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Archive for the ‘Restaurants’ Category

Lunch at Luvina

Posted in Culture, Food, People, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2015| 4 Comments »

Another day another Oaxaca Sabe lunch.  Yesterday, along with a couple of friends, we celebrated the ## birthday of blogger Chris at Luvina.

The birthday boy!

The “gifted” birthday boy!

As you can see below, the menu chef Carlos García created was beautifully presented, imaginative and, I can assure you, muy sabrosa.  Our first course was out-of-this world, in my humble opinion.

Arroz cremoso con legumbres, calamares y mollejas asadas (Creamy rice with vegetables, grilled calamari and sweetbreads)

Arroz cremoso con legumbres, calamares y mollejas asadas (Creamy rice with vegetables, grilled calamari and sweetbreads)

Ahhh… Which main course to choose?  I chose the rabbit and, naturally, sampled a table mate’s sea bass.  Both were delicious.

Conejo chimeco con verduras rostizadas con manteca de pato (Rabbit with roasted vegetables and duck fat)

Conejo chimeco con verduras rostizadas con manteca de pato (Rabbit with roasted vegetables and duck fat)

Robálo al pastor con chichilo negro (Sea bass with chichilo mole)

Robálo al pastor con chichilo negro (Sea bass with chichilo mole)

The dessert got mixed reviews, but I liked the lightness of the brioche.  And, yes, the birthday boy’s came with a candle!

Espuma de requesón con bizcocho de pan brioche (Foam of ricotta with a cake of brioche)

Espuma de requesón con bizcocho de pan brioche (Foam of ricotta with a cake of brioche)

It’s somewhat out-of-the way location (off Republica on the block-long Mártires de Tacubaya and across the street from the Kiss the girl goodbye mural) shouldn’t hinder a visit to this light and airy restaurant. By the way, the service was excellent.

 

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Oaxaca Sabe Wednesday

Posted in Culture, Food, People, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 23, 2015| 4 Comments »

It’s Wednesday and day three of the Oaxaca Sabe restaurant festival.  Yesterday, we dined at Pitiona, one of Oaxaca’s most sophisticated and innovative restaurants.  Chris, my partner in blogging and food-fest dining crime, beat me to the punch in posting photos of our meal, so I will let his entry speak for both of us.

Today, our Oaxaca Sabe choice was La Olla, one of Oaxaca’s best known restaurants with one of her best loved chefs, Pilar Cabrera at the helm.  Here, we were offered an either/or choice for each of the three courses, so I ordered “either” and Chris ordered “or.”  Thus, I began with a salad that tasted as delicate and flavorful as it looked.

Ensalada de durazno y queso istmeño (Salad of peaches and cheese from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec)

Ensalada de durazno y queso istmeño (Salad of peaches and cheese from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec)

I’m a sucker 😉  for octopus and this was cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection and saucing it with the “usually reserved for special occasions” chichilo mole, provided the taste buds an unexpected flavor explosion.

Chichilo servido con pulpo y arroz (Chichilo mole served with octopus and rice)

Chichilo servido con pulpo y arroz (Chichilo mole served with octopus and rice)

And then there was dessert.  I opted for the tiramisu, which is an old favorite of mine.  It did not disappoint and its layers looked lovely served in a glass, garnished with coffee beans and a single viola blossom.

Tiramisú oaxaqueño (Self explanatory, methinks)

Tiramisú oaxaqueño (Self explanatory, methinks)

Our compliments to chef Pilar Cabrera and muchisimas gracias for a delicious dining experience.  We are sorry to have missed you!

As our meal came to a close, we poured over the Oaxaca Sabe list of restaurants and their menus.  More to come.  What can I say?  This is yummy and fun!

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Across the table

Posted in Culture, Food, People, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 22, 2015| 2 Comments »

Yesterday, Oaxaca Sabe kicked off a week of delicious dining; three-course meals, including beer, mezcal, or wine, for only 250 pesos per person at some of the top restaurants in the city.  As readers of Oaxaca-The Year After already know, blogger buddy Chris and yours truly couldn’t resist and we were first to the table at Las Quince Letras.  No sooner had we been seated in the lovely shaded patio, than chef Celia Florian came out to welcome us.

Celia Florian, chefWith every course, she continued to check in with us, explaining the ingredients and asking our opinion.  She also turned the tables on us and took out her smart phone to take our picture!

