Mexican Restaurants – Page 13

Ol’ Rodeo’s Market and The Yogurt Mill- Lunch and dessert in El Cajon (Bostonia)

August 25, 2019 Cathy Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read about food here on mmm-yoso!!! today. Kirk is enjoying the weekend and Cathy is writing.

El Cajon has some interesting, local places which have withstood the test of time. I haven't written or even photographed some of my 'little secrets' in over ten years of blogging and finally have gotten around to it.

Located at the South East corner of Broadway at Mollison, this small market is known for its meats, fresh tortillas and small kitchen, located just to the right when you walk in.
The menu is uncomplicated. Everything is fresh and prepared to order, by taking the meats straight from the sales counter over to the kitchen area. There are a few (5) tables in the center of the store (which has a small Produce area, wall of refrigerated beverages, wall of refrigerated staples and one (two sided) set of shelves).

These photos were all taken from my seat at the table. Ol' Rodeo's is small.
Soon enough, our 'Combination Plate' ($6.99) order of birria (choice of goat or beef; this is goat) was brought over (also, four freshly warmed tortillas, not pictured). This flavorful, rich, spicy stew hits all the taste points. The obligatory leftover photo; you can see bay leaf and some bones and gristle. This large bowl of stew had close to a pound of meat in it. The rice and beans here are very good in addition to the fresh corn tortillas.
We also ordered an adobada taco ($2.49), so we had something to eat while the other person was enjoying the birria. As mentioned, the meat for grilling was pulled from the meat counter (where it is $3.99/lb). The pork pieces, marinated in red chile sauce with vinegar and oregano was so fresh and flavorful. I was asked if I wanted avocado or guacamole on top. No extra charge.

Superior quality food, wonderful people working here (it's a Mom and Pop place). Known for its carne asada, which will be a separate post.

Ol' Rodeo's Meat Market 927 Broadway El Cajon 92021 (619) 401-7351

Want dessert? Go out to the parking lot…

This landmark building used to be a pizza place called "The Leaning Tower" (there were two other locations in San Diego; one is still partially standing (last photo) and the other, which anchored Clairmont Square, is gone). This family run frozen yogurt business has existed for 41 years and this location was purchased when the Leaning Tower of Pizza went out of business, around 1988.
The menu changes a bit each day and there is always one dairy free and one sugar free option, as well as two or three low fat yogurts in addition to nonfat choices. There are plenty of topping choices, but we are purists.
Tart Mango and Pomegranate Blueberry, Baby size ($3.60)- a lot of frozen yogurt to share (especially after that birria). Tart, well flavored, quality yogurt.

Yogurt Mill 935 Broadway El Cajon 92021 Open daily Mon-Thur 10-10, Fri-Sat 10-11 Sun 11-10

This is why you can walk from Ol' Rodeo to The Yogurt Mill…

Mexico City – A Walk thru La Condesa and Colonia Roma, Dinner at Pasillo de Humo

July 31, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

After checking out the Museo Nacional de Antropologia and lunch at El Hidalguense followed by a short nap; we headed back out. The Missus wanted to check out more of La Condesa and Colonia Roma. So we headed out on Avenida Michoacán toward Parque Mexico. La Condesa is quite charming with tree lined streets, once upon a time this land was all owned by a Countess ("Condesa"); María Magdalena Dávalos de Bracamontes y Orozco. Parque Mexico is a wonderful park, circled by the street often called the "most beautiful in Mexico City" which circles the park. Once upon an time the street was once a horse race track.

It was quite relaxing watching kids having fun in Foro Lindbergh (Lindbergh Forum).

While it was fairly warm and the sun shone quite brightly; the trees really helped to cool things down. There are quite a few historical houses built in the area and I should have taken more photos, but we were just enjoying the walk.

We took a left up Avenida Mexico; past the very popular dessert stop Churrería El Moro and headed up Avenida Mexico; where came upon quiet Plaza Popocatepetl and its centerpiece, the art deco fountain.

Things got drastically busy when we took the left turn from Calle Popocatepetl onto Avenida Yucatan, followed by another right onto super busy Álvaro Obregón. Crossing over the hectic cross street, Avenida de los Insurgentes we were now back in hip/hipster Colonia Roma. The Missus enjoyed window shopping and we dropped into a few shops that caught Her interest along the street. We even came across a Passage; which reminded us of those covered passages in Paris.

After returning from our trip; I did some research and found that this place is quite well known; El Parian. You can read more about the history of this covered passage here.

We took a right turn down Orizaba, a street lined with restaurants and shops….

I loved the name of this one.

