Time in Oaxaca

[JTravel]

Now...back to Mexican.

We found a new place, a block away, but so hidden we would never have found it without someone pointing it out.

This is Atila del Sur , in the Espacia Zapata.  When you look in you see prints and printing presses, but walk in and 

Wander till you find this bright ,cozy place.

Eduardo is the chef and he makes everything for you "a la minute". He shops each morning, plans his menu, and has the daily special, comida corrida for 75 pesos with drink, soup and main plate.  Last week we had lemon and cucumber ""agua", cabbage soup, and each of us had one of main choices.  DH had the fish in a wrapper and fried, with a nice salad. I had small tortillas filled with chicken, rolled and fried with salad with tomatoes, guacamole, red onions, and of course black bean purée . Both delicious and we cleaned our plates.

The first time we went DH had his Azteca soup, assembled bit by bit, the best I've had.  I had a Tlayuda, huge and excellent but a bit too much greens for me. Each dish was a meal for around 60 pesos. Top Notch.

What a find!

Edited February 29, 2016 by JTravel (log)

[JTravel]

Atila del Sur...photos

 

Outside wall, repainted from time to time, it's a street art place

 

Menu of day outside

 

Other available items...lots of fish

 

Nice space, love the oilcloth

Edited February 28, 2016 by JTravel (log)

[JTravel]

Atila del Sur 2 photos

 

Traditional Tlayuda

 

Azteca Soup

[JTravel]

A lovely lunch today with our retuning home neighbor. The sun came out after noon, but it's pouring again now, so lunch in the courtyard of Los Danzantes was lovely.  On Wednesday and Friday, this upscale Oaxacan restaurant has what we personally call the budget special. Reservations must be made, sometimes a couple weeks ahead. Only a certain      number of seats are allocated for this deal. Many more people were ordering off the menu...but it was early.  One funny thing , those on budget deal get paper napkins, a la Carte , they get large striped cloth ones.

 

Today, for our 145 pesos, around $8. we had the bread basket with their wonderful herb biscuits and fresh hot tortillas. With that came a trio of a flavored butter, Pasilla pepper dip, and another dip.  This seems to go to everyone.

 

Our agua choice was lemon with chia seeds.  A small shot of their own branded mescal came too.

The cutest little mug came next with a thick red soup with some corn kernels. I wish they would print this menu ,my Spanish is not good enough to know what I'm eating. Anyway, tasty , and a new basket of biscuits and tortillas came too.

 

Main dish was a large stuffed pepper with a tasty mixture of fish, tomatoes, onions. You might guess this was a homey dish in a pot that got a very fancy treatment here.

 

Dessert was a delicious peanut cookie, crisp but tender, with mocha cream, a bit of whipped cream, and chopped nuts. Perfect.

Followed by coffee or tea.

 

The regular menu is a la Carte , and much more expensive. In the evening the courtyard is lighted by candles and it's beautiful.  I enjoyed watching young Mexicans ordering from the menu...large and very interesting looking plates. One couple with make your own tacos was pouring the little dish of grasshoppers onto their tacos. Still working on that myself.

 

Pictures to follow

[JTravel]

Today's bargain deal at Los Danzantes

lemonade with chia

pot of soup

stuffed pepper

oh that cookie

 

bonus picture.

.it was good Samaritan day, villages gave out fruit drinks from a tent in street. Missed it

 

bonus thought: The other day we had oat horchata, not rice. Turns out to be good, and much quicker.

[JTravel]

This is our last week and since we have seen and done a lot we though we might not be so active.

But ,in the way that Mexico tends to do....a couple things popped up.

First....the sound of music drew us to the south side of Santo Domingo the the 18th annual event of sampling regional dance, free, outside, chairs, a band , and costumed dancers from different cities all this week. 

 

BUT , probably more to your interest....it's Oaxaca Sabe week.....restaurant week. Who knew....not us till a poster appeared on Gourmand next door.

 

Starts today.  Deal is 20 restaurants, 250 pesos per person, 3/4 courses, plus one drink. So for about $30 per couple we get to visit some top places and try new things.

