Mexico Cooks! in Mexico City!
Como México, no hay dos...there's no other place like Mexico!
That old saying, 'Como México, no hay dos', is so true. It's used with enormous pride, it's used ironically, it's used with colors-flying patriotic fervor. In the photo above, for example, the signs at these Mexico City outdoor fondas (food booths) read (left to right): Soft Drinks, Beer, and Fruit Drinks. Chicken Soup. We Repair Baby Jesuses. Only in Mexico can you find such wonderfully surrealistic juxtapositions. Como México, no hay dos.
This handy key chain with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe comes complete with a bottle opener. Judy shook her head and rolled her eyes, but ended up buying this memento of the Basílica for her son.
Mexico Cooks! tacked four days in Mexico City onto the end of our February trip to Chiapas. We'd been invited to stay at the home of our dear friend Ruth Alegría (Alegria in Mexico) and didn't want to pass up the chance to comadrear tantito (to gossip a little bit) about the Distrito Federal food world. Our time with Ruth was a fast-forward speed combination of eating, yakking, and running around the city. Boy, did we have fun!
Frida Kahlo's bedroom with her death mask.
Among our muchos recorridos (lots of running around), we visited the Museo Frida Kahlo (La Casa Azul) and the central plaza of Colonia Coyoacán.
The coyote fountain in the plaza principal of Colonia Coyoacán.
One of the best times was a pozole outing with Ruth and another couple, Jim Johnston and Nick Gilman. Jim is the author of Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler; Nick wrote Good Food in Mexico City: A Guide to Food Stalls, Fondas, and Fine Dining. (Look over on the left-hand side of this page for Amazon links to those two books--they're both well worth buying! Mexico Cooks! wouldn't shill for them...umm...well, or maybe we would!)
Who would know the best pozolería in Mexico City better than a passel of foodies? Ruth drove; she's intrepid behind the wheel, even in this city of nearly 30,000,000 souls. We voyaged north from our digs in south central Colonia Condesa, heading for Colonia Santa María La Ribera, near Alameda Norte. Mexico Cooks! has spent a lot of time in the Distrito Federal, but this was our first time in Colonia Santa María La Ribera. Nick assured us that we would love the pozolería.
The back of our waiter's shirt at La Casa de Toño!
Nick was right. La Casa de Toño is sheer heaven, from the salsas to the postres. The restaurant has been a Mexico City stronghold forever. It's open every day of the year, including Christmas. You can pay a virtual visit to La Casa de Toño here. We had a blast eating our way through a goodly part of the menu. We know we'll go back again next time we're in the city.
A night view of one of the patios at La Casa de Toño. The restaurant is housed in a converted mansion.
Of course we ordered pozole, the specialty of the house, but we also tried a quesadilla or two, a tostada de tinga, and some flautas. Four of us ordered pozole con maciza de puerco, the white meat of the pig. Jim ordered the pozole vegetariano, made with squash blossoms, mushrooms, and corn. I'm a confirmed meat-eater, but Jim's vegetarian pozole was just as delicious as the meat-filled bowl I ate.
Pozole con tostadas, the traditional combo.
Condiments for pozole: minced onion, thinly sliced radishes, shredded lettuce, and a variety of salsas. We also crumbled dried orégano into the bowl, along with powdered chile and sea salt.
We're waiting for our cena (supper): Judy, Jim, Nick, and Ruth.
The kitchen at La Casa de Toño is a hive of buzzing cooks, waiters, and busboys.
Next week: Let's Make Pozole.
I have been pushing aside a visit to Mexico City because some friends tell me to avoid it. You have convinced me that it needs to go back on the list -- for a visit, at least.
Posted by: Steve Cotton | May 10, 2008 at 01:17 AM
I just returned from DF and now you have added more to my DF to-do list. It only gets longer no matter how many times we go.
Posted by: Billie | May 03, 2008 at 04:26 PM
Looks like you had a fantastic visit! It was little more than a month ago that I was last in D.F. and your post has me wanting to go back...
Posted by: mike | May 03, 2008 at 12:25 PM