And arrived at lovely Plaza Luis Cabrera; where we took a short break; drank some water we had purchased along the way.

We saw young children trying to track down birds, women sitting and chatting, and some rather interesting "vignettes".

After our break, we turned back around and headed up Orizaba until we came across lively Plaza Rio de Janeiro.

Where we watched parents and their children; of the four and two-legged kind,socializing.

We were charmed. When we thought about visiting CDMX, this was not the mental picture we had……we were really enjoying our time here.

Soon enough, we started feeling a bit hungry. It was time to head back and get some dinner. I hadn't made reservations for this evening, but had a place in mind that was fairly close to where we were staying.

On the second floor of Parian Condesa Food Hall is Pasillo de Humo, which served Oaxacan inspired cuisine. The restaurant itself is roomy and comfortable.

And service was like we'd experienced earlier in the day; friendly and gracious….and they had this hand-truck contraption loaded with Mezcal! My lucky day.

I requested something "fumar" (smoky) and the really friendly gentleman saw that I had the "Eye of the Tiger"…..literally…..

The guy was quite playful……at the end of the meal, when I wanted another, he asked the Missus permission! You gotta love it!

The missus ordered a cocktail, the Oaxaquillo, Mezcal, Crème de Cacao, Licor 43, and Cardamom.

This was so easy to drink, that the first words out of my mouth when I had a sip was; "abunai".

The appetizer we ordered was one of the three favorite items we had on this trip; the Memelitas de Papa de Cerdo (140 $MX – $7.25/US).

Holy smokes….how do I love thee….let me count the ways…. Wonderful pork cheeks that had been fried; the exterior crisp, giving way to a tender, buttery, tongue coating, decadence. The flavor was full on porkiness, perfectly seasoned with a mild chile, salt, and pepper. The griddled masa cakes had a wonderful, savory "corniness". The pickled onions helped cut through the richness, as did the mild spicy – acidity of the tomato and chili paste on the memelitas.

I ordered the Molleja de Terna en Chichilo (239 $MXN – $12.50/US). Fried veal sweetbreads in a mole with Chochoyote, those masa dumplings that look like mushrooms.

The mollejas were very mild in flavor, no tininess or metallic flavors. The texture was a bit more firm than I prefer. The mole was also very mild and not too sweet. I loved the pickled onions and all the veggies. The chayote was good and the shaved chile de agua was really good.

The Missus ordered the Pato en Mole Negro (293 $MXN – $15.30/US), basically duck breast in mole negro. The duck breast was very tender and the skin had great flavor.

Mole Negro is pretty difficult to make well; this was a nice version, smoky – not overly sweet – mild spice. The Missus loved the plantains; especially the texture. For some reason the tamal siete cueros was our least favorite thing; it was a bit pasty and very bland.

This was a wonderful meal overall; I especially loved my dessert…..

Cue up Survivor….heck, enough of these and I'd be hitting (not beating) the meat.

We really enjoyed our meal. Another place we have on our "list" to return to. I think we'll make a meal of apps next time……heck maybe two orders of those memelitas!

Pasillo de Humo
Av Nuevo León 107
06100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

El Jardin Changes Course

July 30, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** El Jardin has closed

Sometimes I wait too damn long to do a follow-up post. Such is the case with El Jardin. I just found out via Eater San Diego, that El Jardin will shutter and reopen as a….gasp "Cantina"! This is somewhat sad news as we enjoyed some pretty good meals at El Jardin.

We had returned several times since those visits…..

And yes, that is the $28 "Sonora Dogo" a wagyu beef dog, with chorizo and pork belly….

While not everything was to our taste, the Missus really enjoyed certain dishes; like the Pozole Verde.

And while the food was sometimes uneven and perhaps the service not what we'd say was at the level of the menu; still, it was warm and friendly, the food creative without going for a whole lot of glitz…..

From the Eater post; the chef is leaving, and El Jardin will reopen as a cantina…specializing in, wait for it….carne asada and Margaritas.

So, in spite of having a chef nominated for a James Beard award, making the Michelin Bib Gourmet list, and getting a positive review in the New York Times, El Jardin changes course.

Cheers El Jardin! We'll miss you…..

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina

July 24, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops

**** La Catrina has closed

La Catrina has been somewhat of an enigma for us. I first noticed this shop on the corner of University and Herman, in the former location of Tostada's while walking around the area when the Missus was getting Her hair done one day.

A few days later we dropped by for dinner and really enjoyed the tacos……

And the Missus loved the salsas as well; especially the version with chili de arbol and nuts. It was spicy and complex, really heightening the experience.

