location, which seemed to be an upscale business district with many high rises.

The restaurant is set-up in a modern, somewhat minimalistic style, with a visible kitchen. The service is warm and professional, it seems to be the place where the business elites come to eat.

Things started with an amuse sort of a aguachile bite, which was nice and refreshing.

There's only three wines by the glass, none of it from Mx, but the Missus though it fine.

And various salsas and butter are kindly provided.

We ended up ordering two appetizers and two entrees.

First to arrive was the Octopus Carpaccio.

As we would find with the other dishes, there's a lot going on here. From "tomato overload", both fresh and sun dried tomatoes, to an interesting flavor that seemed like dashi, which I later found was Katsuobushi, there was nice acidity, the avocado was nice and buttery, and the octopus very tender. The sourdough bread was a bit over-toasted, but still retained a nice balance.

The other appetizer we ordered was the Seabass Ceviche.

There was a bit too much going on here, though the texture of the fish was wonderful, it was overshadowed by all the acidity in the dish.

The Missus ordered the Lamb as Her main.

My goodness, those asparagus tips were amazing, so sweet and tender. The lamb shoulder was fine, a bit tough, we wished it was a bit more gamey, the dish gravitated to the sweeter end of the flavor spectrum.

I got the Pork Belly.

Once again, the produce was so good, those green beans had a nice, slightly sweet-chlrophyllic flavor. The frisee added a much needed balance to the sweet sauce. The pork belly was tender, but I wish there was more porcine flavor and less sweetness to the dish.

In the end, this was an interesting dining experience, the staff were so professional, yet warm and friendly.

Restaurante Allium
Avenida Providencia 2411, Plaza Leben Providencia
Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

We decided to catch an Uber back to the hotel. It had been an interesting day. Such diversity between our first two meals in the city. And yet there was one thing that seemed universal; the kindness and smiles of the folks here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mexico City - Mora Mora (La Condesa) and a Journey thru La Merced

After spending a busy day exploring and eating in Centro Historico we spent some time exploring La Condesa. This is the area in which we've stayed in since our very first trip back in 2019. And this was our fifth time visiting since then! We've noticed quite a few changes since that first visit. The one biggest thing, which I noted during our previous visit was the large number of ex-pats. And there seemed to be even more this time around.

On Avenida Amsterdam we passed this interesting shop.

It looked like a natural foods/vegan/vegetarian shop, with a coffee bar and restaurant. It seemed quite popular.

The Missus was particularly interested in the Mushroom Coffee, something which She buys on occasion back home.

They even have funky "swings" to eat and drink on in the dining area.

Mora Mora
Ámsterdam 171
Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06100 Ciudad de México, Mexico

The next day, we had a nice, light breakfast at Red Tree House, we both knew that we'd be eating a bit during the day because I'd booked a small group tour of Mercado la Merced. I had read that the market, the largest in CDMX is large, vast, and confusing, thus I booked a small group tour. Our "small group" consisted of one other couple, who both claimed Mexican ancestry and were from El Paso. Our guide was Yimnah, who is a former chef. 

After introductions we were off. First thing we noticed was how crowded things were.

Traffic here was crazy and to be frank, kinda scary. Yimnah actually used the assistance of one of the guys who help folks cross the street, for a tip of course.

We passed the flower market on the way in.

Once in the sprawling and confusing market, Yimnah directed us past all of the booths to this one.

Hmmm.....that logo seems familiar? This is Tacos McTeo. You gotta love it.

And the specialty tacos have....well, you guessed it, papas fritas on them. We got a very delici-yoso taco with cesina. Them "golden arches" ain't got nothin' on this place.

Though I'm wondering if a "cease and desist" might be around the corner.....

During our next pause Yimnah expounded on the glories of what she described as a specialty of CDMX; the fried tamal. We got a nopales-queso version. We weren't sure what to expect, but this was super good.

The earthy, maizey-lishceousness of the masa, along with slightly mucilaginous, sweet-green beanish flavor of the nopales, the milky queso, all wrapped in a crisp, slightly crunchy exterior was masterful. I gotta see if there's a version here in SD.

This was washed down with some atole.

From this stand.

There were just so many stands here, it would have been crazy to attempt to explore ourselves.

Next up were tacos, from this busy stand.

We got the suardero and tripas.

Which were fine, if not as god as what we'd had the previous day.

The couple that was with us were surprised that we had tripas....according to them, non-Hispanic folks where they hail from won't touch the stuff. I explained that most Asians will try anything and that statement would prove to be especially true later on.

Our next stop was to be for some quesadillas, but the place was packed and busy. 

So Yimnah placed our orders and took us through a tour of various fruits.

Where we got to sample several varieties of avocado and other fruits.

We then headed back to the quesadilla stand. Yimnah explained that in Mexico City, most of the traditional stands will use blue corn quesadillas, the use of blue corn dates back to prehispanic times.

Cooked on the comal, it seemed like blue corn was a bit softer and more tender than other versions.

