Tastes of Mexico City

And now for the food, one of the most exciting components of any travel story. I have to start by admitting that before this trip, I was never a big fan of Mexican food. With the exception of two DC restaurants (Oyamel and Rosa Mexicano), the Mexican fare at local restaurants never impressed me. It struck me as either too monotonous, too spicy, and/or too unhealthy. However, I was determined to give authentic Mexican food a try. 

My first meal in México was breakfast at the Red Tree House where guests (primarily from the U.S. and Canada) shared communal tables. After pouring myself a cup of strong coffee, I perused the buffet of cold items: breads, rolls, cakes, yogurt and fruit. My first taste made it clear that Mexicans, like most people, love sugar. Nearly everything was sweetened. However, the Red Tree House also offered a different cooked-to-order specialty each morning. These delicious dishes, which included cheese enchiladas with mole sauce and an omelet with cheese and mushrooms, were a great introduction to real Mexican food. 

For lunch and dinner, I faced the typical dilemma of the solo traveler. I wanted to sample interesting food, but I didn’t really want to linger over a multi-course meal in a nice restaurant and I didn’t want to be out alone after dark far from my B&B. As a result, I ate all day long (a couple of tacos here, a quesadilla there) during daylight hours and wasn’t overly hungry in the evening. 

Maybe it was Mexico City’s altitude (over 7000 feet), but most days, I was so exhausted by the time I finished my daily explorations that I would spend an hour or so sitting on my private terrace, restoring my energy before I could contemplate going out to eat. A few times, I joined the other B&B guests for the daily happy hour, which started at 6pm. After a generous glass of wine and a handful of pretzels, I’d be ready to head out into the streets of Condesa where I had no problem finding a range of restaurants, from extremely casual to upscale, within a few blocks of the Red Tree House. 

Tizoncito, a neighborhood taqueria, turned out to be one of my favorite discoveries. Their tacos al pastor, spit-grilled pork served in tiny tacos with pineapple, onions, and cilantro, were inspired by the lamb shwarma of Lebanese immigrants. They were absolutely delicious. 

Nopales, or nopalitos, were another new food that I enjoyed on several occasions. These are the pads of the prickly pear cactus that are edible once the sharp points are removed. They’re said to be high in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, and beneficial for those suffering from diabetes. The entire cactus pad can be grilled, or the pad can be cut into strips or cubes and sautéed or added to other dishes. Nopales can also be eaten raw in salads. I enjoyed their fresh mild flavor although some people are put off by the okra-like goo that they exude when cut.

For the most part, I was careful to avoid eating raw fruits and vegetables that couldn’t be peeled. However, on my last day in Mexico City, I was so desperate for a salad that I decided to take a chance at the restaurant at the Anthropology Museum. I ordered a salad (nopales with watermelon on a bed of spring mix) and ceviche (shrimp, bay scallops, octopus with apple and lime), consumed both dishes with gusto, and didn’t suffer any ill effects. 

I got my first taste of huitlacoche in Coyoacan, when I stopped into a tiny taqueria right off the plaza. Huitlacoche is a blackish fungus that grows on organic corn. That may sound less than appetizing, but it’s considered a delicacy, akin to truffles. I first sampled huitlacoche in a quesadilla, paired with melted Oaxaca cheese in a blue corn tortilla. Unusual and amazing!

One day around noon, I joined Mexican families sitting down for a midday snack in a sprawling marketplace. It wasn’t a fine dining experience, but the enchiladas verdes with chicken were far superior to enchiladas I’ve eaten at Salvadoran and Tex-Mex restaurants in the U.S.

My one “fancy” dinner was at Le Capital, a Condesa restaurant that specialized in seafood and nuevo Mexican cuisine. For a first course, I chose tuna tartare with avocado crema and cilantro oil. I followed that with a main course of succulent grilled salmon with a coating of ground pepitas (pumpkin seeds) accompanied by grilled vegetables. Even without wine or dessert, the check came to $30, which was considerably more than I’d paid for any other meal in México.

Dinner at Le Capital was a very satisfying meal, but I was just as happy when dinner was a big bowl of spicy chicken vegetable soup and a stack of fresh corn tortillas at El Califa, also in the Condesa neighborhood – and the check only came to $10. 

I cannot say that I developed a taste for Mexico’s agave-based alcoholic beverages although I sampled several under the direction of an expert. He demonstrated how to cut off a section of lime, sprinkle it with salt, and then squeeze the lime juice into my mouth before taking a sip of the tequila or mezcal. Once try was enough for me. Likewise, I was not a fan of pulque, a sweet agave-based liqueur. 

On a positive note, I was delighted that I gradually developed a greater tolerance for spicy food during my time in Mexico City. I could easily have spent another week there, but soon it was time to move on to San Miguel de Allende, a smaller colonial-era city in the central highlands. The plan was to settle down for an extended period of time so I could experience the rhythms of daily as a quasi-resident, rather than as a tourist. The next phase of my adventure was about to begin.