I can't link to it but website is oaxacasabe.com     Do at least look at banner...it's So Mexican!

 

Going to try La Olla today

 

lousy picture of dancers to follow

Edited March 7, 2016 by JTravel (log)

[JTravel]

color shot...Samaritan day ladies

dance event

and food shot for mescal tasting...red was very good

[JTravel]

So, yesterday we had our first try at Oaxaca Sabe, restaurant. Being really lazy we had late breakfast, long and

unproductive walk to market, and need for 2nd showers. Meaning we arrived at La Olla, Pilar Cabrera's place, at 4 to find it mostly empty, but special sold out. 

 

Luckily los Quince Letras was nearby, almost empty and welcomed us. Between waiter's English and my Spanish

we ordered. DH had a beer, I had melon juice, cantaloupe actually.   We both got what was called fruit salad, though lots of greens with strawberry and mango bits. Lovely presentation, great fruit dressing.

 

We both chose the chicken in black mole, the breast stuffed with Oaxaca cheese and cooked plantain. Very tasty and large enough to bring 1/2 home...how crude of us. Usually we each choose an entree, but other choice was pulpo,

popular here, but not with us.

 

Postre was a sapote fruit "ice cream" more like granita. Good, unusual to us but dark color made think we could be

eating chocolate .

 

The service was nice, waiters attentive, ice for juice came promptly.  The woman owner? Came to our table twice to ask, in Spanish, if all was good.  2nd time she ask if we had mole on out leftovers.  Then she sent it to kitchen for more.

 

SO , was the price point worth it....keeping in mind the bill was $28.?  For 2 of us, compared to $4.-$8 pp for our usual.

Very nice, not fussy, nothing to fault with food. Friendly staff. We are not high end eaters or demanding guests.  Glad we did it. Keeping in mind that in most places we have set lunch we get attentive service,from owner or chef, generous good food,  leftovers, and a pleasant time.

We'll try to get in a couple more, maybe something more different.

 

 

 

 

 

[JTravel]

cantaloupe juice

 

lovely salad

 

chicken roulade with queso and plantains

 

sapote ice cream

 

dancers of the night

[JTravel]

2nd go at Oaxaca Sabe was at Pilar Cabrera's restaurant La Olla.

Since it was sold out the day before at 4, we went at 2.  The time we spent there a few more people came in. 

They had done one good thing, made a picture menu of the choices. 2 starters, 3 mains....2 of chicken but no

explanation of difference, 2 desserts...only one available.

 

A small pour of red wine for me, a tiny bottle of beer for him. Just said skimpy to us.  Crisp tortillas with chili dip. Warm ones with meal. Comal in dining room with tiny tortillas being made.  Really nice space, neat, some art, some of Pilar's products for sale.

 

I chose "tomato " salad.....quotes because I expected tomatoes, got tired greens with two thin grilled wedges. Plus a couple of wedges of tiny green ones....maybe tomatillos . DH had crema de garbanzo , soup with tiny quail egg, with hot soup poured on. He reported it was a creamy soup. Soups in Oaxaca are usually wonderful....our first dish on arriving was cream of carrot, never forgot it.  That said, I didn't try it, and garbanzo is not one of my favorites.

 

I had had my eye on the Camarones con mojo of chili Meco since I saw the menu online. Only 3 shrimp, and a tasty

watercress side salad.  Have to say, they were hot but among the tastiest things I have had here. DH had a rolled chicken breast in a sauce....since we didn't figure which choice it was.

 

Dessert was a small scoop of ice cream with tiny shells filled with finely shredded hard cheese. A few bits of strawberries and a pansy to decorate the plate. His dessert was served while I was still savoring my 3rd shrimp. That was tacky.  

Otherwise waiters tried to be helpful. Service was fast.

 

So ends, by mutual agreement our experiment in high dining.  ( Yes, I do realize we are only talking about a $15 meal.)

I think we have been spoiled by the many tasty meals we have had in small places with more simple style.  El Quinque, with their Friday fish and great burgers, El Huateque with a woman chef whose pork in tamarind was outstanding and whose mixed salad puts either of these to shame.   

