Tag Archives: restaurants

El Mural de los Poblanos, Puebla, Mexico Restaurant Continues to Please

Posted on Sunday, June 24, 2012 | 2 comments

“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 stones from the Zocalo to the restaurant two blocks away. It was impossible to hurry despite the weather.

First, Isaias welcomed and escorted us to a table, brought fresh baked rolls, butter, two glasses of Mexican Baja Tempranillo-Cabernet house wine (yummy), and an amuse de bouche of spicy, hearty red-broth with chicharrones.

Then, we got into the serious ordering: fresh fish in casserole (cazuela) with garlic and butter. Simple, succulent. I think it was sea bass. Cooked to glossy perfection. We shared this and the ribeye steak (this is beef country), seasoned with just a bit of heat, grilled medium-rare (more on the rare side) to perfection, then topped with grilled, crunchy garlic slices. The dish was accompanied by a skewer of roasted, grilled baby potatoes and baby onions. The sprout salad with walnuts and avocado was big enough to share and a great interlude to entree bites.

After dinner, we ordered the almond tart with a small scoop of housemade vanilla ice cream to share. It was a perfect ending to the meal. But, we brought our own Talavera de las Americas mezcal cups, so topped it all off by sharing a shot glass of El Cortijo Añejo — a smokey, aged mezcal that is one of my favorites.

Total cost of all this, including two entrees, salad, two glasses of wine each, dessert and mezcal was $1,195 pesos for two, not including tip (we left 15 percent). Translated to the current exchange rate of 13.8 pesos to the dollar, we spent $43.00USD each.

Chef Lisette Galicia Solis is offering cooking classes Monday-Saturday with 2-day notice, 1,000 pesos per person, no minimum.

Service by Isaias and Enrique was attentive, not overbearing.

It’s still my favorite Puebla restaurant. We ate there twice during this trip. I would choose dining here before La Conjura or the restaurants at La Purificadora and Casa Reyna any day.

P.S. I pay full price for every meal I eat, take no discounts or complimentary giveaways, FYI.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Dining and Lodging, Food & Recipes

Tagged blogsherpa, cooking, food, Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla, restaurants

We Are in Tlaxcala Now: Archeology, Volcanoes, Great Food

Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 | 1 comment

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 hour from Puebla and about three hours from Mexico City. It is elegant, prosperous and refined with excellent restaurants and pedestrian ambience.

After eating a noteworthy late breakfast/early lunch of conejo con huitlacoche (rabbit and corn fungus) and enchiladas de Tlaxcalteco con flor de calabasas (squash blossoms) at Fonda de Exconvento on Plaza Xicotencatl, we decided on the spot to visit the archeological sites of Cacaxtla (Cah-cas-tlah) and Xochitecatl (So-chee-teh-cachl). The manager at Fonda de Exconvento was extremely helpful. After I asked her what we should pay a taxi to drive us to the ruins, she made a call, got us a secure driver and negotiated a price of 350 pesos for the afternoon (four hours). We were thrilled! Muy facile. Thank you for visiting our country, she said.

Cacaxtla and sister site, Xochitecatl, were inhabited by the Olmec-Xicalancas, who wielded political and economic control over the central, southern, and western parts of the Puebla-Tlaxcala Valley. They occupied a strategic position on the trade route between the Central Highlands of Mexico and the Gulf Coast. Cacaxtla reached its zenith between 650 and 900 AD following the decline of Teotihuacan, at the same time that other cities, such as El Tajin in Veracruz and Xochicalco in Morelos, consolidated their power.

The mural paintings here are distinctive for blending Teotithuacan and Maya elements into its own unique style. The murals, many in pristine condition and painted with natural pigments, were discovered in the 1970’s. They depict a battle, a bird man, a jaguar man, and sea and land creatures. The site is less than an hour from Tlaxcala and incredible.

Templo de Venus: These figures, above, are female (left) and male (right) figures wearing skirts with the Venus symbol. The presence of Venus on the garments allude to some astronomical phenomenon or calendrical date associated with the planet, which at that time was related to warfare and sacrifice.

Go during mid-week, as we did, to enjoy the solitude, the power of the wind, and the stunning views of Mexico’s volcanoes: Popocatepetl, La Malinche, Iztaccíhuatl, and Pico de Orizaba.

Xochitecatl is distinguished by four pyramids and when you reach the top of the plateau where they are located, you are treated with a panoramic, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the valley. This is the lesser of the two sites in terms of archeological restoration. There are about a dozen Olmec carved figures on display in an outside garden.

Great Dining Experience: Vinos y Piedra on the Zocalo. Try the Cafecita, a filet mignon topped with a carmelized coffee sauce. This is cowboy country with large haciendas and cattle ranches. The beef here is tender and juicy!

Travel Tip: Go to the Tourism Office first to get a map. They are very helpful there and speak English. Bullfight season is November through the first weekend in March. We just missed it!

