Men's Breakfast at Las Cuevas 2008

This past Tuesday morning, Susan and I, with the help of our neighbors, Geni and Larry, and a friend, Bruce, had 22 retired men as breakfast guests to our house at Rancho Las Cuevas. Again, the theme was "Southern U.S. Breakfast", and as such, calories and cholesterol levels were ignored.

The Menu

• Home made Cinnamon Rolls
• Angel Biscuits, sausage gravy
• Thick Sliced, Hickory Smoked Bacon
• Hominy Grits
• Scrambled Eggs
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Oven roasted Potatoes
• Salsas, both red and green
• Strawberry Jam, Honey
• Small, freshly squeezed Orange juice
• Coffee

(A big urn type coffeemaker was lent to us by Rick Davis, co-owner of Restaurant Cha Cha Cha in Pátzcuaro. Many thanks, Rick!)

The day was bright and sunny when the guests started arriving at about 9:10, and we were serving by 9:50. However, preparations started the day before and I set to work in the early morning at 2 a.m to begin baking and cooking. The most time consuming part was the making of the cinnamon rolls, but I enjoyed it because it took me back, on a flood of nostalgia, to the more fun aspects of owning a bakery in the 80s and mid-90s.

The rest was basically Army Cooks' training coming to the fore with organizational skills and exquisite timing. There were a minimum of glitches. When it was over, the guests were happy and well-fed, and we and our crew were rewarded with satisfaction and a pitcher of

"Mexican Bloody Marys."

Here's the recipe:

• 5 or 6 chilled 12 oz V-8 juices
• juice of 6-7 Mexican limes
• 5-7 dashes of Salsa Huichol or favorite bottled salsa
• Lea & Perrins, 2-3 dashes
• Maggi Jugo, 2-3 dashes
• 1 cup, approximately, ice-cold Tequila (nothing fancy)
• ice
• Serve in glasses rimmed with sea-salt and coarsely ground red chile .

Thanks to Geni Certain for the photos. Many thanks to Larry Wood for squeezing many kilos of oranges for orange juice, serving coffee, and moving furniture. Thanks to volunteer Bruce for his help serving. Muchas gracias a nuestros vecinos, Chucha y Mateo por nos dando prestacíon de unas sillas y una mesa. Special thanks to SFC (U.S. Army, Ret.) Ric H., for his organizational skills.

Click slide show to visit gallery.

The Cooking School In Patzcuaro

The Cooking Class at El Mesón de San Antonio

The proliferation of cooking schools in Mexico, ranging from short, one day classes to elaborate one week sojourns has been phenomenal in recent years. Oaxaca city seems to lead in offering cooking lessons, followed by Tlaxcala, Guadalajara, and Mexico City. This is an area of educational and entertaing tourism until recently neglected in Pátzcuaro.

I recently received an email from four Americans planning to visit Pátzcuaro, inquiring about Mexican cooking classes in the area. I knew of only one, on a distant Zirahúen ranch, and that was probably closed. I replied that I thought I could organize something for them, at the spacious and comfortable Hotel Mesón de San Antonio

With the cooperation of our friends, Mesón owners and hosts Sr. Alfredo del Río Mora, and his wife Sra. Guadalupe del Río, we put together a one day class of 5 to 6 hours. Guadalupe ("Lupe") is an excellent and dexterous cook, and would teach the class. I was the organizer and translator as necessary.

I corresponded at length by email with the guests to customize the class to their needs. The event was our "pilot program" and thus we were able to offer them a choice of menus with some variations. The theme was "Comida Michoacana", and the final menu was this:

CHURIPO MENÚ
• Ensalada de Nopalitos con queso fresco
• Churipo con Corundas
• Tortillas de Maíz Criollo hechas a mano
• Salsa de Chile de Árbol con Xoconostle;
• Postre: Copita de Gaspacho Moreliano
• Agua Fresca de Jamaica
• Pulque

We enlisted the help of Sra. Amparo Cervantes and her daughter, Mireya, from the Restaurante Comida Regional in Tzurumútaro; specialists in the traditional making of corundas and handmade tortillas. They brought their vaporera, or steamer; and a metate y mano to demonstrate and teach the techniques to the guests.

Our day began when I led the guests, three of us toting shopping bags, on a shopping tour of Pátzcuaro's Mercado, to buy most of the ingredients for the meal. This was our shopping list:

• Carne de Res (Lupe purchased the beef earlier in order to get it cooking.)
• Cebollas
• Col
• Zanahorias
• Chayotes
• Calabacitas
• Xoconostles
• Cilantro
• Epazote
• Piña
• Jícama
• Mango
• Queso cotija
• Chile molido
• Limones
• Nopalitos
• Chile verde

Of course, we looked at many other things in the Mercado unrelated to our menu of the day. One could visit the Mercado every week and still find new and fascinating ingredients as well as prepared foods. The Pátzcuaro Mercado in photos.

When we arrived back at the hotel, Sras. Amparo and Mireya were there, setting up. You can see their demonstration of tortilla making in the video embedded below.

The guests were able to participate to whatever degree they wished; slicing, dicing, cutting, and most of all, trying their hands at tortilla making and, more challenging, filling and wrapping the 5-pointed corundas. I devoted my time to taking photos and videos, but was soon enlisted by Lupe to help in the preparations.

At a few minutes to 2:00 p.m., we sat down in the large "Refectorio" hall (once the set of a a telenovela filming) of the Mesón de San Antonio to our comida.

The churipo was rich with meat and vegetables; much better than any I'd ever had in restaurants; the Ensalada de Nopalitos, tart; slightly picante with chiles verdes serranos, and refreshing. The corundas were abundant, steaming hot, light and spongy, perfect for soaking up the broth of the churipo. The tamales, thick and earthy, were somewhat of an excess, but nevertheless welcome.

The agua fresca de jamaica was tart-sweet and refreshing.

Postre (dessert), was a light melange of diced fresh pineapple, jícama, and mango
bathed in freshly squeezed orange juice, sprinkled with Queso Cotija and a dusting of chile molido al gusto.

Excerpted Comments from Participants...

"We'd like to once again thank you for putting together a phenomenal cooking experience.. We found Lupe to be a gracious host, a beautiful kitchen to work around in and we appreciate all the work and efforts you all went to..."

"Market Shopping = A+ An exceptional experience especially for someone who's not attended a large city market. Knowing how to select and find the ingredients is of importance to most cooks."

