Travel – Page 14

Road Trip – Lucky Luke Brewpub (Lancaster, CA)

July 27, 2024 mmm-yoso Beer, Burgers, Los Angeles County, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Travel

So, what were we doing in Lancaster? Yesterday, I posed that question. Well, what happened is that the Missus had found out that the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, a state park, resided just to the west of Lancaster. According to what the Missus had heard, the poppies start blooming in Mid-March, and voila! Here we were. We had a light breakfast at the hotel and then headed on out arriving at the park right before 9am. Unfortunately, we were a bit too early for the poppies this year!

Regardless, we ended up hiking both loop trails, and the views were quite nice.

As you can tell, we were the only folks in the park during our entire stay.

We saw a number of gophers and a couple of Bobcats. And even some wildflowers.

The trails were easy to walk and nicely maintained.

And, as if to tease us a bit, near the end of the trail….well, we saw the first poppies starting to bloom!

We did enjoy the solitude and the relaxing peacefulness of the walk. The Missus mentioning returning one day when the poppies are really in bloom.

We walked back to the hotel and had a light lunch, then headed on back out to explore a bit. Lancaster is quite sprawling and we ended up restocking on water, snacks, and stuff at the Target and Vallarta Market on Avenue K. Then it was nap time, one of my favorite parts of the day during road trips!

Upon waking, we headed back out and walked around the BLVD a bit, stopping into shops that were open. We found many places are closed on Mondays here.

And of course, there's all that public art.

Soon enough, it was time for dinner. I had thought that we'd head to Le Papillon, a more upscale restaurant right across from the hotel, but the Missus just wanted something simple and basic. Which was just across the street from where we were standing.

We liked the outdoor seating. The interior looks very "sports bar-ish". Seemed like locals came by to watch sports and grab a brew.

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So, of course we had to get a table outside and I decided to get a Brown Ale.

This was light with a slight sweetness, very easy to drink.

The service was interesting; the woman who initially waited on us really didn't seem to want to deal with folks at tables, She mainly wanted to hang with the folks at the bar. The gentleman who came by and took over was very friendly and efficient.

We had a view of West Lancaster Boulevard and there was something going on for young people at the Performing Arts Center next to the Movie Theatres across the street.

Which was showing Kung Foo Panda???? You gotta love it.

The Missus ordered the Lemon Agave Salad.

Which, except for the pepitas was quite routine. At least the dressing wasn't too sweet, but this is totally something you can get out of a bag from your local grocer.

I got the Pub House Burger.

With Tater Tots.

IMG_5924b The tater tots were nicely fried, crisp, not hard, and the interior slightly creamy.

The burger came in a brioche bun, which was a bit denser than I thought it would be; but it wasn't overly sweet and held up well to all that cheese sauce. The cheese sauce was much saltier than I'm used to. I also enjoy a bit of pungency, which this lacked. And as you can see; there was a lot of cheese sauce. Luckily, the pickled jalapenos added a nice counter balance of pickled spiciness that I enjoyed. While the bacon could have been cooked a bit more; I prefer it more crunchy, it did add that smoky-savory component to the burger.

The burger itself didn't look like much, but it was fairly tender, seasoned quite well, and did the job. Not a bad burger as a whole.

There was one item on the menu that I could not resist. The Fried Wisconsin Cheese Curds. Wisconsin you say? Cue in to a flashback of my favorite cheese curds, served at The Old Fashioned in Madison!

These were a bit over-fried and too gooey, not squeaky-stringy. The batter was crisp though. The flavor was mild, man what I would have given for some horseradish dip with this!

Still, this was a decent dinner, in Lancaster. We liked the very laid-back small town feel to this area. At least that's what it was like on this Monday.

Lucky Luke Brewpub
735 West Lancaster Blvd.
Lancaster, CA 93534

After dinner we took another stroll up and down the BLVD area. In the end, I thought I'd put in some decent mileage.

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We returned to our room, relaxed, and watched the sun go down on Lancaster.

Tomorrow we'd be headed back to Rowland Heights for a night and an Omakase dinner in City of Industry of all places!

Stay Tuned!