Sopa de tortilla de tomate de milpa (Tortilla soup with tomatillos and little balls of quesillo)

Sopa de tortilla de tomate de milpa (Tortilla soup with tomatillos and little balls of quesillo)

Camarones flameados en mezcal con mole negro de chicatana (Shrimp flambéed in mezcal on a bed of chicatana black mole sauce)

Camarones flameados en mezcal con mole negro de chicatana (Shrimp flambéed in mezcal on a bed of black mole made with the rainy season insect, chicatanas)

Helado de maracuya con buñelos con miel de piloncillo (Maracuya sorbet with buñuelos drizzled with melted piloncillo, which is similar to brown sugar)

Helado de maracuya con buñelos con miel de piloncillo (Maracuya sorbet with buñuelos drizzled with a honey of piloncillo, which is similar to brown sugar)

Every dish conveyed Chef Florian’s pride in her heritage — from the fresh locally sourced ingredients to her original interpretations of traditional Oaxacan cuisine — and then there was the love and joy she radiated.

By the way, this is what it looks like to sit across the table from a blogger…

Chile en nogada

Chris photographing his Chile en Nogada

If it’s Tuesday, it must mean another Oaxaca Sabe restaurant to try…  ¡Buen provecho!

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Scenes from a Sunday drive

Posted in Animals, Flora, Food, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 13, 2014| 5 Comments »

Sometimes a Sunday drive is just what the doctor ordered.  Though when in Oaxaca, one can’t assume the course will run smooth.

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After being blocked by bloqueos a couple of times last week, blogger buddy Chris and I were in the midst of congratulating ourselves when our leisurely drive south on Hwy. 190 came to a halt as we attempted to turn west at San Dionisio Ocotepec.  At least ten men and a few trucks were positioned across the turnoff.  Oh, no, not again… another protest?

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No, a bike race had closed the road.  Seeing our disappointment, we were directed to make a U-turn, backtrack a mile (or so), and turn onto the dirt road that skirted the hillside, in order to bypass the race.  It was easier said than done, but after a few fits and starts, gullies and rocky outcroppings, and inquiries of all manner of vehicles coming from the opposite direction, we eventually wound up back on the paved road — right where we wanted to be!

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We weren’t the only ones westward bound.  These guys, while not part of the race, were also enjoying a Sunday ride.  We passed them on our way to San Baltazar Chichicapam.

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And, why were we going to Chichicapam?  To fill up our 5 liter “gas” canisters with some of our favorite mezcal made from locally grown agave, of course!  Muy suave…

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Sunday or not, a campesino’s work is never done.  Cattle, burros, and herds of goats were a common sight as we continued our Sunday drive.  And, speaking of goats…  By the time we turned north at Ocotlán de Morelos, we were starving.  Lucky for us, Los Huamuches, our “go to” roadside restaurant between Santo Tomás Jalieza and San Martín Tilcajete, wasn’t far away.

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What can I say?  Mild temperatures, spectacular scenery, good company, and barbacoa muy sabrosa — the “doctor” was right!

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Back to the beach

Posted in Gardens, Restaurants, Sports & Recreation, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 2, 2014| Leave a Comment »

A gray, rainy day in Oaxaca has me returning to the beach in my dreams…

Pacific Ocean waves crashing onto the beach San Agustinillo, Oaxaca.

San Agustinillo, Oaxaca.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.  ― Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca

San Agustinillo, Oaxaca

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.  Dream.  Discover.  — Mark Twain

Coconut tree, Mazunte, Oaxaca

Mazunte, Oaxaca

Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.  — Langston Hughes

Lifeguard tower, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you’ve imagined.  —Thoreau

Estrella Fúgaz restaurant, Mazunte, Oaxaca

Estrella Fúgaz restaurant, Mazunte, Oaxaca

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.  ― Edgar Allan Poe, Eleonora

Sunset in Mazunte, Oaxaca

Mazunte, Oaxaca

Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself.  Go forward and make your dreams come true.  ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Up into the clouds

Posted in Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 23, 2014| 10 Comments »

Having lived most of my life with the Pacific Ocean fifteen minutes to the west and the San Francisco Bay five minutes to the east, I never thought I could live where I was landlocked.  But here I am, living in Oaxaca de Juárez, a city nestled in a valley surrounded by rugged mountain ranges, with not a beach in sight.  This daunting terrain has not only helped to preserve the area’s indigenous traditions and colonial architecture, it has also prevented easy access to the state of Oaxaca’s beautiful beaches only 160+ miles from the city.

Yes, there are regular flights to Huatulco and Puerto Escondido, but they are costly.   Most people choose to take one of several buses/vans or to drive themselves up and over the narrow, winding, pot-holed, and tope (speed-bump) laden roads through the Sierra Madre del Sur.  It takes from six to seven hours, depending on how fast one drives, how many slow-moving vehicles one encounters, and how much road repair brings the car to a halt.  Thus, I haven’t been to the coast of Oaxaca for almost five years.  And so, when a friend offered a trip to the coast, I accepted.

Foreground pine trees; background mountains

However, instead of a day-long grueling drive to the beach of San Agustinillo, we climbed 8,400 feet up into the clouds, where we stopped in San Jose del Pacifico.  Home for the night was one of the sweet little cabañas at La Puesta del Sol.  Lightening lit up the sky and thunder rumbled, but I was warm and cozy courtesy of a roaring fire one of the staff had set in the stone chimenea (fireplace).

