We had enjoyed exploring Jalatlaco so much, that we decided the morning of our last full day in Oaxaca checking out the oldest neighborhood Xochimilco, which was founded in 1486. We started at the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán area and headed North.
Passing what had now become some pretty familiar sites like Xochimilco Aqueduct. From here we headed North on Rufino Tamayo.
To say that the street art was amazing is an understatement.
Things were very relaxed and quiet; even more so after we crossed the highway and the street became Calle José López Alavez . But things were no less colorful.
It was non-stop colors and textures…
By now we were getting a bit hungry. I had a place on my list close by called Chepiche Cafe. Tucked away on a side street, with an unassuming street facing storefront, you head thru a gate and then down some stairs and get to the lively, lovely courtyard dining area.
We were seated, the place had a definite modern, almost hipster vibe to it. Service was friendly and professional.
The Missus got some hot chocolate, which was kind of weak and watered down.
Our meals at Boulenc had gotten the Missus to focus in on Avocado Toast, which is what She ordered ($75/MX – $3.90/US).
This was fine though nowhere as refined and tasty as the version at Boulenc. You can't beat the creamy, almost sweet avocados in Mexico. The toast was a bit on the burnt side and the Missus needed more salt for this, but it did the job.
Still being fixated on Hoya Santa, I ordered the La Santa ($105/MX – $5.50/US). Man, this was much more food than I expected.
In some ways this really represented the neighborhood, bright colors and varying textures. The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, just wonderfully runny, with no off flavors. I really got to appreciate the peppery-minty-anise tones of hoya santa. The hoya santa rellena was filled with mildly milky and sharp queso menonita and even more tasty beans. Didn't care much for the "salsa" which was watery and weak. The plantains was an interesting addition, though perhaps it made things a bit too sweet for me.
Overall a decent brunch and no complaints about the portions or prices.
Chepiche Cafe
Genaro Vásquez 6 A
Barrio de Xochimilco, 68040 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico
We enjoyed the splashes of color as we headed back to Centro.
For some reason, on the way to the hotel we decided to drop back in at a ceramic shop we'd visited earlier. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they didn't have anything the Missus wanted. All the items She saw was awaiting sale to businesses. When we returned however, the young lady remembered us and took us into a room. Apparently when they create works for various restaurants and such, they make extras, and the Missus found some cups She liked for hot chocolate.
Such thoughtful service!
Tierra Quemada
Labastida 115
Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico
From here we walked back to the hotel to escape from the afternoon heat.
It seems that even the street dogs are mellow and follow their own "code of conduct" here.
We stopped by the location of Mayordomo to get some chocolate to take home before relaxing back in our room.
There was something special about Oaxaca….the food, the colors, the sounds, and most of all the wonderful people.
We managed to get a high-top for two. And along with the standard menu, the menu del-dia was presented. There was a nice, easy going, yet joyous vibe here. Folks were having fun. There was a group of folks, it seemed like employees from a company having a "very" happy hour. They asked me to take a photo of them. Of course, being American, I told them to say "cheese"….perhaps I should have had them say "fromage"?
As you walk to the gate you can't help but notice the bust to the right. Who is this you might ask? It is the bust of 
One thing that is easily noticed as you cross the drawbridge into the city are all the formidable battlements and defenses. There's a huge metal gate to crush you, notice the curve as you cross into the city, that serves a defensive purpose as well; to slow you down as you attacked the city.
Which included the same salad, some fois gras, but much more. There was a nice cured duck breast and more importantly, what you see at the bottom of the plate in the photo above, Gesiers de Canard, duck gizzards. I had really enjoyed the version 
Man, this was not to our liking. It was super salty, the duck confit dry, the sausage tough and bland, and worst of all the beans were hard and undercooked. I did appreciate the piece of pork rind at the bottom of the pan. But overall, this was not very good.
A very generous portion of terrine mi cuit, with a lovely apple jam. The accompanying sea salt and a touch of jam went well with the lovely, rich and buttery fois gras.
Not a big fan of this dish. The mussels were overcooked and on the tough side and there was a bit of grainy "sandy" bits. Also, we didn't care for the milky creamy flavors which really detracted from the briny – sweet mussels. 
This "interesting" building is 
The croissant was dark, flaky, and light. But it really lacked the butteriness I like and was on the dry side.
There were no herbs and veggies on a plate; what little there was had already been dumped in the soup; which had a weird tinge that was almost grey. The broth tasted like salt water with some beef bouillon dumped in it. The slices of beef were tough and tasteless. The banh pho were of the thicker variety and were just a tad overcooked. Man, this was even worse than the 
The best item were the "nems", which we call Cha Gio, it was light and crisp and the filling while on the chewier side had a nice porky flavor. The bun was overcooked. The bun cha dry, tough, and bland. The nuoc mam cham suffered a from a serious shortage of fish sauce. I'm just going to stop here…..
The church is dedicated to 
For the eggs, you could get either Smoked Salmon or Bacon, so we ordered one of each. The frites were nicely fried; hot and crisp, the small salad refreshing. As for the "Benedicte", well, to my surprise the Missus really liked the smoked salmon version. The Hollandaise sauce was creamy, but not overly assertive in that eggy-overly buttery manner. The smoked salmon was excellent; lightly briny and with a great smokiness, it reminded us of what we'd 
And our dinner at chef-driven Origen was our favorite of the trip.
The variety of flavors in the greens was amazing, peppery – anise – bitter – nutty as were the various textures. The hoya santa "pesto" had a nice peppery-minty tone.
While the duck was a bit drier than we prefer, the mole was quite good, not overly sweet and complex in flavor. The tortillas for the enchiladas were really good, fantastic corn tones, which went so well with the local cheese and the gaminess of the duck.
This mole was a bit thinner than others we've had. It had a nice spice to it and went well with Beef Tongue. We loved all the veggies here, they were so full of flavor!