So, I was thinking we'd do a couple of more visits, then I'd do a post…..except, the menu kept changing, the Rib Eye and Bone Marrow tacos we'd enjoyed changed…..

Then the rock shrimp tacos; which were delicious on a previous visit, were suddenly not fried on one visit…..

On the next visit the shrimp were nicely battered and fried, but now came with fries…..

And then, to top things off, we went twice during hours posted on the place's website; only to find them closed. Sigh…..

So, after three actual visits and two aborted visits, I basically called it quits.

Until we recently got back from Mexico City. The Missus really wanted some tacos….actually She missed the great salsas we had. So, after checking out the hours on La Catrina's website, we returned. And so far so good.

There was one dish we've had at La Catrina on every visit. It's the Carnitas and Octopus Cazuela; a shareable portion of porky, rich carnitas, and nicely prepped octopus.

The flour tortillas served is a bit inconsistent at times; but when you get it slightly charred it just brings the flavors up to another level. I never thought the combination of carnitas and pulpo would work, it does in this case as the octopus adds a very nie texture. And yes, the Missus loves the salsas….

When things are right; there's a wonderful combination of textures, along with the richness of the pork, the acidity and slight pungency of the onions and pico de gallo, all brought together by the charred flour tortilla and picante salsas. And while it's not always been perfect, it's never been bad.

What we also did on our two recent visits is get whatever Happy Hour or special is going on.

There's usually the Rock Shrimp Tacos.

Which were 2 for $7 during our most recent visits. And the last time we had them; the layer of queso on the tortilla had been wonderfully griddled, forming the perfect, crisp, nutty-milky shield for the tortilla. The shrimp were crunchy, moist, and quite well, but not overly seasoned.

This last time the Fish Tacos were 3 for $8.

The Missus loved these. The fish was perfectly fried, crunchy exterior, the flesh moist, with a mild sweetness. It went well with the smooth and creamy guacamole and of course the salsas.

On our previous visit the Rib Eye Tacos were 2 for $7. While the portion of meat was quite generous, we didn't for these very much.

The meat was tender, but hadn't been seared properly and lacked color and the flavor a nice caramelization brings to meat. It was moist, but also seemed on the greasy side and hadn't been seasoned enough for our taste. The queso had not been griddled enough so it was soft and didn't protect the tortilla from all that juice and grease; causing the taco to lose its integrity and fall to pieces. Maybe you'll have better luck with this one.

Something we tried twice but didn't have much luck with at La Catrina is the Ceviche.

Both times we tried this; the fish had been chopped into fairly small pieces and had been overly "cooked" in the lime juice making it mushy. Also, we found the ceviche to be way to sour and salty both times. We haven't tried it on recent visits, so maybe……or maybe not.

We really enjoyed our last two visits to La Catrina; it seems we've found what works for us and what we enjoy. The staff here has always been friendly, welcoming, and quite nice. I'm hoping that all the inconsistencies we ran into are over. I'm also hoping the place survives. Perhaps it's because we eat at a rather early hour; but we've rarely seen more than one or two other tables filled during our visit. There's so much potential here.

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina
3139 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours (as of this past week):
Tues – Thurs 4pm – 10pm
Fri – Sat Noon – 1am
Sunday Noon – 9pm
Closed on Monday

Mexico City – Museo Nacional de Antropología and Lunch at El Hidalguense

July 17, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

After making our way thru La Condesa we crossed super busy Avenida Chapultepec into the land of skyscrapers. I've heard Polanco described as the "Beverly Hills" of Mexico City. This is supposedly where the wealthy live and play. It's also where Pujol is located….hopefully we'll be able to get reservations next time.

We'd only be visiting the district. There were only two items on the Missus's itinerary for this short trip. ne of them was checking out the Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology) located in the huge Bosque de Chapultepec, which is the second largest park in Latin America.

There's much to see in the area; from the somewhat maligned Estela de Luz, also known as the "Monument to Corruption" because of alleged corruption which inflated the cost to three times what was estimated.

Instead of heading up Paseo de la Reforma, we instead headed into the park, which is a wonderful green space.

Where the Missus could practice taking photos with Her brand new camera.

We headed up to Monumento a los Niños Héroes.

Where the Missus took a good amount of time with Her camera. Then turning right and walking down Calzada Mahamta Gandhi; yep, Mahatma Gandhi, in CDMX. Apparently Gandhi is very popular in Mexico; in fact one of the largest bookstore chains in Mexico is……you got it Gandhi.

And we got to see more squirrels doing their "tightrope act" along the way.

