Another 48 Hours in Mexico City - Part 2 Visited 4/13-4/15/2018 4 - 5 Forks

Maque  Av. Ozuluama 4, Col. Condesa, 06100 México, D.F.                                                      4 Forks

One of the great things about Mexican food is that you can even have it for breakfast and it's still tasty!  While we had been in Mexico, we had only really had 1 real breakfast and even there, I ended up having a chicken enchilada instead.  So we were determined to get real breakfast with eggs.  I found Maque which is on this cute street in the Condesa area right near the park and it was completely mobbed on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  We were about to walk away but the hostess told us it would only be a 15 mins wait, so we stayed.  Turns out that she was right, so even if you see a huge crowd, try to wait it out. 

The inside is super cute - it's almost got this European pastry/cafe feel inside.  The menu has everything variation of Mexican breakfast you can imagine.  I ended up getting a traditional huevos rancheros since I hadn't really had that yet on our trip and a few people who we passed on our way to our seat at it at their table it it looked tasty.  When you sit down, you are offered a bread basket and initially I was going to say no because I didn't want to eat too many carb but do yourself a favor and get the corn bread cake.  Jesus, it was on the best pieces of bread I've ever had.  It's not like the dry mealy corn bread you get at home (don't get me wrong, a good piece of corn bread at a BBQ place can be quite tasty) but this is almost like a cake.  It was super moist and had bits of corn it in.  Definitely don't miss out on it.  

In terms of the huevos rancheros, it was s perfectly tasty dish.  No complaints with it at all and I don't remember what Jen or Kevin had but they also seemed perfectly content with their meal.  I would also recommend a cappuccino here as well - it was the right balance of sweet and bitter. 

You can also grab breads and pastries to go here and sit outside the park, but I would recommend waiting in line and eating inside.  It was a fantastic way to start off the day and I'd also spend some time in the surrounding neighborhood of Condesa as well - lots of cute shops to pop into along the way.  Total bill:  $40 USD for 3 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

La Capital  Av. Nuevo León 137, 06140 México, D.F.                                                                 4 Forks

Jen had an old friend who lived in Mexico City, so we met up with her for dinner on Saturday night.  I was excited to try a restaurant recommended by someone who actually lives in the city and this place didn't disappoint.  It was also in the Condesa neighborhood and you could tell that it was frequented by a lot of locals.  It seemed like a fun, hip place that would exist in the East Village area - it's a pretty large space with a nice outdoor terrace in the back which is where we sat. 

The menu is contemporary Mexican and very extensive - lots of ceviches, tostadas, tortas, salads, grilled meats and main entrees.  I should also note a lot of fantastic cocktails too - there's a mezcal drink in a clay pot with grapefruit, orange and lime slices with a spicy salty rim that's delicious. Unfortunately, I don't remember everything that we ate there (the night was a bit hazy from the drinks and running around all day) but I do remember ordering the cochinita pibil to start and I got the tuna steaks for my main.  Cochinita pibil is slow roasted pork with spices and marinate and served in a banana leaf - it was moist and delicious although a bit heavy to start off a meal.  But I love anything wrapped in a banana leaf!  As for my main, the tuna was nicely seared and it was kind of your traditional tuna dish but with a chili rub on the outside.  It was served with mashed potatoes and sautéed veggie - so except for the chili rub, it was the kind of dish you would find at any other upscale restaurant.  It was actually a huge portion and combined with all the other food and drinks I had had, I don't remember finishing my plate which is very unusual for me. 

Overall, it was a super fun place and glad that we got to check out a place that probably wouldn't have been on our list if we were left on our own for dinner.  Even with it being a nicer sit down restaurant, the total bill was still completely reasonable considering that we each got multiple drinks.  Total bill:  $43/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

El Hidalguense  Campeche 155, Col. Roma Sur, 06760 Ciudad de México                                5 Forks

You know you are with the right group of friends when you are all willing to possibly miss your flight just to squeeze in one more epic meal on the trip.  While everything we ate so far was amazing, this place was my favorite and I felt like I had to give at least one place on our trip 5 forks.  It's only open on the weekends and even then only until 6pm, so we were very lucky to have been able to squeeze this in our trip.  For some reason, I thought it was going to be a quick food stall stop, so we didn't really leave ourselves a lot of time for our meal.  Instead, it's a casual sit down restaurant that was jammed packed when we got there.  But we were determined and really sweated this meal out.  It was about a 10-15 min wait - the place is a very well oiled machine so don't worry if you're on a tight timeline.

This is THE place for lamb barbacoa - the menu is all in Spanish so we had to piecemeal our order and because we were under the gun, we kind of ordered hastily.  I would definitely recommend taking your time to order because when looking around, it looks like most people ordered barbacoa by weight and made their own meals.  We got what we thought was a zucchini quesadilla (I'll explain in a bit) and barbacoa tacos with hard shells and soft shells.

