Breakfast in Oaxaca: XAOK
This amazing TINY restaurant is at the corner of Calle Reforma and Gomez Farias, across the street from Conzatti Park. It has six tables and seating for about 20 people. How do you say it? XAOK = Sha-Oh-K. The K is soft, barely the hard consonant we know in English. Chef Uriel Garcia works the […]
Pre-Hispanic Oaxaca Cooking Class with Vicky Hernandez
High up the hill in the shadow of Oaxaca’s famed archeological site of Monte Alban is a humble comedor on a dirt side street down the hillside from a paved access road. Carefully make your way down a curved, steep stairway cut into the hill to find the simple kitchen of Cocina Pre-Hispanica con Fogon […]
Heirloom Beans: Mexico’s Legumes Elevated to a Higher Power
The Hunt for Mexico’s Heirloom Beans, a New Yorker Magazine feature written by Burkhard Bilger and published 4/23/2018, starts and ends with eating. Thanks to my Teotitlan del Valle friend Scott Roth for sending me this article, lengthy but worth the time to read. For northern North Americans unfamiliar with bean culture, we think of this […]
Oaxaca Hand-crafted Condiments: Suculenta Food Gallery
You might walk by the unmarked building painted sky blue and not even notice what’s inside. Down the street from Boulanc bakery on Av. Porfirio Diaz, closer to Morelos than Murguia, is Suculenta. The food gallery is an off-shoot of the bakery where hand-crafted jellies, jams, edible oils, cheeses, herbs and fresh wild mushrooms from […]
Gracias a Dios! Have You Heard of Gin Mezcal?
We hadn’t heard of gin mezcal until the other night at Oaxaca’s Origen restaurant. Our very competent waiter suggested we taste it which was on the menu as a mixed drink. What was it like unadulterated? How could mezcal be gin? Hollie asked. Gracias a Dios is the mezcal brand. That means Thank God. They […]
Cafe Culture in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
Tucked into Pino Suarez #45 at the corner of the main drag, Benito Juarez, in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, is Cafe Vid. Almost smack in the middle of town. It has seven tables and 15 chairs, with all the warmth and intimacy you can imagine including excellent, custom-made coffee drinks and delicious snacks. It’s […]
Stopover Puebla: Taking a Break Between Mexico City and Oaxaca
Puebla, Mexico, has so much to offer that a two to four-day stopover going to or from Oaxaca to Mexico City is usually in my travel plans. I like to fly out of Mexico City back and forth to the USA (it’s cheaper) and usually plan a visit to this most original Spanish city in […]
Boulenc: Bringing a World of Flavors to Artisan Bread + More in Oaxaca, Mexico
We invited Martha Sorensen to write this post. She has raved about Boulenc since they opened. Martha makes it a daily breakfast habit to include a slice or two of toasty, crusty rye or whole grain bread from Boulenc topped with their not t00 sweet house made mango jam. She’s got me hooked. *** Walk through the […]
Masterpiece of Mexican Cuisine and Symbol of Independence: Chile en Nogada
It’s a Chile en Nogada kind of day here in Puebla, Mexico, where it was first prepared by Augustinian nuns, so they say, to honor the birthday of General Augustin Iturbide on August 28, 1821, who orchestrated Mexico’s independence from Spain on the same date. I ate one Chile en Nogada today here at El Mural […]
Tour Puebla, Mexico: Cooking & Culture, From the Humble to the Divine
August 13-18, starting at $895 per person double occupancy– Chiles en Nogada Cooking Class Sumptuous Dinner Party in a Private Historic Home Elegant Dining and Neighborhood Eating Flea Market and Antique Shopping Museums, Churches, Archeology, History Puebla, Mexico, is a short two hours from Mexico City by bus direct from the international airport. It […]
Bringing Morocco to Mexico: Tagine Oaxaca-Style Mole Recipe
One of Morocco’s delights is tagine clay pot cooking. This heavy clay platter with conical top is perfect for one-dish meal preparation. I packed my tagine securely with bubble-wrap in Marrakech, seasoned it in North Carolina, repacked it, and have been cooking with it since arriving in Oaxaca this week. Oaxaca-Morocco Fusion Food: Now, […]
Morocco Journal 9: Shopping, Eating, Sleeping, Body Work
Back home in North Carolina after 14 days in Morocco, the quintessential shopping bazaar, with a 2-day stopover in beautiful Madrid, Spain. Now, I prepare to return to Oaxaca, but not before a final set of Morocco recommendations to share with you. Marrakech Riad Bahia Salam, Marrakech, a restored mid-range guesthouse situated within easy […]
Morocco Journal 4: From the Medina to the Palace
From North Africa, the land of coucous, tagine, lamb, prunes, dates, figs and apricots: We moved from the cozy, neighborhood riad on a busy street in the Marrakech medina near the crush of the souq and Jemaa el-Fnaa square to an oasis about 15 minutes beyond the city center. The Mosaic Palais Aziza […]
Crunchy, No-Cook Nopal Cactus Salad with Fruit and Sprouts: Healthy, Fresh, Fast, Easy
My sister Barbara and I were in Puebla, Mexico recently and during our three-day stay we ate at El Mural de los Poblanos Restaurant three times. We can’t get enough of Chef Lizette Galicia’s good food. We each have a favorite salad there. Barbara loves the fresh nopal cactus tossed with tomato, onion, cilantro, queso […]
Tidbits: Calvin Trillin Loves Oaxaca, Too!
I think of Calvin Trillin as a contemporary Walt Whitman, humorous, politically savvy, and egalitarian. It just so happens that Trillin’s daughter Abigail moved to Oaxaca with her family. This became a perfect excuse for him to re-visit, eat grasshoppers, learn to cook with maguey worms and write about it. His take on Oaxaca food (and […]
El Mural de los Poblanos, Puebla, Mexico Restaurant Continues to Please
“It was wonderful, close to perfect.” That’s what I told NY Times travel writer Freda Moon this morning when she asked how my meal was at El Mural de los Poblanos. Hollie and I settled in after escaping a particularly violent thunderstorm, rain pellets pounding our umbrellas as we stepped carefully along the slippery paving […]
Flea Market and Antiques Finds in Puebla, Mexico
Shopping in Puebla, Mexico during Saturday and Sunday Flea Market days is a treasure hunt. Vendors begin to set up on the sidewalk around 11 a.m. each Saturday on Calle 6 Sur between Calle 7 Oriente and Calle 5 Oriente. This is a pedestrian walkway lined with open-every-day, higher quality antique and folk art shops […]
Oaxaca Portrait Photography Workshop: Added Blessings
This is Day Six of our program! Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday was Saturday, a day of rest and reflection for the pueblo of Teotitlan del Valle. There was only one five o’clock mass and no processions. That meant we could leisurely edit the hundreds of photographs we had taken in the days before […]
King of Mezcals: El Cortijo’s Pechuga de Pollo
You be the judge! Is Pechuga de Pollo (breast of the chicken) distilled by El Cortijo in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca, the best of the best? At 1,500 pesos (that’s $118 USD at today’s 12.65 exchange rate) for a 750 ml bottle in fine Mexican restaurants and far more in the U.S.A. (so I’m told by my in-the-know brother-in-law), […]
We Are in Tlaxcala Now: Archeology, Volcanoes, Great Food
Who could ask for more? We are in Tlaxcala (Tuh-las-cah-lah), the first city Cortes came to after landing in Veracruz. The oldest churches in the New World are here. The compact zocalo is ringed with 16th century buildings decorated with frilly stucco and carved stone. The town of 73,000, tucked into a hillside, is one […]
