gueraaven's Profile
Baking supplies in Mexico City
Check it out! That's great, but expensive. I've got a few more tips for anyone else following this thread...
- Central Gourmet near the Polanco Costco has several kinds of Gold Medal flours and cake flour
- a few places, including my local organic store in Condesa, have a limited selection of Bob's. Mostly rye, rice, and soy flours for now. Sometimes buckwheat.
No luck on 00 flour yet.
9+ days in Mexico City: The Trip Report
Thanks for posting a great report! I love love love Dulce Patria, but I think it's just about the mood you are in - for those of us who get this food all the time, we need a variety of experiences. Looking at where you ate, I understAnd why you were more than satisfied after a week. ;-).
Note on the taxi stands ... You prob just weren't noticing them. For future folk looking at this thread, there is a large one on the west side of the cathedral. I also think there's one on one of the main corners of Gante.
What's "in season" in Mexico during the month of May?
Mangos are in season, as well as asparagus. Mushrooms usually come in late June after the rains start, but this year maybe they will be early? (the mushroom lady is Doña Guadalupe). It's also the beginning of the v. short pitaya season in Jalisco - they may bring some over to Mexico City for sale? It's a cactus fruit with small seeds like a dragon fruit, but is not a dragon fruit (pitahaya, also cultivated here). I love them on a hot day - white ones the best. The red ones are truly beautiful, but they have my least favorite flavor.
Maximo Bistrot Local - México, DF - Restaurant Report
Happy camper! Fresh, local, and a few blocks away, Maximo Bistrot is going to compete with MeroToro for my new go-to meal out. I'm so excited to see a restaurant using local, organic food with a clean, flavorful, creative, and well-edited menu! I was about to cry if I saw another adorable new restaurant with the same old tuna tartare, lasagne, and sad cut of beef with some sauce on it. Ick. Maximo has made my day. The restaurant is warm, cozy, and oozing with flavor.
My dining partner had red grouper with fresh peas and a flor de calabaza puree. I had lechón with potato gnocchi, cauliflower and cauliflower puree. All total there were four entrees and about six appetizers on the menu - some other dishes were chocolata clams and red snapper. We finished with a version of a raspberry millefeuille and a strawberry rhubarb crumble. First time I've seen ruibarbo on the menu anywhere, and as a fan I was thrilled.
Entrees were between $180-$200 and wine by the glass was between $60-110. I had a decent red organic wine from France.
Reservations recommended from the crowd I saw mid-week
Tonalá 133
Roma Norte
(corner of Zacatecas)
nouveau mexican for vegetarians?
As for DF...
Azul Condesa has some enchiladas de jamaica that I liked more than I expected to. Also, you could order quite a few of their small plates and make a good meal out of it. Dulce Patria (don't miss!) has some plantain enchiladas with requesón. They all have stuff like salads, soups and little antojitos wtih cheese, too, that would work. Naos is also a good choice although not likely in the neighborhood you want to hang out.
I would imagine all the good places have just one veggie option as a main course but can put something great together for you if you let them know in advance. I know Dulce Patria does since we did this for a friend. Since reservations needed, why not tell them when you make one? A lot of them are on OpenTable where you can add comments - in English would be fine - and if you need help with anything feel free to let me know. Happy to make a res for you.
MeroToro has some lovely risottos they could probably make without meat for you with advance notice - with red wine and one with chard and a poached egg (!). I personally haven't had great experiences over multiple visits to Pujol and Izote, but I can't throw stones since I haven't been back in a while. Izote seems to have been remodeled and there are some reports on here about the new version.
In Oaxaca, Los Danzantes should be able to pull something together for you. However, the casual food is my favorite there - great market and street food.
Baking supplies in Mexico City
A few of these are new for me - will try them out! Thanks.
Anyone know if any of these carry different kinds of flour? Specifically I'm most wanting a place for unbleached flour, cake flour, 00 pasta flour, and (now i'm getting greedy) any of the other fun flours a la Bob's Red Mill selection. I can always bring it back from the US, but it tends to be heavy and dusty.
Truly Great Paella in Mexico City?