Despite it being a casual, sit down place, they run this place like a factory - servers are very efficient and milling around everywhere.  The table comes with lots of salsa, chopped up onions and limes - be very careful with the salsas.  We all did taste tests and even with my newly found tolerance for spicy food, they were a bit too much for me.  So when I had said we ordered what we thought was a quesadilla - we assumed there would be cheese in it because what kind of quesadilla doesn't???  Well this is where if we had more time to read the menu and/or ask questions we might have found out what we did wrong.  But the zucchini blossoms came in blue corn tortillas with no cheese in it - just chopped up zucchini blossoms.  Oh well.  It was tasty none the less but obviously missing a big component.  But honestly that's not why you're here.  You're here for the meat and it absolutely does NOT disappoint. 

The tacos also came with fresh delicious blue corn tortillas and they were stuffed to the gills with barbacoa in them.  It was plentiful, fragrant, tender and seriously everything you would want in a taco despite it not having any sour cream, guacamole or other things that you typically pile on in the US.  I added a squeeze of lime, onions and a hint of the medium salsa to spice it up a bit but it was still very clean tasting - every bite was fantastic.  The hard taco might have been a better choice just because it held in the juices more but honestly they were both yummy. 

We pretty much only had 35 mins to shove all this food in our mouth and throw down the bill, which we did but I would definitely recommend spending more time than we did.  The only downside is that they do not take credit cards but other than that, there really is no downside here for me.  Total bill:  $33 USD for 3 people with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Another 48 hours in Mexico City - Part 1, Visited 4/13-4/15/2018 4-4.5 Forks

Taqueria Los Parados  Monterrey 333, Col. Roma, 06760 México, D.F.                                     4 Forks

Instead of flying back home via Leon, Jen, Kevin and I thought it would be more fun (and faster) to fly home through Mexico City.  Of course this meant another few straight days of serious eating, which none of us were upset by.  As I had mentioned in my post from last year, Mexico City is seriously one of the greatest and most underrated culinary destinations in the world.  The food is second to none and compared to the other great food cities of the world, super cheap.  I normally hate to visit the same city twice for vacation because there are so many other great cities in the world to visit, but I really didn't mind coming back to Mexico City. 

The cool, hip neighborhood is the Roma Norte/Sur area, which is where our Airbnb was.  We had just gotten off a 3.5 hr bus ride from San Miguel and starving.  We quickly googled best tacos nearby and Taqueria los Parados came up on our search a few times and it was only a 10 min walk from our place.  While it's not a restaurant, it's not really a street stall either.  Instead it's got a few counters you can stand at while you shove your face full of tacos and quesadillas.  The menu is large and expansive and to be honest, we didn't really understand everything that was on there but we just ordered a bunch of tacos al pastor, beef tacos, and beef quesadillas.  You can never go wrong with that combination of food.   

What's great about this place is that they have a nice selection of condiments which some of the street carts just don't have space for.  They have a huge vat of pico de gallo, diced onions and guacamole.  Yum!  We poured everything on each thing we got and it was all fantastic.  Super flavorful, the meat was moist, the cheese nice and gooey, what more could you ask for?  The tortillas were fresh and held up well with all the toppings we put in there.   While it felt a bit more sterile and had less character than sitting on a plastic stool on the street, if you're in the area and have a hankering for delicious tacos,  it's definitely worth checking out.  Total bill:  $22 for 3 people

Maximo Bistro  Tonalá 133, Col. Roma, 06700 México, D.F.                                                  4.5 Forks

After three straight days of Mexican food, we finally switched it up and got something that wasn't Mexican.  Instead, we got French food and it was nice to get a bit of a reprieve from it all.  Mamixo Bistrot got rave reviews from a friend of ours (and yes, Anthony Bourdain is also a huge fan) and the place was packed when we were there, so we felt like we made the right decision.

The menu changes seasonally and is beautifully pressed on a thin paper with gold trim.  We originally got the Spanish version of the menu so it was a little bit hard to figure out what everything was and we could have really made do with it, but we finally got the English version which helped.  The food here is elegant but not stuffy.  Unfortunately, we were all still a bit stuffed from our earlier lunch and I was honestly still reeling in pain from all the multi-course tasting menus we did earlier in the week (note: that they also have a tasting menu here but there was no way we could do another one), so I was glad to switch over to a more seafood focused meal.  We got the octopus ceviche to start and I got the seared scallops for my main.   It felt really good to eat clean, non-cheese based food and the portions were just right.  The scallops were a pretty decent size, seared nicely and served with sautéed Swiss chard.  

