mmm-yoso!!!

Oaxaca - Casa Oaxaca el Restaurante and Yet Another Revisit to Boulenc

We were really enjoying our time in Oaxaca, we loved the vibe, the people, and while our first couple of dinners didn't quite live up to expectations, our last two dinners were wonderful. I chose another upscale place for our last dinner in the city, Casa Oaxaca. We took our time walking to the restaurant.

We wanted to enjoy our last hours in this fine city.

We noted all the clouds rolling in as we reached the restaurant. The al fresco dining area is quite beautiful, until the summer deluge started.

Now having gone to CDMX during this time of the year, we were ready for the thunder storms and rain coming down in buckets for a bit then everything clearing up. Except that's not quite what happened here. It pretty much poured down for almost an hour. Two women, it looked like a mom and daughter had a nice al fresco table, their table was moved when the rain started, but soon it came down harder. They were going to be moved into the dining area when the couple at the table behind us invited them to sit at their table. The two women hesitated at first, but eventually decided to sit at the table with the generous couple.

And not a moment too soon as it came down even harder. The staff started moving everything under cover.

Luckily, we were far enough under the tarps. 

We were enjoying our cocktails, listening to the thunder and watching the waterfalls being created by the storm.

And then dinner got underway. Casa Oaxaca starts things off by making a salsa at your table.

Which was quite nice with the Tlayuda with Queso Fresco.

We weren't super hungry so went with two appetizers and a main.

I saw the Tostada de Insectos on the menu, so had to have that.

This one had Chicatanas (Chicatana Ants), chapulines (Grasshoppers), and gusanitos de maguey (Maguey Worms). All on the crisp blue corn tostada, topped with guacamole and chepiche, which added a distinct minty-anise flavor to things. This was nice, but there was a lot going on and you really couldn't make out the different flavors of the insects.

Next up, the Huarachitos con Cornejo Adobado.

 Yes, mini huaraches with adobo rabbit. Loved the mild adobada seasoning with the "corny" huarachitos, the acidity of the salsa verde, and the calming avocado salsa. Even though the rabbit was on the chewy side, the interplay of flavors was quite nice.

The main we shared, which came with huge basket of tlayudas was the Lechon con Mole Almendrado.

This was suckling pig confit that looked like a terrine. It was quite mild in flavor, but the ground pork rinds and chorizo powder worked really well, adding a decent smoky-pork spice and flavor to things. The Missus didn't care for the almond mole as it was too sweet for Her tastes. Still, this was a very tasty dish.

By now, things had cleared up and the curtain was raised revealing a beautiful evening.

And remember that couple who invited those perfect strangers to sit with them during the downpour? Well, they were all having a great old time as their conversation and laughter danced thru the moonlight.

It was as if they  had known each other for years! This just warmed our hearts and really reflects the warmth and generosity we found in Oaxaca. Things like this stick with us and in turn makes us better people.

The service was excellent and while we enjoyed the food at Origen more, we'll never forget our meal here.

Casa Oaxaca el Restaurante
Calle La Constitucion 104A
68000 Oaxaca, México 

Our flight the next morning didn't leave until 230pm. This meant that we could visit at the Missus's favorite breakfast place, yet again. We ambled back up to Boulenc and waited a short time, before getting a table at the downstairs dining room this time. We actually had a view of the bakery next door.

Of course the Missus had Her favorite Avocado Toast.

Man, She just couldn't get enough of this. She really loved the sourdough bread here along with the variety of fermented vegetables and the perfectly ripe avocado.

Along with my Americano, this time I tried the Shashuka.

 The eggs were nice and runny. The chiptole harissa flavoring was interesting, not as acidic, quite smoky. Man, that baguette was quite good as well. This prep really brought out the citrus-peppery tones of the cilantro.

It was nice breakfast and a great last meal in Oaxaca.

Man, in four days, we came to Boulenc three times!

Boulenc
Calle Porfirio Díaz 207
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

As you can tell, we loved Oaxaca. And we're going to make every effort to return ASAP!

Oaxaca - Barrio Xochimilco and Chepiche Cafe

We had enjoyed exploring Jalatlaco so much, that we decided the morning of our last full day in Oaxaca checking out the oldest neighborhood Xochimilco, which was founded in 1486. We started at the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán area and headed North.