"Menu = A+ With all the foods in Mexico to prepare it's hard to decide what would be the "perfect" menu for a cooking class. What you suggested and planned for fit us all perfectly. No complaints. This was a true and authentic menu..."

"An exceptional value for the experience..."
Leisa Bailey

"It was great fun and a nice and intimate setting to visit with very nice and interesting people. The Purhepecha menus for classes will be very appealing to people visiting, both foreigners and Mexican, I would think."

Carole Kocian

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For further information, contact Mesón de San Antonio

La Jaiba: Eat Here and Get Crabs

We'd heard how good this seafood restaurant is, but until Thursday, hadn't eaten there. There's another location, somewhere out near the Panteón Municipal, but it has been elusive. The one we found is at Blvd García de León # 937, north side, close to a TelMex office and parking lot. Parking is where you find it, on the street. There's a wheelchair ramp of sorts at the door. Tel: (443) 315 57 57. The rooms are fairly simple but well lit and spacious, as befits a marisquería. The menu fits on two sides of a folding carta.

We were immediately brought an attractively arranged platter of chopped onion, cilantro leaves and chopped chile perón; a small loaf of crusty bread, a dish of the popular, orangey colored spiced mayonnaise, and a small mound of what I call "ensaladilla Rusa; cubed cooked potatoes, peas and carrots in mayo. This has never attracted me, but it was actually quite good. There were two collections of popular bottled salsas; that the labels were gone added a frisson of daring to the meal.

Our drinks orders were taken promptly. There's a pretty good selection of cervezas and mixed drinks. I treated myself to a vodka and mineral water. The Absolut Vodka, poured generously at table, was what I need after having just spent an hour plus in a dentist's chair.

Our group of four began with a pair of Rollos de Jaiba and Rollos de Mariscos; sort of semi-formed Spring Rolls. They were "ok" but not great, with mushy, undistinguished fillings and not very crisp wrappers. They came with more ensaladilla Rusa. Being hungry, we ate them with no problem.

Choosing a main course was pleasantly challenging. The list of interesting preparations is extensive and inventive, such as Camarones Cocos. Camarones al Tequila, Camarones a la Salsa Mango, etc. They also offer cocteles de mariscos, of course. We saw a couple of men receive Cocteles Campechanas, a large "Chabela" goblet, beautifully layered with fresh oysters, shrimp and octopus. The cocteles were very tempting, but fortunately, we'd already eaten, and I didn't violate my "Oath of No Raw Oysters in Mexico" that I swore in 1980, when I was ill for two weeks after an oyster cocktail in Tuxpan, Veracruz.

My wife, Susan, had some beautiful and tasty Brochetas de Camarones, presented with grilled orange wedges, sweet yellow peppers, onion and bacon on actual wooden skewers. (So often "brochetas" or "alambres" means a stir-grilled melange of tasty bits that once upon a time, might have been served on a skewer.) A small plate of so-so rice accompanied it, as well as some limp, somewhat greasy French Fries. Our two visitors split an order on Mango Shrimp. It was nicely done, 3 shrimp per diner (you can order as many as you want. The waitresses are very accomodating.) The sauce was a thick, puree of mango with a hint of chile. Not exactly my kind of thing, but the taste of sauce I had was pleasant.

I wanted a filete de pescado, as I wasn't up for tackling a whole fish. (During our meal, we saw a whole, raw fish presented to another diner on an iced platter for his approval. It stuck out over the sides of the platter. We were impressed.)

I hadn't had a proper Pescado a La Veracruzana in a long time, so I ordered that. I anticipated that the filet itself would be bland and very soft textured. I think that tilapia is very popular with restauranteros. It's by no means my favorite fish, as it's usually nearly devoid of any interesting texture nor taste, but on this occasion it suited me. The sauce was very good; let me tell you:

*What are some signs of a good Salsa a la Veracruzana?*

• Fresh tomatoes; onions, a little garlic, certainly.
• Cooked Chiles Jalapeños, cut lengthwise.
• Green olives, hold the pimento stuffing.
• Alcaparras (capers) lend a salty tang. (In another Mexican restaurant, in the U.S., I was once served the dish with peas as a stand-in for the capers.)
• Bay leaves. (Remove before tucking into your fish.)
• Juices are liquid, not thickened with tomato puree.
• A lightly fried chile güero on top is a classic touch.

IMO, the Veracruzana at La Jaiba met and exceeded these standards, except for no chile güero. Big deal. It was delicious anyway. I cleaned up all the sauce with the fresh bread.

Desserts are mini-individual cakes or flan. The cakes are cute, but nothing special really; the flan was a little firm, which is ok, and our Pennsylvania born friend jealously guarded it from me. Coffee was IMO, passable, but our Louisana-raised friend thought it was bad.

Summing up: I'd give La Jaiba 3 1/2 stars, moving toward 4, out of a possible 5. The service is excellent, the room is fine, the chairs comfortable. As to the food, the cocteles de mariscos looked magnificent and well made. (Did not try them.). The shrimp in Mango Sauce were plump, fresh and tasty. The Brochetas also. The Veracruzana, an A-.

The Fry Cook needs retraining, with special attention to oil temperatures.
In general, worthy of a special visit, and we would certainly eat there again.

Really, I didn't spot any crabs on my once-over-lightly scan of the menu. I could have titled this blog post; "Shrimps Served Here", but that wouldn't have gotten your attention as quickly.

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Update:
We went to Morelia last Tuesday. The mid-day and afternoon heat was powerful.

A small group protesting on Blvd. García de León jammed traffic, but we were able to extricate ourselves and park about 4 or 5 blocks from Mariscos La Jaiba. Once inside, we found the overhead fan very welcome. We ate lightly, a shrimp cocktail for Doña Cuevas, and one of pulpos and camarones for me. They were delicious; among the better ones we've had. It wasn't that the shrimp were so much better; it was that the clear broth in the glass was tastier. I also like the platter of chopped cilantro, cebolla y chiles with which to garnish your food al gusto. We were also very thirsty, and we drank a pitcher of limonada and a michelada con Clamato.

At an adjoining table, a large family/friends group came in and ordered mariscadas, platters heaped with cold, boiled seafood, including what looked like a part of a langosta. It was very attractive and tempting. Our waitress explained that the price started at about $100 MXP per person, and went up, depending on the selection, and I suppose, the market price of some of the seafood. A mariscada is on our priority list for our next visit.

La Jaiba is located on Blvd. García de León near the corner of Calle Battalla de Cerro Gordo, but east of the Telmex Building. The next street to the west is Batalla de La Angostura.