If I had ended my review here, I would have probably given it 4 forks.  It was absolutely a delicious meal but what put it over the edge was this freaking amazing cheese plate we got at the end.  I know said we were sick of cheese but really that was a lie.  They had this incredible camembert cheese that was insane.  It was served with a giant fresh honey comb and fruit compote and we were all in heaven.  Obviously if you do not like intense, strong cheese don't get it but if you do, this will definitely make your night.  Unfortunately since the menu changes seasonally, it may not always be on the menu but if you see it, get it!   This was definitely one of the pricier non-tasting meals we had on the trip but if you're looking for a low key yet sophisticated meal, this is right up your alley.  Total bill:  $238 USD for 3 people including tax, tip and cocktails

72 Hours in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - Part 3 Visited 4/10/-4/12/2018 3.5 - 4 Forks

Ignacio Ramirez Mercado Colegio s/n, 37700 San Miguel de Allende                                      3.5 Forks

One of my favorite things to do when I'm traveling in another city is going to their local markets - super markets, flea markets or farmers markets, really any market.  You get a great view into more authentic local life and usually there are lots of fun unique local food stalls there.  Ignacio Ramirez Mercado in San Miguel de Allende is no different.  It's a pretty huge local market with your usual tchotchkes but they also have a decent food scene in the middle of the market.  Mind you, it's Mexico so it's not a nice fancy food court but more laid back stalls.  We didn't really know what was what so we randomly picked a place that looked good and had a few locals eating there.  I don't really know what it was called except there was a sign that said Birrieria 71 next to it (which I read is a spicy Mexican stew - which makes sense because there were a lot of locals eating some kind of soup dish).   

We got there early enough for breakfast but I went with a chicken enchilada and Kevin and Jen had chilaquiles.  It's a small stall with one communal bench outside but you can see them making the food so you know it's fresh and homemade.  It was a solid enchilada with verde sauce, although the shredded lettuce and tomato slice was kind of meh  - the dish tastes similar to some of the other Mexican food I've had in the States.  While I was totally happy with my meal, I felt like compared to the other food we had while in Mexico, I wasn't overly in love with it but I did love that it was a very local and authentic place.  Total bill: $10 USD for 3 people 

Aperi Quebrada 101, Zona Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende                                              4 Forks

Another day, another fancy tasting menu.   This one was in another beautiful boutique hotel, Dos Casas Hotel where dinner was in their gorgeous open air courtyard.  Of course we came here for the tasting menu but in hind sight, we all wished we had ordered a la carte because the 8 courses ended up being waaaay too much food.

We started with a lovely beet salad, moved on to an artichoke and fennel dish, an entire hunk of duck foie gras (note that if you plan on tasting all of your dishes, don't finish all of them like we did.  Eating all of the foie gras was a big mistake for stomach space), an octopus tacos with black bean pure, corn fungus with smoked trout, an enormous piece of pork belly with sweet potato puree and roasted zucchini, and THEN another giant piece of pork with scalloped potatoes and carrot puree - this is where we all pretty much felt like we were going to keel over and explode.  We were so full, it was actually painful.  Being this full prevented us from really enjoying most of the dishes that came after the smoked trout dish.  Of course, they ended with dessert which was a piece of chocolate cake but at this point, they could have served anything and I would have wanted to throw up. 

In the end, we all felt like we had pushed our stomachs to the limit.  That being said, I really enjoyed the octopus taco and the pork belly.  Similar to the other tasting menu, they really need to reduce the portion sizes so that people can fully enjoy all the dishes.  I think 5 dishes is the right amount for a tasting menu otherwise it's just too much.  We all thought that the tasting menu at Moxi was a bit better but it might have also been because it was a few courses shorter.  That being said, Aperi is still worth a visit.  One note, since Kevin doesn't eat seafood, he got a brown butter sage pasta dish that was out of this world - so if you come, definitely check out the pasta dishes here.  Total bill: $396 USD for 3 people including tax, tip and cocktails

72 Hours in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - Part 2 Visited 4/10-4/12/2018 4-4.5 Forks

Carnitas Bautista  Salida a Celaya #55, 37700 San Miguel de Allende                                    4.5 Forks

After our successful street meat adventure the night before, Jen, Kevin and I were all about finding more delicious street meat options.  Jen had read about this place on another travel blog (While Yelp and TripAdvisor are still great research options, I love reading other people's travel blogs for ideas) and since carnitas wasn't an option at the last place, we were jazzed to try this place out.  A word of warning, it's quite the hike out of town - we may have taken the long way there and it was hot AF the day we decided to go, but it felt like we had walked to another town to get there.  It's located in the 'burbs of San Miguel - it's an interesting walk because you get to see real life and lots of school kids running around but just be sure to have your walking shoes on. 