We got back onto Paseo de la Reforma and soon enough found ourselves at the Monolith of Tlaloc, which marks the street to the entrance of the museum.

This sculpture was found Coatlinchan which has quite a story behind it.

We got past security, bought our tickets….man, at 75 $MXN (under $4/US) this is a major bargain. We got a map at the information booth and the really nice women there marked off the "must see" places for us. The museum has 23 halls and is spread over 20 acres!

Once thru the entrance into the wide open courtyard area, you see a huge towering fountain, named "El Paragas" ("The Umbrella").

I don't want to create another monster 1500 word post; so I'll keep my verbiage to a minimum from here on. Let me just say that we loved the museum; there was so much to see. We found the history of pre-Colombian and modern day Mexico to be so interesting. It's one of our favorite museums and we'll definitely be back. The galleries are set-up wonderfully, things are spaced out well.

And it was interesting to see items from places we had been to before.

There are dramatic entrances to galleries.

This is "El Creador".

The Corazon de Tula.

Rings and a ball used for the Aztec ball game Ullamaliztli.

Kinda scary statue of the Goddess Cōātlīcue.

Xōchipilli, the "Prince of Flowers", god of art, beauty, dance, and flowers. According to Atlas Obscura, the base of the statue has symbols of hallucinogenic plants carved into it.

The Disk of Mictlāntēcutli, the god of the dead. This disk was found at the foot of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan.

And of course the Aztec Sun Stone.

Whew; at the end we needed a break.

Like I said earlier; there's so much to see. We only visited the ground floor. We'll definitely return.

Museo Nacional de Antropologia
Avenida Paseo de la Reforma y Calzada Gandhi s/n
Chapultepec, Mexico City 11560, Mexico

Of course by the time we finished things up, we were starting to get hungry. The Missus was still up for a walk and I'd heard so much about Mercado Roma; so we walked the over two miles back across La Condesa to Roma. The Missus though; wasn't impressed with the hipsterish set-up and available food. So, I decided to check out another place I had on my "list". Just a ten minute walk away was a place that is only open from Friday to Sunday. The place serves Barbacoa; the Missus (who loves Aqui es Texcoco) was instantly sold.

We were warmly welcomed when we arrived and in spite of the place being pretty busy, they found a table for us. The host/server, Juan was so amazingly warm and friendly.

We looked over the menu and decided on two items. After ordering, Juan noticed the Missus trying out Her camera. He asked Her if She'd like to "see the Barbacoa"….of course the answer was "yes". He quickly called over one of the "chefs" and the Missus got Her photo! Check out the barbacoa and the big smile on the chef's face! You gotta love CDMX!

The folks here are so nice…..

And the Missus loved the salsas.

The Blue Corn Tortillas were excellent, warm, full of corn flavor, pliable, but sturdy enough to handle "the goods"…..

First up was the Plato Hidalguense (140 $MX – about $7.25/US).

I'd been wanting to have nopales and thought this would work out well. The Missus and I loved the papalo, something we don't see much of here in San Diego. The powerful peppery-citrusy-tannic flavor might not be for everyone, but it's definitely for us. The Missus absolutely adored the avocado, which looked quite firm and under-ripe; it was however, just perfect, super buttery, and really good.

And of course, the nopales.

Easily the best I've ever had. Look how bright and vibrant these cactus pads are! There was just a nice mild crunch to these; the clean green bean-asparagus like flavor came through so cleanly; and as a bonus the slices of tomatoes were perfectly ripe. Talk about delici-yoso!!!

I'd ordered the Mixiote (155 $MX – about $8/US)….though had I seen the barbacoa before ordering; I'd probably gone for that.

The meat was fairly tender, the seasoning was on the mild side, and the meat itself was mildly gamey. A nice dish. Which led us to believe that Aqui es Texcoco does a pretty darn good job with their mixiote.

It was quite a spread!

With a couple of Ciel this cost us less than twenty bucks without tip! And I did learn the phrase "agrega veinte por ciento por favor"…….which I used liberally during this trip.

Juan was an amazing host; the service excellent and welcoming, the food was delicious, the vibe relaxed and laid back. We can't wait to return.

El Hidalguense
Campeche 155
Roma Sur, 06760 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Hours:
Fri – Sun 7am – 6pm

We decided to take a Uber back to our hotel – Uber is so inexpensive in CDMX, we just used UberX. Our trip cost us 39.90 $MX (with 10% tip) – think two bucks…….sheesh

We decided to take a short break, then head on back out to explore Roma.

Stay tuned!

