Guide to Oaxaca: About Rick Bayless - Rick Bayless

GUIDE
Toni Sobel (Phone or fax: 011-52-951-75947 or email: Toni_sobel@hotmail.com). Toni is an American who is married to a Oaxacan and has lived in Oaxaca for 30 years. She is a fabulous guide who is passionate about Oaxaca, its history and it artists. She has a car and provides transportation as well as guiding. Rick says, “Toni Sobel is the real deal.”
www.tonistours.com

RESTAURANTS
In Oaxaca, people eat almuerzo (brunch/lunch) at around 11 o’clock, then comida (main meal) at 2:30 or 3 (sometimes later), and cena (light evening meal) at 8 or 9. Restaurants typically open for comida at 1 o’clock, though rarely are their patrons until 2 or after. Many shops in town still follow the traditional shop hours (10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm) to allow the personnel to go home for comida.

Marco Polo: A fabulous fish restaurant on the Llano park, a short walk from the center. The specialty is fish cooked in a beehive oven. Open for midday meal. Try the ceviche, the vitaminas al vapor (seafood soup cooked in a foil bag with an egg!), pescado al horno (cooked in wood oven with a smear of chipotle mayonnaise), pescado a la talla (cooked in wood oven with red chile adobo), all the seafood cocktails, the plantains cooked in the wood oven.

Biche Pobre: a moderate walk from the center of town, just off the Llano park. Serves regional antojitos (snacks). You can get a full meal, but the snacky stuff is best. Open for midday meal only.

Tlamanalli (Abagail Mendoza's restaurant): on the main street inTeotitlán del Valle. Definitely worth the trip. Only open at midday. Some of the best food in the whole valley. All prepared from scratch in the traditional Zapotec village way—lighter in flavor than what you’ll find in Oaxaca city.

Asador Vasco (Portal de Flores 11, telefono 6 97-19): Beautiful balcony overlooking zocalo; great view and sometimes great live music. Food can be good and not-so-good. We usually go for cena and focus on soups and salads. Nice wine list. Oaxacan and Basque specialties.

La Casa de la Abuela: next to Asador Vasco, also overlooking the zocalo. Serves all of the seven Oaxacan moles. Fairly good versions, but fun to get a culinary lay-of-the-land. They also offer some quesadillas (which here are called empanadas), the traditional caldo de gato (beef soup with vegetables and local corn), and some of the typical desserts.

La Capilla: about 45 minutes out of town, near Zaachila. Serves the pit barbacoa of goat or lamb in avocado leaves. Also good antojitos (especially the tlayudas) and other Oaxacan specialties that you’d find in an outdoor restaurant. Hammocks, live music on holidays. Great tortillas. Unless you have a car, you’ll need to hire a taxi by the hour and have him wait.

El Naranjo (Trujano 203, 951/4-1878): really good versions of traditional and contemporary Oaxacan specialties near zocalo. The taquitos de Santa Clara, huauzoncles (Mexican greens) in guajillo sauce, and the chayote salad are standouts.

El Meson (Av. Hidalgo No. 805, telefono 627-29): right off the zocalo. Tacos de of all kinds (We especially like the roasted poblanos and cream and the pork with purslane). Open for breakfast. Our standby for a quick meal.

El Che: up the street from the Camino Real towards Santa Domingo Church. It is a South American restaurant featuring steaks. We like to go there in the evening for empanadas, a salad and a bottle of wine.

Restaurant Santa Domingo: next door to El Che. Very good regional Oaxacan food, especially the full breakfasts.

Restaurant at the Camino Real: beautiful garden setting. Go for breakfast.

Restaurant at Casa Oaxaca: one of the most beautiful contemporary Mexican hotels. Food is upscale modern, not Oaxacan—and sometimes a little hit or miss.

NIGHT-TIME STREET FOOD
There is a stand on Libres near Murgia that is very famous (ask around and people will direct you) for tlayudas—huge hand-made tortillas that are crisped directly on live coals and served splashed with Oaxacan-style black beans (seasoned with avocado leaf) and salsa, and topped with seated tasajo (half-dried salted beef) cooked directly in the coals, too. A very satisfying, if rather primordial, experience. Don’t miss it if at all possible. If there’s no bench space to sit in, you’ll have to resort to the curb. The pickled pigs feet are pretty good, too.

In Market near Zocalo:
Casilda: famous stand for aguas frescas (fruit drinks). Try the horchata con tuna. Safe water.

Chaguita: famous stand for fruit (and other flavor) ices made in a granita style. Cool set up. Safe water.

Abuelita: in second market building. Good Oaxacan specialties. Try the enchiladas of mole, cecina (chile-marinated sheets of pork), hot chocolate

In Mercado de la Democracia (most people call it Merced; this market is about a 15 minute walk east from the zocalo):
La Guerita: very amazing empanadas, started on top of the comal (clay griddle) and finished underneath the comal (a lot like calzones, but made from corn masa). Favorites: huitlacoche (corn mushroom) and shredded string cheese (quesillo) with fresh squash blossoms and epazote. Go early for a typical market breakfast: empanadas and fresh juice from the stall across the aisle. This is worth making an effort to get to.

Florecita: A large fonda in this market with Oaxacan specialties, similar to Abuelita in the other market. They also have empanadas.

Tamales Leti: close to La Guerita, just a little stall serving some of the best tamales in Oaxaca. Don’t miss the classic Oaxacan black mole tamales, the black bean tamales and sweet pineapple tamales.

HOTELS
Camino Real: (Av. Hidalgo 918, telefono 951/4-7844) One of the most luxurious (meaning they have a lot of typical hotel amenities) and expensive hotel in town—in an old restored convent with beautiful gardens. Swimming pool. Has an 800 phone number for reservations. Most people (us included) find it worth the money because the place is so beautiful and quite well run.

Casa Sagrada: Everyone knows how much I love Oaxaca: the rich culture that blends ancient indigenous and Spanish customs, the moles (all seven of them) and the arid, mountainous terrain. Oaxaca’s colonial downtown is a gem, but you haven’t really visited the area until you’ve gone out into the villages. If you want a really cool treat, go to Teotitlán del Valle (the famous rug-making village) and visit our good friends Mary Jane and Arnulfo Mendoza. They run Casa Sagrada overlooking the village and the valley. And Mary Jane is an incredible equestrian. You can stay at their B&B, meet Reina (who’s a great cook—you can arrange cooking classes), and Mary Jane will take you on an unforgettable horseback exploration of the area, if you want.”
www.casasagrada.com

Hostal de la Noria: Good mid-price hotel a couple of blocks from the zocalo.

Casa Oaxaca: Small, boutique hotel. Public space is especially beautiful. Some think it is too noisy and the rooms a little spartan.

Las Bugambilias: Run by our friend Emilia Arroyo, this beautiful bed-and-breakfast is really near Santo Domingo church. Has a simple restaurant in front (La Olla), serving some nice, simple food. Can make reservations through bugambilias@lasbugambilias.com.

There are also a number of new boutique hotels and many bed-and-breakfasts, but we haven’t had a chance to check them all out.

GALLERIES
La Mano Mágica: Very well chosen, high quality folk art and fine art. Owned by Mary Jane Mendoza who is very articulate about Oaxacan art.

Arte de Oaxaca: Has the biggest variety of work by current Oaxacan artists.

Temescal: The temescal operated by Emilia Arroyo is an amazing 2 hour experience with a ritual cleansing steam bath (in a traditional adobe sweat lodge) and 1 hour massage. For reservations email: bugambilias@lasbugambilias.com. In Oaxaca reservations can be made at La Olla Restaurant near the Camino Real.