But the reward is some of the most succulent pig you've had in a while.  The place is pretty much a shack and zero English is spoken.  Your choices are pretty much tacos, tortas and gorditas - all stuffed with carnitas.  The entire pig is sitting under a heat lamp and it's already been butchered and shredded but you can see the crispy skin and elements of certain body parts.  There are 3 women who sit there hand making the masa and tortillas in front of you so you know it's fresh.   We opted for the torta and gordita as our first round.  She asked us if we wanted white meat and I reluctantly agreed but that ended up being a BIG MISTAKE.  While I know that dark meat isn't as good for you health-wise, it's by far the tastiest part of any animal.  But we were trying to be healthy and had good intentions.  The torta was basically a huge sandwich with nothing but white meat stuffed inside.  Honestly, if the meal were just this dish, I would have given the place 3 forks.  The bread was dry as was the white meat - it needed more moisture and flavor to it.  Luckily the gordita turned things around for us.  I had actually thought gorditas were things that Taco Bell made up, but I guess it's a real thing. The masa for the gordita was super tasty, crunchy and held the meat in well.  Based on this delicious bite, I felt like I had to round out the experience and get a taco.  Since I don't speak Spanish very well, I had to do a lot of pointing and said "no blanco" which I'm not even sure if the right terminology.  The woman pointed to her stomach which I interpreted as tripe which is really the one part of an animal I'm not down with.  I ended up pointing to a bunch of dark looking meat and she threw it on a taco for me.  After my bite, I confirmed that dark meat is the way to go.  It's juicy, tender and holds much more flavor to it than white meat.

I noticed that other locals were just buying platefuls of carnitas and then making their own meals from it - something I wish we had done but lesson learned.  Despite the long hot walk, this was a wonderful experience.  You can probably just as easily take an Uber there too.   Total bill:  185 pesos or $10 USD for 3 people.

Moxi  Aldama 53, Centro, Zona Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende                                     4 Forks

Despite all the great street meat options in San Miguel, there are quite a few high end places you can go for dinner.  Moxi was our first foray into fancy pants dining in San Miguel.  It's located inside the gorgeous Matilda Hotel - I will say that San Miguel may have the highest number of beautiful boutique hotels per capita I've ever seen in any city.   Except for the Rosewood, there aren't a ton of large chains and every hotel seems to have a either a cute courtyard or rooftop bar.  

Unfortunately the night we had dinner here it was pouring rain, but we had an awning to cover us for most of the night.  Most of the luxury restaurants in town have a tasting menu and that's what we decided to do here.  Compared to the tasting menu prices in NYC, these meals are a total steal.  It was a 6 course meal for $53 USD.  Yes, you read that correctly.  You can also get a wine pairing but we decided to stick with cocktails instead.  The courses were as follows:  beef taco amuse bouche, then the actual dishes (1) mushroom tamale (2) French onion soup with zucchini blossoms (3) corn risotto (4) striped sea bass (5) mandarin orange sorbet (6) chocolate mousse. 

There wasn't a huge Mexican flare to the meal but it was all executed perfectly and had great presentation.  The one thing we all noticed was that despite this being a tasting menu, all the portions were real entree sizes.  Usually when I get tasting menus, the portions are smaller because you know you're eating many more dishes than normal.  Needless to say, by the time we got to dessert, we were all stuffed to the gills.  The mushroom tamale was the winner of the night although there weren't any complaints about the other dishes. 

Overall for the ambience, quality and amount of food, it's most definitely worth the price even if it's on the pricier side of town.

72 Hours in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - Part 1, Visited 4/10-4/12/2018 4-4.5 Forks

Luna Rooftop Bar   Nemesio Diez 11, Colonia Centro, San Miguel de Allende                       4 Forks

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico has been on my bucket list for a long time, so I was thrilled when Kevin, Jen and I finally made it happen this year.  It's a 1.5 hr drive from the Leon airport (or 3 hrs from Mexico City) and the entire town is the definition of adorable.  Cobble stone streets everywhere, gorgeous rooftop bars and restaurants and picture perfect weather.   The most famous place in town is the Rosewood Hotel - it's super swanky/gentrified compared to everything else in town but it's definitely worth a visit just to see the views from the rooftop bar.  It is simply breathtaking and even though the cocktails and food are triple what you would pay at a local joint, if you're from NYC or any major US city, the prices are totally manageable.  We got a few delicious margaritas, guacamole and fries because we were staving but planned to get real food elsewhere.   I wouldn't stay here for dinner as you can get much cheaper and more authentic food elsewhere but you must come during sunset and get a few cocktails and nibbles.  Total bill:  $78 for 3 people

Andy's Pastor Taco Cart -  Insurgentes 85, Centro, Zona Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende 
4.5 Forks

Now this is why you come to Mexico.  If I haven't already mentioned it before in my other entries, I think the food scene in Mexico is seriously some of the best in the world - especially the street food.  I know some people are squeamish about eating street meat but you are seriously missing out if you don't eat it in Mexico.  Andy's is exactly the type of place I love.  We had a hard time finding it at first - they don't set up until past 7pm and it's not like they have a sign or anything.  We just patiently waited next to a bar where we thought it was and soon enough we smelled the sweet smell of meat being cooked.  If you're looking for it, it's on the major street right off the Square next to a garage. 

