Five Over Easy in Mexico City

During our April, 2013 visit to Mexico City, we tried four restaurants new to us and one reprise. I am going to describe them briefly.

When we arrived at the Great House in San Miguel Chapultepec, we were tired, so for a simple supper, we ate nearby at La Poblanita de Tacubaya, on Calle Vieyra 12 near Avenida Revolucíon. (Click for map.) La Poblanita is a popular, classic, old line Mexican restaurant specializing in mole. But we had Caldo de Gallina, an especially sabroso variant of chicken soup. The bowls were laden with chicken meat, rice and garbanzos. Ordering a plate of flautas, three chicken filled, crisp tacos dorados, was an error. The flautas were buried under a blanket of lettuce, tomato, crema and cheese. Service on that visit was desultory.

On another visit a few days later, Doña Cuevas ordered Sopa de Tortilla, which was almost a pudding of fried tortilla strips drowned in caldo, covered with an obscene amount of cheese, avocado and chicharrón. I got Sopa de Hongos, a much simpler soup loaded with thickly sliced mushrooms, but I couldn't finish it due to an excess of salt. The service at that busier time was much more responsive, yes, and cheerful.

Sopa de tortilla

Is it fair to review a restaurant on the basis of two visits, and four soups?
Of course not. But I think I got a feel for the place, so here goes.

Ratings

Food:***

Service: ***

Price: $$

Ambience: Faded Fiesta Poblana

Restrooms: Good

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Our next venture was at the cool, hip, Baja style seafood bistro Pablo El Erizo, at Fernando Montes de Oca #6, Colonia Condesa. The big player in hip seafood is, of course, Contramar. But I had memories of a very noisy dining room and very high prices, so I chose the newer, smaller and more intimate Pablo El Erizo. I'm sure that the clever name played a big part in my choice.

I immediately liked the small, well lighted dining room with its non stereotypical decor, free of flotsam and jetsam.

We were served a basket of variety breads which were better than the usual dull stuff in restaurant baskets.

We began with an order of Tostaditas de Atún Sellado, Estilo Ophelia. Very good.

Tostaditas de Atún. The strips are fried tortilla strips and crispy leeks

An order of Camarones a la Plancha was different from the usual with a light salsa, and a chipotle mayonnaise on the side.

In fact, the quartet of table salsas was distinguished.

Me, I'm a sucker for octopus, so I had Pulpo a la Parrilla. It was very plain and, let's face it: quickly boring, accompanied by a bowl of frijoles negros de olla. Now I recall that I'd had an almost identical octopus dish at Sobrino's, on Álvaro Obregón, Colonia Roma.

We ordered a somewhat redundant Filete de Atún en Costra de Pistache for la Señora, good but not especially distinguished. The snow peas were a nice touch, but the shredded white ¿potato? was tasteless. The small bowl held a sweet, somewhat gooey teriyaki type sauce. But it was addictive, and even enhanced my octopus.

I drank a couple of glasses of a medium dry Altozano Vino Blanco ($70 pesos each!) and la Señora had agua mineral or limonada.

I finished with a cafe express (good!) and a Panna Cotta dessert. It was a work of art, and tasted almost as good as it looked.

The bill came to over $1000 pesos, including tip. Was it worth it? For the experience to satisfy my curiosity, yes. For a return visit, probably not. Of course, one could order more modestly.

Ratings

Food: ****

Service: ****

Price: $$$+

Ambience: Sea froth

Rest rooms: Good

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We alternated big deal meals with simple, local suppers.
On another evening, we decided to try La Piazzetta, on Calle Verendi at Avenida Parque Lira, Colonia San Miguel Chapultepec. It was within walking distance of our lodgings.

It's a tiny place, with six tables; up a few steps at the corner of  curving Calle Verendi, which gives it a picturesque  European charm.

Pasta, panini and pizzas are on the menu, but we had a Prosciutto and Mushroom pizza, and a couple of pretty good salads.

The salads were o.k. but the pizza was distinguished by its very thin and crisp crust. The sauce and toppings were decent, and we were very satisfied with our simple meal.