This is so unhelpful that I am commenting on something I don't really know, but my Spanish friend raves about the authenticity of El Raco on Sonora facing Parque Mexico in Condesa. IF they have paella, it's probably good. I've eaten there a few times, like the food, but don't remember if they have.
If D.O. does paella it's also probably pretty darn good. My guess is that if they did it it would be a special.
Their mystery dessert, however, is awesome.
Finding produce in DF
Hey there - was at San Juan today and they had them still if you are still craving! Try the Asian veggie stalls in the far back slightly to the left of the exotic meat section.
If you want to try the market for other produce again, you may be surprised? I've compared prices with Superama and consistently the fruit is nicer, more flavorful, and cheaper. For example, today Gala apples were fresh and 10 pesos per kilo cheaper than some really old ones at Superama this week.
If you want to dip your foot in, you might want to try the veggie vendor I like. She's on the first aisle from the back just to the right of the Asian vendors if you are facing the back of the market. The back of her stall backs up against an exotic meat vendor with large deli style cases. I got my veggies for the week there today for 80 pesos. There are some ladies who consistently have the cutest little mini-veggies more towards the center aisle, but their prices for everything are very high. I'd only go there if you need something that you can't find other places. As an example, I needed some italian basil today (hoja grande) and the mini ladies wanted to charge me an arm and a leg. I went back to my lady (who had ran out or I would have bought from her) and she went to her friend and got me the basil for the right price.
Also, the local duck in the center aisle just when you walk in the main door is delicious.... and the mushrooms.... and the fish is so fresh.
Thanks for the name of zapallo, I've been asking around for months and no one has given me a name. I'm feeling a little desperate for some so i might just go back and have a vendor keep an eye out for me at the Central. ;-)
Best French Fries in Mexico City?
I don't know about killer, but if you are craving frites-style fries you may want to splurge at Brasserie Lipp in Polanco. Expensive but good.
Breakfast in La Condesa
I've got two potential ideas for you.. Tacos Hola on Amsterdam just north of Michoacán (Nuevo León side) is cheap but you will have to vie for spots at the plastic table out front or take your tacos to go. The variety is just great for breakfast, but it's not a sit-down place. Also, it's tacos de guisado so you get your choice of a wide variety of bean, veggie, or meat dishes. It's not meat-cilantro-onion in a tortilla. (sorry, just wanted to explain in case you weren't familiar with these kinds of tacos and didn't want costilla for breakfast)
Another possibility is Flor de Lis on Huichapan 21 between Amsterdam and Plaza Popocatepetl. I really think the prices are lower than Pendulo - really substantial breakfasts. A great deal is their tamal combo plate. They are known for their tamales and you an also take out a bunch for a home breakfast.
Maque, Cafe Ocho will be the same prices, Pain Quotidien and Milo's more expensive.
Where to celebrate Chinese New Year of the Dragon in DF?
Honestly, there aren't a lot. There's another thread about this you can search for with a couple recommendations. Nicholas Gilman also has a review of one fairly recently on his blog - within the past year - which I've tried and liked very much. Its mostly northern Chinese food, downtown just south of the Alameda. Not particularly festive though, but great if you are just in the mood for Chinese.
Azul Condesa or Azul y Oro?
Could not agree more with Cristina. I eat at Azul Condesa at least once a month, always trying at least one dish from their featured monthly cuisine, and I feel like it has been super solid for a while now. I have had one meal where the desserts underwhelmed - two were just not that flavorful and one cake was way too dense - I don´t often order dessert there, but thought I remembered a great one the first time I went?
I just can't see any reason to brave the traffic down to UNAM if you won't already be there - traffic is rarely light going south unless it's the morning.
Yes, do make reservations if you are going in the Mexican dinner hour - between 9 and 11pm. I go often on weekdays and find that a table is only reliable if you are arriving after 10pm. On weekends I've been turned away. Downstairs is prettiest, upstairs is warmer.
Bitters in Mexico?
I've tried a big La Naval in Condesa and la Europea and La Criolla in Polanco for years and never found them.
pls. help me find meyer lemons in DF or toluca!