It's a small cart with 4 plastic chairs max, so get there early.  They basically have tacos al pastor, beef tacos and quesadillas.  We were pigs and we each ate 3 of almost everything.  Most locals come and grab 1-2 tacos, but we ordered everything we could get our chubby American hands on.  If you don't know what al pastor is, it's pork on a spit covered in adobe spices and served with onion and pineapple.  It's got a delicious sweet and salty combination.  The corn tortillas were clearly home made and held up well with all the meat stuffed in it.  While the tacos were good, we all commented that we loved the beef quesadillas the best because of the amazing oaxaca cheese they used - the key being that they slightly burn it on the grill before putting it in the tortilla.  We could have eaten here every single day and been incredibly happy.  I didn't try all the salsas but obviously they have a line up of mild to hot AF salsa for you to choose from.  The only complaint was the limes were super dry (they were all dry in San Miguel for some reason) and we had a feeling that we were maybe being overcharged because we were tourists but in the end it was still worth it.  Total bill:  400 pesos or $22 USD for 3 people 

48 Hours in Mexico City - Day 2 - Visited 1/28/2017 4 - 5 Forks

Quintonil  Newton 55, 11550 México, D.F.                                                                   4 Forks

Mexico City is actually home to another World's Best Restaurant and this one is actually ranked even higher than Pujol at #12.  Since I adored my meal at Pujol, I couldn't wait to see what a restaurant 13 spots above it was like.  I decided to do lunch at Quintonil instead of dinner so that we could have at least 1 dinner where we could kind of wing it and try something random if we wanted.  Quintonil is also located in the tony Polanco area and decor-wise it's the complete opposite of Pujol (or it could just be I was there for lunch and not dinner).  It's bright, airy and more casual and some people were even wearing shorts and jeans to lunch.  

What's also different here is that you can order a la carte if you want, which is a nice touch since eating a 10 course meal isn't always necessary.  But of course when in Rome, I felt like I had to get the tasting menu (1,600 pesos which is approximately $80 USD, so when cheaper than Pujol!) while Janet ordered the zucchini flowers stuffed with shrimp (190 pesos or $9.50 USD) and the Waygu beef entree (430 pesos or $21.50 USD).  I finally got a cocktail while I was in Mexico City (I was a bit weary because of the high altitude) and got a fantastic mezcal drink that really hit the spot.

The first glance, I already liked the Pujol menu a bit more.  At first I thought it was because the menu here was more geared towards a lunch style but they actually serve the same tasting menu for lunch and dinner.  There was a few cactus dishes listed which honestly I'm just not a huge fan of but I was willing to roll with the punches.

They start you with an amuse bouche of this amazing squash like soup that's served shooter style and some handmade corn tortillas with a black bean sauce and salsa.  We were almost full just from these small bites.

The first course was a cactus ceviche - it was quite refreshing but again nothing compared to the tuna crudo I got as part of the first course at Pujol.

The 2nd course was the zucchini flower stuffed with shrimp head (Janet's a la carte version came with 4 of them, mine only had 1).  This was probably my favorite dish of the night and so beautifully crafted. The shrimp was mild and very tender and I highly recommend dragging the entire flower across the puree to get the full effect.   What a lovely dish.

The 3rd course was charred avocado with esamoles and Mexican herb chips.  So while the service here was also excellent, there was a bit of a difference with how the plates were served.  At Pujol, they give you great detail of what's in the dish in perfect English.  Here, their English isn't quite as strong (which is totally fine) and the server put this dish down and said "here you have avocado".   What she failed to mention was that it was also served with ant larvae although another server mentioned it to another table so I kind of suspected it for my dish.  I would have eaten it either way but you might be a bit better off not knowing because they do look like white larvae.  But mixed with the delicious charred avocado, you wouldn't notice or care too much.

The 4th course was an artichoke tamal - my first tamal of the trip!  I was hoping I would have time to walk around the neighborhood to find a tamal on the street but I didn't really have time and this one lovely and the artichoke was a nice unique touch to it.

The 5th course was Mexican tomatoes in a clam bullion - to be honest, this dish was ok.  It tasted exactly how it's described and it was sort of like a chilled soup but the tomato flavors were sweet, fresh and reminded me of summer.

The 6th course was the grilled trout with grilled cuitlacohe, spicy potato sauce and trout roe.  Before the meal, the super cute chef comes out with a giant cuitlaoche in a pan to show you what you're eating.  If you don't know what cuitlacohe is (I didn't), it's basically corn fungus or corn smut.  It's considered a delicacy in Mexico and while it's not fuzzy like other mold, it's definitely got a fungus look to it.  Luckily when it was paired with the delicious trout you kind of forget that you're eating it. It has a spong-y texture that's kind of like a mushroom and not like corn at all.  By this point I was getting really full and shutting down again.

The 7th course was braised pork dish which frankly I can't really remember much of.  That doesn't mean that it was a terrible dish but when it's been over a week and you were eating this many courses at lunch, your mind definitely blanks out occasionally.  I was glad that we were finally getting down to the dessert courses.