Mexico City – Taqueria Orinoco and Morning in La Condesa

July 12, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Taco Shops, Travel

As we were finishing up dinner at Maximo Bistrot; I asked the Missus if She wanted dessert. She said "yes", but not from Maximo. The Missus had something else in mind for "dessert". As we walked out of the restaurant, She told me, "I want tacos for dessert"! Tacos? Well, ok then, I had a place just a few blocks away that was still open in mind. Taqueria Orinoco.

There was already a line forming when we arrived at the taco shop right on busy Avenida Insurgentes.

The line moved fairly quickly and we got up to the counter to order in like 15 minutes or so.

From here, you place your order, are given a number if you are eating in, and if the place is buzzing like on this evening, you wait until a table is ready.

And the place was definitely hopping on this evening.

The tacos here are Monterrey style; that would be Northern….so "trompo" is similar to Al Pastor. We ordered one each of the three on the menu. I think what the Missus enjoyed the most were the salsas; ranging from mild to a really nice and tangy cilantro, to a totally scalding Piquin, which I first ran into during my trip to Paredoncito. The Missus really loved it; but paid the price!

The tres tacos came on a metal tray with griddled onions and really good "smashed" potatoes, basically cooked twice…..my favorite part of the meal.

Our favorite taco was the chicharron, slightly crunchy outside, really fatty, though perhaps a bit on the dry side. The res was dry, chewy, and pretty bland. The trompo, was like Al Pastor, but not nearly as sweet. The tortillas were really good, pliable, but up to the task of enrobing the fillings without breaking. The corn flavor was good and straight-forward.

And while these are considered to be on the expensive side, with water this still came out to just over five bucks US.

As we left there was a line to the end of the block…….

Taqueria Orinoco
Avenida Insurgentes Sur 253, Roma Norte
06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Hours
Sun – Wed Noon – 1am
Thurs Noon – 3am
Fri – Sat Noon – 5am

Needless to say; we were pretty stuffed, and we rolled on back to where we were staying. I slept like a baby, at least until the birds started chirping in the morning. Still, we both fell back asleep after that.

There really wasn't any reason to get up early, the Missus had only one thing on the agenda for the day. We finally rose around 8 and left the hotel soon thereafter.

La Condesa is quite charming. I wish I took more photos. The area is known for murals; like this one across the street from where we were staying.

The neighborhood is quite charming.

And along with "people watching"; there were two things we especially loved checking out.

The squirrels doing the "tightrope walk" on powerlines to get from tree to tree.

And the dogs…..and some of the dog walkers who did a pretty amazing job.

We were really enjoying ourselves…….

Thanks for stopping by!

Mexico City – Chiquitito Café and Maximo Bistrot

July 11, 2019 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Fine Dining, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

*** Warning – this a is a fairly long and wordy post.

A few weeks before leaving for Budapest, I was already planning our fall/winter trip….the Missus made a request; She wanted something "in between". Waiting those 4-5 months just wasn't going to cut it for Her. So, I went ahead and made plans for two "long weekend" trips.

We'd been trying to make time for CDMX for a couple of years, but could just never find the time. The time was right to finally make that trip. The planning was quick, since it was a mere two months in advance, we weren't able to make reservations for Pujol, but with the help of one of Frankie's favorite Aunties "Alle", who has family in CDMX and usually goes every year, we got some good info.

We decided to fly out of Tijuana Airport using CBX. There were direct flights to Mexico City and business class was about half the price as flying out of San Diego or LAX. Alle, who took care of Frankie, dropped us off at the CBX facility. For some reason I wasn't able to buy the CBX tickets online in advance; though I did complete our FMM forms ahead of time, which did save us a few minutes. Purchasing the round-trip Cross Border Express tickets only took ten minutes. The rest of it….well, it took us nearly 90 minutes to get through Immigration! Crazy. Still, we'd budgeted more than enough time and easily made our flight. We had airport transfer set-up so we basically exited the plane, walked right out to the terminal, to our waiting car, and straight into Mexico City traffic. Yeeesh….. Our guesthouse was but 8 miles from the airport, but it took 45 minutes to get there!

Alle had recommended that we stay in La Condesa, which turned out to be the perfect place after a busy day of checking out the city. The tree lined streets, restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and relaxed vibe, along with the really warm and friendly folks made our stay wonderful. The location was excellent; close to where the Missus wanted to visit on our first day, and since we do walk a bit; an easy enough walk to the Centro Historical…..also, when we got tired; Uber in CDMX is super cheap, safe, reliable, and all the drivers we had were very friendly.