3 cabañas and trees

The village of San Jose del Pacifico rests on a ridge and is often encircled in Brigadoon like fog.  This is mushroom (magic and otherwise) territory and it is home to quite a mixture of temporary and permanent residents — one of whom runs a fabulously funky restaurant, La Taberna de los Duendes.  The food is fabulous, but a warning is in order:  The portions are enormous!

Mural on wall, La Taberna de los Duendes

After a leisurely morning, we set off for the (mostly) downhill drive to the coast!  Do you see me smiling?

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Hall of smoke

Posted in Food, Markets, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 26, 2014| 2 Comments »

One of my favorite things…

Woman at grill behind smoke

The women and their grills in el pasillo de humo (the hall of smoke).

Woman grilling grilling onions & meat

Another Sunday market day in Tlacolula de Matamoros.

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Nourishing body & soul

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, People, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 23, 2014| 7 Comments »

Yesterday, as I was walking home, the eyes of these guys caught my eye.

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More eyes beckoned me across the large driveway/parking area, that separated the mural filled walls from the sidewalk.

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A sign for Okupa Visual Oaxaca was pointing the way, so I figured I must not be trespassing and might even be welcome.

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More eyes drew me toward an open door…

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I peered inside the Taller de Grafica Experimental de Oaxaca and was greeted with the warm smile of artist, Guillermo Pacheco López.  He showed me around the light airy gallery and studio and explained the programs they offer.  We then proceeded through an open doorway into a another multipurpose space.

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Besides more gallery and workshop space, it is home to Café Panartesano and where his delightful wife, Kate, along with an assistant, bake brownies, blondies, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, and other yummy looking sweets.  In addition, they make homemade pizza and tortas.

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As you may have guessed from the above menu, Kate is from the USA — San Francisco to be geographically precise.  We had much in common and I stayed for almost half an hour chatting with her.  Naturally, I couldn’t resist buying a chicken with zucchini and red bell pepper torta on focaccia, which was muy sabrosa!

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If you are in town, I highly recommend stopping by Taller de Grafica Experimental de Oaxaca and Café Panartesana.  They are located at La Noria 305 (at the corner of Melchor Ocampo).

Nourishing body and soul — that’s Oaxaca!

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Talavera transformation, part 2

Posted in Casita Colibrí, Creativity, Restaurants, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 19, 2014| 11 Comments »

Initially, when I came face-to-face with the kitchen at the bigger and better Casita Colibrí, I was convinced there was NO way I could make it work and that IT should be numero uno on the make-over list.  A double sink, but no counter space?  A grungy ancient copper-colored stove that may or may not have been safe to light?  A cabinet door that couldn’t be opened, because said stove was in the way?

Small kitchenWith a little pleading (whining), management replaced the stove with a new one that had been hiding in the storage shed.  I installed the shelf unit I’d gotten for my old apartment and I had the cabinetry painted white — making it more functional and easier on the eyes — and I was happy.  Hey, a friend even wanted to practice using his new fisheye lens.

Kitchen with white cabinets and appliances

(photo by Alan Goodin)

However, the talavera transformation in the bathroom turned out so well, I was inspired, plus the cement at the base of the kitchen sink unit kept falling out.  Thus, talavera transformation, part 2 began two weeks ago.

Framing for kitchen counter

The old cabinet was demolished (oh, the polvo!) and the new counter, with new sink, began to materialize from the dust and debris.

Cement base on kitchen counter top

Again, I scavenged tile from the bodega.  Luckily, there were several boxes of russet orange tiles, but they were slightly smaller than most of the other orphan tiles, making finding accent pieces a challenge.  I didn’t want to introduce another color into the blue/cream/orange mix that already tiled the walls and so was hoping Nalo and crew could salvage some of the old tile, but it proved far too time consuming.

Russet orange tile on counter

The result?  I love the cleaner, less busy, look for the kitchen.  And, the crew took about 6″ off the top of my old shelf unit, so it would fit under the new counter and I wouldn’t lose the storage space.  It’s faintly visible on the right behind the blue plastic curtain.

Russet orange tile counter with accent tiles.

One of my grandmother’s oft-repeated sayings was, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”  — but I’m trying!!!

h/t Chris for the shower curtain idea.

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A Sunday drive…

Posted in Animals, Buildings, Food, Geography, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2014| 8 Comments »

Domingo’s escape from the city out into the countryside of Oaxaca brought back one of my fondest childhood memories:  Sunday drives with my grandparents into the golden hills of northern California.  Two-lane winding roads with only the occasional car or pickup truck; farms, fields, and roadside stands outside my rolled down window always brought a sense of adventure mixed with freedom and serenity.  And, it still does…

Oaxaca city to Teotitlán del Valle, where we yielded to a herd of cattle.