View Pátzcuaro's Best Eats in a larger map

Eating Oaxaca -Un Paseo por El Llano

There's some noteworthy restaurants around the leaf-shade Parque Júarez (usually called "El Llano", where lovers smooch and Oaxacan families come to walk, jog, bicycle, skate board and generally enjoy the fountains and each others' company. Marco Polo is one favorite, a seafood restaurant, specializing in clay oven roasted fish, and it can be very good when simply prepared with a light chile salsa; or it can be mediocre, ruined by a largesse of rich elaboration.

At the Parque El Llano, you can also get a hot dog or a hamburguesa, a lunchmeat tostada, but most notable are the pickled fruits and vegetables sold at a stand or two, and pucker up at the Oaxacan specialty snack, piedrazos.

Here is an account that I wrote on the Lonelyplanet.com Thorn Tree, Mexico Branch.

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There were various elotes and esquites ladies, with boiled corn on the cob, served on a stick; and the esquites, (designed for neatniks), a cup of corn in its broth. Either way, you may choose it topped with lime, chile, mayonesa and/or chile.

Next door was hot dog and hamburger cart. The man was deftly slicing tomatoes, in a TV Whiz Chef manner. When he lit his gas lantern , I ventured over to try a hot dog. It wasn't by any means the best I've ever had, but the condiments made up for the blandness of the tube steak. What do you expect for $6 pesos?

At a stand at the north end, a man was making tostadas with a smear of frijoles negros, then putting what appeared to be diced luncheon loaf ( a sort of cold cut, vaguely resembling a terrine.), topped with typical local condiments. I quickly decided that was not my dish.

I don't want to fail to mention the conserved fruits stand, run by an abuelita. There are big glass jars (a friend in Pátzcuaro told me they´re known as "Doña Juanas". These were filled with a variety of pickled fruits and vegetables. I dared to eat a pickled mango, with more salt and chile on it. Whooooooooooo! Very acidic, and as I ate down toward the pit/stone, it became very astringent. I'd take a wild guess that they are cured in cal before being brined in vinegar and chiles de árbol. I felt a layer of my tastebuds vanish.

We went to wash this all down at a paletería called "Popeye's". It was refreshing, but not very natural tasting of fruit. (We´re accustomed to the high quality paletas La Michoacana .)

I noticed a big jar filled with red, chile infused vinegar. Alongside was another jar filled with dry, toasted bread heels. The idea is to dip the dry bread inthe seasoned vinegar, y ¡ándale! The only rationale, if there is one, for the Oaxacan penchant for sour, salty, astringent "treats" is to provoke thirst in order to drink more fluids, and possibly, replace electrolytes lost to perspiration.

Over all, a paseo por El Llano is a very pleasant and tranquilizing experience. Tonight's direction was counter-clockwise. Maybe it's always that direction.
(Just keep it tranquil by avoiding the pickled fruits.)

Eating Oaxaca—Part Four

The Cooking Class

La Casa de Los Sabores Cooking School is a class act. They are very well organized yet have an approachable, easy to like, informal style.

Wednesday morning was the day of my private class with Pilar.

As usual, our day began with a nice breakfast in the patio dining room.

At 9:30, Pilar and I went out to the Mercado de La Merced, about 6 blocks to the east the B&B. The Merced is a local, neighborhood mercado, and as such, attracts very little tourist trade. Thus it is generaly cheaper and less busy than the better known mercados closer to Centro, and the famed, but overwhelming, Mercado de Los Abastos.

Enroute, Pilar pointed out a small store in which there were about 6 electrified molinos, at the service of the market vendors who needed products ground. Among those products might be chiles, café, maíz or moles. These molinos are essential to the Oxacan cuisine.

We soon reached the Mercado. About one-third of it is vacant of active stalls. The reason, Pilar explained, is that many younger members of the families that operate the stalls have migrated, or have no interest in continuing the work of their parents. The other two thirds is quite active, although it was not thronged at the time of our visit.

I'd been given a slip of paper with a shopping list on it, as well as other items which might be of interest to see, but which we did not need. These are the items.

Lista Del Mercado
Masa para tortillas
ejotes
epazote
Garbanzo molido
hierbabuena
hierbasanta
Miltomate
perejil
requesón
chayote
comino
Pimiento
Tortilla
Pechuga de pollo

Things to identify but don't buy
asiento
Blandas
Chile Pasilla Oaxaqueña
Chiles de Agua
Gusanos de Maguey
Manteca
Masa

Pilar was determined to buy the breast of a free-range chicken. At the first stand where we looked, the chicken was killed the day before. That wasn't fresh enough. Around the corner, at another pollería, we found what we wanted. A free range chicken does not look very attractive; the skin is pale and not golden. They also take longer to cook, as they have had a diet of insects and life of exercise. But their meat is more savory than the marigold petal-fed, confined chickens.

The carnicería, run by a young woman, was doing a slow business, as it was Miércoles de Las Cenizas. She was one of the few woman carniceras.

Buying the vegetables went quickly. Miltomates are a much smaller variety of tomatillos or tomates verdes, and are said to have superior flavor. I think we got ours pre-husked, as the papery husks are time consuming to remove.

At the masa counter, two grinds were available; fine and coarse. The first is intended for tortillas and antojitos, the second for tamales.

Nearby is another small stand selling chocolateatole: a drink very much of Southern México, made up of two parts: a hot, drink of cracked corn, and a cold foam of chocolate that is added on top. I thought that it wasn't bad, but somewhat of an acquired taste. It evoked thoughts of the Emperor Moctezuma, and his golden goblet of foamy, unsweetened xocolatl, thickened with maíz and spiked with chile.

We made a stop at the dried chiles stand, where I also bought some special Oaxacan chiles to take home.

On the other side of the mercado, a woman sat on the floor, selling fresh herbs. We bought hierbasanta and hierbabuena, and I bought some hojas de aguacate and hierbasanta . One plant was especially aromatic; a tall, leafy stalk of cedrón. Its aroma was that of lemon and something less definable. I later learned that it's called lemon verbena in English. Later, we had an agua fresca de limón at Pilar's restaurant, La Olla, and I think it may have been made with the cedrón.

The class is very well organized. Everything that is needed is at hand when the food preparation begins; some of the standard ingredients are already setup beforehand, and that the pace is quick but not hurried. However, it pays to give the cooking close attention, for if you don't, you may miss something.