For the past year and a half they've been pretty reliably at Costco year round and at Superama stores on and off in the winter. Here in DF they are referring to them as "limon real" most often. I bet City Market also gets them. Congrats on the lemon tree!
pls. help me find meyer lemons in DF or toluca!
I looked this up a while ago, seemed to be a reliable source. Said evidently there is a bug more prevalent on lemons that Mexico doesn't want, so plant importation is prohibited. Probably just as likely that the just don't have a real market for them. Here is lime country, and Mexican food just doesn't use lemons. They use limas, which, as mentioned above are not lemons or Meyer lemons, in food from the Yucatan. They are fairly sweet.
Wine Bars in Mexico City
Reidel is about the only fancy place that does the wine bar thing - lots of wines by the glass. However, it can tend to be pretty quiet at night. Syrah also has a large wine list, but it's pretty antiseptic in my view. It's in a mall, which isn't in and of bad but this just has the feel of being in a mall. Food is just okay.
There is a small, very casual wine bar called El Encrucijada in Condesa near the NW corner of Atlixco and Alfonso Reyes. Also, another small but cute one is Broka in Roma on Zacatecas between Tonala and Jalapa, I believe. Also, if you want tapas and whatever wine they have by the glass, there is a restaurant called Jaleo on Parque Lincoln in Polanco. And, if you just want great Spanish food definitely go to Biko or D.O. in Polanco. Their wine lists are definitely some of the better ones in the city.
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Syrah
Ejercito Nacional #843 Loc C 101 Al C 105, Mexico City 11520, MX
ship wine to mexico - specifically cabo?
As another option, if you have favorites from the US you can bring in six liters of wine into Mexico duty free.
Late night dining in Condesa/Roma?
I assume this happened already, but Sobrinos is also open late on weekends and is usually full, but not crowded.
La Bodega on Amsterdam is also open late - it's a sprawling house with a bar area and live music OR quiet dining - so it's a great place for a date to continue a little longer...
Mexico City Alone
Indeed - you'll overflow with options for dining alone! It's all about location....
Colonia Roma -- Broka, Rosetta, and Stampa del Mar
You definitely need reservations for Rosetta for lunch/dinner, or whenever. The place isn't huge and it's very popular. The reason they wouldn't give you a table is because they surely had reservations for 3 or 4pm and they'll absolutely hold tables like that. It's not in the playbook for them to say something like they would in the US - okay, but i'll need this table at 3:30. That's impolite (rushing you eating) and in most cases with Mexican guests they are used to them sitting there for hours (so they can't imagine you wouldn't too). For them, one seating per table at lunch is what's expected.
I've eaten at Rosetta twice, and overall I've been impressed. It's very light, more reminiscent of Northern Italian food. The carpaccio de pulpo is indeed very good, and I am completely in love with their pasta with chicken livers and sage. I crave it. I have a friend who raved about the short rib. Some of their pasta is homemade, which just thrills me to the bone since I haven't found a place doing that here yet. (Granted, I'm not out searching every day). We did have a crab spaghetti that was not too flavorful, but the last time I went it wasn't on the menu. If you are wanting Italian, I'd definitely make a trip to Rosetta. Luckily, I haven't run into attitude there and no one hyped it up to me, so I'm still well in the positive camp.
I'll have to respectfully disagree on Stampa de Mar. It was good when it opened back in 2006 or so, but has gone way downhill and I've had truly poor quality seafood there twice (I worked nearby). Their restaurant manager moved to the Sheraton, then to the St. Regis Punta Mita as their food and beverage director, and in my mind things have really slipped. I haven't been in a year or so, so it may have gotten back on it's feet tho.
Condesa and Roma Norte
La Rauxa has been closed for several months, as is his pizza joint on Jalapa in Roma Norte. I don't know the deal...
Chinese Restaurant in D.F.
I definitely wouldn't come here for the Chinese food scene - there's serviceable, but not great. But why would you with all this delicious food!
The city is as dangerous for a tourist as any big city. The murder rate here is 1/4 of Washington, DC per capita, if that helps. Just don't be obvious with flashy things or careless with expensive electronics or your wallet, and you'll be fine - extra precautions to take when you stand out a little as a tourist. Other than that, this is an amazing, vibrant, friendly city.