Passing what had now become some pretty familiar sites like Xochimilco Aqueduct. From here we headed North on Rufino Tamayo.

To say that the street art was amazing is an understatement.

Things were very relaxed and quiet; even more so after we crossed the highway and the street became Calle José López Alavez . But things were no less colorful.

It was non-stop colors and textures...

By now we were getting a bit hungry. I had a place on my list close by called Chepiche Cafe. Tucked away on a side street, with an unassuming street facing storefront, you head thru a gate and then down some stairs and get to the lively, lovely courtyard dining area.

We were seated, the place had a definite modern, almost hipster vibe to it. Service was friendly and professional.

The Missus got some hot chocolate, which was kind of weak and watered down.

Our meals at Boulenc had gotten the Missus to focus in on Avocado Toast, which is what She ordered ($75/MX - $3.90/US). 

This was fine though nowhere as refined and tasty as the version at Boulenc. You can't beat the creamy, almost sweet avocados in Mexico. The toast was a bit on the burnt side and the Missus needed more salt for this, but it did the job.

Still being fixated on Hoya Santa, I ordered the La Santa ($105/MX - $5.50/US). Man, this was much more food than I expected.

 In some ways this really represented the neighborhood, bright colors and varying textures. The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, just wonderfully runny, with no off flavors. I really got to appreciate the peppery-minty-anise tones of hoya santa. The hoya santa rellena was filled with mildly milky and sharp queso menonita and even more tasty beans. Didn't care much for the "salsa" which was watery and weak. The plantains was an interesting addition, though perhaps it made things a bit too sweet for me.

Overall a decent brunch and no complaints about the portions or prices.

Chepiche Cafe
Genaro Vásquez 6 A
Barrio de Xochimilco, 68040 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

We enjoyed the splashes of color as we headed back to Centro.

For some reason, on the way to the hotel we decided to drop back in at a ceramic shop we'd visited earlier. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they didn't have anything the Missus wanted. All the items She saw was awaiting sale to businesses. When we returned however, the young lady remembered us and took us into a room. Apparently when they create works for various restaurants and such, they make extras, and the Missus found some cups She liked for hot chocolate.

Such thoughtful service!

Tierra Quemada
Labastida 115
Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

From here we walked back to the hotel to escape from the afternoon heat.

It seems that even the street dogs are mellow and follow their own "code of conduct" here.

We stopped by the location of Mayordomo to get some chocolate to take home before relaxing back in our room.

There was something special about Oaxaca....the food, the colors, the sounds, and most of all the wonderful people.

Oaxaca - Dinner at Origen

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

Oaxaca - Monte Alban and a Revisit to Boulenc

After having done a couple of tours in Oaxaca we decided to something on our own. We had wanted to visit Monte Alban and went to a tourist bus station and used the tourist bus system to get to Monte Alban.

Which took us to the large parking lot and main entrance to Monte Alban.

Monte Alban was an amazing site to visit. This UNESCO Heritage site has a history that goes back to 500BC. What is amazing is that this mountain was manually flattened. Yes, the top of Monte Alban was flattened and leveled by the Zapotec people over 2500 years ago!

It is estimated that Monte Alban had over 100,000 occupants at its peak. And then much like another wonderous site located on top of a mountain we visited; the city was abandoned. 

There's so much to see here. Right as you enter the impressive North Platform and Sunken Patio grab your attention.

And you can see the South Platform and its pyramids in the distance.

There are many distinctive structures to see.

 Along with several stela some of which were used as astronomical devices.

Near the South Platform is one of the more interesting and distinctive structures, a five-sided building that looks like an arrowhead. It is noted that based on the passageway, carvings, and orientation of the building that "Building J" was probably served a purpose as an "astronomical calendar".

 

And the views are quite dramatic as well.

One of the most popular and intriguing locations in Monte Alban is the Galeria de los Danzantes ("dancers"). There are stone carvings of "dancers".

While initially thought to be "dancers", later study and analysis have been inconclusive. It is theorized that the carvings are of the dead, possibly representing defeated enemies.

We went up the stairs of the South Platform, here's the view.

Yes, there's a lot to see here. So many structures, a ball court, more stela, all with "stories" and theories attached to them.

But as with most of these places, we hit our limit at around the 3 hour mark. We wanted to visit the museum, but it was still closed due to Covid policies at the time of our visit. We went ahead and had some coffee in the cafeteria, then headed to the parking lot where we got a ride back to Oaxava with one of the vans heading back into the city.

