Oaxaca Street Life and Re-Entry
On Monday, despite bumping around a bit in the sky atop the last remnants of a tropical storm that painted a picturesque landscape of layered clouds as we came in for a landing, I arrived in Oaxaca. Re-entry was easy. I’m always grateful to pick up my luggage from the conveyor belt after passing through […]
Belated Happy New Year From Oaxaca + Eating
Welcome 2024. On New Year’s Eve, I traveled from Albuquerque to Oaxaca, arriving just in time for a birthday dinner at Quince Letras with my friend Carol. We sat on the rooftop terrace and enjoyed a delicious tomato salad and tlayuda with chapulines (yes, grasshoppers). Left to right: Santi the Snowman, sculpture in front of […]
Traditional Cooks: Eating in Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca
We know the Sunday market (tianguis) in Tlacolula is amazing. When you visit Oaxaca, this is a don’t miss it moment! (Order a map from us to find your way around.) And, if you want the real deal in Oaxaca food, you want to try out one of the off-the-beaten-path traditional cocina de humo comedors […]
Eating in Oaxaca: A Culinary Paradise
Norma’s Note: Rico. Delicioso. Sabroso. I again invited Carol Lynne Estes to contribute a blog post about her experiences living in Oaxaca. Carol isn’t a visitor; she is a resident who knows the ins and outs of eating — from humble comedors to the finest upscale restaurants. Her impressions and recommendations are here for you […]
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 […]
Too Much Fun and Where to Eat in the Boqueria Market, Barcelona, Spain
The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria in Barcelona, Spain, is a food and wine lover’s paradise. It is one of the best tourist attractions in the city. Here, your eyes can be bigger than your stomach. So, watch out! Most dishes are huge enough to share by two people. Remember you can always […]
Food Alert! Guzina Oaxaca Opens in Mexico City
Casa Oaxaca is one of our favorite go-to restaurants in Oaxaca. Sit on the roof. Overlook the spectacular roofline of Santo Domingo Church. Indulge in a tamarind mezcalini. Follow this with a perfectly prepared seared sea bass or duck tacos. Each sauce that accompanies is an art form in its own right. Finish with something […]
Mexico City’s Quintonil Restaurant is Simply Delicious
I asked Deborah Morris, MD, PA-C, who met me in Mexico City before we traveled together to Oaxaca, to contribute to this blog by writing some of her impressions. She was dazzled by Quintonil and gives us this report. *** On our last evening in Mexico City, after a day of eating homely (and tasty) […]
Oaxaca Food Heaven: Restaurant Reviews by Guest Contributor Eva M. Olson
Our blog post today is written Eva M. Olson, a writer and former arts administrator based in Austin, Texas. I invited Eva to share her Oaxaca “foodie” experiences after she and a friend made a recent whirlwind eating trip. Eva first visited Oaxaca with her family when she was 13, and says she has been […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Palenque. Mayan Temples in the Chiapas Rainforest
They say there is more rain here in Palenque than anywhere else in Mexico. We are in the middle of a rainforest. It is a jungle of green, and with the shroud of fog, drizzle, and mist that hangs over us all day, the archeological site is a photograph of sepia and gray tones only […]
From the Pueblo to Oaxaca: 30 Minutes and Worlds Apart
This week I took a walk to Macuilxochitl, the next village over and located perhaps two miles from Teotitlan del Valle (TDV) along an unpaved road that spurs off from TDV’s main thoroughfare near the middle school. This was the week I learned polvo, the Spanish word for dust. Every five minutes a 3-wheeler moto-taxi […]
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 […]
Frida Kahlo Food Fest This Weekend at Tortilla Flats, Soquel, California
Mexican food at its finest! Tomorrow I’m flying to Santa Cruz, California to visit family. My sister just sent me notice of a grand fiesta in her neighborhood and I intend to check it out and see if I can conjure up the recipes to post. Maybe between swallows, I’ll be able to take a […]
Dinner at Restaurant Tierra Antigua, Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
Like a painting, I call it arte de comer. Carina Santiago Bautista cooks from her heart. For years, Cari prepared food and sold it daily at the village market for carry out. Now, she has a brand-spanking-new kitchen in her new casita on Av. Juarez and operates the restaurant La Tierra Antigua. I organize special […]
Where to Eat in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
Perhaps you are doing a day-trip to Teotitlan del Valle during your stay in Oaxaca. You’ve done your research, have the map I offer for sale, and have identified the weavers to visit who work only in natural dyes (we hope!). You are in the village all day and, of course, want a spot to […]
Norma’s Oaxaca Favorites: A Baker’s Dozen
1. Museo Textil de Oaxaca, corner Fiallo and Hidalgo, closed Tuesdays. Ask to meet Eric Chavez Santiago, director of education, for a personal tour. Take a class if you are in town for a while. 2. Federico Chavez Santiago Family Weavers for authentic, masterful, naturally dyed rugs at fair trade prices, Francisco I. Madero #55, […]