Santo Sabor with charming Tony in charge and a 60 peso comida that never lets you down.  El Tipico ,filled with flowers and good tastes.  All these places with wonderful people, food cooked when you order it, staff that helps you understand the  choices, people who are happy you came to their place.  Not saying everyone wasn't ok for the special meals, Inot saying the food wasn't nice, the experience pleasant.   I guess we are just plain folks who like to see these less fancy places do well.

 

SO, instead of Oaxaca Sabe tonight it's Eduardo of Atila del Sur doing a tasting menu for 3 of us. That's a first. Stay tuned.

[JTravel]

pretty space

garbanzo soup

tomato salad

shrimp

chicken

dessert

[JTravel]

We are winding down our time here, heading home soon.  Now is the time for questions if you have them.  I have one more favorite comida place to post and possibly more photos.

Thanks for following along , it's been a lovely trip for us.

[JTravel]

I realize that I sort of abandoned this thread....once we got home and back to our routine I got sidelined. I have been working on pictures....one camera, one cell phone/camera, one iPad, and two clouds.,How confusing!  But OneDrive works so on we go.

 

i wanted to include one more place to complete our top 3 of Comida corridas. We had El Huateque. . A new place with a wonderful woman chef making interesting combinations.  Pretty and comfortable place.

We discovered Atila Del Sur, hidden a block away from us.    Eduardo made amazing things, we needed more time with him too.

 

From 2015 we had fond memories of Santo Sabor.  We always told people they could order any of the 5 daily choices and be happy. At just 60 pesos with good agua, soup or salad, good bread, a tasty main ,and a small dessert we wonder how they can do it.  We sometimes treated ourselves to the brownie and ice cream too. Not because we were hungry but because it was so good.

Santo Sabor Photos

a pork and veggie sort of stir fry

Grilled pork Cecina, thin pork with a flavored paste on it, tender and delicious 

Elbow mac mixed with creama and crisp apple

A salad with homemade fruit dressing

 

Well done Tony and family,and success to all our favorites

 

stay tuned for more photos of places and foods to eat

 

[Smithy]

Thank you for taking us along on this trip; it's been a joy for many of us.

 

You said the Pork Cecina had a flavored paste on it.  Do you remember anything about the flavor?  Was it hot?  That red color looks like it could be paprika, for instance - but it might also be some much hotter peppery concoction.  It looks tasty.

[JTravel]

Last year we did the requisite eating of grilled meat at the market. It was an experience, but the meat, very thin ,was very tough, overcooked.

The cecina is always the reddish one, covered in plastic wrap, waiting to be chosen for cooking. We didn't try it at the market. But at Santo Sabor it was cooked just right, tender and very tasty, not really hot as I remember.

If you search Rick Bayless Cecina pork tacos it is a recipe that seems good to me.

Please let me know if you try it.

[JTravel]

OK , I promised various shots of foods....from my over 200 food related photos. Will try not to repeat....but.

1). On subject of meat in market....long strings of short blobs are chorizo. Tell the truth it all looked good. 

Surprise to us, many, if not most of butchers were women.

[JTravel]

Now those are Ripe pineapples. Sweet and juicy. (Though I do have to say, referring to another thread....that I got an equally delicious one at Aldis last week , $1.29).

[JTravel]

This is the daily Comida corrida list for Cocina Economica Isabel, conveniently near the library. Unusual to have it done this way, easier for us.  Many choices. Very friendly staff, sort of forest atmosphere, good food. Hidden behind a garage door.

[JTravel]

Economica Isabel photos:    I believe the Comida is 60-70 pesos

 

covered courtyard, charming and quite local place

rolled "meatloaf" ,,,pastel de res, veggies rolled up in it

I think its pork , good sauce and potatoes which are good at this altitude

large and excellent flan, generous for a set meal

[JoNorvelleWalker]

@JTravel I hadn't seen your thread until just now.  Thank you for the lovely blog!  Oaxaca is a place I would like to visit.  (At the moment I am wearing earrings from Oaxaca.)

 

I've read and enjoyed Kennedy's Oaxaca al Gusto, but some of the insects and the herbs are a bit difficult to source.