These Wild Delights…
Sunday morning arrived. Andy and company were going take a tour of the canals that day, but I felt more like strolling around, and so I bowed out. To my surprise I bumped into the crew at Rosetta Bakery. It turned out that they also weren’t feeling up for the canals, which in some descriptions sounded like a glorified booze cruise.
I’m ever so thankful we did meet back up as soon enough we were on our way to have lunch at Tetetlán, a Oaxacan restaurant that was designed by Luis Barragan.
The restaurant is magnificent. The entire roof is a skylight, and the floor also entirely glass below which you can see local purple-black volcanic rock formations.
The food is probably the best Oaxacan food I’ve ever eaten. Granted I haven’t been to Oaxaca, yet.
The tlayuda and sope were both decadent, and loaded with refried beans, longaniza, natural dried beef , queso fresco, quesillo, pickled onions and tons of crispy grasshoppers.
Absolutely revelatory!
I’d had grasshoppers a few times before and liked them, but for the first time I loved them. Earthy, crispy and full of umami.
The crispy ant and cheese taco was also pretty tasty.
It was definitely the most bugs I had ever dined on before, and I enjoyed them thoroughly. Not for any sort of shock value, but sincerely as the culinary treat that they were.
***
It was my third day in Mexico and I had yet to make it to my favorite restaurant, La Docena. Everyone else was going out for some Asian food, but I had zero interest. I was in Mexico City to eat the best Mexican food I could find.
I discovered La Docena by chance on my first visit. I had been walking by and it was bustling. There was a small raw bar with bar stools right there on the street. That first night I sat at the raw bar ordering whatever I saw coming out of the little open air kitchen.
I still remember those most amazing raw scallops. Crispy and sweet. As good as I had had anywhere in the world.
It was Sunday night and the every seat at the raw bar was open. I sat all the way at the end of the bar and started ordering. First came the smoked oysters with toro and bottarga.
Absolutely incredible.
The meaty, briney oysters were just slightly smoked, but still plump and extremely juicy. The toro added a signature richness to the dish, with the salty bottarga cutting through it all magnificently.
Also incredible was the fact that a party of four rowdy Mexican women had been seated immediately next to me at the raw bar. I soon struck up conversation with the one immediately next to me, Emma.
A fantastic photographer, and quite the foodie a well, it didn’t take long until we were deep in conversation debating where she was going to take me to lunch the following day.
Her girlfriends were teasing her as she had seemingly forgotten all about them. Later she confessed that she “talks to rocks,” implying that she’ll talk to anyone.
The kampachi crudo and scallop aguachile were also quite tasty as was all the premium mezcal the server kept upselling me on.
I didn’t care. I was living my best life. Sitting at the raw bar of my favorite restaurant in Mexico City, making friends with the locals.
***
As promised Emma and I met up the next day. She took me to one of her favorite places, Comedor Jacinta. We split three dishes the first of which was Fideo Seco. I had never heard of this dish before. It was like no other Mexican dish I had ever eaten.
Consisting of vermicelli noodles, ancho salsa, crema, queso fresco, and sided with guac, it was the first time I had ever had a Mexican noodle dish. It confused me, but I loved it, and kept going back for more. Absolute comfort food.
Emma insisted I try ant eggs. I wanted to have a bone marrow sopa. And so we ended up having both. The topped the bone marrow sopa with ant eggs. I loved the bone marrow, but couldn’t really discern the flavor of the ant eggs.
Our last dish was one of the most delightful dishes I have ever eaten. Molcajetes con Mollejas Fritas, or fried sweetbreads served in a stone mortar bowl with guacamole and green salsa, sided with fresh tortillas.
Little bites from heaven.
Every single one.
She had been a bit nervous of where to take me, but she had absolutely slayed it with her choice to take me to Comedor Jacinta.
Those sweetbreads though… Oh man. Still dreaming about them.