We were back at the kitchen before 11 a.m. Marí immediately got the chicken cooking in a pot of water. Pilar and I started the prep; first the dessert, Pay de Requesón con Salsa de Chocolate Oaxaqueño; then the antojitos, Memelitas con quesillo; next, the Salsa de Tres Chiles: morita, chipotle, y pasilla de Oxacaca, plus onion, garlic and miltomates asados.

Our next task was a very simple Sopa de Garbanzos con hierbabuena y epazote, using some of the stock from the chicken cooking.
Finally, the vegetables and the herbs for the Mole Verde were prepared. The ejotes were cooked briefly and then shocked in ice water. The chayotes were cubed and also cooked.

Next, a goodly lump of masa was blended with water and put to cook and thicken in a cazuela de barro. The concept is to complete all processes in the Mole Verde before adding the herb mixture. This serves to preserve an attractive color. Finally, the herbs, hoja santa, perejíl, and some chile were blended with stock. (I need to look at the recipe to see if more miltomates were used in the mole.)

The viscosity of the mole was adjusted, salt to taste, and ¡ya listo!

We sat down, Pilar, Susan and I at the nicely set table, and began our meal with a small glass of mescal joven. I recall the label was "Místico".

The memelitas are very much like sopes, but smaller and thinner, lightly anointed with asiento, griddled on the comal, and garnished with Oaxacan string cheese, quesillo. With it we ate a zesty Salsa de Tres Chiles.

Then the simple but delicious Sopa de Garbanzos, with its mellow, toasty flavor enhanced by hierbabuena, epazote and chile pasilla de Oaxaca.

The Mole Verde de Pollo was presented as large, boneless strips of breast meat on a pooled background of mole. It was delicious, with a complex, herbal flavor.

Dessert, Pay de Requesón, was light and pleasant, without the heavy richness of a cream cheese cake. The Chocolate Sauce was nice, but not especially memorable.

In all, an interesting class, one that went by all too quickly, but, in my opinion, worth the expense.

La Comida De Cuaresma En el Mercado de Pátzcuaro

Friday, February 16, we went into Pátzcuaro to shop, and as I was feeling hungry, I stopped at the Birrería Don Prisci's at the esplanada del mercado for a plato chico de birria de borrego. I was only a little surprised to find that they were not serving meat on Fridays. Nor were 90% of the other antojitos and prepared food vendors close by.

This sort of "fasting" seems to entail little denial of the flesh, as the foods are so attractive, delicious and economical.

Don Prisci's was offering 4 Lenten plates: Caldo de Pescado, $35 MXP; Caldo de Camarón $40); Mojarra entera frita, $35 (!); Filete de Pescado Empanizado, $35. The fish plates were attractively served on big, oval platters, garnished with lechuga orejona (romaine lettuce), tomato slices, avocado wedges, ensalada de nopalitos, and a big mound of mayonesa. These plates were much, much more elaborate than the usual, basic bowls and tacos of meaty, soupy birria that they usually serve. As I was not so hungry, I had a bowl of caldo de camarón*, which was quite good, eaten with the huge tortillas de maíz for which Don Prisci's is well known, fresh off the comal.

*Although nowhere near as good as at Mariscos La Güera, where seafood is a specialty, every day. But also costs quite a bit more.

I was watching the set-up and handling of the platters of fish passing from hand to hand, and I had some doubts about the food hygiene on this specific occasion. On the other hand, the birria is served steaming hot and without any raw salad vegetables; unless you choose to put on chopped onions and cilantro. That was another reason I ate the Caldo de Camarón.

On the other side of the esplanada, the taqueros, except for two, had converted their steamed and chopped barbacoa stands into proper pious Lenten fare service. The big taquería, "La Cabaña del Taco" was shuttered. The stand I especially noted was offering chopped fish tacos (I had one, and it was delicious. 5 pesos); rajas de Chile Poblano con queso, pescado blanco (?), or at least, attractive portions of smallish fish fried in a light egg batter. I may have missed other items.

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 We returned yesterday, Friday, February 23, this time, armed with a camera and an appetite.
We ate 5 tacos each at Taquería 'Nacho's', on the very steps of the esplanada del mercado. I also took photos at Don Prisci's, but unfortunately, no one ordered the impressive whole fried mojarra. I took some photos at a small taco stand on the opposite side. Conditions were very dark, and only a few came out. (That stand is close to La Cabaña de Taco, which was again closed.)


(Click slideshow to go to full view album.)

Deeper into the interior of the mercado buldings is an area of humble comedores and fondas. There, right at the base of the ramp, was Fonda 'Esperanza', as well as others. The fare offered at Esperanza's was fascinating.

There was the obligatory menudo , (made in superior way at this fonda; doctor's excuse not needed;-); Caldo de Pescado, Nopalitos en Salsa con Tortitas de Camarones Secos, and an unusual dish, Chiles Güeros en Caldo Rojo con Tortitas de Arroz. This will be a "must try" next Friday for us.(Previously, I thought that the chiles güeros were filled with cheese, but they weren't, and the caldo was o.k but not outstanding.
Updated March 9, 2011

Eating Oaxaca—Part Three

Susan was coming down with a cold. Various remedies were applied and taken.
But two days of bed rest proved most efficacious...

As there were no limones available in the kitchen of La Casa de Los Sabores (review) with which to make cold combating hot drinks, I went out for extended walks in search of them. I eventually ended up at el Mercado de La Merced, on Calzada de República, about 5 or 6 blocks east of the B&B. This is the same mercado where the Sabores classes shop for the ingredients of their meal. While it's not as busy as the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, it's easier to move about, get what you need, and, as Pilar says, the prices are lower.



Videos thanks to Jay P. Francis. Click Video "Menu" for more.

Meanwhile, my rambles took me toward Centro, and the Pastelería La Vasconia, at Independencia # 907, across from the Teatro Macedonio Alcalá; where I renewed acquaintances with the two sisters who operate it. We'd visited the place in the mid-90s, when I ran a bakery in Mountain View, Arkansas. At the earlier visit, Inés and I talked shop. I was pleased to see that they'd gone ahead and purchased a very nice refrigerated showcase for their fine cakes and cream filled pastries. The sisters are at an age where they want to sell the business. It has a fine location, a few blocks from the Zócalo, and may include the extensive living quarters in back and above. The business has been in their family for about 70 years.