I think we'll return and do a private tour one day.

Back in Oaxaca, we were famished. The Missus had enjoyed Boulenc so much that we decided to return. The place wasn't very busy so we easily got a table.

The Missus got Her Aguacate y Cilantro. Sorry, no photo, as soon as the plate arrived at the table the Missus tucked right into it!

I was interested in something I'd seen on the menu during our earlier visit and decided to order it. Yep, it's what is called the "Banh Mi" ($121/MX - $6/US - with a fried egg). And while it did seem a bit expensive, this is what it looked like!

Of course less than five minutes after the sandwich arrived, this is what it looked like. That egg just vanished in the ether!

The bread was a crusty, yet light sourdough baguette, the roasted mushrooms earthy and delicious. The pate was made with cashew and mushroom and was really tasty. The pickled veggies were actually fermented and delicious.

This was very good!

We enjoyed Boulenc on this visit as well. And we'd return one more time before leaving Oaxaca.

Boulenc
Calle Porfirio Díaz 207
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the picturesque city.

Before heading back to the hotel to relax before dinner.

Which would be another wonderful experience!

Thanks for stopping by!

Oaxaca - Casa Taviche

We were dropped back at our hotel after our wonderful Mezcal Tour and took a short nap. Upon awakening, I peeked out the window from our little balcony to see what the weather was like. This was August and having traveled in Mexico during this time before we knew about the serious afternoon downpours that occur. And while we could see the clouds moving in; it didn't look like a major drenching was on the docket for this evening.

Having scheduled the Mezcal Experience, I hadn't made any dinner reservations for this evening. Which was probably for the better since the Missus wasn't too pleased with our previous two dinners. I chose a place that featured a small rotating menu, a bit farther away from the hustle and bustle of Centro named Casa Taviche.

The dining area is in a cute little courtyard.

We were handed the small menu and I could not believe the prices!

We basically shared our dishes.

Of course the Missus needed to start out with the Pozole Rojo.

This was slightly porky and much better than what we'd had previously. There was enough salt, though it really needed a good hit of oregano and the Missus was wishing for all the "sides" which was already in the soup. Still, not bad.

The Tostada de Guisado de Champigons was very good.

Man, this was so delici-yoso; the braised mushrooms were so earthy and tender; there was a hint of sweetness, spice from the salsa rojo. Great textural contrast from the tlayuda and sprouts. Crisp, peppery spice from the radishes. This was very good.

It was the season for Chilies en Nogada and I wanted to try one; so we ordered it.

This was quite good; the roasted chili poblano was stuffed with a pork filling that had mild spice and sweetness from fruit and pomegranate. The walnut cream sauce was very smooth; there seemed to be the essence of cinnamon floating in the air. The Missus cracked me up when She claimed that this must be a "Middle Eastern Dish"! I almost fell out of my seat! I told Her that most of the stories I've read about this dish is that it was created by Nuns in Puebla for a feast for General Agustín de Iturbide who had signed the Treaty of Cordoba granting Mexico independence from Spain. She didn't believe me until I told Her; "take a look, the dish is the colors of the Mexican flag"!

So far, the Missus hadn't found a version of Mole that She liked. There was a mole sugueza, which is a version that uses corn to thicken the sauce. The Missus loves Her maize, so I hoped She would enjoy this. Consider the Costillas de Mole Segueza as "mission accomplished".

The pork ribs, while on the chewier side were porky, nicely seasoned, and smoked! You could really taste the maize in the thick sauce, along with a hint of clove, hoja santa, cumin.....and best of all for the Missus? This wasn't overly sweet.

Service was kind of "relaxed" (slow) and a bit spacey - they forgot about our mole dish and we had to remind them, but it's hard to complain with these prices and how much we enjoyed this meal.

After two not so enjoyable dinners, this meal marked a turning point. It would get much better from here on out

Casa Taviche
Miguel Hidalgo 1111
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax., Mexico

Oaxaca - Private Mezcal Experience at Palenque El Cornejo

Over the last couple of years I've become a proponent of small group or private tours. I do a bunch of research ahead of time and really want to learn and experience things. Understanding your preferences is important and reading reviews imperative. Over the last few years we've become interested in Mezcal and we were finally in the Capital of Mezcal; Oaxaca, so why not try to find a guide to learn more about Mezcal. I found a company; Where Sidewalks End that featured a private Mezcal tour they call, the "Sacred Mezcal Experience". We would actually visit a Palenque and visit the agave fields, with not only a guide, but with the Mezcalero!