We stayed at the Casa Condesa Amatlan 84, a very discreet, comfortable, location. The service was wonderful.

We arrived at the hotel, freshened up a bit. Casa Condesa was really good about making sure you always had drinking water and the folks working there we so very helpful and friendly.

We headed out just to walk around the area. We were a bit out of sorts at first since the streets aren't quite in a grid, there are diagonals, parallel street with different names, roundabouts, and all kinds of stuff. The streetlights are often hard to see; there aren't cross signals at many intersections; so you kind of have to check the lights in the middle of the intersection; and just kinda go with the flow.

In need of a break; it was also a bit humid and warm, we found a little café named Chiquitito Café on Alfonso Reyes and decided to take a break for a couple of cold brews. Which ran us 45 Pesos; think about $2.35 US!

It was a bit on the weak side; but the guys working here ere very friendly and actually spoke English to us, and the coffee was nice and chilled. And it was a nice little break.

It was also fun watching the guy selling cell phone cases come on over and two of the guys working in the coffee shop come on out to shop!

In fact, one of the guys actually bought a case! Go figure.

While we weren't particularly impressed with the cold brew; this was a nice introduction to the friendliness of the folks in CDMX and how wonderfully social they are.

Chiquitito Café
Alfonso Reyes 232
06100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

I had managed to make dinner reservations at the highly regarded Maximo Bistrot Local, considered to be one of the top restaurants in CDMX and Latin America. We had intended to walk; after all it was only a mile-and-a-quarter away, a nice easy walk, but as we were halfway down Vicente Suarez, the lightning and thunder started, then it came down in buckets. It was an amazing, and from what I got to understand from the locals, very typical summer thunder storm. Our umbrellas were not up to the task, so we sought cover and I requested an Uber which promptly cancelled when it was five minutes away. I then called the restaurant who promised to hold our table until 730; our reservations were for 7pm, and it was nearly 650 by now. Our next Uber arrived a few minutes later and we were on our way; only to get to basically a standstill about a quarter mile away from the restaurant. We'd basically gone less than a mile in 20 minutes! By now the storm had passed and the skies were clear. We thanked our driver and walked the last quarter mile. Getting to Maximo right at 730pm! Crazy….

Anyway, we were seated outside; things were really nice and pleasant after the deluge. It was time for dinner…but first, a well earned cocktail!

I went with the Mescalina de Fresca y Chile de Arbol.

This was pretty mild in the Mezcal department; but the combination of salty-heat, and orange made this quite refreshing.

The Missus got the Julep 16.

Which was also on the mild side.

While we were looking over the menus, a party of two gentlemen left. One of them, by the name of Jorge came on over, and very nicely made some recommendations! Apparently, he's a regular. He'd tell us what not to order ("this is not very good…..but don't tell the chef, ok?") and what his favorites on the menu were. We'd have folks engaging us this way during our entire trip. It just made things so much more fun!

I'll try to include prices as I remember them. To figure out the conversion to US $ at this moment in time; divide by twenty – i.e. $1.04/US = 20$ MXN.

Things started out with an Eggplant dip, smokey, perhaps a bit too salty, with an amazing bread. Perhaps among the best I've had; the crust so crusty and crunchy, the interior soft and fluffly, with just the perfect "chew".

We started with the Pacific Scallops (290 $MXN); which were served on a tostada.

We loved the herbs on this; the scallops weren't as sweet as I expected though it was texturally perfect. The sauce was apparently made with Chicatanas, flying ants, which seemed to add a bit of earthiness to the dish according to my tastebuds. The crunch of the tostada completed the dish.

Next up, the Octopus Ceviche (230 $MXN).

The octopus was amazingly tender; I'm thinking sous vide? The liquid provided had a combination of lime and tomato and was a bit too acidic for us….and you're talking to folks who love Peruvian Cebiche! The liquid kind of over-powered all the flavors and the wonderfully smooth avocado cream was overwhelmed. The blue corn tostadas had a wonderful corn flavor and texture to them.

Things started getting from decent to great when the next item arrived. We'd ordered the Porcini Mushroom Soup (175 $ MXN). I made Porcini Mushroom Soup at least two dozen times this winter so I wanted to see how this compared to what I make.

While a bit milder in overall mushroom flavor; you couldn't beat the velvet texture of this soup, which was amazing. I also loved (and learned) the toasted breadcrumbs which added a wonderful crunchy-nutty contrast to the dish. It's something I'm going to incorporate into my soup when I start making it during the fall! Very nice.

Undoubtedly, the best dish of the night, and one of the top three of the trip, was the Roasted Quail stuffed with Veal and Foie Gras (450 $MXN).

This was definitely an OH-EM-GEE dish. The quail was perhaps the most tender and moist I've ever had. Even the usual rubbery legs were so very soft and juicy. Paired with a moist, rich, and decadent veal and foie gras pate, this was simply heaven. Mild rich sweet-liveriness just went so well with the mildly gamey quail. And that texture…….

Jorge had recommended the quail and also the Flat Iron Steak (450 $MXN), something that I'd usually not order.

The beef was fork tender, cooked a perfectly medium rare, and had that wonderful, complex, mild gamey-pasture flavor to it. The "mole de olla" sauce had a pleasant, complex, mild sweetness to it. And the spinach and cheese sauce was so delicious as well.

The pacing was a bit off; the service professional, but a bit stiff and the least friendly of all of our meals in CDMX.

We enjoyed sitting outside. After the storm passed it became a beautiful night.

I'm not sure we'd dine here again….but man; perhaps that quail will call us back?

Maximo Bistrot Local
Tonalá 133, Roma
06700 Cuauhtemoc, CDMX, Mexico

Funny thing, when I asked he Missus about dessert, She said "no, there's something else I want….."

Stay Tuned!

Where in the world were we?

July 9, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

Even though we'd been back "home" from our last trip for just a few weeks….that "bug", that desire….the wanderlust hit us. We decided to take a trip over the weekend to a place we'd had on our "list" for a while. And enjoyed it more than we'd thought we would.

From the history and sights….

From the rather Bohemian neighborhoods to the grand wide streets….

And the history……

The colors…..

It was all amazing.

As was just taking a step back…..and looking at what was happening around you.

And of course the food…..

From the upscale…..

To the "classic"…..

To the everyday…..

There was nothing that we thought of as mediocre….a very amazing thing; at least for us.

To say we ate well is an understatement.

And yet, even beyond the food, the one thing that stays with us is the warmth and kindness of the people…..

I realize that I'm soooooo way behind on our travel posts, while trying to keep up here at home. I do appreciate your visits!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday Sandwiches – Barrio Donas (Best Donuts Bakery & Deli Rebooted)

June 9, 2019 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches

Man, it seems like I've been going pretty much non-stop since getting back from our trip. Today is my first day off and after like twelve hours of sleep last night, a nice lunch (road trip style), and a afternoon nap, I'm finally starting to feel somewhat in-synch. There really hasn't been much eating out since we got back, but here's a place I stopped at a couple of times in the last week.

We got in late Saturday evening and I had to go in for a few hours on Sunday. I got up, got dressed and headed off to work, but was kind of hungry. I recalled seeing that Best Donuts had been going thru a facelift before we left on our vacation so decided to see if they had reopened. And they had; so I stopped and walked in.

Man, they've really done quite the job on the place.

Best Donuts had reshuffled the lay-out several times during my visits over the years. I don't think they'll be moving stuff around much after this renovation.

I recognized the young lady working the register, who told me that the ownership of the shop remains the same. One thing that has changed are the prices, the breakfast tortas are now in the $5.50 – $7.50 range and the regular tortas will run you from $8.50 – $9.50. Wow, I remember getting the A la Mexicana here for $4.99 on my last visit. Well, someone has to help pay for the freshinging up, right?

Instead of ordering my usual, the A la Mexicana; I went with the La Nortena ($6.50).

The bread was still nice and warm when I got to the office. It had held up well for the 15 minute drive. It was quite yeasty and just as good as ever. I had never been a fan of the machaca here; but this time it was beefy, moist, and rather tender. The sauce had a mild spice and smokiness to it and was delicious with the eggs. The pickled jalapenos added a nice zip; though I think using something like queso asadero or cotija would improve the sandwich. The mozzarella used is gooey, but in this framework you can't really taste the cheese.

Still, it seemed that the sandwiches here had taken a step up. So, I decided to drop by on my way to work a few days later. Which is when I found out the place doesn't open at 5-530 am anymore. Rather they open at 6 during the week. Luckily, the nice young lady quickly turned on the "Open" sign when she saw me….it was 558 am.

This time, I went with my usual at Best Donuts, the A la Mexicana ($6.50).

The bread was as before; warm, yeasty, and quite good. Not quite as much eggs or beans as I recall, but with the jalapenos and salsa, this is my kind of breakfast. In this case, the light milkiness of the cheese comes thru. Would have liked a bigger smear of beans though.

On one of my days back, I had meetings thru lunch. Barrio Donas starts serving their tortas at 10am, which meant I could stop by in between meetings to grab a torta. Man, they were pretty busy at 10, with a line and several customers waiting.