Our route to Tlaxcala: In Cuetzalan, we bought a one-way bus ticket (116 pesos each) to Huamantla on the Texcoco bus line (first class with TV and toilet). This was a 3-1/2 hour trip. In Huamantla, we walked two blocks towing our rolling luggage and backpacks to a collectivo bus stop, where, within minutes, a commuter van picked us up for the 45-minute trip to Tlaxcala (about 25 pesos each). It dropped us off at the central market, where we walked around a corner and hopped a taxi (30 pesos) to our Hotel Mision San Francisco on the zocalo.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Dining and Lodging, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Travel & Tourism

Tagged archeology, blogsherpa, Cacaxtla, food, hotels, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, Olmecs, Puebla, restaurants, Tlaxcala, Xochitecatl

Three Days in Puebla — An Easy Round Trip from Oaxaca

Posted on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 | 4 comments

Puebla Zocalo at Night by Dave Emerson

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 days ago I had the pleasure of traveling with Jane, Dave, Mari, Helene and Suzanne. We all started together in Oaxaca on a Friday morning and returned on a Monday afternoon (except Helene who flew in and out of Mexico City from Connecticut). I took over 350 photographs and lost them all in the upload because I deleted by memory card before I checked whether the upload was complete (it wasn’t, thanks to iPhoto or a bad internet connection). Doomed, I called on my fellow travelers for help and all the photos shown here are courtesy of them. Definitely lesson learned!

Open wide and don’t miss those huge Puebla sandwiches called cemitas. The best are at Cemitas las Poblanitas in the Mercado del Carmen. I challenge you to get your mouth around this one, stuffed with grilled onions, chiles, pounded and breaded chicken breast, a mound of avocado, and three kinds of cheese. The assembly line satisfies the customers who wait. Photo on left by Dave Emerson; on right, Helene has her hands full. You can see I don’t want you to miss these! I ate there two days in a row.

Excellent upscale restaurants rival any four-star in the major cities of the world. We had dinner at a few of them: El Mural de los Poblanos, the restaurant at CasaReyna hotel, and La Conjura.

Suzanne Kinney took this beautiful photo of Talavera ceramics that adorn the facades of 18th century buildings. The decorative pieces add visual punch to dinner tables. Dave Emerson’s photo of Talavera de la Reyna dinnerware says it all.

To read more about Puebla, see David Emerson’s Oaxaca Chapulines blog and from there link to his Picasa album that features the stunning photos of the city, some of which I have borrowed here. Dave managed to capture a Carnavale parade/dance celebration we stumbled upon at the Zocalo. It was magical.

Puebla Carnival by Dave Emerson

Puebla Carnival Feathers by Dave Emerson

I’m meeting my sister in Puebla this Friday afternoon. She is arriving from San Francisco into Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport. I am arriving from Oaxaca. We’ll both catch a bus. She will get on the Estrella Roja bus just outside the International Terminal Two (Be sure you check your arrival terminal. If you come into Terminal One, you have to take the Air Train to Terminal Two.) From the airport to Puebla is about two hours. But, time goes fast — there’s free WiFi. My trip on ADO will take a little more than four hours.

Puebla Highlights 2012: NY Times travel writer Freda Moon (she wrote the feature about Oaxaca) is in Puebla this week. She asked me what I loved about Puebla and this was what I told her:

The Museo Amparo is open but it is undergoing renovations and the entrance is around the corner on 7 Oriente; gift shop is a shadow of its former self.
The Exconvento Santa Rosa is closed for renovations.
Take an extraordinary guided visit at Talavera de la Reyna in their Cholula workshop; called ahead to arrange this — muy amable.
Discover Talavera Celia, excellent quality, D04, at about 30% less than Talavera Uriarte and Talavera de la Reyna, though their patterns and use of color is not as complex. Their shop/cafe is in the antique district on 5 Oriente #608 (222-242-3663). Didn’t get to their taller/workshop at Manzano #8, Col. Arboledas de Guadalupe. 222-235-1891.
Dine at CasaReyna, a boutique hotel with gorgeous ambience, excellent food, reasonably priced with good wine list also reasonably priced.
La Conjura is a Spanish restaurant in a cave that served as an aging cellar for meat long ago. Unusual menu. Intimate and pricey.
Ekos Restaurant in the Casona de la China Poblana has the best breakfasts with scrambled eggs and huitlacoche.
A favorite shopping spot is the only artisan cooperative in town — Siuamej Puebla Crafts Cooperative, representing the indigenous groups of the Sierra Norte — Av. Juan de Palafox y Mendoza #206 just off the Zocalo. Lovely quechquemitls with natural dyes woven on backstrap looms, embroidered work, pottery, beaded jewelry.
Fabulous antique Poblano silver jewelry at La Quinta de San Antonio antique shop owned by Antonio & Alfonso, 2 Sur 509 enter on 7 Oriente,laquintadesanantonio@hotmail.com –call or email them (222-232-1189); reasonably priced, very special.
New photography museum is across the street. They have an exhibition of the best Oaxaca and Mexico photographers.
Take in the Sunday flea market. Lots of fleas, antique coins, out of circulation Mexican bills, a few good things. Most all the good stuff is in the stores.
Stay at the Hotel Colonial — excellent value but noisy if on the street or pedestrian walkway (a spot for street theatre past my bedtime); within walking distance to everything.
Love staying at Puebla de Atano — used to be the Italian consulate; within walking distance to everything. I book this on hotels.com and save 15-20% off the advertised rate.
Went to Tonanzintla church — fabulous! That and the visit and explanation of the talavera process at de la Reyna was the highlight of the weekend.