Our guide, Victor picked us up at our hotel and soon we were off. During the drive we were provided so much information; the difference between Artisan and Ancestral Mezcal. Ancestral Mezcal does not allow for the use of stainless steel, the agave must be hand or stone milled, and the distillation must be done in clay pots! Also, the saying "All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila." That is Tequila is made from agave; but only one type of agave is used.

Soon enough we arrived at Palenque el Cornejo in Santa Catarina Minas. The very rustic palenque and tasting room greeted us.

 And while there were some folks in the tasting room; that's not where we were headed. Maestro Antonio Carlos Mendez, known as "Cornejo" greeted us. He is a third generation Mezcalero and his production, other than help from his young sons is a one man show.

Soon enough we were loaded into the back of a pick-up with Victor and two of the young boys to head out into the fields.

And after passing thru a gate the truck was parked and we headed up into the hills.

   Along the way we were introduced to the various species of agave that were growing. There are almost 50 difference species of agave used to make Mezcal; though Espadin is the most common because it can be cultivated.

What makes other species of agave difficult is that the plant can propagate in two different ways; by seeds, which you can see in the photo to the right, Antonio waits until the right time to harvest the seeds and then they can be planted nearby; or pups, little "runners" from the mother plant which can left to grow around "mom" or carefully moved. According to Antonio, some species can take over 20 years to mature. So just think, if Antonio planted seeds from certain plants today, it might be his sons who harvest the plant!

As for the species, it was quite humorous, the various plants were named and we were tested on them. I actually got 5 of the 6 correct! Not that I can name them now. Though I distinctly remember that's a Tobala below; it's very distinctive.

Some of the agave were quite impressive....

And we loved that his sons were actively involved. In fact, Victor told us that the three boys rather work in the agave fields than go to school! 

The oldest son was not able to attend on this day because of a school activity, we met him later and he was so clean cut and an amazing young man.

After our tour of the hills we headed back to the work shed. Going downhill we got a chance to appreciate the view.

Back at the work shed we were fed lunch; a nice hearty meal of tamales.

And before leaving, there was one more thing to be done. There was another reason I booked this tour. We would each get one "baby" agave to plant! So, you now what our "pups" were named, right? Also, notice the stones next to the shoots? During our walk, I noticed that the boys were placing stones next to plants and asked Victor about this. He told me this was the way to "mark" that the plants are accounted for. So, of course I got our "boys" some stones, right?

I'm hoping we can return someday to see how our "pups" are doing.

After which things were closed up and we headed back to the palenque.

We arrived back at the palenque for the next part of the tour......the production and distillation of mezcal. The heart of the agave plant is called the piña. Once harvested, these are roasted in a stone lined pit.

This is what the agave looks like when it's done. We were even given tastes of the piña.

The agave is then milled, then water is added to the fiber and juice to begin fermentation.

Then the fermented agave juice is distilled twice. 

And Antonio even described the process for Mezcal Pechuga to us.

After this, we got a private tasting.

And even though we basically only do carry-on sized luggage, even bought a couple of bottles.

This was an amazing day; we learned so much, met some wonderful, warm and hard working folks, got a taste of history and culture, which was even more than we could ask for. It was such a wonderful, humbling experience that exceeded our expectations.

This is why we travel!

Oaxaca (2022) - Jalatlaco, Lunch at El Pozolito, and Dinner at Zandunga

Barrio Jalatlaco was undeniably beautiful. The colors so vibrant. It also seemed sleepy and relaxed compared to Oaxaca Central, almost as if you'd entered a whole different city.

The street art was glorious and it was everywhere.

Some of it was quite modern in tone......like really up to date!

  Jalatlaco was the location of a Zapotec village before the arrival of the Spaniards. Jalatlaco in Zapotec means "Sand Canyon". We were told that Jalatlaco looks basically the same as it did a century ago, which is quite amazing.

It was wonderful just wandering the cobbled streets, enjoying the colors and the street art, with nary another person in sight. There seemed to be something almost magical about the place.