There were a few curiosities, as well. We'd walked past Mariscos Las Nereidas, on Calle Xicoténcatl #111, where a window sign advertised "Cucarachas al Mojo de Ajo". On my lone ramble, I went in and inquired about them. I was kindly shown a cooked crustacean tail, somewhat like a langostino or lobster tail. The concept was interesting, but we never got around to trying any of their fare. The restaurant is large, fairly bare of decor (typical of many marisquerías), prices moderately expensive, and is open 8:00 to 12 for breakfast; Sunday through Monday (all week), live music Thursdays through Sundays. Tel: 51-49455.

A wonderful find, just around the corner from Los Sabores B&B, at the corner of Morelos and Pino Súarez, was the Super Cocina Lucía's. It had scarcely been open a week when I "found" it. It's a small shop, open from 12:30 to about 4:30 M-F. The offerings, displayed in open pans are appetizing and fresh. The salads are clean and outstanding. Each day there are different guisados. I bought two salads, one of citrus fruits, very good; but the spinach-broccoli was terrific; some Tortitas de Elote, and Sopa de Fideos, to take back to Susan. I enjoyed some of it myself, meanwhile having some of those previously mentioned Tacos Árabes from El Balcón de La Lechuza.

The owner, Lucía, her assistant, Mónica, and I had a nice conversation about the food and the business. I learned of Lucías father's other two or three restaurants, one of which is called "La Escondida", rather a major operation, on the outskirts of Oaxaca. There is also the original Super Cocina Lucía's, in the north part of the city, and somewhat larger, but I didn't get the location/address. After Susan I ate the take out food from Lucía's, I returned to take some photographs of the ladies and their foods.
(This is what I like most about traveling in Mexico: a chance to meet and connect with others of similar interests and enthusiasms. I think we have made new friends at Lucía's)

That evening, other guests returned with steamingly hot tamales, purchased from a Señora seated at the corner of Calle Abasolo and Pino Súarez, about three blocks fron Los Sabores. Her varied tamales were meatless, but very good, and only $5 MXP each. Even though I was tired from all the walking I'd done, and the hot Oaxacan sun, I went out and bought 5 of these treats.

The next day was Wednesday, when my class would take place.

Eating Oaxaca - Part Two

We slept well, and took the Metro from Insurgentes Station to San Lázaro Station, which resurges next to TAPO (Terminal de Autobuses para Pasajeros al Oriente) but first bought a few supplies at the Farmacia San Pablo, across the Avenida Álvaro Obregón from the hotel. We breakfasted at the passable, but nothing special Bisquets Café de Paris, on the corner. (This area of the broad, Parisian style Avenida Álvaro Obregón is notable for having at least two locations of the the justly popular restaurant chain, Los Bisquets, Bisquets de Obregón, of which more, later.)

We arrived at TAPO without any real difficult. (I often advise newly arriving visitors to el D.F. not to take the Metro from the Aeropuerto to the Centro Histórico, as the route involves at least one transfer and several flights of stairs, and factoring in altitude, jet lag, and possible crowds, it just isn't a wise move. Our trip was straightforward, without transfers, and it was a relatively quiet Sunday morning. Nevertheless, seats were scarce and at least one of us had to stand.

At TAPO, we erred in going to the TicketBus booth not far inside, rather than continuing on to the ADO counters in the main , "Spaceship" concourse. TicketBus, a ticket agency for various bus lines, did not have any departures with INAPAM seats available until 13:00 hours, so we bit the bullet and bought full fare seats on the 11:00 bus. The total fare was about $760 pesos, including the small commission that TicketBus charges. The bus was an ADO Primera Clase, which is actually one of the lowest classes of service, but really, reasonably comfortable, no beverage or food service aboard, single restroom, onboard movies (we got to watch Flyboys for the second time in two days.); making one, brief stop at Nochixtlán, about an hour short of Oaxaca. I bought a couple of Tortas Cubanas (a sort of Mexican "Dagwood" sandwich) and we had our canned Jugos V-8 along, and plenty of bottled water. The trip takes a little over 6 hours. Plenty of time to watch 3 movies, or look out at the spectacular desert, canyon and mountain scenery after Tehuacán.

As we slowly entered the outskirts of Oaxaca, I turned to Susan and said; "It reminds me a lot of West Plains, Missouri."
An absurd statement, of course.

The new First Class Bus Terminal is a great improvement over the old, crowded one that we remember. The location is the same, but the exits are onto the street a block south of where it formerly exited. It took a few moments to get oriented.
Since we were traveling lightly, with backpacks, we walked the 6 blocks to Casa Arnel through Colonia Jalatlaco. The barrio seemed attractively painted and refreshed, while keeping its traditional Oaxacan charm. Just before reaching the Casa, we were surprised to see a fairly snazzy Italian seafood restaurant, La Marinera. Our friend, Geri Anderson, who lives in the area, recommends another, somewhat expensive restaurant, La Toscana, located on the cross street, Alianza, between Aldama and Calzada de La República.
It was very pleasant to arrive at the door of Casa Arnel. It was like coming home again. Inside, the gringos were gathered in front of a giant screen TV, watch the Super Bowl. After exchanging greetings with Sr. Arnel, and settling in to our nice although not plush room, we rested before going out in search of supper.
We had a craving for good pizza, and we knew where we could get it: at Pizza Rústica, on an east-west street, toward the northern end of the Andador Turístico, in an old mansion. We'd eaten there years ago, and remember the pizza as outstanding. The ground floor was empty except for a few unused tables, but a fine staircase went up to a quiet and somewhat elegant dining room, with windows overlooking the street.

The menu nowadays offers far more than pizza, including pastas, soups and meats, but we stayed with our original plan. We ordered the eponymous Pizza Rústica; with a light tomato sauce on a thin, crisp crust, dressed with mushrooms, onions, flores de calabaza, and chile Poblano. (We requested the latter in place of sweet green pepper.) The salads were very good, served in wooden trencher bowls. With a glass of red wine, two mineral waters, the bill came to just under $300 pesos.

We had no problem sleeping in Casa Arnel that night.

The next morning we joined the other guests at table in Casa Arnel, for a light but delicious breakfast of Granola Completa, unsweetened amaranth and oat granola, covered with freshly cut tropical fruits, and bathed in creamy yogurt. ($35 pesos). There is good coffee, hot cakes, pan salado, Huevos a la Oaxaqueña and more. The restaurant at Casa Arnel is mostly a breakfast place, although they can make up sandwiches and box lunches.

A couple of hours later, we walked to Centro, the Zócalo and the Mercado 20 de Noviembre. A large procession of protesting campesinos was filing past the Zócalo, but there were no obviously physical conflicts.