We are just finishing up our annual Women’s Creative Writing and Yoga Retreat in Teotitlan del Valle this week. I have been immersed in writing free verse poetry and creative non-fiction. I will wrote more about this and show you photos of great food, people, and yoga in posts to come.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Dining and Lodging, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Photography, Travel & Tourism

Tagged antique jewelry, blogsherpa, cemitas, food, hotels, lodging, Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla, restaurants, Talavera

Palenque. Mayan Temples in the Chiapas Rainforest

Posted on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 | 4 comments

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 punctuated by occasional green grass, moss, or red lichens.

Tracey and I spent most of the morning and early afternoon in the extraordinary museum filled with glyphs and bas relief carvings and jade funerary masks. The highlight was the every half hour on the hour entry into the exhibit of the tomb of Palenque ruler Pakal that was discovered in 1952. By 2 pm the heavy rain had subsided, and covered by plastic parkas, we entered the park.

The temple steps are slippery. Were the Mayans that tall? I grab onto the stone steps in front of me for balance and foothold. Sometimes I slip on the wet moss covered stones and I look below to the ground, afraid of tumbling. I am a mountain goat, careful, one step at a time. I made it to the top of the palace! Hurray. And at the end of the day, when the park closes at 4:30 pm, the guard says it is time to leave. I say, I need your hand to help me down those steep steps. He frowns. Pretend I am your mother! I say. And he does.

Where to stay in Palenque? I highly recommend Hotel Xibalba. I booked online on booking.com and saved about 20% off the going rate. The hotel is located close to the bus station, is clean, delightful, safe, with helpful staff and a good breakfast (extra). A taxi to the archeological site costs about 70 pesos and the collectivo from the main highway a few blocks away is 10 pesos.

Right next door to the hotel is a fantastic seafood restaurant, El Huachanango Feliz. I ate dinner there three nights in a row. First night was grilled tilapia. Second night was the Caldo de Mariscos (seafood soup) and the third night was the Cazuela de Mariscos (they added cheese to the seafood soup). Each meal was fabulous and more than I could eat for 85 pesos, including a ceviche of shrimp and octopus.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Photography

Tagged archeology, blogsherpa, Chiapas, culture, lodging, Maya, Mexico, Oaxaca, Pakal, Palenque, restaurants

From the Pueblo to Oaxaca: 30 Minutes and Worlds Apart

Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 | 5 comments

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 (tuk-tuk) slaloms down this road, kicking up a thick dust cloud. Passengers in the rear seat hold a cloth to their noses. I endured. It was worth it!

Macuil, as the locals call it, is a small agricultural pueblo, distinguished by an extraordinary church topped with three red domes that is slowly undergoing renovation. Throughout the village ancient adobe walls are pocked with eroding stones and spider webs.

A community museum adjoining the church holds ceramics excavated from pre-conquest history and church ritual relics and paintings hang suspended from walls torn from the Zapotec temple below.

Rural Oaxaca life has its treats. Now, the fields are being prepared for planting. The hefty bulls, guided by an aging farmer who has done this his entire life, are hauling ancient wood plows worn smooth from time. The smell is loamy and rich. In another field, younger men stoop to cut alfalfa to feed their livestock or sell in the morning market.

A few days ago during a late afternoon walk along the foothill path that leads to the dam, I bumped into a friend along the way. Together we climbed the rocky outcropping of road lined with blooming nopal cactus and came upon a herd of goats grazing at water’s edge.

A woman and her son, who introduced themselves as Josefina and Helario, came toward us on the path carrying a bundle of firewood they had gathered farther up the hillside.

We followed the goats, the goat-herder, his tethered mares , several dogs, and the mother and son, back down the path and across the river. Night was falling and I continued on home down the cobbled streets after we all said goodbyes, finishing up my three-hour walk in the country.

The next morning, I caught a collectivo and was off to Oaxaca for a two-night, three-day stay. The city is a burst of color, energy, traffic, noise, excitement, great food and music, and full of commercial bustle. In Jalatlaco I found respite at Hostal del Barrio where Dueña Oliva (below) and her daughter offer clean, basic lodging for 200 pesos a night. (Courtyard pictured below.) The hostel is on a narrow, dead-end cobblestone street that reminds me of Italy (above, right). A block away is a terrific, though pricey Italian trattoria called Toscana. The pizzas, cooked in a wood-fired orno, are just like those in Rome with perfectly crunchy thin crust and probably the best buy on the menu.