I'm tempted to want to stay in the area next time, but maybe not.......I really don't want to spoil what looks like the true local beauty of the barrio.

Here's a wonderful article on Jalatlaco.

Soon enough, it was time for an "early" lunch. We headed back down to Mercado 20 de Noviembre to see if anything caught our eye.

We wandered around the mercado a bit but nothing caught our attention.

So we decided to take a look elsewhere.

About a block form the mercado we saw this little restaurant.

And you can tell by the name what they specialize in, right?

And the Missus keeps looking for pozole that She enjoys more then what I make at home. So, it seems like we found a place for lunch. It seemed like a place that locals came to eat.

And the pirces were right, the pozole was only $50/MX per bowl - about $2.50/US. Over time the Missus has come to prefer pozole blanco and She was happy that they served that here. I went with the pozole rojo.

All the base "sides" were delivered and two salsas as well. 

And soon enough our bowls of pozole arrived.

It was quite obvious that the meat had been separated from the broth and then placed into the bowl after the soup and "salsa" as some of the pieces of pork were lukewarm. The pozole rojo wasn't bad; a bit on the milder side but that was quickly rectified when I added more salsa rojo. Decently porky and pretty basic and simple overall.

The Missus thought the blanco could have used more porkiness and added a good amount of salt as well.

The Hominy wasn't to the Missus liking as it was too mushy for Her taste. She's become so picky about Her pozole!

Still, it was a really inexpensive lunch and we enjoyed the atmosphere.

El Pozolito
Rayón 102
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

We then went and did a bit of shopping before heading back to our room and taking a nice afternoon nap.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before heading out to dinner. Of course we left for dinner early as we wanted to check out what was going on at the Zocalo.

And the police were back teaching children how to ride bicycles and running the bike safety puppet show.

And "the Band" was in fine form on this evening!

There was quite a bit going on!

   We headed up Macedonio Alcalá. This was a Saturday evening so there were folks everywhere. Things were lively, but not out of control.

Folks were just hanging with friends, hanging with pooches, listening to music, there seemed to be musicians or bands situated on almost every corner, plaza, and jardin.

We walked up to Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán before heading over one block to our dinner destination.

I had gone ahead and made dinner reservations ahead of time for every other night in Oaxaca. And since this was a Saturday evening, I thought having reservations made sense. I had been interested in trying the cuisine of the Istmus region and after doing a bit of research had made reservations at Zanduga.

Like Los Danzantes the dining area was in a lovely courtyard area.

And just like Los Danzantes, the customer base seemed to be mostly tourists....

We were still fairly full from lunch, so we ordered the Botana Zandunga, a variety of Istmeno appetizers, some soup, and the seasonal fish appetizer.

First to arrive was the Sopa de Frijol, which would turn out to be the our favorite item of the night.

Very beany, smooth, and rich. Nicely seasoned, this went well with the provided avocado slices and tortillas.

The Botana Zandunga was a collection of "greatest hits" if you will.

From the bottom left, the tamal de cambray was dry and bland, the molotes de platano was cold and dry, the guacamole was quite good, the garnaches, which I had been excited to try was dry, cold, and bland, the pico de gallo had dried shrimp which seemed interesting but wasn't anything special.

Last to arrive was the Pescado de Temporada, what basically read as "seasonal fish". Looking at the menu, I saw that it was herb marinated with hoja santa, which the Missus loves. 

Unfortunately, this was too mealy and fishy for the Missus. I didn't think it was too bad, especially with the salsas on tlayudas.

Service was quite good, but the food just wasn't to our taste. Looks like I was oh-fer-two with the places I'd made reservations at.

I remembered when I told Betsy we had reservations here; she told me that having tried Zandunga twice, she wasn't too impressed. She was right.

Zandunga
Calle de Manuel García Vigil 512
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

Of course we passed thru the Zocalo on the way back to our room. The bicycle thing was still going on. Well, it was a Saturday night after all.

A gentleman saw me really enjoying watching the police kids and the public interacting and started talking to me. He told me that once upon a time the police in Oaxaca were among the toughest, meanest, and unfriendly officers in Mexico. Then after dealing with that for years the public voted in a whole different set of politicians. The police created outreach/community relations programs and this changed things. Watching him talk to the officers, I'm sure this gentleman was some kind of neighborhood liaison or politician.

 And here the "Policia Vial" (Road Police) officers were dancing with the public!