In the bustling Mercado, we quickly located a likely fonda; Abuelita's. There we ordered a second, more substantial breakfast; Huevos Revueltos con Chorizo Oaxaqueño for me; and a Tlayuda con Tasajó for Susan. We both drank Chocolate Caliente de Agua, con Pan de Yema. The chocolate was quite good but the pan was not especially eggy nor even all that fresh. My dish was tasty, if rather greasy, and Susan felt the Tlayuda to be overly dry and was unable to finish it. I helped and to me it was tasty, but could have been prepared better.


We walked back to Casa Arnel, packed our stuff, and paid. We could have walked to La Casa de Los Sabores in about 15 or 20 minutes, but the sun was reaching its zenith, so we saved strength and took a cab. There, Martha greeted us, and placed us in the "Gardenia" room. It was spacious and had a King bed.

We must have been well filled by our two breakfasts, as I can't remember any more meals we ate that day. (Incredible!) Maybe it was few Tacos Árabes. (see below)

We spend a lot of time walking, just looking and visiting bakeries, markets and a few shops. We are not crafts fanciers nor are we big on museums. Among the intriguing restaurants, we noticed "El Balcón de La Lechuza", specialists in Tacos Árabes. we got to try them the next night. Pork is grilled on a rotary spit in front of a charcoal fire. They're a relative of Tacos Al Pastor, but without the spicy adobo marinade, and onion takes the place of the pineapple garnish. Mild yet very good. The accompanying salsas were a garlicky vegetable sauce and a thin and picante salsa chipotle. They were mellow and quite delicious, especiallly with the melted white cheese on them.
Breakfast at Los Sabores started with an attractive and artistically fashioned fruit plate; a quesadilla de quesillo, nopales y epazote, and lots of coffee. There was a basket of the same whole grain bread as served at Restaurante La Olla. There was a fruit juice blend also.

Susan was coming down with a cold. Various remedies were applied and taken.
But two days of bed rest proved most efficacious.

(To be continued, in Part Three)

Eating Oaxaca - Part One

The winter passes relatively benignly here in the Pátzcuaro, Michoacán region. But January brings some cold nights and cool days, and we sought a break from the chill air. Moreover, I looked forward to the diverse cuisine of sunny Oaxaca, and to learn a little about it. We also wanted to renew old friendships and make new acquaintances while there. After looking over the many and varied cooking schools and classes offered around Oaxaca, I decided to test the waters by signing up for a one-day class at La Casa De Los Sabores.

Several options are available, as you can see from their website. I decided to splurge on a private class (I was the only student) because I wanted to match class content with the my skill level and experiences . In other words, I wouldn't be very happy if I was taught how to make guacamole. It was difficult to decide which of the 15 menus to pick. I've attached them below.
Reprinted courtesy of Pilar Cabrera

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CASA DE LOS SABORES

Cooking School 2008®


1. AMARILLO

Quesadillas de champiñones y quesillo (Cheese and mushrooms quesadillas)
Ensalada de espinacas con aderezo de jamaica
Sopa de guias (Traditional Oaxacan vegetable soup)
Mole Amarillo de pollo (Yellow mole with chicken or pork)
Arroz con leche (Mexican rice pudding)
Salsa de chile pasilla oaxaqueno


2. COLORADO

Taquitos dorados de pollo (Golden fried chicken taco)
Guacamole
Arroz con chepiles (Rice with oaxacan wild herbs)
Coloradito de pollo o puerco (Coloradito with chicken or pork)
Pay de Guayaba (Guava pie)


3. DE BAUTIZO

Taquitos suaves de nopalitos (Tender cactus in soft tortillas)
Sopa de haba al chile pasilla (Faba bean soup with chile pasilla)
Estofado de pollo (chicken with a mix of tomato-almonds sauce)
Arroz campestre (Rice with flowers and corn)
Nieve de nuez


4. NEGRO

Quesadillas de flor de calabaza (Quesadillas with squash blossom and cheese)
Salsa de tomate y chile de agua
Mole Negro con pollo o guajolote (Black mole with chicken or turkey)
Arroz a la hierbabuena (Mexican style rice)
Nieve de vainilla (vainilla sorbet)


5. VERDE

Memelitas (Small corn tortilla with cheese)
Salsa de tres chiles
Sopa de garbanzo a la hierbabuena (Oaxacan dry cheakpeas soup)
Mole verde con carne de puerco o pollo (Oaxacan green mole with chicken or pork)
Pay de requesón con salsa de chocolate (Ricotta cheese cake with chocolate sauce)


6. DEL MAR

Ceviche de pescado
Arroz costeno (Mixed of carrots and cabbage with rice)
Camarones a la diabla (shrimp in chilpotle sauce)
Salsa de habanero (Green habanero sauce)
Flan de café (Coffee flan)


7.- VEGETARIANO

Memelitas (Small corn tortilla with cheese)
Sopa Conde (Black bean soup)
Chiles rellenos de queso y flores en salsa roja (Poblano chiles stuffed with squash blossoms and cheese, over red sauce)
Arroz a la hierbabuena (Rice seasoned with mint)
Pay de requesón y pina (Ricotta cheese cake with pineapple)


8. ENCHILADO

Tetelas de frijol con hierbabuena
Ensalada César (Ceasar salad)
Chiles rellenos de picadillo en salsa de tomate (Chile pasilla oaxaqueño stuffed with picadillo in tomato sauce)
Arroz a la hierbabuena (Rice with oaxacan wild herb)
Gelatina de rompope (Eggnog gelatin)


9. PATRIO

Flores de calabaza rellenas de requesón (Squash blossoms filled with requesón cheese)
Salsa verde asada (Smoky tomatillo sauce)
Sopa Azteca (Tortilla soup seasoned with avocado leaves)
Chiles en nogada (Poblano chiles filled with chicken, in nut sauce)
Flan de coco (coconut flan)


10. TAMALADA

Ensalada de jicama y berros (Jicama and watercress salad)
Tamal de frijol (Black bean tamal)
Corundas (Cheese tamal wrapped in bambu leaves)
Salsa roja (red tomato sauce)
Tamal de mole en hoja de plátano (Black mole tamal wrapped in banana leaves)
Pay de mango (Mango pie)


11. VERACRUZANO

Salsa verde cruda (Uncooked green salsa)
Gorditas rellenas de frijol (Stuffed corn tortilla with black beans)
Arroz negro (Rice with black beans)
Pescado a la veracruzana (Veracruz style red snapper)
Flan de vainilla (Vanilla flan)