The pre-dessert was a cactus sorbet - again, not really my favorite.  It was tart and tangy which I did like but I was just too full to really appreciate it.  The first dessert (yes, I said first dessert) was listed as a six and twelve month aged cheese, so I assumed it was like a chunk of delicious cheese.  While it was cheese it was not in a solid chunk that you would envision when you get a meat and cheese plate. It was kind of shredded in a really soft texture that just didn't really taste like cheese at all.  It was just kind of a weird dish to me.  The last and final course was a frozen mousse of roasted banana.  It was also tasted exactly how it was described and a great way to end the meal.

The meal lasted close to 3 hours too and we were exhausted from just sitting and eating the whole time.  Poor Janet had to sit there and watch me eat almost 10 courses while she had 2.  While the tasting menu is quite a bargain and I would highly recommend it, it was definitely very hard to eat 2 back-to-back tasting menus.  But we were here for such a short time that I couldn't space them out, but I would definitely recommend you take a break in between such decadent meals.  Total bill for 2 with tax and tip:  3,264 peso or approximately $163 USD

La Docena  Av. Álvaro Obregón 31, 06700 México, D.F.                                                        5 Forks

By the time dinner time rolled around on Saturday,  neither Janet nor I were really hungry.  We were still reeling from our crazy fancy pants meals, so we wanted to go light and casual for dinner.  The NY Times had this fantastic 36 Hours article on Mexico City last year and they had mentioned a great sounding oyster place in the hip Roma Norte area which sounded perfect.   It was nice to get out of the Polanco neighborhood and see some of the other neighborhoods.  Roma is kind of like their version of Brooklyn - super hipster and cool with a hint of a European feel to it.  It's got adorable tree lined streets and TONS of cute restaurants, boutiques and other stores to wander around.  I wish I had spent a bit more time in the daylight walking around.

La Docena was hopping when we got there but luckily we able to snag a seat quickly.  This place was my dream!  Super bright, lots of people in their 30's and 40's having fun conversation plus a raw bar and everything seafood menu - everything sounded amazing and the oysters were only $1 with no happy hour pricing.  I wished I was hungrier because I would have gone to town there - ok, who am I kidding, we still went to town.  We ordered the seafood tower which came with 12 oysters, ceviche, 6 shrimp cocktail and usually 6 clams but they gave us 1 giant cut up scallop instead and I also ordered a side of blue crab toastadas and Janet got a cup of oyster chowder.  The waiters barely spoke English but they were so nice and tried really hard to communicate with us. There was this one octopus special that we really wanted to get that everyone in the restaurant was getting but we were so full that we couldn't do it but it was pretty much an whole wood oven grilled octopus.

The seafood tower was heavenly.  The oysters were a good mix of briny, creamy and sweet.  They told us what kinds they were but frankly I don't remember but they were all fantastic and shucked really well - I barely had any shell in mine.   The giant scallop was cooked and cut up into pieces and was great as well although I was secretly hoping it was going to be served raw.  I enjoyed the shrimp cocktail (Janet didn't) although they were a bit tough and as missing that crunch.  But the best dish of the night was the ceviche.  Holy Shit - it was some of the best ceviche I've had outside of South America.  Tart, acidic and perfectly sour with the right balance of red snapper, lime, red onion and cilantro.  If I had room I would have easily gotten a separate order of this.   It was right up there with the tuna crudo at Pujol as one of my favorite dishes of the trip.

We left just as how we came in - super full and happy.  I loved everything about this place and its vibe.  If you're into seafood, this is an absolute must stop while in Mexico City.  Total bill for 2 people: ~$65 USD

 Churreria El Moro Querétaro 225, Colonia Roma Norte              5 Forks

Yes, I was totally stuffed and overwhelmed by all the food I had had during this trip but I would have never forgiven myself if I walked about this historic (ok, the original one in the city center is the historic one but this outpost will have to do) dessert place and NOT gotten anything.  Luckily the line was pretty long here which gave me time to digest and figure out what I wanted to get there.  I mean the only thing thing to get is the churros but you can choose what kind of dipping sauce you want or if you want to get it in an ice cream sandwich form.

The actual sit down portion of this place is beautiful with its blue and white tile themed decor.  The menu is pretty basic and easy but still overwhelming with choices.  I hemmed and hawed and finally decided on an ice cream sandwich (you can get 1 or 3 minis) with oreo ice cream (you can get chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, oreo or the ice cream of the day).  I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it but I do not regret the probably 2,000 calories this dish had.  It was everything and more I could have imagined.  The churros were freshly made and perfectly crunchy and crispy but not oily at all.  It was the best and only way to end an almost perfect day of eating in Mexico City.  Total cost:  50 pesos or approximately $2.50 USD.

