From our hotel, we walked towards el zòcalo, or the town square, in search of a bite to eat. On our way, we stopped at a bakery for a snack. That bakery soon became a favorite of ours.

(I liked the bun in the middle best.)

It so happened to be Mexican independence day, and it seemed like the city of Oaxaca had converged upon el zòcalo to celebrate. The festivities had only begun, and would continue late into the night.

Near el zòcalo are two big markets, where they sell meats, fruits, vegetables, prepared foods, shoes, clothes, sombreros, and anything you can think of. Outside the markets, the streets are lined with vendors selling produce, tlayudas, breads, desserts, and chapulines (roasted and seasoned grasshoppers, a Oaxacan specialty).

At La Abuelita, a restaurant in one of the markets, we enjoyed a dinner of cecina and mole negro con pollo (black mole with chicken).

To end the night, we returned to el zòcalo to listen to a mariachi band play.

the cathedral in el zòcalo

street lights

The Pupusa is one of the great street foods of the world and a wonderful export from El Salvador.

Several years ago when I was fortunate enough to visit San Salvador I was stuck in business and could not sneak out of the hotels where we were staying to get out in the street where the pupusas were calling to me. Maybe next time.

Pupusas are, for those that don’t know, a sort of stuffed tortilla, thick as a pancake and with a variety of fillings from cheese to beans to pork all set off by a simple vinegary cole slaw with lots of a local spice called loroco.

In the past few weeks a San Francisco Mexican bakery, Casa Sanchez, has started selling ready made Pupusas in a 10 pack which I found at Costco. While they aren’t up to my favorites from El Zocalo, they are plenty good and you can’t always get to the Mission.

One afternoon I decided to modernize the serving and here is the result and the recipe for updated Pupusas. The pupusa hasn’t changed, but the sides have.

In a heavy pan grill the Pupusas until crispy and cheese is oozing out the sides.

While grilling cut up 1 good sized heirloom tomato, 1/3 of a head of red cabbage or radicchio and 1/2 of an avocado. Dress whatever leaves you use in a vinegary emulsion.

Arrange on a plate and top the Pupusa with a healthy spoonful of  sour cream and hot sauce.

That is lunch.

For more information about Pupusas go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupusa

GUILTY! We can’t stop eating at LATITUDE 8!  It’s just a few steps from Inspirador which makes it difficult for us to break off our mad secret crush on everything LATITUDE 8 http://www.latitude-eight.com/.  Voted “Best Of”–so many things in the valley’s top magazine’s and newspapers and we know why.  Scrumptious, FRESH, modern Thai cuisine that takes your taste buds for a RIDE!  Our hearts go out to Glenn & Lillett from LIGHTRAIN IMAGES http://www.lightrainimages.com/ and the lovely ladies at UPTOWN BRIDAL http://www.uptownbrides.com/ who reside on either side of LATITUDE 8.  They must be able to smell the amazing aromas all the time…savory scents just calling their names as they try to focus on photography and wedding gowns.  We just don’t know how they do it.

When we first moved into DoCha we would share our culinary love with wonderful restaurants like: SanTan Brewery, El Zocalo, Kokopelli, and La Stalla (just to name a few).  But now for some reason we can’t seem to make that simple detour away from Latitude 8.  We blame it on being too lazy to walk much further but it truly is becoming an unfortunate “cheating” on our other loves.  If you’re planning on attending the Docha Vida Bridal Walk www.dochavida.com on Thursday evening you’ll definitely want to check out this little gem in the heart of Downtown Chandler.

Cheers Latitude 8!

On a previous visit to Mexico City, I was wandering around the city center, between el Palacio de Bellas Artes and el Zócalo and had the fortune of stumbling upon a fantastic pastelería (map).  Well, as some already know, I have a thing for pastries in faraway places and Pastelería Ideal not only fits the prerequisite (foreign), but it’s by far the biggest bakery I’ve ever seen.  It’s massive; giganormous; or even ¡bien pinche grande!  Oh, and the pastries, rock, too.

The front of Pastelería Ideal is a long case full of gelatines and custard-based, form-fitted pasteles.  Of course, this case is only the front of a large room, full of counters and racks with cookies, cakes, cream and custard-filled tarts and other baked, sugary goodies that defy an English translation.  Although this room could fit (by my estimates) as many as eight typical bakeries inside, it’s not the only room in the place… as you have to head to the way, waaaay (guey?) back to get to the breads!  Plus, there’s a mysterious stairway to the right of the front door… which I will check out next time if I can avoid the gelatinous distractions.  My guess is that it’s where they take care of special orders and wedding cakes.

Now I try to go back every month or so.  The picture below is taken from the center of the large room and shows a fraction of the many of the racks and counters and a hint of the rooms beyond.

Part of the maze of tables and counters that is Pastelería Ideal.

While I tried my best to take a single all-encompassing snapshot to capture the “girth” of the pastelería, the sheer size and the plethora of racks and columns make taking a truly representative picture to be a challenge beyond my skills.  (Though I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s tried and failed… like this guy.  Aside: does tilting the camera really make for better pictures?)

If you’d like to find the place, I’d recommend a slow meander through the streets of the center.  Though, in a pinch, you could ask the locals… after all, if it’s in the LP, I’m sure most everyone can point you the way. 

México, D.F.

Zócalo rectorado de Alicante

Rectorado