Ratings

Food: ***1/2

Service: ***  Leisurely, but what's your hurry?

Price: $ 

Ambience: Cozy, neighborly.

Restrooms: Clean and serviceable

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Escarapela Bodegón Argentino, Colonia Condesa.

This cellar like boite at Avenida Nuevo Laredo # 62, Colonia Condesa, was our biggest dining disappointment. We arrived early in the afternoon, so the restaurant wasn't crowded, even on a Sunday. That was a good thing, as the tables are set very closely together and the room gets crowded later in the afternoon.

We were quickly served the obligatory chimichurrí and a spicy, emulsified mustard based (?) sauce.

We began with a pair of the popular empanadas; one of hand chopped beef, the other of "Roquefort". Both were decent. I liked the Roquefort better. Both could have been hotter.

Chopped beef, left; Roquefort, right

Doña Cuevas ordered a generous Ensalada Caprese , of thickly sliced (but essentially tasteless) tomatoes  and fresh mozzarella. It was garnished with wisps of dried tomato and dressed with a fresh basil vinaigrette. It was a relative highlight of our meal.

Our main courses were wildly variable in quality. La Señora ordered a cut of vacío, which was very good looking, but still quivering, so she sent it back for further cooking. It came back a satisfactory medium rare. This was a decent piece of beef.

Vacío

On the other hand, my bife de chorizo was a pathetic, undersized specimen, flabby, luke warm, and without char or sear. I sent mine back as well, and it returned slightly warmer and passably edible. This bife de chorizo was undoubtedly Worst of its Class, compared to the those I have enjoyed previously elsewhere.

I drank a Bohemia Clara and a café Americano (very good, too!)

Our bill was $581 before tip, a reasonable price in my estimation. If only the food quality had been more consistent.

Ratings

Food: **1/2

Service: ***

Price: $$1/2

Ambience: Bohemian wine cellar, caricatures and posters on the walls.

Rest room: very small, just functional, but clean.

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Mojing Comida China
Located at the corner of Calles Humboldt and Artículo 123, Colonia Centro.
We had visited Mojing Comida China a few years ago with our friend Ron. It is one of the very few "authentic" Chinese restaurants in Mexico City. Since our earlier visit, it had closed, then reopened under the name "Dalian", then reverted to the name Mojing, again under the original owners. We saw significant changes in the menu and the service. Service: there are now Spanish speaking waiters, which makes communication much easier for us. The menu has been extensively revised, with most entries having a photo and a Spanish caption as well as in Chinese characters.

A notable enhancement to the neighborhood is that the colony of homeless men that was across Artículo 123 is gone, replaced by an EcoBici rack and a freshly painted wall.

Because we were only two diners, our options were more limited than if we'd had dining companions. But we did quite well nevertheless.

We asked for "Raviolis Chinos al Vapor" (jiao-tse) but they were not ready yet. So we ordered the "small", $82 peso Sopa de Mariscos Agri-picante.

Seafood Soup for two

When it arrived, we were staggered by its quantity. It was in a bowl sufficient for four, and then some. But we did our best and it was good. The seafood was mostly small shrimps, some callos de hacha, and surimi. The spice level was enough to keep us interested but without being overwhelming.

For our second course, we had Camarones con Sal y Ajo. This was a great way to prepare large shrimps in the shell. There was a thin, crunchy coating of what may have been egg white and cornstarch, binding the salt and chopped garlic to the crispy shells. We were tempted to eat all the shells, but knew better that we'd suffer for it, so we limited our nibbling to the tiny legs.

We also ordered bowls of steamed white rice to go with the shrimp. At the end of the meal, we had leftovers of every course to take back to our guest house for a light supper.

Later, as I reviewed my photos, I realized we'd ordered the same shrimp dish on our earlier visit. But the two versions were very different.

Earlier version. Apparently a mistake.

The earlier version seemed to have nothing to do with salt and garlic, but had a spicy red sauce on large shrimp. The dry fried version of this visit was much more to our liking.