Man, we had eaten quite a bit at this point, so it was time to do a bit more exploring. We were guided thru the chili stands, with Yimnah pointing out various species, many of which, like the habanero I'm quite familiar with; though there were some, like the mirasol, that I wasn't too familiar with, until Yimnah explained that these are the chilies that are dried to make guajillo chilies, which I usually have stocked at home.

We next moved on to a stand that even I had heard of. The famous Moles Dona Balbi which stocks what seems like a hundred different moles.

We ended up getting some mole pinole.

And then after touring a few more stands we came across this one.

And an amazing tasting of everything from Chapulines, gusanos, cocopaches, to acocil. That wrapped thingy on the right in the photo above is a fermented fish, which was full of umami flavor.

This was the protein source for many in prehispanic times. There was one thing that caught my eye, it's on the left of the gentleman in this photo.

Looking like a pile of tubular pasta, we could actually smell it from where we were standing. We asked Yimnah what it was and were told "fermented chicken intestines". These have been cooked. We asked if we could taste some. Yimnah said most folks are kinda scared of it....we wanted to try it. So Yimnah had them get us a sample; that couple from Texas, who had been so proud of their heritage backed off. Actually, it was chewy, very strong poultry flavor, quite savory, and we're glad we tried it.

We were glad to have taken this tour. There's no way we'd have been exposed to, nor have tried so many dishes and had learned so much about the cuisine, which is a big part of history and culture. There was so much we learned on this tour.

We had a coffee before Yimnah led us to the best area to catch our Uber and we headed back to La Condesa and the Red Tree House where Romeo was "waiting".

Lest you think Romeo didn't know what was going on. Everytime we'd see this wonderful pooch we'd give him a nice rub and scratch and his tail would go a wagging'. On the next morning as we checked out, Romeo was lying near the front door. We gave him an enthusiastic last rub, whereupon he lifted his head and then with one paw closed the door so we couldn't leave! "Oh Romeo!"

Such is what CDMX is to us! We can't wait to return.

But Guadalajara was waiting.....

Thanks for stopping by!

Mexico City - Exploring Centro Historico, Xaachila Comida Oaxaquena, Taquería El Torito (Calle de Mesones 48 location), and Quesadillas Bolivar

**** So, this one is kinda long. I've condensed things a bit to make it more readable. Please let me know if you have any questions!

We had two full days in CDMX before heading to Jalisco. Even though we'd been to CDMX four times previously, we knew there was so much we hadn't seen yet. And yes, we'd been to Centro Historico several times (remember the colors of Frida?), but there just seemed to be so much. I thought we'd enjoy a private tour of Centro Historico. We had enjoyed our private tour of Museo Nacional de Antropologia on a previous trip, so I contacted Mexico a Pie tours, inquiring about downtown tour options. Ana quickly returned my email and after mentioning we enjoyed the cuisine as well, she proposed the private Tortilla and History tour.

Which is how we ended up "Ubering" to the Zocalo to meet up with our guide, the wonderful and enthusiastic Daniela.

After introductions, we swung on over to Templo Mayor, where we were treated to the history of Tenochtitlan, thought to be founded in the 14th century, home of the Mexica people, and the center of the Aztec Empire. Tenochtitlan was built on the shores of Lake Texcoco, which was eventually mostly drained. It is in this basin that Mexico City now exists.

This temple was dedicated to Huītzilōpōchtli (God of the sun) and Tlaloc which Andres had gone over with us during our tour of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia. Daniela seemed quite pleased that knew a bit about Tlaloc....she got a kick when we remembered the identifying features of Tlaloc; the round eyes and fangs.

We noticed many serpents and was told that these are symbols of fertility and rebirth.

One of the most famous items excavated here is the Coyolxauhqui Stone.

The next stop was just around the corner.

This is the Colegio de San Ildefonso, formerly a college established by the Jesuits, it is now a museum and performance venue.

Though it has some impressive murals and such, we found the elegant little touches to be impressive.

We were taken to the former Colegio de San Gregorio, now known as Universidad Obrera “Vicente Lombardo Toledano” - the "Worker's University", which bears the name of one of the most famous labor leaders in  Mexico.

It was here when we discovered how flexible Daniela was. We noticed this dome from the courtyard of the University.

Daniela smiled and said, "let's go". And we were guided to and entered Nuestra Señora de Loreto Church - Church of Our Lady of Loreto.

The interior is quite stunning, though it does look a bit worn.

We notice all the bracing in the interior and was told because of the different types of stone used in the construction, the entire church is starting to tilt to one side.

And then it was time for our first "food stop". At a shop named Xaachila Comida Oaxaquena.

Having been to Oaxaca the year before, the Missus was interested in trying a tamal.

The Missus was interested in trying the Tamal Chepil.

Which She enjoyed with a nice refreshing cup of Horchata! Good smoky flavors, nice maize tones. Would it make us forget Oaxaca? Heck no, but this was a nice little brunchy start to things.

And the Missus chugged that Horchata like there was no tomorrow!