Road Trip – Charlie Brown Farms (Littlerock, CA) and Dinner at Cantarito (Lancaster)

July 26, 2024 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Salvadoran Restaurants, Travel

So, if I said we'd be going to Littlerock and Lancaster, perhaps you'd think we'd be going Arkansas and Pennsylvania? Well, actually no. You see the Missus had a specific destination in mind for this road trip which started with a sort of "staycation" in Carlsbad and then took us to the SGV for a night. We took our time to our "destination" for this RT; the city of Lancaster in the Northern part of Los Angeles County. Why Lancaster? Well, the Missus had a specific reason which I'll reveal in an upcoming post.

We'd be taking the 210 to the 14 from the SGV to Lancaster. While doing a bit of research, I saw that there's one of those roadside stops like Eddie World and Bravo Farms that I enjoy so much fairly close by. So, we took a short detour on the 138 to Charlie Brown Farms.

While not as large as other places we've been to; I have to say, the amount of "stuffs" here was crazy!

Along with the usual nuts, peanut brittle, and varieties of candies and sodas that will bring a nostalgic smile to your face……

There was a huge variety of other food as well.

We ended up getting a bag of the fried garlic, which I really enjoyed.

And there are some interesting canned and bottled foods available.

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Just in case you need some pig's feet, lips, & hocks in your life.

There's much more than food available as well.

All of those novelty items.

And you just knew that Elvis had to make an "appearance", right?

As I took my bag of peanut brittle and the fried garlic to the register; the guy in front of me bought a $170 worth of bottled sodas! I asked the friendly cashier about this and she told me "it's totally normal"! Whoa!

There's a place that serves minidonuts, and a BBQ restaurant, funnel cakes, ice cream, and shakes.

This was a fun stop!

Charlie Brown Farms
8317 Pearblossom Hwy.
Littlerock, CA 93543

Our room at the Residence Inn Lancaster wasn't quite ready when we arrived, so we decided to head out for a stroll.

First thing we noticed was all the Air Force and Aerospace monuments.

Then I realized that Edwards Air Force Base was just a short distance from here! Duh!

There was also quite a bit of Public Art.

I came to find out that Lancaster is considered one of California's Cultural Districts, like Barrio Logan. There an Museum of Modern Art, but it closes at 4pm on Sunday, and would be closed on Monday so we missed out on visiting.

As we were checking things out on the "BLVD" I received a text message that our room was ready and we checked in.

We had but a small, early lunch, so I looked over my "list" of places in walking distance where we could have an early dinner. Cantarito, a Salvadoran restaurant was just two blocks away. Since it would be closed the next day, a Monday, we thought we'd dine here.

This seemed like a good option so we walked on over. We were the only customers in the place on a warm Sunday in March. The woman working was very friendly.

We ordered three pupusas and the yuca frita o sancochada.

First to arrive was the salsa and the curtido.

The salsa was the typical thin, not overly spicy version tat we're used to at Salvadoran places. But that curtido was awesome, it was fermented, nicely sour-savory-tartness, with hints floral-anise-citrus hints. I'm thinking they use a good amount of Mexican Oregano? We went thru two bowls of the stuff. The woman working got a kick out of the fact that we enjoyed the curtido so much….we could eat it like we would kimchi!

And then my cerveza arrived. It was simply a Modelo; but the Missus saw that frosty mug and immediately took control of it.

It was so refreshing on a rather warm day! Talking about "hitting the spot!"

As for the pupusas? Well, the Loroco version had too much cheese, we didn't care for the texture as it was a bit on the chewy-doughy side. The chicharron was actually ground pork. The best one was the hongos as it provided some earthy-mushroomy goodness, though it was suffering from some "leakage".

As for the Yuca Frita o Sancochada, well, this was an interesting dish.

This was a huge, but interesting dish. The menu said pork rinds, but this was fried chunks of pork. Man, it was quite porky and full of flavor, but really hard and chewy, like chunks of fried jerky. Make sure your teeth are in good shape if you order this. We enjoyed the yuca. While the exterior was crisp, the interior just melted in your mouth, the texture was amazing! I don't think they do the usual "boil and fry" here. I'd gladly get the yuca again!

Overall, a decent dinner; not impressed by the pupusas, but the curtido and that yuca was so good!

Cantarito Salvadorian Restaurant
730 W Lancaster Blvd. #102
Lancaster, CA 93534

After dinner we took a stroll. It seems that Sunday evenings are pretty quiet in downtown Lancaster.

There was one place that we dropped into that was quite lively.

It seems that this is a Craft Beer – Underground Bowling Alley.

We popped in to take a look, but didn't hang around.

There was one other place that looked pretty lively and we'd end up having dinner there the following evening.

On this evening, we just took a stroll around town and enjoyed the public art.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Guadalajara – A Food Tour of Barrio Santa Tere

July 20, 2024 mmm-yoso Guadalajara/Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Taco Shops, Travel

There were so many iconic dishes from Jalisco, that doing a food tour, which we'd done with great success in Oaxaca and even CDMX, seemed like a no brainer. So, I went ahead and booked the small group Gastronomic Tour of Santa Tere. It seemed like it would tick all the boxes, we'd learn so much about barbacoa, birria, tortas ahogadas, stuff that had become quite popular in San Diego over the last few years.

The area, Santa Tere (Santa Teresita) is still known as being "working class", yet is but a 30 minute walk away from where we were staying. We were looking forward to tales and history of the items we'd be trying. Unfortunately, the tour guide was a very nice young lady, whose basic duty was just leading us to various eating establishments and ordering food for us.

Still, it was an interesting introduction to local places in the city.

We met a block away from the Mercado and were led into the market.

And this stand; Fonda Mariquita which was super busy.

We were told that it's all about the quesadillas with green sauce here. So, we asked for the version with nopales con huevo. Very tangy salsa verde.

The tortilla was thick and quite crisp, almost like an empanada. The milky queso helped to quell the puckery and tangy salsa verde.

Fonda Mariquita (In Mercado Santa Tere)
Calle Andrés Terán 523
Santa Teresita, 44200 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then stepped out of the Mercado and across the street to this place.

I was quite thrilled; after all Jalisco is the home of Birria and of course, I love birria de chivo.

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The folks here were so friendly, our guide ordered us birria de chivo which was quite good; gamey, nice spice, the broth was rich and flavorful, nice smokiness.

This might have been the best we'd had….but there was a place we headed to for dinner that was even better!

Still, birria de chivo, better than anything I've ever had in San Diego.

And the service was wonderful!

Birriería La Victoria
Calle Manuel Acuña 1511
Villaseñor, 44200 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then headed back around the Mercado.

And we were brought to this storefront.

Which cracked us up. That whole modern looking area is just seating. Everything really happens here.

To the left of the "dining area" is where the tacos for Tacos Juan are put together.

Of course, being on this tour meant we'd just have a seat……

Man, those caramelized onions and charred peppers were so good.

The actual grilled queso and tortillas for the barbacoa tacos dorados were fabulous.

It actually outshone the barbacoa….which almost seemed like an accessory. That texture; the corn and cheesiness.

Tacos Juan Santa Teresita
Calle José Clemente Orozco 465
Santa Teresita, 44600 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then headed back thru the Mercado.

And made a stop for agua frecas….sorry, was having too much fun and didn't take a photo.

Our last stop was for something I'd been wanting to try in Jalisco.

Tortas Ahogadas are a way of life here. And this shop…again, the food is prepped outdoors and there is indoor seating, seemed like just what we wanted.

The line made it seem so promising. Here's where having to just find a table and not order made things easy for us.

Man ,these guys work hard!

So, when we were asked how spicy, we told the young lady that we love spicy, we've had some pretty spicy tortas ahogadas here is San Diego.

But, I think they went easy on us. The Birote (bread) was outstanding, yeasty, almost like a good sourdough, the meat tender, the sauce had a nice level of acidity, but was not very spicy.

I think they might have gone easy on us.

Tortas Ahogadas El Profe Jimenez
Calle Andrés Terán 841
Villaseñor, 44600 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

In the end, while I wish the "tour" was more than someone taking us to places and ordering….I really can't recommend this, it was nice to have the variety and exposure to dishes we'd had many times in the past.

Guadalajara – Dinner at Restaurante Allium and Antojitos Sanchez (at Tianguis del Parque Rojo)

July 19, 2024 mmm-yoso Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Fine Dining, Guadalajara/Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Taco Shops, Travel

Our flight from Mexico City to Guadalajara International Airport was right on time. Our driver was on time and the drive to our hotel; the Hotel Portobelo took about 30 minutes and was uneventful. The hotel is large, modern, and close to Zona Centro and all the historical sights. It is also right across the street from Parque Revolucion, which I found out is more commonly known as Parque Rojo, the Red Park to locals. Our flight had arrived at 1130 and it was just after noon when we arrived at the hotel. Check-in time was 3pm, so we decided to stow our luggage and go for a stroll. Lucky for us; there's a huge flea market, called Tianguis del Parque Rojo that occurs on Saturday.

And we spent a good amount of time exploring.

There was just about everything under the sun available here.

Something we soon noticed. Folks were quite friendly here, people would smile at us, wave us forward, we were the only Asians in sight, so I'm sure we stood out.

Soon we came across a food stall named Antojitos Sanchez. Folks seemed to be enjoying their meal, so we decided to give it a try.

One of the young men eating spoke perfect English and told us to sit next to him….folks actually moved over for us, in case we needed some help. Like I said, great people.

The Missus got a coconut agua fresca, which She loved so much and chugged down in like a minute! We ordered a second one!

We ordered tacos. The chicharron….the young man was surprised we ordered that, was so tender and full of flavor.

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The fatty portions and meat basically melted in your mouth! Such porky goodness, we didn't want to spoil the flavors by adding anything….we just wanted to "pig out" if you know what I mean.

We got the quesabirria tacos. The tortillas were very good and the cheese had been expertly melted and were so crisp!

The birria was fairly mild in flavor, though quite tender. For us, this was mostly about the wonderful texture.

The folks working were just plain wonderful; as was the young man who volunteered to help us! This was such a nice start to our visit here!

Antojitos Sanchez (at Tianguis del Parque Rojo)
Americana, 44160 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Market on Saturdays

We headed back across the street to the hotel. It was getting pretty hot and we thought we'd just wait in the air conditioned lobby of the hotel. Luckily, our room was ready early and we settled in.

As for dinner; well, it was going to be the total opposite of lunch. I had made reservations at Restaurante Allium which I had read about being a champion of local products and possibly the best restaurant in the city. To make things interesting, the restaurant was 5 kilometers (like 3 miles) away from Hotel Portobelo and we decided to walk, which was quite interesting.

Anyway, we made it to the location, which seemed to be an upscale business district with many high rises.

The restaurant is set-up in a modern, somewhat minimalistic style, with a visible kitchen. The service is warm and professional, it seems to be the place where the business elites come to eat.

Things started with an amuse sort of a aguachile bite, which was nice and refreshing.

There's only three wines by the glass, none of it from Mx, but the Missus though it fine.

And various salsas and butter are kindly provided.

We ended up ordering two appetizers and two entrees.

First to arrive was the Octopus Carpaccio.

As we would find with the other dishes, there's a lot going on here. From "tomato overload", both fresh and sun dried tomatoes, to an interesting flavor that seemed like dashi, which I later found was Katsuobushi, there was nice acidity, the avocado was nice and buttery, and the octopus very tender. The sourdough bread was a bit over-toasted, but still retained a nice balance.

The other appetizer we ordered was the Seabass Ceviche.

There was a bit too much going on here, though the texture of the fish was wonderful, it was overshadowed by all the acidity in the dish.

The Missus ordered the Lamb as Her main.

My goodness, those asparagus tips were amazing, so sweet and tender. The lamb shoulder was fine, a bit tough, we wished it was a bit more gamey, the dish gravitated to the sweeter end of the flavor spectrum.

I got the Pork Belly.

Once again, the produce was so good, those green beans had a nice, slightly sweet-chlrophyllic flavor. The frisee added a much needed balance to the sweet sauce. The pork belly was tender, but I wish there was more porcine flavor and less sweetness to the dish.

In the end, this was an interesting dining experience, the staff were so professional, yet warm and friendly.

Restaurante Allium
Avenida Providencia 2411, Plaza Leben Providencia
Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

We decided to catch an Uber back to the hotel. It had been an interesting day. Such diversity between our first two meals in the city. And yet there was one thing that seemed universal; the kindness and smiles of the folks here!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Array 36 (Temple City)

July 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Fine Dining, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel

Way back in March, the Missus had requested a specific road trip. We'd be taking our time to our destination. We first stayed in Carlsbad and had a fine dinner at Jeune et Jolie, after our morning coffee and some breakfast we headed to the SGV. As usual, we stayed the night at the Courtyard at Monterey Park and had made reservations for a restaurant in Temple City. I know what you're thinking, "sigh, is Kirk going to do yet another post on Bistro Na's?" Well FOYs, I'll give you a break from that for now, ok? I had read about a restaurant that opened in Temple City in October of last year. The place had Shanghainese influenced dishes along with an $98 Roast Duck dish carved tableside, which had to be ordered ahead of time. I'd read that the renovation of the restaurant, named Array 36 cost over 3 million dollars, with the goal of setting a new level of fine dining for Chinese cuisine in Los Angeles. So, of course we had to try things out.

I made reservations for 5pm, right when the place opened.

As we entered, the haunting moodiness of the restaurant engulfed us.

There's a huge hologram of a whale projected on the wall. It's quite a trippy scene.

We looked over the menu and placed our order. Soon enough, a serving of Kai Wei Cai, those little before meal snacks that are supposed to "open up the stomach" arrived.

The beans were quite nice; but it was the pungent-sour-mildly spicy laba garlic that we enjoyed. This was a great start to the meal.

Of course we needed to try the duck. There as no way we'd be able to finish a whole duck, so no "flaming fowl", the tableside torched and carved duck. No we went with the half roast duck ($68).

Which came with all the standard accessories. The fat had been rendered nicely, but the skin was not as crisp and delicate as we like. The flavor was quite mild and the meat tough and dry.

The dan bing, those "pancakes" one enrobes the duck and accoutrements with were large, thicker then we like and on the chewy side for our taste.

There's a version of Dragon Well Shrimp on the menu, something we really love. We still talk about the wonderful version we had all those years ago at Jiangnan Restaurant in Beijing. It's called Stir Fried River Shrimp on the English menu. We got a small order which was $58.

Man, this was bad. The shrimp was overcooked and tough, was too salty, and lacked depth of flavor.

We also ordered the House Special Smoked Plank Pork ($28).

The pork was on the chewier side of the scale, a bit too sweet for our taste, but heck, this was Shangainese influenced so that makes sense. Mild smokiness, decent pork tones. Not bad.

The last dish would prove to be a winnah! The Beef Fried Rice with Black Truffle ($22).

This was quite possibly the best fried rice I'd had in a while. While there was just a wisp of black truffle flavor; the rice was perfectly cooked and coated, the seasoning a nice balance of salt and savory.

At least the meal ended on a high note. The service as excellent, the interior a world of it's own. But in the end, it's about the food, and sorry to say, in spite of watching that hologram whale swimming on the wall across us, I don't think the dinner was worth the $200 price tag.

Array 36
5449 Rosemead Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Mexico City – Mora Mora (La Condesa) and a Journey thru La Merced

July 14, 2024 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Taco Shops, Travel

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.

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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!

Mexico City – Exploring Centro Historico, Xaachila Comida Oaxaquena, Taquería El Torito (Calle de Mesones 48 location), and Quesadillas Bolivar

July 6, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Taco Shops, Travel

**** So, this one is kinda long. I've condensed things a bit to make it more readable. Please let me know if you have any questions!

We had two full days in CDMX before heading to Jalisco. Even though we'd been to CDMX four times previously, we knew there was so much we hadn't seen yet. And yes, we'd been to Centro Historico several times (remember the colors of Frida?), but there just seemed to be so much. I thought we'd enjoy a private tour of Centro Historico. We had enjoyed our private tour of Museo Nacional de Antropologia on a previous trip, so I contacted Mexico a Pie tours, inquiring about downtown tour options. Ana quickly returned my email and after mentioning we enjoyed the cuisine as well, she proposed the private Tortilla and History tour.

Which is how we ended up "Ubering" to the Zocalo to meet up with our guide, the wonderful and enthusiastic Daniela.

After introductions, we swung on over to Templo Mayor, where we were treated to the history of Tenochtitlan, thought to be founded in the 14th century, home of the Mexica people, and the center of the Aztec Empire. Tenochtitlan was built on the shores of Lake Texcoco, which was eventually mostly drained. It is in this basin that Mexico City now exists.

This temple was dedicated to Huītzilōpōchtli (God of the sun) and Tlaloc which Andres had gone over with us during our tour of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia. Daniela seemed quite pleased that knew a bit about Tlaloc….she got a kick when we remembered the identifying features of Tlaloc; the round eyes and fangs.

We noticed many serpents and was told that these are symbols of fertility and rebirth.

One of the most famous items excavated here is the Coyolxauhqui Stone.

The next stop was just around the corner.

This is the Colegio de San Ildefonso, formerly a college established by the Jesuits, it is now a museum and performance venue.

Though it has some impressive murals and such, we found the elegant little touches to be impressive.

We were taken to the former Colegio de San Gregorio, now known as Universidad Obrera “Vicente Lombardo Toledano” – the "Worker's University", which bears the name of one of the most famous labor leaders in Mexico.

It was here when we discovered how flexible Daniela was. We noticed this dome from the courtyard of the University.

Daniela smiled and said, "let's go". And we were guided to and entered Nuestra Señora de Loreto Church – Church of Our Lady of Loreto.

The interior is quite stunning, though it does look a bit worn.

We notice all the bracing in the interior and was told because of the different types of stone used in the construction, the entire church is starting to tilt to one side.

And then it was time for our first "food stop". At a shop named Xaachila Comida Oaxaquena.

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Having been to Oaxaca the year before, the Missus was interested in trying a tamal.

The Missus was interested in trying the Tamal Chepil.

Which She enjoyed with a nice refreshing cup of Horchata! Good smoky flavors, nice maize tones. Would it make us forget Oaxaca? Heck no, but this was a nice little brunchy start to things.

And the Missus chugged that Horchata like there was no tomorrow!

Xaachila Comida Oaxaquena
De La Santísima 17-22
Cuauhtémoc, 06060 Ciudad de México, Mexico

We then headed back to the Cathedral. But because of services going on, Daniela would not be able to guide us thru the cathedral. She did provide us with some interesting things to see though.

We were told to look for the arm of what was supposed to be the wax figure of Saint Felicitas. Yes, there are human bones there!

Which had become quite a story.

The next stop was a place we didn't know about, the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México.

According to what I've read, this structure dates back to 1526!!!! It then became a shopping center in 1895 and then an hotel.

The Tiffany glass ceiling dates back to 1899.

Personally, I loved the elevator.

The grandness of the hotel looks like it came out of a book from another time.

Our next stop was a favorite of mine.

This interesting, well adorned building is the site of one of the oldest pharmacies in the Americas.

Originally a Augustine Monastery, in 1944 this became Farmacias Paris.

And it is still an operating pharmacy, with different areas to this day.

We were told that the most popular area deals with Homeopathy.

And it's still very busy……

This was quite interesting.

We were then told that it was "taco time" and led to this unassuming shop around the corner on Calle de Mesones.

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We had told Daniela that we "eat everything" and she took us here. I was told that there are three "El Toritos" on the street, apparently there's an interesting story about a family taqueria and a falling out between them.

I will say, these were our favorite tacos of the trip. We started with the Suadero, a mix of cuts and the Tripa.

My goodness, the crisp intestine was amazing! We got a second Tacos de Tripa!

It's hard to explain; there's some nice deep, offaly goodness, with a wonderful crispness. I'll just leave it at that.

Taquería El Torito
Calle de Mesones 48
Cuauhtémoc, 06080 Centro, Mexico

From here, we made a couple of more stops like the Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejada, which had some interesting murals.

We were then headed down Republica de el Salvador.

And then to 16 de Septiembre for our last food stop. This place had me fooled as the sign looked like it was some kind of cell phone shop. But the customers were all having eats and drinks.

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In spite of the sign, this is Quesadillas Bolivar.

We enjoyed the Quesadillas de Nopales and Flor de Calabazas.

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The blue corn tortillas was so full of maize goodness.

Quesadillas Bolivar
16 de Septiembre,
Pasaje Savoy 6-Local #3
Cuauhtémoc, 06000 Centro, Mexico

As we walked to our final destination, the Palacio Postal, the Central Post Office, we asked Daniela how she finds all these places to eat. She told us that she's out trying places every week, to see if it is worth taking folks on the tour to and which customers would fit with what place.

We ended at the beautiful "Postal Palace", the Central Post Office, which was built in 1907.

We had visited before, but it's no less amazing…….

And as we ended our day, Daniela took us to the best spot for an Uber pick-up.

It was indeed another fun, educational, and delicious day in CDMX.

And of course we had Romeo (kinda) greet us when we returned to the Red Tree House.

Mexico City – Staying at the Red Tree House and Revisiting Pasillo de Humo (yet again)

July 5, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

Yes, I'm way behind on my travel posts and need to catch up. We visited both CDMX and Jalisco last summer.

As for CDMX, well, this was our fifth visit to this lovely destination. We have fallen into a routine of sorts, we stay in La Condesa, our first meal is usually at Pasillo de Humo, we enjoy grabbing a coffee at Cafe Toscano, and the Missus shops for chocolate at Tout Chocolat.

Tout Chocolat
Amsterdam 154
6100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

The one big change for us this time around was that I was able to get us a suite at the Red Tree House. I'd heard and read about the rooms and service, but was never able to get us a room, until this visit. We loved our beautiful suite. And we especially loved the official "greeter", named Romeo.

Of course, we never saw him actually moving around, he was always napping it seems. Though we knew he was ambulatory since he would be in a different locale everytime.

We had the Jacaranda Suite on the first level.

Which had a colorful sitting area.

Which came in handy since there was breakfast served every morning and a "Happy Hour" with free wine during the early evening.

The one big issue being that there is no A/C and it was unusually hot in CDMX during our visit. And while on our previous visits there would be a downpour in the evening which bring some cooler temps, it was strangely absent during our stay. In fact, the folks at RTH mentioned how different the weather was during the current year.

70848250755__B6A3CF47-2EF1-4AAC-9D12-04E62F4E248E It was a wonderful stay, if a bit on the "atsui" side of things.

The Red Tree House
Culiacan 6
06100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

For dinner, we headed to the familiar confines of a place we'd been to several times over our visits to CDMX; Pasillo de Humo. Over the years, we've determined that, at least for us, ordering small dishes (and some good Mezcal) was the way to go here.

This was an interesting visit. Because of all the detailed posts I've done, over the years, I'm not going into great detail, except to say we ordered our favorite dishes.

What I will say is that other than tripas tacos, things just didn't seem the same. Prices have gone up, but the herbs and veggies were on the "brown" side of things, the memelitas were dry, as was the pork. The hoya santa was turning brown and lacked flavor…….it was just not a good meal. Quite sad as this was place we'd been to so many times.

And the place was completely empty during our entire meal. I don't know what's going on here.

Not sure we'll be back during our future trips to CDMX.

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

Road Trip – Bell’s (Los Alamos) Revisited

June 22, 2024 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

When you stay at the Sideways Inn you can get a "knock & drop" breakfast in the morning. A simple breakfast that you mark off on a form the night before and find on your doorknob the next morning. All I really needed was bagel and OJ to get my day started.

We relaxed, went for a stroll, then checked out.

We enjoyed our stay here.

Sideways Inn
114 E Hwy 246
Buellton, CA 93427

One of the reasons we spent the evening in Buellton was to have lunch in Los Alamos the next day at Bell's. While we had enjoyed dinner at Bell's on a previous visit, it was the more "classic" French lunch that we loved. Thus, I had made reservations for lunch.

We got into Los Alamos a bit early, so we headed to the Los Alamos Gallery to browse and shop.

We ended up getting a couple of gifts for folks. Downtown Los Alamos is basically a four block stretch, so we left our car parked on the street and walked on over to Bell's a block away.

The restaurant, which I believe used to be a bank had just opened for lunch service and we were the first through the door.

Just as on previous visits, the service was relaxed, yet professional, hitting a nice balance.

We started with the Chicken Liver Mousse.

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Smooth, almost creamy, the pate had a pleasurable, rich funkiness, nice sweet-savory tones. The deep flavor went well with the strawberry jam, aiding in cutting the richness and the cornichon cleansing the palate.

The Missus loved the escargot during our previous visit, so we made sure to order it again.

And just as before, the Missus enjoyed the plump, "wild" Burgundy snails, surprisingly tender, full of garlicky goodness. Sadly, the baguette was also the same as before, much too chewy. Still, those snails…..

The Crepe du Jour looked interesting.

The tomatoes was an sweet-acidic-fruity flavor explosion! The crepe wasn't too sweet and the taste of cheddar came thru nicely without being overwhelming.

Of course I had to get the Beef Tartare.

This is still one of my favorite versions; tender beef, perfectly cut, nice balanced amount of capers, creamy egg yolk, nice touch of pungent tones! There was a generous amount of lightly dressed greens provided. Though again, that baguette. But, the tartare was so good, it was easy to overlook the bread.

We really enjoy lunch at Bell's and can't wait to return!

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440
Current Hours:
Thurs – Mon 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 830pm
Closed on Tuesday – Wednesday

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Road Trip – Industrial Eats, Sideways Lounge, and Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden (Buellton)

June 20, 2024 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

We still had some time to kill after having lunch at Bar le Cote. We decided a nice walk would be in order. Since we'd be staying in Buellton, I looked for a place to take a nice stroll and came across the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden. So, after doing some additional shopping in Los Olivos we headed on over.

We parked at River View Park which is attached to the garden.

As we walked past one of the buildings, we saw some signs which gave us a bit of a pause.

Hmmmm…..Mountain Lions AND Rattlesnakes? Okay……

Still, it was such a nice spot, we sauntered onward.

There were some nice little trails; signage for various plants, and some really charming art.

It was a nice place to spend an hour or two.

Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden
151 Sycamore Dr.
Buellton, CA 93427

We then headed to our hotel right down the road to check in. We were staying at a hotel that was known from a certain movie. At that time it was a Days Inn, but it has been rebranded and has taken on the name of that movie. It is now the Sideways Inn. If you'd like to see more locations from the movie, this is a good resource.

We took a short rest after checking in. Then headed out to our dinner destination. One of the reasons we decided to stay in Buellton was to check out Industrial Eats. Our good friend Candice, knowing how much we loved the now closed Tiger! Tiger!, mentioned that we should try Industrial Eats. She told me that while it's not T!T! it did give off the same type of vibe. By staying at our hotel, we were just a short walk down Highway 246 from the restaurant.

Industrial Eats is located in what seems to have been a warehouse or auto repair shop in a previous life. The wide open and airy space is quite welcoming.

Industrial Eats does it's own charcuterie and from what I understand works with local purveyors to create a farm to table experience. Much like how things went at Tiger! Tiger! you order at the counter. Things are written out on Butcher Paper, there's Pizza, Not Pizza, and Sandwiches.

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And also specials on clipboards in front of the counter.

We ordered, got our number thingy, and had a seat. Soon enough, dishes started arriving. Based on the prices, we were a bit surprised as the dishes were larger than we expected.

First to arrive was the Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, and Mozzarella ($16).

This was so refreshing. The mild sweet-bitterness of the watermelon, with the sour-sweet-acidity of the tomatoes really balanced things out. The basil added the anise tones, the balsamic a touch of fruity-sourness, and the Mozzarella, which was creamy-milky-sour! This was so good.

Next up was the Smoked Duck with Citrus ($16).

The toothsome duck had a mild smokiness, with a touch of an almost offal like flavor. The greens were crisp and fresh, the citrus added a nice acidity.

The White Shrimp and Garlic ($16) was quite good.

While the shrimp was a tad overcooked, it was still nice and sweet. The slices of garlic added some pungency, the broth was richer than it looked.

We really enjoyed the Spinach, Bacon, Blue Cheese ($14) which came crowned with a tasty sunny side up egg.

Loved the earthy, but not overly funky blue cheese and that delicious egg; the yolk was so tasty. The vinaigrette was perfect with the spinach and the cheese, and the bacon added a bit of salty-savory bites.

As you can tell, we really enjoyed this meal. It was quite a bit of food for two, but this was such a satisfying meal. It was the ingredients that were highlighted and we really did get Tiger! Tiger! vibes eating here.