Now when was the last time you saw that?

I couldn't help but smile.

Oaxaca (2022) - Breakfast at Boulenc, Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, and La Cosecha Mercado de Organico

As I mentioned in my previous post, we were pretty full after our food tour and ended up not eating dinner. The next morning we decided to grab some breakfast before heading out on our explorations for the day. There was a bakery and restaurant named Boulenc on my list and Betsy from Me Encanta Oaxaca recommended it as well. It was just three blocks up the street from our hotel and pretty much on the way to the sites we'd be visiting.

The restaurant had a few folks waiting for seats when we arrived, but things moved quickly and we got a table upstairs in about 15 minutes.

Service was efficient and the folks here work hard, running up and down the stairs. The Missus got a Machiatto and I got an Americano, both serviceable.

The Missus, who had never really enjoyed avocado toast, strangely ordered the Aguacate y Cilantro ($70/MX - $3.50/US). 

This was love at first bite! First off, the toasted sourdough bread at Boulenc is outstanding, wonderful yeasty-sour balance, nice and not overly chewy bread, it's a perfect foil for the perfectly ripe and abundant avocado and the wonderful hints of chloropyllic-citrusy tones from the cilantro and microgreens. The Missus loved the inhouse fermented, pickled beets. She loved this so much that we returned two more times during our stay!

I wanted some fruit and yogurt so I got the Turkish Yogurt with Fruits ($80/MX - $4/US).

Loved all the fresh and ripe fruits, nuts, and the yogurt. A perfect breakfast for me and just what I wanted.

Like I wrote earlier; we both really liked Boulenc and ended up coming here three times during our stay. That sourdough bread is fantastic.

Boulenc
Calle Porfirio Díaz 207
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

Here's an interesting post on Boulenc.

After breakfast we headed up to Plaza Santo Domingo. We had already checked out the Cathedral and wanted to do the same with the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

Construction on this church started in 1551, but the final construction was completed in 1666.

The interior and ceiling were very impressive!

No wonder it took so long to complete.

I was fascinated by the bas relief of the family tree of Santo Domingo de Guzman (aka Saint Dominic), who founded the Dominican Order.

Along with the temple is a structure that used to be a Convent and is now a museum. We didn't have enough time to visit, but I'm sure we'll go the next time we're in Oaxaca.

From here we headed over one block and walked past the plaza.

And came across this.....

It was a cute little organic market and food stalls.

I decided to get some cucumber-lime juice from this stand.

It was quite refreshing.

Cheers!

Mercado Organico La Cosecha
Calle Macedonio Alcalá 806
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

Refreshed and revived we walked thru Plaza Cruz de Piedra.

To Calle de Manuel García Vigil and the aqueduct that we had seen the previous day.

We headed up the street to where it turns into Rufino Tamayo and took time to admire the street art that we had only glanced at the previous day.

And then we came across this fella' hanging out at the gate of one of the courtyards.

Little did we know that he was just the "lookout". When he spotted another pooch ambling up the street he sent out "word" and the whole "gang" appeared for a "bark session".

It was hilarious.

There was so much to see if you took your time.

I had planned checking out Xochimilco later on the trip so we'd be heading further up Rufino Tamayo then. So we cut back thru the plaza, then back down Macedonio Alcalá, taking a left down Humboldt.

And came to a park named Parque Juarez El Llano, with a Monument to Benito Juárez in it's center.

We passed folks relaxing in the nice green space as we crossed over to the opposite end. I was looking for a specific street. There is a neighborhood that I read about that was called a "secret jewel" and was named the 17th coolest neighborhood in the world by Timeout in 2019....Jalatlaco. I had seen photos of the street art and it looked so very charming. Betsy had also told us we would enjoy the street art and the "vibe". Two blocks past the park, at the corner of Republica and Miguel Hidalgo, there it was.

Barrio Jalatlaco!

So how was it? Well, you'll have to stay tuned and I'll cover that in my next post on Oaxaca!

