After spending a busy day exploring and eating in Centro Historico we spent some time exploring La Condesa. This is the area in which we've stayed in since our very first trip back in 2019. And this was our fifth time visiting since then! We've noticed quite a few changes since that first visit. The one biggest thing, which I noted during our previous visit was the large number of ex-pats. And there seemed to be even more this time around.
On Avenida Amsterdam we passed this interesting shop.
It looked like a natural foods/vegan/vegetarian shop, with a coffee bar and restaurant. It seemed quite popular.
The Missus was particularly interested in the Mushroom Coffee, something which She buys on occasion back home.
They even have funky "swings" to eat and drink on in the dining area.
Mora Mora
Ámsterdam 171
Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06100 Ciudad de México, Mexico
The next day, we had a nice, light breakfast at Red Tree House, we both knew that we'd be eating a bit during the day because I'd booked a small group tour of Mercado la Merced. I had read that the market, the largest in CDMX is large, vast, and confusing, thus I booked a small group tour. Our "small group" consisted of one other couple, who both claimed Mexican ancestry and were from El Paso. Our guide was Yimnah, who is a former chef.
After introductions we were off. First thing we noticed was how crowded things were.
Traffic here was crazy and to be frank, kinda scary. Yimnah actually used the assistance of one of the guys who help folks cross the street, for a tip of course.
We passed the flower market on the way in.
Once in the sprawling and confusing market, Yimnah directed us past all of the booths to this one.
Hmmm…..that logo seems familiar? This is Tacos McTeo. You gotta love it.
And the specialty tacos have….well, you guessed it, papas fritas on them. We got a very delici-yoso taco with cesina. Them "golden arches" ain't got nothin' on this place.
Though I'm wondering if a "cease and desist" might be around the corner…..
During our next pause Yimnah expounded on the glories of what she described as a specialty of CDMX; the fried tamal. We got a nopales-queso version. We weren't sure what to expect, but this was super good.
The earthy, maizey-lishceousness of the masa, along with slightly mucilaginous, sweet-green beanish flavor of the nopales, the milky queso, all wrapped in a crisp, slightly crunchy exterior was masterful. I gotta see if there's a version here in SD.
This was washed down with some atole.
From this stand.
There were just so many stands here, it would have been crazy to attempt to explore ourselves.
Next up were tacos, from this busy stand.
We got the suardero and tripas.
Which were fine, if not as god as what we'd had the previous day.
The couple that was with us were surprised that we had tripas….according to them, non-Hispanic folks where they hail from won't touch the stuff. I explained that most Asians will try anything and that statement would prove to be especially true later on.
Our next stop was to be for some quesadillas, but the place was packed and busy.
So Yimnah placed our orders and took us through a tour of various fruits.
Where we got to sample several varieties of avocado and other fruits.
We then headed back to the quesadilla stand. Yimnah explained that in Mexico City, most of the traditional stands will use blue corn quesadillas, the use of blue corn dates back to prehispanic times.
Cooked on the comal, it seemed like blue corn was a bit softer and more tender than other versions.
Man, we had eaten quite a bit at this point, so it was time to do a bit more exploring. We were guided thru the chili stands, with Yimnah pointing out various species, many of which, like the habanero I'm quite familiar with; though there were some, like the mirasol, that I wasn't too familiar with, until Yimnah explained that these are the chilies that are dried to make guajillo chilies, which I usually have stocked at home.
We next moved on to a stand that even I had heard of. The famous Moles Dona Balbi which stocks what seems like a hundred different moles.
We ended up getting some mole pinole.
And then after touring a few more stands we came across this one.
And an amazing tasting of everything from Chapulines, gusanos, cocopaches, to acocil. That wrapped thingy on the right in the photo above is a fermented fish, which was full of umami flavor.
This was the protein source for many in prehispanic times. There was one thing that caught my eye, it's on the left of the gentleman in this photo.
Looking like a pile of tubular pasta, we could actually smell it from where we were standing. We asked Yimnah what it was and were told "fermented chicken intestines". These have been cooked. We asked if we could taste some. Yimnah said most folks are kinda scared of it….we wanted to try it. So Yimnah had them get us a sample; that couple from Texas, who had been so proud of their heritage backed off. Actually, it was chewy, very strong poultry flavor, quite savory, and we're glad we tried it.
We were glad to have taken this tour. There's no way we'd have been exposed to, nor have tried so many dishes and had learned so much about the cuisine, which is a big part of history and culture. There was so much we learned on this tour.
We had a coffee before Yimnah led us to the best area to catch our Uber and we headed back to La Condesa and the Red Tree House where Romeo was "waiting".
Lest you think Romeo didn't know what was going on. Everytime we'd see this wonderful pooch we'd give him a nice rub and scratch and his tail would go a wagging'. On the next morning as we checked out, Romeo was lying near the front door. We gave him an enthusiastic last rub, whereupon he lifted his head and then with one paw closed the door so we couldn't leave! "Oh Romeo!"
Such is what CDMX is to us! We can't wait to return.
But Guadalajara was waiting…..
Thanks for stopping by!
These seem a little smaller than I recall, but the sausage was nicely grilled and the proportion of ingredients seemed right, so one could enjoy the salty-sweet-savory flavors of the "bouncy" nem nuong and the crunch of the crisp egg roll wrapper. The wrapping was done perfectly, neither too loose nor too tight which would make the rolls tougher, creating what I'd call "bad botox spring rolls". The sauce was as before slightly sweet-sour, with garlic and umami tones. I does seem a bit more watered down than I recalled.
I did notice that one of the shrimp was "MIA". Still, the Missus enjoys the crisp rice flour cup/shell, which has a hint of coconut. The shrimp were plump and tender, nicely cooked. These are quite a treat with the mung beans, pickled veggies, the anise-citrusy tiet to (perilla), and the slightly sweet-chili-fish sauce concoction.
For now, we're in need of more escargot and boudin blanc. I like the folks here, they are friendly, and are always ready with some tips and recommendations on using the products they sell.
In case you haven't heard of this, Good News was created back in the 70's. I believe that Good News is mainly sold back in the Islands these days. This was my late Mom's favorite guilty pleasure. She would get me to walk to Kaimuki Sundries or Lau Market to get one for her every once in a while. Every time I see it within the confines of a small neighborhood store or market, I can't help but think of my walks (she never did learn to drive and we had no car) around the corner to get one for her.