Three Days in Puebla — An Easy Round Trip from Oaxaca
I love to visit Puebla. This Friday I will be making a repeat visit — the second one in two weeks. Puebla has a lot going for it, including a regal cathedral and friendly zocalo. This is a city built by Spaniards to replicate Old World charm. It has a European feel with wide pedestrian avenues. Ten […]
Chiapas Retrospective: San Cristobal de las Casas Textiles, Food, Lodging, Shopping
In retrospect: The best of San Cristobal de las Casas! Now that I am back in Oaxaca, settled into my comfy room with my Zapotec family in Teotitlan del Valle, I revisit my travels to San Cristobal de las Casas. With Oaxacaqueño organic coffee from Nuevo Mundo in hand to wash down the almond paste […]
More Than 36 Hours: Oaxaca, Mexico — Where To Stay, Hotels, Hostels, B&B’s
Where to Stay in Oaxaca, Mexico: Hotels, Bed and Breakfast Lodging and Hostels. The list that I sent to Freda Moon, The New York Times travel writer who crafted the feature 36 Hours: Oaxaca, Mexico, included recommendations for where to sleep in Oaxaca City. She was only able to include one, El Diablo y La Sandia. So, I’m […]
More Than 36 Hours: Oaxaca, Mexico–Favorite Restaurants
The list that I sent to Freda Moon, The New York Times travel writer who created the feature 36 Hours: Oaxaca, Mexico, included some of my favorite places to eat in two categories: 1) Where to eat that won’t break your budget, and 2) The GaGa Dining Experience. Where to Eat That Won’t Break Your […]
Chiles En Nogada: Tasteful Symbol of Mexican Revolution
Read travel/food writer Freda Moon’s sensuous tribute to the sublime red, white and green Chiles en Nogada and you will understand the heart and soul of a nation. Food is a commentary about culture and in this case, gender. Freda describes the role of the descendants of indigenous noble women who converted to Christianity, took […]
Budget Oaxaca Restaurant El Gran Gourmet is Fabuloso
Keeps your eyes open, you might miss it! El Gran Gourmet budget restaurant restaurant is tucked away in a narrow space at Avenida Independencia, No. 1104 in Oaxaca’s Centro Historico. It’s about four blocks away from the Zocalo past Fiallo beyond the tourist areas (walking towards the Periferico). Simple, clean, delicious and a bargain! Who could […]
New Oaxaca Restaurant, Pitiona, Dazzles
Pitiona: Cocina de Autor has just arrived onto the Oaxaca dining scene like a shooting star ready to dazzle the most discerning fan. Shooting stars burn out, but I am going to wager that Pitiona will establish itself like a celestial planet around which foodies will gravitate. I was walking down Calle 5 de Mayo […]
Oaxaca Gallery-Hopping, Shopping + Dining Expedition with Norma Hawthorne
Oaxaca Gallery-Hopping, Shopping and Dining Expedition with Norma Hawthorne, Wednesday, February 1 to Tuesday, February 7, 2012 Collectors, foodies, shop-a-thon pacesetters and novice wannabees are invited to join me for an all-inclusive adventurous foray into the back streets, alleyways, and dirt paths of indigenous villages and cobbled city streets to discover the best of Oaxaca. First, […]
Visitor Talks About Safety: Quiet and Calm in Oaxaca
I asked Gary Titus, director of the Oaxaca Learning Center, if I could post his email message to me about safety and he agreed. ___________________________ Here is a letter from a recent guest at the Oaxaca Learning Center Bed and Breakfast: Hi, I am Susan Moore. I was talking to the center’s organizer, Gary Titus, recently […]
Touring the Mercado de la Merced with Pilar Cabrera Arroyo
My first day in Oaxaca was thrilling and something I was looking forward to for quite some time! I walked from Las Bugambilias B&B to Pilar’s cooking class at Casa de los Milagros, operated by Pilar’s brother Rene. (Three beautiful rooms each with private bath @ $120USD each.) Our group of seven included a couple […]