Oaxaca (2022) - Me Encanta Oaxaca Food Tour

One of the things I learned during our trip to Emilia-Romagna was the value of a good food tour when visiting the culinary centers of countries. Not having had too much exposure to the cuisine of Oaxaca, I thought that finding a good food tour would do us good. And after doing some research, I found Me Encanta Oaxaca. It just seemed like a good fit for us, so I made reservations. This would turn out to be a fantastic tour as we learned a lot, not only about the cuisine, but the history, and other fun "stuffs" about Oaxaca. One of the owners and the person who would lead our tour Betsaida ("Betsy") contacted us several times to give us info on the tour and also some advice beforehand......"don't eat breakfast....or just enough so that you will be hungry, but not 'hangry'." Along with safety guidelines, etc.

The meeting place was in front of Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán and Betsy was easy to find. We loved that there were only five of us on the tour. We sampled and covered a huge amount of food; so from this point on, I'm going to keep it brief.

First stop was just a block away.

Tacos del Carmen, a very popular street stall.

Man, that Empanada de Mole Amarillo con Flor de Calabaza y Hierba Santa was soooo delici-yoso!

We also got to try the "Taco" de Chile Relleno.

Tacos Del Carmen
Jesús Carranza 110
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

We then headed up a block-and-a-half to the colorful Mercado Sánchez Pascuas.

Here Betsy went over some of the more interesting produce and we had tastes of Aguacate Criollo, Nanche, Curuba, Tuna Roja, and Jiotilla which you see below.

Betsy took us to various stands and we got to meet the folks who made what we'd be tasting....

The tamales were delicious; though the Missus still didn't care for the mole negro....

We got our caffeine fix from one of the stands along with some dulces.

The tour wasn't just food; there was history and sights as well. In fact, Betsy would quiz us on some of the history. I actually answered one of the questions correctly. Of course, I'd already learned a bit about Porfirio Díaz when we were in Guanajuato.

We headed off a block away to Rufino Tamayo.

Did you know that Oaxaca has an aqueduct?

And to go even beyond the history, this "famous" movie was filmed in the area.

In fact you might just recognize the scene filmed here.

We walked over to Plaza Cruz de Piedra.

Where there's an interesting stone cross.

As we headed down to Mercado Benito Juárez Betsy went over some history and quizzed us.

Once we got into the bustling market we headed to a bustling stand.

Where we got to try Tejate which was soooo good.

And Betsy took the time to show us some of the other vendors she likes in the market.

We then headed across the street to Mercado 20 de Noviembre where Betsy said "I hope you're hungry now!" And soon enough we were in the famous "Pasillo de Humo" ("Hall of Smoke"). Yes, this is the place that one of  our favorite restaurants in CDMX is named after. And when say "hall of smoke" they ain't kidding.

Here you can choose your meat.....

And they grill it up for you.....

Betsy got us a table and we just enjoyed...well, pasillo de humo......

And soon the food started arriving.....

Gusanos, Chicatanas, and Chapulines. Good stuff!

The proteins....Tasajo, carne, chorizo, tripa.....

A huge Tlayuda.....

A sampler of Mole.....well, the Missus still didn't care for mole, it was too sweet for Her tastebuds, so this was going to be interesting.

She did enjoy the Pan de Yerma and Chocolate de Agua......in fact we'd go shopping for some of that before we returned home.

This was a fantastic tour.

We even got a list of places to try and areas to visit. And best of all, we asked Betsy where to buy hats.......and she gave us a recommendation. So here's the deal, I've never looked good in hats.....never, ever. But we headed to the place she recommended after our tour and I found a hat!

We ate so much that we didn't even bother with dinner. We just took a short walk.

Of course I wore my hat.......

So, if you're ever in Bay Park and you see some middle aged Asian dude wearing a Cowboy Hat and a "Ojai Psychic Friends Network" t-shirt.....well, that would be me.

Make sure to say hello, ok?

Oaxaca (2022) - We Arrive, Cafe Brujula, and Dinner at Los Danzantes

Our flight and transfer from Mexico City went quite smoothly. Our good friend "Alle" had mentioned that Benito Juárez Airport was a hot mess these days; but we didn't encounter any problems. Our transfer was waiting when we arrived and we made it to our hotel; the Hotel Casona Oaxaca with no problems right past check-in time. The hotel's location was great for a first time visit to Oaxaca as it was centrally located, just a block from the Zocalo, basically the heart of the city. The courtyard was quite beautiful and though the room was a bit dated and there was a bit of noise, we had a small balcony of sorts with good natural light.

After freshening up, we headed out to take a quick look at the city. The city was quite vibrant and full of energy. I had read that 60% of the population of Oaxaca is under the age of 30. We decided to just take a stroll and familiarize ourselves with the area a bit.