Food/beer in Guadalajara
Tortas Toño is somewhat of a legend for tortas ahogadas - they have locations all over town. Be careful with the thin hot sauce. It does not look substantial, but it's HOT. My relatives also love Mariscos El Negro, close to the centro. Try the plato chingadera and a new one they have with all shrimp.
i Latina and Anita Li are fun restaurants that have a bit of hipster atmosphere and fun food. They are probably more likely than others to have a microbrew if it exists and I think you'd be fine with your child at lunch time.
As far as the beers, I think you will love most of the Mexican beers and many will seem new to you - they don't even get imported as far as Arizona or Texas. As far as ones specific to Jalisco, the big companies make a few - Minerva and Estrella come to mind - but they are not microbrews in the strict sense of the word. If there is a local brewpub or what we'd think of as a microbrewery i don't know of it. Here in Mexico City there aren't, for sure. The closest thing I've found is Tempus, a delicious line of beers from Baja. They have types that are very untraditional for Mexican beers - bocks, stouts and wheat beers. Mexican beers are mostly variations on Czech-style pilsners.
In search of.... the lost retaurant of... Sian Kaan???
i bet it's Hechizo, too. Last time I checked they were only open six months out of the year - I believe December to June.
Authentic Gorditas
If you are ever in Guanajuato, there's some great gorditas in the tianguis in Embajadores on the weekends.
Mexico City Recommendations Needed
Excited you'll be in Mexico at Christmastime - it's very festive!
I'm in agreement that this is probably ambitious, both because of the timing of your trip and because this city is just so darn big! My thoughts:
Hotel
Agreed that you won't find much joy in the Zona Rosa on weekend days. It's mostly a business district during the day and a hub for young gay nightlife at night. The rest is residential. There are fun antiques markets and Korean restaurants, but that's not what you want to do if you are here for only a few days. I'd recommend staying at the Sheraton Centro Historico for it's proximity to downtown (tho nightlife is pretty sparse in the centro, too) or the hotels in Polanco for their proximity to the museo de antropologia et al on your very busy third day in town. (JW Marriott, Nikko, Intercontinental, Camino Real, and W are the biggies, but there are some littler ones as well)
December 25
None of El Cardenal's three locations are open on the 25th, and neither is San Angel Inn. I think that's going to be most places, although I have heard that in past years the Antigua ex-Hacienda de Tlalpan (about 45 mins away) and Hacienda de los Morales (about 15 mins away in Polanco with no traffic) have offered Christmas dinners.
Love the street food idea for dinner - you'll see lots of tamales (try sweet ones, too!) and ponche (like mulled cider, a bit) The kids will also probably like atole and champurrado - thick corn drinks that are kind of like thin Cream of Wheat. Champurrado is half atole and half Mexican hot chocolate - it's perfect for the cold winter nights here. You'll probably see highs in the high 60s during the day with bright sun, but as soon as the sun goes down the temp drops. Expect mid 40s to low 50s.
December 26
Taxi to Xochimilco will take you about 1 hour, and then another 30 mins from there to San Angel, just FYI. The San Angel Inn is not actually that far from the Bazaar Sabado area - maybe 12-15 minutes walking. HOwever, you'll need a good map of the streets to wind your way through the twisty, cobblestoned streets. No heels, no strollers for sure. Try Google Maps. A cab could take you in less than 10 mins, but the sitio de taxis in the plaza there at Bazaar Sabado charge an arm and a leg compared to others. 50-70 pesos, maybe. Still, not much in dollars, especially for a family. For the atmosphere, that's my choice for you guys. HOwever, if you want to stay in the plaza there's several restaurants. You could try Saks, a mini-chain here in el DF with decent, fairly healthy food. They've also got a cute terrace. The restaurant inside the Bazaar Sabado building is also oozing with atmosphere - marimba band usually playing - but i have no idea what the food is like. My sense would be decent, but nothing to write home about. Still, it' close and cute. Don't forget to ask the bird to tell your fortune, even if you don't eat there. And, the restaurants around there are crowded. Most won't open until 1pm for lunch, and will start getting crowded by 2. I'd go by 1:30 to be sure you get a table, even though things will be a little slow at first. Or, reserve!
The walk you describe to Coyoacan will take you about 40 mins and is pretty non descript until you cross Universidad onto Francisco Sosa. That final leg on Francisco Sosa is totally worth it, though - colonial buildings and hidden plazas galore. You could take a taxi to that corner, too, and walk from there about 15 mins to the center of Coyoacan.
Churros and ice cream are great - go nuts! I'd suggest a few places for dinner, but if you've finished lunch pretty recently I doubt you'll be ready for sit down dinner. If you are, try Entrevero (uruguayan) or los Danzantes (upscale mexican), both on the plaza. I like La Bipolar on Malintzin better, but it is a few blocks from the plaza. It's hipster mexican but really yummy. I'd much prefer the mercado de quesadillas (facing the big church in the plaza walk along the left side of the church, cross the street, and go down about 1/2 a block) for some really authentic Mexico City eating. You can have your quesadillas "fritas" (fried) or "de comal" (toasted on the griddle). Remember, in Mexico City a quesadilla comes with a big corn tortilla and does not automatically have cheese - if you want cheese you have to ask (una quesadilla de comal de flor y queso = a zucchini flower and cheese quesadilla on the grill). They also have sopes and huaraches as most of the places - they are all good. Also, if they are junior high or younger the kids might like the fun guy who makes pancakes with amazing designs of cartoon characters - an artist in batter! He'll do adult ones too...for the adults. ;-) Not sure how late the mercado is open... can try to find out.
December 27
This is a really long day. I fear you all will want a rest and definitely a clean up post-pyramids. It's at least an hour out to the pyramids, but if there's traffic it could take longer. That sunday should be pretty light because of the holiday vacation, but if there's a fancy service at the Basilica de Guadalupe you might have some. You'll probably want 2 hrs there at least - I usually take 3-4.
El Bajio is a good choice for comida if you are going to the anthropology museum - you can walk 10 mins on Reforma and get there or to the zoo. the castle is another 10 mins down the road, and the children's musuem another 15 or so past that. I'd count on most stuff closing by 5pm, though the anthropology museum is open until 7pm. It's Sunday (free day if you are Mexican) and it will be mega-crowded, too. This aims to be a really long day, which is why staying at ahotel in Polanco might be just the ticket - how great to run home for a rest if things turn south?
Pujol is completely closed on Sundays, and I have to say 90% of the restaurants that I know are closed on Sunday nights as well. Most people have stuffed themselves silly at a huge Sunday comida with their family, so no one is eating dinner at night. There are a few places open in Polanco and Condesa, and probably some hotel restaurants open? I can try to help if you are hitting a wall here.
Hope you enjoy!
anomalously excellent food in mexico city airport
That's the little ramp up to the bus terminal inside the airport - if you are having trouble finding it, ask for the "terminal de camiones" and they'll point you to the ramp. Bus service straight to some nearby cities - it's great!
Also, Bistrot Mosaico, a Condesa standby, has a resto just to the right of the main international security gate now. It's a sit down place and all, but if you are killing time and don't want food court food, it's a good choice. Like any good Mexican restaurant, they also let you sit there for hours.
Review w/ photos: Izote de Patricia Quintana
Agreed. I was really disappointed the first time - bad service (the waiters were folding linens on the table near ours and we had not overstayed our welcome by any means) and really terrible atmosphere. The lighting is bright and somewhat fluorescent-y because of the blue glass on the walls and the music is loud and Musak. Ick. I decided it deserved a try the other night again and went with a group. Same thing - the food was definitely decent (tho my lasagna came with raw shredded cheese on top, which was strange. I had them melt it.) but the ambiance was horrible. IMHO, if you are looking for a special Mexico City dining experience this is not it. Plus, it's always full of gringo business folk sent by their concierge from the big hotels nearby. No big deal, of course, but if you were here as a tourist, you probably don't want to be stuck in a restaurant with a bunch of foreigners on expense account dinners. Doesn't make you feel like you discovered anything, right?