I went with the Chilanga ($9.50).

When I opened my sandwich back at the office; I was pleasantly surprised to see that the sandwich had been nicely pressed. Based on the melted cheese in the breakfast sandwiches; I figure that they do some kind of heating, but this really add a pleasant crustiness to the sandwich.

I really enjoyed the beans, chorizo, onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes, all of which added layers of savory, pungent, tangy, and piquant tones. There was a thin slice of ham….more protein I guess. The milanesa, pounded breaded beef was on the tough side for my taste.

Not bad, though I'm not sure it's worth almost ten bucks.

I think I'll stick with the breakfast offerings, which are quite satisfying. It's nice to see an old favorite rebooted and doing so well. The young lady who works mornings here is so friendly as well.

Barrio Donas
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours
Mon – Sat 6am – 9pm
Sunday 7am – 6pm

The UPAC Neighborhood Cafe (City Heights)

May 28, 2019 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Filipino Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches, Somali Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog primarily about food. There are many ways we (all) encounter places to share a meal. Cathy is writing today, while Kirk and His Missus continue to enjoy their vacation.

As is our usual method, The Mister and I began driving with hunger but no destination in mind. We saw this eye-catching signage "Now open at 8 a.m., Breakfast Specials". Of course we had to stop.

I knew the location. Kirk had written about it in 2010, then The Mister and I went to Pho Tay Do a year later. The 4600 square foot restaurant now has become a Social Enterprise Center run by the non-profit organization Union of Pan Asian Communities.

A spacious area is now the Cafe, but that's only part of this Neighborhood Enterprise Center: Kitchen Creations, a Technology Hub, Product Design and Print Shop (hence, the signage) and The Community Gathering Place are each part of this building providing much needed resources and opportunities for both UPAC clients and the ethnically diverse residents and small business owners of City Heights.

It was breakfast time when The Mister and I walked in and we didn't know what to expect.

The Breakfast menu is next to the cash register. The Lunch and Global Menu as well as the Beverage menu are on the wall to the left.

The yogurt parfait ($2.50) was one choice. Looks simple and basic. Nope. The fruit mixture (various fresh berries) is prepared in the kitchen, as are the granola toppings. The yogurt is wonderful and thick.
Overnight oats ($2.50) was another choice, made with oats, chia and almond milk with cinnamon, this was also served with the granola topping. Wonderful mix of flavors and so good. Will get again.
One menu item was 'Three Injera and large Tea" ($4). The Somali thin and spongy pancakes were made to order, topped with sesame oil and sugar. We used our hands to tear and enjoy these warm and flavorful flatbreads.

The tea choices were Chai or Somali tea (or assorted bags). We were told that one had sugar and the other didn't. This tea -a mix of spices- was also made with the individual ingredients here. Oh my, what a difference in being able to taste the cardamom, cinnamon, fresh ginger, cloves, black pepper! This was a wonderful, refreshing accompaniment to our breakfast.

Of course we returned. The turkey cranberry sandwich ($5.50) was served on a croissant (croissants and bagels are not made here) and was filled with fresh ingredients. The house-made cranberry sauce was spread on both sides of the bread, the greens are spinach, the meat was of high quality. An excellent sandwich.
We also ordered a side salad ($3.50) which you can see, arrived with walnuts on top…a fancy touch. Fresh ingredients. Quality. Of course the dressing is made here.
We decided to order from the Global Menu and chose this month's Filipino offering-adobo chicken ($5.85). Wow. An excellent version of this basic Filipino cooking and marinade method. Vinegar, garlic, salt (or soy), black pepper and bay leaf are the flavors of adobo-prepared anything (I've had mushroom adobo and it's great). Even the rice was high quality. Let's go back to when we walked in and pay attention. All of the products sold on the shelves to the left are printed here. The Product Design and Print Shop is equipped with all professional machinery. The Youth who work here design and print the items (and are available to print items people order).

Now, check out the glass case to the right of the cash register. Fresh baked items daily.
On top of the glass case there is a basket with bits of day old items to sample…so you'll know what to order next time. This was a berry turnover, which was still warm. Again, the berry mixture made in house. So good.

A great addition to the neighborhood for many reasons. Wonderful food and worth the stop.

The UPAC Neighborhood Cafe 5296 University Avenue #A 92105 619-255-7644 Mon-Fri 8-5 {Kitchen closes at 3, but sandwiches, beverages and the baked fresh daily items available from 3-5}

Union of Pan Asian Communities website

This is the current menu; the Global menu changes monthly.