48 Hours in Mexico City: Day 1 - Visited 1/27/2017 4 - 5 Forks

La Merced  La Estación, Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico                                           4 Forks

I'll say this upfront - Mexico City is god damn amazing.  If you haven't been or if it's not on your list, go or put it on your list now.  It deserves to be right at the top of any foodie or urban hipster's list. I'll admit that I was probably like a lot of folks and unsure about visiting Mexico City because of its reputation of crime and not much to see.  I couldn't have been more wrong.    I'm sure there are some unsafe parts of this sprawling city but the places that I visited were no scarier or less safe than places any other big city I've been to.   The thing I was most excited for during my visit was the food (duh) and it was beyond my wildest expectations.  Seriously, the culinary scene has blown up here and it's becoming one of the most well respected food destinations in the world and I can absolutely see why. 

After landing around 12:30pm, Janet and I were stuck in hellish traffic to our hotel (the lovely Hyatt Regency in Polanco).  Knowing that we didn't have a ton of time in the city, we decided to hit up La Merced because it was the furthest of anything we were interested in seeing and we weren't sure if we'd have time for it on Saturday.  Plus we were starving and what better place to go when you're hungry than a local market?   We took an uber there and again with the traffic, it was almost an  hour long drive.   This city reminds me of LA where you just need to prepare to sit in a car for a long time even to go 5 miles.  I didn't know what to expect when we got there and it was definitely way crazier than I expected. Our driver told us earnestly to be very careful (everyone in Mexico is so nice and kind) and to keep an eye out for our purses.  While I never felt unsafe there, I can see why he said it. The place is insane - it spans across several street blocks and full of people everywhere.  Everyone we saw was a local - not a tourist or non-Mexican in site.  We definitely didn't see everything there but the market is full of meat (if you don't like see raw meat or heads of animals, don't go to this section), exotic spices, fresh produce and a lot and lots of tchotchkes.  A lot of the blogs I read suggested hiring a food guide to maneuver thru the madness and I would totally agree - it was too overwhelming to do our on our own and we really had no idea where to go.  We were starting to get hungry so we stopped at a food stall that had a bunch of local looking people eating there but I'm not really sure it was THE place to eat at the market. 

My spanish is terrible but I could obviously understand taco, quesadilla, pollo and few other food related terms.  I settled on the carnitas taco, an agua fresa and Janet and I split a quesadilla tinga pollo.  When I ordered the drink, I mixed it up with watermelon and it turned out to be strawberry which was totally fine as it was refreshing and tasty.  What wasn't fine was the size of it - it was an entire take-out tupperware size fit for 4 people but it was 18 pesos (so less than $1) so I assumed it would be a regular size.  Be aware that just because everything is cheap here doesn't mean it comes in a small size.  I kind of thought the carnitas would be shredded pork but instead they were chopped up and the taco was served very simply with some potato and peppers - it wasn't some American style taco dripping in cheese or sour cream or even guacamole (although I do love those kinds of tacos too).  Very fresh, simple and delicious.  I'll admit that it could have used a bit acid like a pico de gallo but the spicy green salsa helped to take care of it.  The quesadilla was also not what you think of at home with a flour tortilla with cheese inside, this was more of a corn tortilla with a chicken stew in it. Again, very hearty and fresh.  I could have used maybe some tomato or acid to the dish too but for $1, I'm not going to complain at all.  While this isn't 100% street food, it was close since you're sitting in an open air stall in plastic stools.  I really enjoyed seeing them make everything by hand in front of me but compared to the street taco I had on Sunday, it didn't really quite compare in mind blowing-ness (more to come on that later) but it was an excellent start to the trip.  

The market is so huge that I couldn't even begin to tell you which one this was or where to find it but there are definitely enough places to eat there that you'll have no problem finding something tasty and delicious to eat.  Total bill for 2 taco orders (which came with 3 tacos per order), 2 agua fresas, and 1 quesadilla:  $5 USD (no that is not a typo). 

Pujol  Francisco Petrarca 254, 11570 México, D.F.                                                                     5 Forks

Behold, the crown jewel of the culinary world in Mexico City.  Pujol is quite possibly the most famous restaurant in town and it got a significant bump after being featured on Chef's Table on Netflix.  It's ranked #25 on the World's Best Restaurant List (it was ranked #16 the previous year) and is probably one of the most affordable tasting menus you'll ever have.  What made this meal even more special was that they are actually closing this location in a few weeks and moving to a new place down the street - so we were one of the last few people able to dine at the original location. 

It was surprisingly easy to make a reservation on OpenTable - I just looked about 3 weeks out and sure enough there were several times to choose from - I picked 9:30pm, which in retrospect I wished I picked a slightly earlier time because it ended up being a 3+ hour meal, so it ended way past my bed time. 