Ratings

Food:***1/2

Service: ****

Price: $$

Ambience: Chinoiserie favorites. This was the largest dining room of restaurants we visited. They have buffets at certain times, probably on weekends. Daily combination specials at lower prices during the week.

Rest rooms: Clean and functional

We look forward to eating there again.

The Great House in San Miguel Chapultepec

We are accustomed to staying in hotels when we travel in Mexico. Back in the 1980's, we tried staying in B&Bs in the U.S. and a couple in Mexico, but with a few exceptions, they didn't suit our style. (That might be the subject of another post.)

About a year ago we became aware of AirBnB.com, a service which brings together travelers and hosts in private homes or apartments. I was browsing its listings for Mexico City and was struck by an unusually attractive house in Colonia San Miguel Chapultepec. The guests' reviews were laudatory, without exception. We met a Canadian woman who had actually stayed there. She had enjoyed her stay but did comment that the selection of restaurants nearby was thin. I had a few doubts about its location a few miles west of our usual haunts of Colonia Roma Norte and Condesa. Despite that, we decided to book it to give us a new area of Mexico City to explore.

AirBnB plays its cards close to its chest. We knew the general area in which the house is located, but we weren't given the exact address nor the email address of the hosts until we had booked and prepaid. Prospective guests can communicate with tentative hosts through AirBnB. You can see the general area in the map below.


View Larger Map

The owner/hosts, Francisco and his wife, María Jose are busy professional people, so we didn't have a lot of interaction with them during our 5 night stay. But when we did, they were cordial and helpful. The linchpin of the Great House is  the housekeeper, Sra. Yolanda, who greeted us and who works tirelessly to ensure guests' comfort and that all is running smoothly.

There are also two to three dogs, the most notable is Maya, a huge, docile and sleepy St. Bernard.

Some practical aspects of our stay.

The neighborhood.
The house is located in a small upscale barrio of  narrow streets with homes of attractive exteriors that reveal little of what's inside. There are also a few more modern apartment and condo buildings. The barrio is bounded by busy avenues, of which the one a couple of blocks to the east is a rather deteriorated commercial strip. The western boundary avenue is along an attractive park.

Shopping, including an average bakery, farmacias and a large, modern supermarket, as well as banks and ATMs are within a 5 minute walk from the house.

Typical street in el barrio

Transportation.
Buses, (did not use); taxis, walking, and MetroBus  were our principal modes of transport. There are Metro (underground) stations six to eight blocks away. We did not use the underground Metro.

The House.
There is a large metal gate to the front parking area, followed by a foyer into the interior. Immediately to the right is a set of stairs to the bedroom level and upstairs, a reading lounge or small living room with a large window overlooking the parking area.

Foyer

Directly ahead on the ground floor, the house expands dramatically, first, a small bathroom to the right, then an attractive library-study.
Immediately to the left, is a very large, contemporary styled dining room and an open kitchen.

Comedor-Cocina

Continuing directly ahead from the entrance, there's a very spacious and nicely furnished living room with a large screen tv. The left side of the living room has glassed doors that access the modest but attractive patio-jardin, also accessible from the dining room.

Sala

Security. We felt very secure in the house. The gate was well secured and the dogs provided some small measure of protection. One of the aspects that I appreciated most was that I could leave expensive electronic devices out without fear or hesitation. This is in contrast to hotel stays, where I take measures to hide these devices when we go out.

Paco reviewing the security detail

The Bedroom.
Our bedroom was the larger of two available to guests. It was reasonably spacious and furnished with a cama matrimonial, a solid desk with working drawers, a small sofa bench, a three section armoire, and a larger screen tv with Sky services, although we never could figure out how to navigate it, even with help from Francisco.

A specially nice touch was a small refrigerator and a microwave oven. These could be very useful, but we preferred to snack and heat food in the main kitchen one floor below.

There is a ceiling fan in the bedroom, which we used a lot. The bed was reasonably comfortable, although I would have preferred a queen size or two beds. However, there really isn't room for that.

Lighting was more than adequate, and with a little creativity, I found enough outlets in which to charge my electrical devices.

Noise levels were very low when our bedroom window facing above the patio was closed, and very little street noise came in. However, there is a nursery school or day care center close by, and some sounds occasionally came in during the day.

There was intermittent noise from jet planes flying overhead, especially noticeable at some hours of the night. That can be mitigated by wearing earplugs,

Bathroom.
Our bathroom was very close to our bedroom. It was small but more than adequate. It was well supplied with soaps and shampoos, and Yolanda brought us a stack of fresh towels daily.
Hot water in the shower took a couple of minutes to arrive, but then it was o.k.

We had the bathroom to ourselves the first four nights, and shared with two other guests the fifth night. It was easy to work around this on a short term basis.

Internet.
The wifi signal was strong and available in all areas of the house where I connected. It was a real pleasure to use.

Breakfast.
Breakfast is included in the price. Breakfasts were cold cereal, toast, jam, butter, sweet bread, yogurt, cut fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee or tea. There was a wide selection of tea. One morning we were treated to Tamales Oaxaqueños.

The breakfasts were fresh and wholesome, although I would have like some protein foods, but I never got around to requesting them. Even hard cooked eggs or a couple of slices of cheese would have been welcome sustenance.

Breakfast

Neighborhood Restaurants and Street Food.
The nearest restaurant is La Poblanita de Tacubaya, a traditional Mexican restaurant with an extensive menu. I'll review it later.
There are a couple or more pizza places, mostly chains, but one charming and unique spot, to be reviewed later. There are coffee shops and comedores económicos, but we didn't eat at any.

There is also "El Matador", a grilled meat restaurant, which we did not try.

Most of the local street food stands along a major avenue didn't appeal to me, but one morning I did buy a couple of deep fried empanadas, which were hot, a little salty, but good.

Fried empanadas

One of the highlights of the barrio is a small ice cream stand featuring small selection of excellent ice creams and sorbets, made on the premises. I had one of the best chocolate ice creams in my experience.

Summing it all up; we enjoyed our stay, the house was spacious yet secure, we were welcome to use the kitchen as we wished, we felt "at home"; the barrio was not as convenient to our usual favorite areas of the city, but we learned to use the MetroBus and came to enjoy it. Our hosts, including Sra. Yolanda were genial. It's a good option for visitors who wish more space in their accommodation and relative tranquility.

Table With A View — Rancho La Mesa

The View from Rancho La Mesa (2006)

It's a principle of mine, cynical though it may be, that at restaurants with beautiful views, the food often takes a back seat to the view.  Sometimes, however, you have to make exceptions.

"Those, Sir, are my principles. And if you don't like them, well, I have others." — variously attributed to Groucho Marx and Benjamin Disraeli.

Yesterday, our friends, Bernard and Eileen suggested that we go to Rancho La Mesa. Doña Cuevas and I had been there only once before, soon after we moved to the Pátzcuaro area. At that time, we arrived late, and all the restaurant could offer were cerveza, guacamole and totopos. And a great view.

This time, we anticipated our comida with pleasure and an open mind. We even welcomed the smooth, guitar playing singer who roved the open air dining room, who unobtrusively entertained us at our request. Later, as we were finishing our dinner, mariachis arrived, but we decided to forego the pleasure of their talent.

Dining room terrace

It was pleasant to join our friends in conversation, enjoying the view, the songs, and the Botana Mixta.

And now, to the food:
The table was set with a small plate of a dense avocado paste (not exactly guacamole, but close.), small wedges of queso fresco and a basket of totopos. Pretty good.

I ordered a Paloma, grapefruit soda, lime juice and Tequila in a tall, salt rimmed glass. Refreshing, but a bit light on the Tequila. Others had agua mineral.

Bernard suggested that we split a Botana Mixta, $120 pesos, a medium large platter holding Champiñones al Ajillo, Chinchulines (crispy fried pig's intestines), and Queso Frito. The mushrooms were good, the queso was pleasant, and the crispy fried Chinchulines savory if somewhat on the hard side. There were also hot tortillas to accompany this.

Botana Mixta

We looked over the menu, which features ostrich raised on the premises, but that did not appeal to me. There were numerous variations of filete de res, to the point where the listings seemed redundant. There was also one listing for pescado, trucha salmonada, which seemed an unwise choice, and some Pollo Cordon Bleu and the like.

In the end, we all ordered some form of beef steak. Doña Cuevas had an elaborate Carne Asada a la Tampiqueña; Bernard, a filete smothered in a mushroom gravy, Eileen, a simpler Filete al Ajillo; and I; a Filete a la Pimienta, which looked simple on the menu, but arrived smothered in mushrooms and onions, and a jus, not a thickened gravy. I didn't object. All were accompanied by a fairly rice, which could have been cooked a bit longer, or kept moister. Our waiter kept us supplied with hot tortillas, of which I ate only three. I would have preferred crusty bread, but I didn't expect I'd get it.

Carne Asada a la Tampiqueña

My filete, and the others, was coarse grained, devoid of any char, cooked to medium as requested, and passably o.k. We have been spoiled by the beef at Parrilla y Canilla in Morelia. The portions were very generous, and my wife and I took home half of what we'd been served.

Our waiter did not suggest dessert or coffee, which should have alerted us, but when asked, he told us that there was flan and Café Americano or de Olla. It turned out there was no café de olla, and Eileen ordered a flan. It looked a disaster when it came. She said that it wasn't flan like, but it was o.k. It resembled a caramelized bread pudding, but I suspect that it was just overcooked flan.

All in all, it was a pleasant dinner with friends, and the view of Pátzcuaro and the Lake was inspiring, even if the food was not.

RATINGS

Food: **1/2 Generous portions, passable quality food.

Service: ***1/2

Ambience: Delightful, semi out doors, great view.

Price: $$ A relative bargain, but the price/quality ratio is not good.
Restrooms: Excellent, spacious, well maintained.

Location: Carretera Patzcuaro-Santa Clara Km 3, Los Cedros, 61600 Patzcuaro, Michoacán de Ocampo, Mexico
Partially unpaved road access, can be dusty. Plenty of easy parking.
Tel: +52 434 345 0145


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Praise from a revered source

I just returned to reading The People's Guide to Mexico web site, and was delighted to find this statement, by Editor-in-chief, Felisa (Churpa):

Favorite Blogs: My Mexican Kitchen

Posted on July 30, 2012 by churpa

While researching the murky origins of the milanesa, I stumbled across My Mexican Kitchen, the work of an expat who lives in Michoacan. The blog  features detailed and amusing restaurant reviews, with the occasional foray into a kitchen experiment, such as teaching local Mexican teenagers how to make pizza. The author seems to spend quite a bit of time in Mexico City, so if you’re planning a trip to the Big Enchilada, this would be a good place to start your culinary bucket list. He’s also a retired baker and thus provides discerning commentary on Mexican breads, which should be of interest to the bread nerds out there (Hello Carl!). To top it off, the photographs are great. Incidentally, the author, Don Cuevas, also writes another blog, Surviving La Vida Buena, which details his life in Michoacan and his travels around Mexico.  Recommended for those of you who are contemplating retirement in Mexico and would like to know more about costs, rewards, and potential pitfalls of day-to-day life.

The People's Guide To Mexico Book has been inspiring me since about 1978. It's not a guidebook as such, it's more of an aid to the traveler. The writing is very entertaining.The new staff of the People's Guide is a promising couple who will carry on the tradition of founders Carl Franz, Lorena Havens, Steve Rogers and Tina Rosa. The motto of the People's Guide is "Wherever you go... there you are."

Tolantongo: Oasis in the Desert

I have posted about our recent trio to Grutas de Tolantongo, in the arid mountains of the State of Hidalgo, on my other blog: Surviving La Vida Buena.

Tons of water emerge from hidden caverns and mountainside springs, to make a desert canyon in the Estado de Hidalgo into a spectacular oasis.
We'd visited Tolantongo in 2007, and were eager to return to experience the Paraiso Escondido area, with its long vistas and cascading warm springs pozas, tiered upon the hillsides. There are now two Tolantongos: the classic section closer to the Río and La Gruta, and the upper Paraiso Escondido section, nearer to the entrance station and place of pozas.

I invite you to read more here.

Two To Tolantongo, Part One

February 15, 2013: Now the second part is available for your reading pleasure: PART TWO: Mission Ixmiquilpan, with more emphasis on regional cuisine than Part One.

Diner Shore: La Cabaña del Lago, Cuitzeo

Shore Dinners: La Cabaña del Lago

We hadn't been to La Cabaña del Lago, just south of Cuitzeo, Michoacán, in 5 years. But last Friday, while were visiting Cuitzeo with Jennifer Rose, and after I tried a so-so birria de chivito taco in Cuitzeo's very small Mercado de Carnitas, we voted unanimously to dine on the shore at La Cabaña del Lago.

Birria de Chivito in el Mercado de Carnitas

The place had first been recommended to us by the reclusive expat blogger, "Felipe Zapata", back in 2006 or '07. We'd stopped on the way home from SMA and enjoyed a fried shrimp dinner, overlooking the aqueous expanses of Lago Cuitzeo.

View from our table

On our more recent visit, we'd been exploring the wonderful ex-convent and adjacent church in Cuitzeo's center. We were not in the mood for carnitas or other mercado food. (In fact, we found very little in Cuitzeo centro in the way of street food. Surely, there's more.)

Church and ex-convent, Cuitzeo

To drive into La Cabaña del Lago is like driving into a time warp. The landscaped grounds and especially, the inside dining room are like being in the 1950's and '60s. The sensation is enhanced by the celebrity photos on the wall of the dining room reception area.

Pedro Infante

MM!

We chose to sit outdoors, under a small palapa, with the view of the lake, the shore birds, the guano stained rock islet, and the traffic on the old causeway.

Palapa chair and set a spell

The place appeared to have been considerably freshened since our visit five years before, but not enough to affect the very relaxing ambience. The inside dining room was especially spiffed up. But it was a nice day and we ate outside, watching the water fowl.

Flustered duck cluster

We spotted an intriguing appetizer on the menu, Tacos Dorados de Frijoles a la Tlaxcatecas. We decide to order some. There were 4, golden brown tacos nicely presented, accompanied by a thin but potent salsa picante.

Tacos de Frijoles a la Tlaxcaltecas

I had a very good michelada con Clamato, la Señora a Cerveza Victoria, and Jennifer a Coke.

Jennifer and I both ordered Ancas de Rana, al Mojo de Ajo. Sra. Cuevas requested a simple Filete de tilapia a la parrilla.

Ancas de Rana al Mojo

Service was leisurely, but we didn't mind, as we soaked up the sunshine, enjoyed a refreshing breeze and looked out over the water (Sra. Cuevas said, "It doesn't even smell bad.") while chatting on a variety of topics.

It's a very long way from the kitchen to the palapa tables, so don't get in a hurry.

The platos fuertes arrived in their good time.
Presentations were simple but attractive, the food was good, but we couldn't help but compare the frog's legs with those at Mariscos La Güera. These were tasty and crisp but less juicy and meaty than those at La Güera at their best. Still, they were enjoyable overall.

The dessert offerings were meager: chongos or duraznos. We passed.

I enjoyed a cigar, we took pictures, then got the bill. It was, if I recall correctly, $412 pesos for three dinners, including drinks.

RATINGS

Food: ***

Service: ***1/2 But don't be in a hurry.

Price: $1/2  Our meals averaged out to about $140 pesos each, with tip.

Ambience: Relaxed; México, 1950, very enjoyable.

Rest rooms: Old line, but adequate. Paper towels available, and there was soap. No seat on toilet, and a somewhat "interesting" pissoir in the Caballeros' room. Click for view.

Worth a visit if you are in the area. Cuitzeo, a Pueblo Mágico, is very much worth a visit, especially for the ex-convent. Slide show of Cuitzeo, below.

Ropa Vieja y Vaca Frita: La Plazuela del Bosque, Restaurante Cubano

La Plazuela del Bosque, Restaurante Cubano in Morelia Centro has been in business about 2 years. We have lunched there twice in the last six months. I hadn't much experience with Cuban cuisine, but each visit to La Plazuela has pleased us.

Last Wednesday, we went with a friend and learned that "The Cuban Place" is offering a special comida for $180 pesos per person. The meal starts with a mojito or a soft drink if you prefer, two entradas, at which the Cuban Place excels; two platillos fuertes, rolls, Moros y Cristianos" (black beans and rice), plátanos machos fritos, and a substantial and good dessert. The value-price ratio is outstanding. The owners, and Chef Paulina Coria have done an excellent job.

The dining room, in a restored Colonial building in the Calle Sor Juana Inés de La Cruz #16, just south of Calle Las Casas and two blocks from the Tarascan Fountain, is casual and has a warm, welcoming vibe. The rusting hulk of a Cuban Chevy sets the tone to put the guest at ease.

A Mojito is a nice start to a good meal at La Plazuela del Bosque. They are not too strong but fragrant with fresh mint leaves.

Mojito

La Plazuela is especially strong in its entradas or appetizers. Here's a few that we had:

From top, clockwise: Ensalada de Naranja y Manzana, Empanada Gallega, Papa Rellena, Buñuelos de Bacalao, Frituras de Yuca

These are all good, but our favorites are the Papa Rellena (a ball of mashed potato filled with picadillo, breaded and fried), the bacalao fritters (you'll want to eat more of those) and the Yuca fritters, of mildly herbal smoothness. The fruit salad came as a surprise and was perfect to refresh the palate after the fried items. There's a small lettuce and tomato salad on each app plate, with a delicious, mysteriously herbal dressing.

I was amazed at how many platillos fuertes came to our table of three. These were not full sized portions, but neither were they minuscule. First came Moros y Cristianos (black beans and white rice, in separate dishes.); fried plátanos, and the rest of the items shown in the image below.

From top left, clockwise: Frijoles  Negros, Arroz Blanco, Masitas de Puerco, Pescado Camagüey, Vaca Frita, Ropa Vieja, Picadillo, Plátanos Fritos 

Our group's favorites  were the Ropa Vieja, shredded beef in a tomato sauce; Masitas de Puerco, delicious cubes of sautéed pork; the Pescado Camagüey was perfectly seasoned and superb; and Vaca Frita, similar to Ropa Vieja but unsauced.

Some close ups:

Ropa Vieja

Vaca Frita

Picadillo

We agreed that the Picadillo by itself was missable. It works very well in the context of the Papa Rellena but lacked verve by itself.

Plátanos Fritos

Opinion was divide on the beautiful, golden Plátanos Fritos. To me, they had an aroma reminiscent of a good, healthy equestrian exercise. Others didn't pick that up. While I didn't hate them, I've never been a fan of fried plantains.

Regrets that I didn't catch the Pescado for a photo.

Dessert was surprising. My companions chose Pastel de Chocolate, which was enjoyed, although I dislike the current practice of adorning chocolate deserts with squiggles of chocolate syrup. To me, it's like admitting that the chocolate of the cake is lacking and must be fortified.

The first time I tried Natillas, a creamy custard, I was hooked. The version at La Plazuela del Bosque is especially well done. It's a cross between a light Creme Brûlée and an upside down flan. The spun sugar garnish was a beautiful embellishment.

One of us finished with a Café Americano and I had a Café Express Cortado. Two aguas minerales and our total bill came to $661 pesos. A 10% service charge had been included. That is a practice I dislike, but I would tolerate at this restaurant, as the food and service outweigh any minor irritations.

The Ratings

Food: ****

Service: ****

Price: $$+

Ambience: Casual and relaxing

Restroom: Ample, well tended, clean

Parking: Private lot to one side.

Wifi: Free. Just ask for the clave.

Hours: Open for breakfast at 9:00 a.m.
Comida from 14:00 hours until 23:00 hours, M-Sa. Until 18:00 hours Sunday

Tel: 443-312-5049