Xaachila Comida Oaxaquena
De La Santísima 17-22
Cuauhtémoc, 06060 Ciudad de México, Mexico

We then headed back to the Cathedral. But because of services going on, Daniela would not be able to guide us thru the cathedral. She did provide us with some interesting things to see though.

We were told to look for the arm of what was supposed to be the wax figure of Saint Felicitas. Yes, there are human bones there!

Which had become quite a story.

The next stop was a place we didn't know about, the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México.

According to what I've read, this structure dates back to 1526!!!! It then became a shopping center in 1895 and then an hotel.

The Tiffany glass ceiling dates back to 1899.

Personally, I loved the elevator.

The grandness of the hotel looks like it came out of a book from another time.

Our next stop was a favorite of mine.

This interesting, well adorned building is the site of one of the oldest pharmacies in the Americas.

Originally a Augustine Monastery, in 1944 this became Farmacias Paris.

And it is still an operating pharmacy, with different areas to this day.

We were told that the most popular area deals with Homeopathy.

And it's still very busy......

This was quite interesting.

We were then told that it was "taco time" and led to this unassuming shop around the corner on Calle de Mesones.

We had told Daniela that we "eat everything" and she took us here. I was told that there are three "El Toritos" on the street, apparently there's an interesting story about a family taqueria and a falling out between them.

I will say, these were our favorite tacos of the trip. We started with the Suadero, a mix of cuts and the Tripa.

My goodness, the crisp intestine was amazing! We got a second Tacos de Tripa!

It's hard to explain; there's some nice deep, offaly goodness, with a wonderful crispness. I'll just leave it at that.

Taquería El Torito
Calle de Mesones 48
Cuauhtémoc, 06080 Centro, Mexico

From here, we made a couple of more stops like the Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejada, which had some interesting murals.

We were then headed down Republica de el Salvador.

And then to 16 de Septiembre for our last food stop. This place had me fooled as the sign looked like it was some kind of cell phone shop. But the customers were all having eats and drinks.

In spite of the sign, this is Quesadillas Bolivar.

We enjoyed the Quesadillas de Nopales and Flor de Calabazas.

The blue corn tortillas was so full of maize goodness.

Quesadillas Bolivar
16 de Septiembre,
Pasaje Savoy 6-Local #3
Cuauhtémoc, 06000 Centro, Mexico

As we walked to our final destination, the Palacio Postal, the Central Post Office, we asked Daniela how she finds all these places to eat. She told us that she's out trying places every week, to see if it is worth taking folks on the tour to and which customers would fit with what place. 

We ended at the beautiful "Postal Palace", the Central Post Office, which was built in 1907.

We had visited before, but it's no less amazing.......

And as we ended our day, Daniela took us to the best spot for an Uber pick-up.

It was indeed another fun, educational, and delicious day in CDMX.

And of course we had Romeo (kinda) greet us when we returned to the Red Tree House.

Mexico City - Staying at the Red Tree House and Revisiting Pasillo de Humo (yet again)

Yes, I'm way behind on my travel posts and need to catch up. We visited both CDMX and Jalisco last summer.

As for CDMX, well, this was our fifth visit to this lovely destination. We have fallen into a routine of sorts, we stay in La Condesa, our first meal is usually at Pasillo de Humo, we enjoy grabbing a coffee at Cafe Toscano, and the Missus shops for chocolate at Tout Chocolat.

Tout Chocolat
Amsterdam 154
6100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

The one big change for us this time around was that I was able to get us a suite at the Red Tree House. I'd heard and read about the rooms and service, but was never able to get us a room, until this visit. We loved our beautiful suite. And we especially loved the official "greeter", named Romeo.

Of course, we never saw him actually moving around, he was always napping it seems. Though we knew he was ambulatory since he would be in a different locale everytime.

We had the Jacaranda Suite on the first level.

Which had a colorful sitting area.

Which came in handy since there was breakfast served every morning and a "Happy Hour" with free wine during the early evening.

The one big issue being that there is no A/C and it was unusually hot in CDMX during our visit. And while on our previous visits there would be a downpour in the evening which bring some cooler temps, it was strangely absent during our stay. In fact, the folks at RTH mentioned how different the weather was during the current year.

 It was a wonderful stay, if a bit on the "atsui"  side of things.

The Red Tree House
Culiacan 6
06100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

For dinner, we headed to the familiar confines of a place we'd been to several times over our visits to CDMX; Pasillo de Humo. Over the years, we've determined that, at least for us, ordering small dishes (and some good Mezcal) was the way to go here.

This was an interesting visit. Because of all the detailed posts I've done, over the years, I'm not going into great detail, except to say we ordered our favorite dishes.

What I will say is that other than tripas tacos, things just didn't seem the same. Prices have gone up, but the herbs and veggies were on the "brown" side of things, the memelitas were dry, as was the pork. The hoya santa was turning brown and lacked flavor.......it was just not a good meal. Quite sad as this was place we'd been to so many times.

And the place was completely empty during our entire meal. I don't know what's going on here.

 

Not sure we'll be back during our future trips to CDMX.

Pasillo de Humo
Av Nuevo León 107
06100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico