Mexico City - My Most Recent Trip (April 2007)

As a Mexicophile, I take the opportunity to travel in Mexico as often as 4 or 5 times yearly; I lived/worked in Mexico City for six years. My most recent trip back was for 4 days over the recent Easter weekend. Though food and dining-out isn't as much a focus in my life as it is for many of you reading this, I do enjoy locating new and interesting restaurants, and items on menus. In this discussion thread I’m going to present information about two restaurants I visited and one market where you do nothing else but eat.

This last trip had as a principal focus spending time with my long-time friend Samuel who lives in Mexico City and whom I've known for 20 years.

Tianguis Cultural del Chopo / Kiosco Morisco / Restaurant La Casa de Toño

On the Saturday before Easter Samuel and I visited the very different Tianguis Cultural del Chopo (visualize Maxwell St. but a market, instead, however, with the focus being people who have piercing and wear black clothing), the unique Kiosco Morisco and Restaurant La Casa de Toño. The itinerary is a good one for people unfamiliar with Mexico City, too, because these places are within close proximity to one another - you can walk from one to the other and occupy a half-day.

Since the end of the eighties, Tianguis Cultural del Chopo has been at a location adjacent to the now-shuttered central railway station in the city and the relatively new subway station Metro Buenavista, starting at the corner of Calles Aldama Mosqueta, in Colonia Guerrero. The Tianguis (functional on Sunday only) originated as a place for hippies to trade sixties memorabilia including not only records but also clothing, magazines, books and other collectibles. Eventually, it was relocated to where it’s found today and the focus changed to more recent musical styles like goth, punk, grunge and ska, among others.

Other than an occasional roving food vendor selling snacks or juices, del Chopo isn’t a place where you’ll find much in the way of food - even “street food.” It’s an interesting place, and relatively safe, too, and you can get a glimpse into the lives/interests of many of the city’s young people. Rock bands frequently perform at makeshift stages.





Two "attractions" of sorts that are either part of or adjacent to del Chopo are Centro Artesanal Buenavista and Biblioteca José Vasconcelos. Centro Artesanal Buenavista is a huge indoor marketplace where you can purchase artisan and other "Hecho en Mexico" gifts/crafts; prices are, understandably, higher than what you'd pay, say, if you purchased a similar item in the city of Oaxaca - but you'll be in Mexico City and not Oaxaca and you just might have to have something from Oaxaca (or Zacatacas, or Guerrero, etc.) to take home with you. Prices at this marketplace are usually fixed, but some bargaining is possible, depending upon how much you're going to spend overall.

Centro Artesanal Buenavista:



Biblioteca José Vasconcelos was the flashiest public works program in Mexico City promoted by the federal government and the nation's immediately past President - Vicente Fox Quesada. This is the city, and nation's, most prestigious public library. Finished in mid/late 2006, the library opened with great fanfare. However, the building was shuttered earlier this year - because of design flaws and construction problems (water leaking through the roof onto the collection of books below). The building, however, did receive several awards for design/architecture. A huge embarrassment to the federal government, it's hoped that the facility will be repaired and re-open for public use later this year.

Biblioteca José Vasconcelos:



We left del Chopo and walked W. past the rail and Metro station, and across Avenida Insurgentes, down Calle Jose Antonio Alzate and into historic Colonia Santa Maria la Ribera. Santa Maria la Ribera was Mexico City's first "suburb" - following the Spanish conquest. The city's rich and famous moved there, and today there remain historical homes, museums, churches of importance and a beautiful Alameda de Santa Maria la Ribera (one block N. of Calle Jose Antonio Alzate, when you get to Calle Santa Maria la Ribera) where you'll find the unique and one-of-a-kind Kiosco Morisco - which had been Mexico's pavilion at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair (then later returned to Mexico City and eventually located in this park). The walk from del Chopo to Alamada de Santa Maria la Ribera took about 15 minutes).

Kiosco Morisco:







From this Alameda we walked N. on Calle Salvador Diaz Miron (to your right as you exit the Alameda) two blocks, until we came to Calle Sabino - and there, on your right across the street is Restaurant La Casa de Toño (not much more than a 5 minute walk).

Restaurant La Casa de Toño:

The restaurant occupies what was once a large, older home and has been in business here for two years or less (it now has a second location, elsewhere in the city).





Which is typical for homes of this type, there is a small garden in the interior courtyard section of the property, onto which the dining rooms look out on.



One of the 3 or 4 dining rooms:



Restaurant La Casa de Toño specializes in pozole but offers other fare as well - but in its soul, it’s a pozoleria:

Menu:



Samuel and I ordered pozole - large bowls, and an order (3) of flautas (of Chicken). The pozole comes with all sorts of "fixings", and the meal is accompanied by four salsas - two green, two red; there are totopos also (those big baked tortillas you can put thick cream on, or salsa, and/or use to scoop some of the pozole, whatever your fancy).

I prefer pozole estillo Guerrero or de Chilapa (the city in Guererro where pozole is said to have originated) - the green pozole - pozole verde. And Chicken is the meat of choice for me, though, at times I'll eat it with lean pork. La Casa de Toño may serve pozole verde but I chose, this first visit of mine to the restaurant, to go with the specialty of the house (with Chicken). The dish wasn't as chock-full of ingredients when it came from the kitchen, as I'm accustomed to finding in Mexico, and the amount of Chicken seemed to be on the light side (not as much as I'd liked to have had), but it was flavorful . . . after adding all of the side ingredients - lettuce, radishes, onions, lime juice a touch or three of some of the salsas, etc. (of course!). The pozole as served here is reminiscent of the style of the meal featured in the state of Michoacan more than what I've seen in Guerrero. The flautas were some of the best I've ever eaten - large portion, well-seasoned Chicken, great crema on top.

Pozole with order of flautas (upper right corner in photo):



Things you can add:



The quartet of salsas:



For desert we shared a Flan de la Abuela - a specialty of the house. The flan was topped with cajeta and was rich and custardy - and the cajeta heavenly.

Flan de la Abuela:



Our beverage of choice during the meal was a large - pint sized - glass of horchata which was the "best ever" for me - wonderfully creamy, nicely spiced (I was too busy drinking it to get a picture!). The drink was the surprise of the day.

Restaurant La Casa de Toño won't be listed in any guidebooks, or on a magazine "best of" listing - yet - but by word-of-mouth it's developed a large following of loyal customers; it's the type of traditional restaurant that so many Mexicans are comfortable eating at - and for which they search-out. Service in the restaurant, by the way, was excellent - quick and efficient with young men running back and forth with stacks of plates of food . . . and not dropping one!

Coupling a visit to the restaurant with a tour of the nearby areas (or even a short taxi ride from other parts of the city) may interest some of you heading for Mexico City in the future.

Samuel and I then walked to the corner outside the restaurant, hailed a taxi (to be done in this manner only by someone experienced in the ways of the city - otherwise ask someone in the restaurant to call a secure taxi for you) and headed for the Alameda Central, followed by a visit to Plaza Garibaldi (the center of Mariachi music in Mexico) - about which I'll write of the restaurant-only marketplace there in a future report.

Plaza Garibaldi:

Very interesting report about a place I'm curious about but have never been-- looking forward to more installments. Thanks, Bill.

Plaza Garibaldi and Mercado de Alimentos San Camilito:

Plaza Garibaldi is where you'll find more Mariachi musicians at any one time than anywhere else in all of Mexico. Though the roots of Mariachi run deep in Guadalajara and the state of Jalisco, it's in Plaza Garibaldi where the greatest concentration is.

The Plaza is located a 15 minute walk from Palacio de Bellas Artes, where the famous Ballet Folklorico performs. From Bellas Artes (an often used point of reference for tourists) walk N. about 4 blocks, on the right side of Eje 1 - Lazaro Cardenas. You'll know you're getting close to the Plaza when by the number of Mariachi you see standing along the street trying to convince passers-by to hire them to play. Though the most active hours for the musicians is after dark, you'll be able to watch and enjoy them most afternoons too; the level of activity depends upon how many people show up to ask them to play. The musicians are paid for each song they play - MX$40 to MX$60 per song (less than US$5/6). In addition to the "free lance" Mariachi wandering about - which at times number over 100 - there are a half-dozen restaurants/clubs offering floor shows featuring this and other live performances.







The music isn't the only thing which draws people to Plaza Garibaldi - having something to eat at the adjacent Mercado de Alimentos San Camilito is a pretty strong lure, also.



This is a mercado comprised solely of food stalls - 30+ locations selling meals and/or desserts. It's a huge open market area with partitions dividing the small restaurants. Each of the small restaurants has lines of tables and chairs, reminiscent of "picnic-style" eating. These are clean places and the service is excellent. Pricing, too, is a draw; it's reasonable. Walking into the building sets-off a competition amongst restaurant workers, each seeking to convince you to eat at their location. It's a mild-mannered and not-too-aggressive contest, but fun to listen to as each extols the virtues of their particular location.





Though I've eaten at some of these restaurants I didn't partake this last visit, because I'd just eaten a 1/2 hour prior. Birria and pozole are featured items, though you can have a meal of carne asada or sessos (brains); if what you want isn't on the menu, I think they'll find a way to make it for you - just ask.

Adjacent to Mercado de alimentos San Camilito is Restaurant El Tenampa, rather famous in Mexico City for its Mariachi floor shows. Food in the restaurant is on the "just okay" side, and if you want to try some [p]pulque[/i] you can do it here. People continue to visit this restaurant to enjoy the "experience" in its totality - not for the individual parts.

Also in the Plaza, a little further back, and on the same side as El Tenampa are three or four outdoor-seating restaurants that serve desserts and coffee only.

When the Plaza springs to a more active lifestyle late-night, vendors selling various food products set-up their stands: tacos and fruits, and the other array of street foods. Men walk amongst the crowd offering to sell individual drinks of tequila, rum . . . whatever. Visitors, too, show-up with bottles of liquor and spend hours alternating between the musicians and the food stalls. Plaza Garibalid is best enjoyed over a span of a couple of hours - time to soak it all in. There will typically be activity in the Plaza until 4 a.m., sometimes later.

A note of caution, however: after dark, the Plaza and the surrounding neighborhood become more dangerous for visitors - petty thieves (and sometimes worse) wander amongst the crowd - leave most valuables back in your hotel room. People visiting in pairs, or larger groups, are at less risk of being victimized but I think it's wise for most people to arrive and depart (after dark) by secure taxi rather than walking from their hotel (if staying in the "Centro Historico" district, as one example).

When I continue this report I'll be talking about Restaurant La Fonda del Recuerdo, which specializes in cuisine Veracruz-style.

Bill,

Really enjoyed your posts and the pictures are terrific.

Enjoy,
Gary

Thanks for the comments thus far. Here's a continuation of my report on the trip:

Restaurant La Fonda del Recuerdo



Fonda del Recuerdo is one of my favorite restaurants in Mexico City, having once lived a two-block walk from the restaurant - I've eaten there a few times. This is a colorful, fun place to visit and it specializes in presenting the culture of Mexico's Gulf Coast state of Veracruz. Specialties include both seafood and meat, because both are important staples in that state. The restaurant is popular with middle-class families, and businesspersons entertaining clients - and, at times, banquet rooms are filled with busloads of tourists (nicely segregated from the rest of the restaurant so as not to overwhelm the place).





From the moment you enter the restaurant you feel the Veracruz experience. Restaurant staff wear clothing typical of the coastal areas of the state, the decor is typical Veracruz-style, and there are strolling musicians playing music indigenous to that part of Mexico. You're also presented with a basket-view of some of the fresh seafood featured that day:



To get into the spirit of things, my two friends and I had some before-dinner drinks - mine was tequila, Herradura Blanca. I'm not a fan of the "aged" tequilas - it's "blanca" for me, or I don't drink it at all. With the drinks the restaurants serves a botana of sorts - this day it was the fixings of tacos de Jaiba (crabmeat in a sauce and fresh corn tortillas). My friends chose beer.



For a starter I selected a small shrimp cocktail - a size that will be considered large in the USA, from what I've seen. Cocktail sauce is typically served bland (and a bit sweet) from what I've seen in Mexico, so one has to add a dash of this, and a dash of that to get it just right. I asked for some horseradish - but the've never had it anytime I've visited (and that's not something you see much of in Mexico anyway).



I'm more of a beef eater than someone who eats much seafood, so I chose Carne Asada al estilo Tampequena as my entree; the item is a favorite of mine - no matter where I see it in my travels in Mexico. The meat wasn't as flavorful as I recall from past dinners here, but it was tender - and I did add some spicing to it, and a little bit of salt. The dish is served with some frijoles negros - refritos and a couple of small flautas - both of which were tasty. All food portions are large in this restaurant and the service has always been excellent - a captain, waiters a bus boy, etc., etc.



During the meal I called-over a quartet of Jarocho musicians who've been playing in the restaurant for 20-years. For MX$40 (less than US$4) they'll play a song for you. MX$40 per song. Jarochos (a term often used to describe men from Veracruz, and, specifically - often men from the city of Veracruz and the area to the S. of there) are frisky and love a good joke, song, laugh, liquor, etc. I asked the men to sing some decimas for us. The best way I can describe is a decima is to say it's words spoken to music - "rap" music from the Alvarado/Tlacotalpan region of Veracruz (more like story-telling, really). It's great fun, and sometimes a bit risqué. I had the men play/sing three songs while we ate. There is also a group of Mariachi musicians walking around, and you can have them play for you, also.



For dessert we had flan Napolitano and coconut ice cream - both were excellent; the flan was the real standout.



Fonda del Recuerdo has a floor show (on a small stage at one end of the dining room) at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and another show, a bit longer, at 9 p.m. Friday nights. There is no cover charge for the entertainment.

I like the menu in this restaurant, both the fish and meat (I don't eat much shellfish), and the liquor is always good - top shelf. The magic of this restaurant is that it presents an environment not easily found in Mexico City - the decor, the excellent service, the good food/liquor and the music combine to "make it all happen" for me.

Dinner for the three of us came to about MX$660, not counting the money I gave to the musicians (11 pesos to 1 US$ was the exchange rate). The restaurant is easily reached by taxi (less than a 15-minute ride from the Angel of Independence Monument/Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel on Paseo de la Reforma). You'll see some out-of-town and well-heeled Mexican tourists at the restaurant, but finding a foreigner in the place is a rarity (though some on the staff speak English sufficiently for you to enjoy yourself, and I think there's a menu written in English if you ask for it).

Restaurant La Fonda del Recuerdo
Bahía de las Palmas 37
Colonia Verónica Anzures
Mexico, D.F.
Website: http://www.fondadelrecuerdo.com/