12. 100% MAIZ

Tostaditas de tinga
Molotitos de papa con chorizo
Taquitos dorados de requeson
Quesadillas
Tetelas con frijol y queso
Salsa roja
Salsa verde


14. DE FLORES

Quesadillas de flor de calabaza
Ensalada verde con mastuerzos
Pechuga de pollo en salsa de flor de calabaza
Helado de petalos de rosas (Rose petal sorbet)
Te helado de jamaica

15. FAMILIAR

Tamal De frijol
Tamal de dulce
Memelitas
Chocolate de leche
Salsa de tomate


Every class we have a cocktail, a beer and wine, we’ll prepare during the class.
All the menus have been chosen by Pilar Cabrera, 2008 ®

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As you can see, the eager, prospective student is spoiled for choice. I began by eliminating the menus that interested me less. That eliminated Colorado, Enchilado, Patrio, Veracruzana, 100% Maíz, Familiar. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with those menus, but I felt that they were either too basic (Colorado) or not as relevant to the region.
I considered Tamalada, but I felt that that one was mono-dimensional and the hand skills were too demanding. Besides, the tamales family is very common to Michoacán, although they are nowhere as rich and complex as a Tamal Oaxaqueño.

I like the idea of the De Flores menu, but realized it was difficult to reproduce and, let's face it: perhaps a bit precious. I really liked the concept of the Menú Vegetariano, but in the end, I had Negro or Verde as the the finalists. Mole Negro is complex and rich; probably the most popular choice among advanced students. Always the contrarian, I decided that Verde was my winner.

For convenience and comfort, I booked three nights at the Casa de Los Sabores B&B, where the classes take place; located on Los Libres 205, a bit off centro but a pleasant and interesting walk. For the remainder of our stay, I first booked two nights at Casa Arnel, in Colonia Jalatlaco, mostly for old times' sake and to visit our friends, the Cruz family, whom we'd not seen in over 12 years. We later extended our stay another night.

Our transportation was by bus, which in México, is a usually advantageous way to travel. We booked on Primera Clase and ADO GL buses, using our Senior INAPAM (formerly "INSEN" credentials to obtain 50% discounts, whenever seating allocations allowed.

We broke the journey in México City, staying at the Hotel Milan, in Colonia Roma Norte. It's a good, solid 3 star hotel, well located and very comfortable. There are any number of wonderful used book stores cafés and eating places close by, but we went to El Bazar de Oro, off Av. Insurgentes, to the Parillada Bariloche, a lively South American steak joint, a real, shirtsleeves, family sort of place. Seating on the backless plastic stools was uncomfortable, but the steaks were juicy and delicious. Prices are moderate, about $90 to $110 pesos a steak. There are no accompaniments, except bread and 3 delicious salsas. We ordered some papas Francesas and some soft drinks. Our bill for two was about $280 pesos. The restaurant is only open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

We slept well, and took the Metro from Insurgentes Station to San Lázaro Station, which resurges next to TAPO (Terminal de Autobuses para Pasajeros al Oriente)

Southern Cookin' South of the Border

We had a few neighbors over for a little lunch. We made what is among our favorite style of food while living here in México: Southern U.S. cookin'.

Yesterday, I saw some nice filetes de bagre on special at the Soriana supermarket. I bought five nice large ones, and after all was done and properly condimented, we had:

•Chapulines grandes (fried grasshoppers, salted, with chile ) as an appetizer. (Or a de-appetizer, if you like.)




•Fried fillets of catfish w/ Ho-made Tartar Sauce. The catfish fillets were nearly perfectly cooked, although the flavor was very mild.
•Hush Puppies
•Coleslaw
•Bread 'n Butter Pickles
•Salsa Verde
•Oven "Fried" Potatoes
•Sliced onion
•Sliced fresh Chiles Serranos in lime juice
•Pinto beans
•Ketchup by Heinz™

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•Dessert was Flan de Naranja, which came out very nicely, although the orangeness was elusive, and it took several applications of steaming hot towels to release the flan from the mold.

Cerveza Noche Buena and Agua de Jamaica were the principal beverages.


Click slide show below to see larger photos. Photo credits to Geni Certain.

A Little Lunch With Friends

After a fairly long lapse, we were ready for a visit to our favorite restaurant in the Pátzcuaro area, la Marisquería "La Güera". Seafood is the specialty, of course.

Our neighbors,, Geni and Larry accompanied us. It's now a lot faster and easier to get to the restaurant because the construction of the 4 lane Libramiento Ignacio Zaragoza is essentially complete, lacking only the finishing touches of palm trees, "modren" statuary, and lateral curbs. There are even traffic lights, still undergoing testing, or just to familiarize the drivers of their existence.

Once parked, and at the restaurant, I saw that the staff was having their lunches. I think that it gives an appealing, "family" touch. Although I was curious to knw what they had chosen, I didn't ask, although at least some rice was evident.

We four went for a light selection of fare:
We split an order of Tiritas de Pescado Fresco, a sort of seviche in strips, presented attractively on a background of sliced cucumber, a little lettuce, chopped cucumber, some rings of purple onion, and the trademarked orange slices, all lightly sprinkled with chile flakes.

The fish takes about 20 minutes to "cook" in lime juice, so we filled the wait with an order of guacamole; and I had two tostadas de marlín guisado, shredded, smokey fish cooked with tomato and a little chile. Geni had one also. The guacamole was simple and freshly made.

Three of our group drank goblets of fizzy limonadas freshly squeezed from limes, while I had a Cerveza Victoria.

The Tiritas came, and they were outstanding, tangy, fresh and flavorsome. One order, $38 Pesos, is enough for 4 to have as an appetizer. I used to try to eat one by myself as a light main course, but it's just too much of a good thing.

We then ordered more plates to suit our individual desires.

Larry got a torta de marlín, a small French roll with the same marlin spread on it, which just about filled him, but he and Geni were able to share the large plate of warm, freshly cooked Camarones Para Pelar that we ordered. (Peel' em and eat 'em shrimp.) These are among the best products of the restaurant, and although I'm certain the shrimp comes to them frozen, it always tastes great and fresh. The headless shrimp are large. This time, the colorful platter came showered with finely chopped mild white onion.

There is no cocktail sauce, but some of us made up a tasty do it yourself sauce of mayonnaise and thick, smoky rich Salsa Chipotle.

To balance all the "cold" foods, I also got an order of nice, perfectly acceptable Papas Fritas (French Fries.) There was a new-ish condiment I wanted to try, made by the same company, Cosecha Purépecha, who manufacture the Salsa Chipotle and other fine bottled salsas. The condiment is a chile vinegar, but way above the common stuff. It has 2 or 3 different kinds of chiles, carrot, bay leaves and other spices, attractively arranged. It went very well with the cucumbers* as well as on the French Fries.