The space and decor is sleek and very very dark.  It reminded me a bit of a Vegas casino where you have literally no idea what time it is because the walls are painted black and there is only 1 small tiny window, so you can be here for hours and have no clue what time it was.  But it kind of sets the serious tone of the meal.  The menu here is pre-fixe and when you sit down there is an envelope with a wax seal on it with the menu of the day inside.  It's listed as 6 courses but don't let that fool you as some of the courses had 4-5 dishes in it.  You can pick what you want for course 2, 3 and 4 - I got the beef tartar, suckling lamb taco and the chicken while Janet got the beef tartar, suckling pig taco and the sea bass. 

The first course is listed as street snacks and it's 5 small dishes - chicharron gordita, squash, chia and avocado, baby corn and a crudo dish.  The only 2 things you need to know about this course:  one, the famous baby corn (served in a gorgeous smoking gourd) is served on a stick with flying ants, coffee and a chile mayo and was amazing (don't let the flying ants scare you) and two, the absolute star of the course was the crudo, which for us was a bluefin tuna that might have been one of the best tuna dishes of my entire life.  It was perfection top to bottom. Fresh, simple and clean - I might have actually wept when I finished it because I wanted more of it. 

Luckily the rest of my meal was also incredible.  The next dish was the dry beef tartar with preserved lemon, radish, watercress and avocado.  It was cubed and as its namesake says dry as there was no raw egg with it.  But the quality of the meat and the moisture of the avocado made it such that it wasn't really necessary.  It was elegant yet simple dish. 

The third course was the suckling lamb taco with avocado leaf adobe and avocado puree.  Jesus - this was probably the most elegant, most creative and one of the tastiest tacos of my life.  The lamb was perfectly cooked - juicy, flavorful and super moist and it was served on a fabulous corn tortilla that held all the juices and flavors in.  Pictures don't do it justice but it was also one of the most beautifully constructed tacos I've ever seen.   Usually in a tasting menu, I assume all the courses are pretty small and even though this was one taco, it was incredibly hearty and filling.  By the time I finished it, I was so full but there were still 3 more courses to go.  

The 4th course as chicken, chile adobe, nopal (cactus), and black radish.  This was also a visually stunning dish with the black radish adorned on top of the chicken.  As expected the chicken was amazing - it was the thigh of the chicken so it was super moist.  The radish was a beautiful visual touch but taste wise didn't do too much for me but I appreciated it none the less.

By this point I wanted to literally crawl under the table and sleep for 10 hours.  I've never been this full from a tasting menu before in my life and it was past 11pm at this point, so I was fading fast. Thank god I managed to keep it together because the next dish was life changing:  mole that had been aged for 1,187 days.  Yes, it's been aging for over 3 years.  I'll be honest, I've never thought much of mole but this was like a spiritual level.  It's so good that it's served on its own on a plate with some of the delicious home made tortillas but really you should just eat it with a spoon.  I watched how they made it on Chef's Table and the dark outer circle is the aged mole and then there is a smaller light brown circle that is a younger mole.  The combination of the two is beyond anything I've had - rich, intense yet not super aggressive in flavor, it's a perfect combination of spice and chocolate.  I've ever only had mole with chicken or some other ingredient so to eat it on its own was a very unique experience.  I was so so sad that I couldn't finish the whole dish but my body was literally shutting down that I had to say no to finishing the whole thing.  I wished they had served it earlier in the dinner or had one less street snack to make room for this.

I stayed alive for the dessert course - where they trick you and serve you a pre-dessert course before the "happy ending" (they really need to change the name of that course).  I can't remember much from dessert except for the fantastic churros and the perfectly ripe mangos served at the end. Seriously, I don't know how they do it but they were picked at the exact right time and were the best mangos I've ever had.

Shockingly I didn't get any wine or alcohol at dinner.  I was planning on getting a cocktail at some point but I was so fixated on the food that I forgot and that's ok but a lot of people around me were drinking some lovely looking wine and spirits.

I need to give a shout out to the service - Enrique Olvera trained these guys well because my water glass was never empty, every time I got up to go to the bathroom a waiter was there immediately to fold my napkin and pull my chair out, they explained all the dishes perfectly and yet were never too in your face or overly annoying.  This is how you run a top notch restaurant.

In the end, I can safely say it ranks as one of the best culinary experiences of my life from a fine dining perspective.  I can easily see why it's ranked on the World's Best list.  It is expensive? Yes, for Mexico City standards it's very expensive but a meal like this anywhere else would easily cost $200+. If you look at the menu at Cosme (Enrique's place in NYC) the duck carnitas itself is already $89. But here it was a unheard of $95 (tax included but no tip).  I can easily go out in NYC to a good but not 5 fork place and drop $80 for maybe 2 or 3 dishes.  The fact that you're getting about 15 courses total at this level of cooking for <$100 is really mind boggling.

I've read that the new version of this restaurant will be much brighter (thank god) and more casual which is great.  Sadly the menu is changing a bit but the mole will remain.  I can definitely see myself booking a trip back here and visiting the new place for 2nd review!  Mexico City amazed me in so many ways and I can't speak highly enough about it.