Close-up white bull

Santiago Matalán past fields of agave to San Baltazar Chichicapam.

Agave fields with mountain in distance

We continued on the mostly deserted road  towards Octotlán de Morelos.

Tile roof lean-to on rocky outcrop

Onto Hwy. 175 and a lunch stop at the roadside restaurant, between Santo Tomás Jalieza and San Martín Tilcajete, from almost two weeks earlier.

Sign for Los Huamuches with tables in background

And this time we noted the name:  Los Huamuches.  Another delicious comida… a perfect way to end our meandering and head for home.

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Slow food, the Oaxaca way

Posted in Culture, Food, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 7, 2014| 9 Comments »

Tuesday, not only brought the previously mentioned Carnaval, San Martín Tilcajete style, it also provided comida, muy sabrosa.  No, not one of the 4 restaurants in Oaxaca recently listed in the 101 Best Restaurants in Latin America and the Caribbean.  I’m talking about al fresco dining in a roadside restaurant.  Sitting under the branches of a large shade tree on plastic chairs, around a plastic table, with cars and trucks speeding by, it was surprisingly tranquil.

Woman cooking on comal

We had ringside seats as our lunch was prepared on a well seasoned comal.  I couldn’t help thinking as we sat at this unpretentious restaurant, in the middle of the fields that yielded the ingredients for our lunch, prepared according to culinary traditions passed down through generations of Zapotecos, this is quintessential “slow food.”

Woman lifting tlayuda off comal

That’s my tlayuda (sometimes spelled, clayuda) being lifted off the comal — and it was one of the best I’ve eaten!  Fyi, tlayudas are one of the 10 Essential Things To Eat And Drink In Oaxaca.

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For more on our yummy lunch, see Chris’s blog post, Fat Tuesday done right.  Alas, neither one of us took note of the name of the restaurant — all I know is it’s on the east side of Hwy 175, between San Martín Tilcajete and San Tomás Jalieza.

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It’s all Greek to me

Posted in Culture, Immigration, People, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on February 15, 2014| 7 Comments »

I’m SO done with this so-called, Polar Vortex!  I was supposed to fly into Albany, NY on Thursday night.  It’s now Saturday morning, I’ve gotten as far as Chicago, and killing time until tonight’s flight by sorting through sun-drenched, color-filled, warm-weather Oaxaca photos.  Even if the weather gods and goddesses are not cooperating, at least their cyber siblings are on the job providing WiFi — thus a new blog post.

Store front: Makedonia

This watch-repair, jewelry, and gifts (large or small) shop on Calle 20 del Noviembre is owned by Alekos Gatonas, originally from Macedonia.  He studied at the University of Chicago, met his Oaxaqueña wife, and eventually they moved to Oaxaca.  He and his family also own the event venue, “Zorba El Griego” and a Greek restaurant on the way to El Tule, “El Griego.”

By the way, “EΛΛΔΣ” translates into the Spanish word, “ellas,” which can be translated into English as “including.”

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Has this post got legs?

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 17, 2014| 2 Comments »

And now for a little levity…

Seen through the window of La Condesa restaurant and bar in Oaxaca.

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I love to tease men with my legs.   — Eartha Kitt

I keep waiting for the bar stools to break out into a tap dance routine.  A friend posted this video on Facebook yesterday of Fred Astaire tapping and drumming — at the same time!   I wonder what he would have done with these stools?

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And the winner is…

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Holidays, Parks & Plazas, People, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Despite of the name, Noche de Rábanos isn’t just about carving radishes.  The creativity and ingenuity of the gardeners and artisans of Oaxaca in several other categories are also on display — Flor Inmortal (dried flowers), Totomoxtle (dried corn husks) Natural, and Totomoxtle Decorated, as well as two Children’s categories.

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First place in the Totomoxtle Natural category went to Elpidio Adrián González López and his amazing creation, Mercado Antiguo en la Plaza de las Armas 1885.

If you missed it December 23 on the zócalo, or want to see it up close and personal, head over to CaféCafé, on the corner of Porfirio Díaz and M. Bravo.

It will be on display until January 6, 2014.

h/t Jane & Ken

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Where am I???

Posted in Food, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , on October 1, 2013| 2 Comments »

When you are caught in stop and go (mostly stopped) traffic and getting hungrier by the minute, the only thing to do is turn off onto a side street and find an Irish pub.

Hamburger and French fries = comfort food to soothe the traffic-challenged soul.  But, in Oaxaca???  Yes, McCarthy’s Irish Pub in Reforma!  Probably wasn’t the best dining decision we have ever made.  French fries were pretty good, but hamburgers left a lot to be desired.  However, by the time we left, the traffic had thinned and it was smooth sailing home!

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