Like I mentioned above, the Zocalo, officially named Plaza de la Constitución is pretty much the heart of the city. It's a nice public space, with shaded areas, restaurants and shops in the potico lined buildings, and vendor stalls....and of course, there's always something going on.

To the North of the Zocalo is the Cathedral. 

It was a pretty warm day, so we decided to duck in for a quick look.

    Construction of the Cathedral commenced in 1535 and was reconstructed several times because of earthquakes.

There's some nice stained glass windows in the cathedral and it was a good place to cool off a bit.

After a short break we headed up Calle Macedonio Alcalá, which eventually turns into a pedestrian only street. 

We decided to take a caffeine break at Cafe Brujula, which I believe has six locations in the city.

There was nice courtyard seating...many tables were taken up with folks working on laptops and such. But the Missus enjoyed Her Iced Matcha and I thought the cold brew was decent.

Café Brújula Alcalá
C. Macedonio Alcalá 104
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

Once Calle Macedonio Alcalá becomes a pedestrian only street, things really pick up.

And this is where we first really started noticing all the amazing street art.

Yes, there are quite a few tourists; but it's very lively and there seemed to be many locals as well.

We got up to the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán. We had a food tour the following day and we just wanted to make sure we could find the meeting place which was right in front of the church.

From here we headed back to the hotel and relaxed sort of like this fella'.

After a short break we headed out to dinner. We again walked thru the Zocalo and stopped when we saw this.

The police were actually teaching kids how to ride bicycles!

And were also doing a puppet show on bicycle safety.

And a couple of the officers were singing and playing music. It was quite a scene and for some reason I found it so sweet and heartwarming.

I had made dinner reservations at a highly regarded restaurant right on Macedonio Alcalá named Los Danzantes which is named for the famous Bas Reliefs of "Dancers" at Monte Alban which we would see later during the trip.

The main dining area was in a lovely courtyard area.

  The menu used a QR code something that we found everywhere in Mexico. The food seemed a bit of a modern, lighter affair. The service was a bit of hit and miss. As you can see, the customer base seemed to be more tourists/ex-pats though nothing wrong with that if the food is outstanding. 

The cocktails seemed to be a bit short in terms of alcohol.

I enjoyed the different versions of Oaxacan style tortillas, but the Missus didn't care for the crisp, cracker like texture.

The Missus loves Hoja Santa, so we started with the Hoja Santa with Local Queso, and Tomatillo ($155/MX - $7.75/US).

When having Hoja Santa, I expect anise-minty-pungent-grassy tones, but this was on the milder side. The cheese was like mozzarella and not quite milky enough for our taste. The tomatillo salsa ruled the dish; tangy with a pleasant sourness. 

We also ordered the Pulpo Dobladas ($275/MX - $13.75/US).

The octopus was on the tough side, again the Missus doesn't care for Oaxacan style tortillas; though the blue corn version is mighty tasty to me. Loved the avocado, but this was served with a "matcha sauce" that was really mild in the flavor.

It was pretty warm during our visit in Oaxaca and the Watermelon Salad ($125/MX - $6.25/US) sounded quite good.

 For some reason I thought this would be compressed watermelon, which intensifies the flavor and gives it textural "heft", but it just cubed watermelon, seeds and all. Since it was just cubed watermelon, the ponzu style sauce and orange "gel" overpowered the dish. Spherification was used to create ikura looking strawberry spheres. The best part of the dish were the tomatoes which were sweet and acidic.

The last item we ordered was the Ancho Chile Relleno with Huitlacoche and Tamala Pumpkin Puree ($ 245/MX - $12.25/US)

The roasted ancho chile was delicious, smoky with just a tad of heat, but there wasn't enough  earthy-mushroomy huitlacoche in the filling. The pumpkin puree was too sweet for our taste.

Not the best meal to start off our stay in Oaxaca for us. Just a bit too much going on, which did not bring out the best in the ingredients.

Los Danzantes
C. Macedonio Alcalá 403
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

Oh well.......

We headed back to our room. We walked thru the Zocalo and by now they were taking down the puppet stage and cleaning up. But there were several officers still singing to entertain....hmmm....maybe themselves? 

Things seemed so festive on this Thursday night.

And we were looking forward to our food tour the following day!