I think that about covers all. There were some extra limonadas and another beer.

The total bill was $366.20 MXP, or around $33.38 USD, plus a 12% tip.

We love that place. The neatly dressed, white jacketed, mostly attentive employees seem genuinely happy, and that's a plus.

*Cucumbers are very cheap in the mercado (at retail). Typically, 3 kilos for 8 or 10 pesos. Once every vendor was pushing them 3 x 5 pesos.

A Bun For The Money?

We were in Pátzcuaro's alluring Mercado Soriana yesterday morning, picking up a few necessities (eg, 12 bottle cartons of Cerveza Nochebuena at 2 for 1 pricing) when we wandered over to the panadería section. At that hour there wasn't much fresh bread available, but there were some French style "pistolets" (usually called "bolillos" in Mexico, some teleras, the flatter oval rolls with two longitudinal creases, only one seeded baguette, and quite a few round, sesame topped rolls. The latter looked something like overly plump hamburger bins or uncreased Kaiser Rolls.

I started to put 4 of the round rolls on my tray, then saw the price card. I mistakenly thought that each one was 5 pesos, which is a high price here. But after some careful analysis using elementary decimal fractions, I understood that they were only 50 centavos, or 1/2 peso each. The bolillos and teleras were the same price, if I recall, and the lone baguette was 90 centavos. Eight cents.

Think about that. They cost about 4 1/2 ¢ each. No other bakery that I've been to sells bread at so low a price. Is it a function of buying power and production efficiencies, or are they undercutting the other stores and traditional panaderías with very aggressive pricing? I suspect the latter, and selling at under the cost of ingredients and labor. In my view, such practices are not limited to the well-hated (except by Mexican customers who throng to shop there) "Octopus of the North", Wal-Mart.

By the way, the rolls were plain but good, and we made some tasty sandwiches on them. For our dessert, we had some miniature pastries, based on cupcakes, which are very prettily fashioned and sell for only 4.5 pesos each. That's about 42¢. One, a fake whipped cream-filled Baba, was ok, but an elaborated "Hostess" cupcake, topped with a glazed strawberry half was unappetizingly dry. A nut-glazed cuernito is pretty tasty, especially when warmed in the toaster oven.

I guess you generally get what you pay for.

Culinary Adventures in the Inside Passage...

...of Pátzcuaro's mercado



In an effort to revitalize my sense of culinary derring do, seasoned with a dash of risk, we once again went forth where no guidebook dares venture. Today we walked along one of the inside passages of Pátzcuaro's mercado. Our regular mercado path usually finds us in the bright sunshine of the market street where the fruits and vegetables are sold, as well as the odd pig's head and assorted viscerae.

We have made occasional exploratory forays into the cavernous gloom under the shed roofs.

There are discoveries to be made. This is not your Soriana, Wal-Mart or Comercial Mexicana.

The general layout of products and services places the fruits and vegetables outside along the street, the carnicerías and pollerías more or less together inside; a rather unattractive hall of fondas, and a small, fresh and dried fish section. Follow your nose.

The south side is dedicated to Sanitarios Públicos, peluquerías and natural herbal medicine tiendas. There is clothing and plastic wares near the clothing. You can pick up some Santa Muerte paraphernalia and 5 pairs of cheap socks, if you know where to look.

(HINT: they are in the passageway behind the attractive, ringletted señorita selling pepinos y jícamas, across from the outdoor vitrina de la víscera. Innards.)

There's the lower-end fruits and vegetables corridor inside, flanking the main outside pasillo. Our belief is that there are bargains there.

Yesterday morning we were returning to buy bananas from a particular inside vendor. My wife claims his bananas last longer. (Maybe I should be worried.)

The following review should not be misconstrued. This is not about a world class eating experience, deserving four stars in guidebooks and worth a special journey. It's about a tasty, cheap snack.

On our way in we pased at least 3 quesadilla stalls, as well as a couple of cocinas económicas; of the latter, at least one specializing in fish head soup.

One quesadilla stall which shone forth out of las sombras. It's called "Quesadillas Monse". My appetite quickened at the sight of crisping quesadillas being flipped in hot lard.

After a tortured deliberation as to whether to eat fish head soup or quesadillas, we turned to the latter. Monse's was very popular, and it was filled with happy munchers, while neighboring quesadillas stalls languished for clients. (At least, at that hour.)

Monse's even built a mini-comedor, or, call it a dinette, across the passageway from the hot fat frying. Or, you can sit right up against the fry station, and hope that the quesadilla cocinera es diestra and doesn't splash sizzling lard on your ascot. The tables of this cheerful nook held brimming bowls of salsa roja, salsa verde, shredded lettuce and crema.

CREMA? Who puts crema on fried food? Well, nearly everyone who was eating there. Yes, even on quesadillas de salchicha y queso (hot dogs and Oaxaca cheese.)

The selection of filings is limited, and that's probably good, because it tends to make freshness a likelihood. There's pollo con papas, rajas con carne de res deshebrada, tinga, queso Oaxaca, y salchichas. Weiners.


It's fun to watch the all-woman team in action. There's Monse, pulling queso into shreds, taking orders and alternately collecting payment*; there's the masa squasher pressing out the elongated ovals on the tortilla prensa; there's the quesadilla cocinera, wielding two spatulas, frying the elongated envelopes of masa y harina to crisp delicacies in manteca pura de cerdo.

Yes. The non-PC, non vegetarian, all natural, no trans fats, grasa verdadera. Pig fat. Real Mexican food.


There's even impromptu "found" entertainment. We were seated at a small table in the passageway, to which a man came to collect a costal of lettuce trimmings and outer leaves. It was stashed under our table, and Monse had to drag out a bigger sack of lettuce heads to retrieve it.


I was tempted to have another quesadilla, but it might have taken 5 minutes to make, and I was foolishly thinking of trying some menudo (Yes!) at the Plaza San Francisco. (I didn't. Probably a prudent choice.)

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Disclaimers
*No te preocupes. Even though the alternating money and food handling violates one of my Rules of Street and Market Food Hygiene, I choose to believe that the sizzling lard kills off any bugs. No stomachs were harmed in the making of this blog post.

The graphic image at the top, which bears only a passing resemblance to the quesadillas Monse's, was borrowed from stock image site. www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/quesadilla.html