Today we were on our own with no tours. We did, however, have a late morning reservation to visit Casa Gilardi. Born in Guadalajara in 1902, Luis Barragan was a noted Mexican architect. He worked in a minimalist style and favored very bright colors. His studio is a small museum also in the city, and the last house he built in the late 1970’s, Casa Gilardi, is open for visitors by appointment. Real people live here and one of the sons of that family gave us a brief history of Barragan and the house.
Interior of Casa GilardiRed and blue walls next to pool of water
There are almost no furnishings or personal items on display; instead you focus on bright blue and red walls bordering a pool, a hallway that glows in yellow, and on the exterior walls painted an intense magenta and a deep purple. On the open air upper deck, the house envelops a jacaranda tree whose light purple blooms stood out against the magenta wall which is also a backdrop for three tall cacti. Inside is some warm wood flooring, a large leather sectional sofa in a living room and a small wood dining table for four, but that’s pretty much it for furniture. It was fascinating to watch the play of light and shadows on all the colored surfaces, but not a place I’d choose to live.
Outside veranda, Casa Gilardi
DINING OUT
We had lunch at a very popular seafood restaurant in the Roma section of the city. Following our usual pattern, we checked what time Contramar opened and when we noted noon, figured we could arrive about 12:30 for our 1:30 reservation. This way we could assuage our hunger (breakfast for us is always early) and be there ahead of the crowd. And by shortly after 1:00, the dining room was almost full!
The menu had seafood and fish in many forms from whole grilled fish to spicy shrimp soup to tacos of all sorts to seafood salads. We sampled the octopus salad (quite lovely), shrimp soup, the fried kingfish tacos, and their margaritas. All tasty. The Chief Penguin then ordered the traditional flan which he enjoyed. I’m not a fan of flans; to me, it’s of a piece with floating island, rice pudding, and tapioca, all of which I find too bland.
Octopus salad
We attempted to walk back to our hotel and went a few blocks only to discover that not only are all the museums closed on Mondays, but also the big Chapultepec park which is the most direct route to our hotel. Thus stymied, we called an Uber. Fortunately, there are a lot of Ubers in this city and we have now Ubered around four or five times. And, compared to cities like New York, the fares are cheap!
Later we took a walk in Lincoln Park, a small oasis of green with a well equipped children’s play area, and then, for a change of pace, had an early evening nibble at Lardo. This casual Italian restaurant serves lots of small plates plus a few entrees. Not being too hungry, we grazed on mixed olives and almonds, tasty stuffed zucchini blossoms (a rare delicacy), and a mini tomato pizza topped with a few capers and anchovies. Just enough to get us through the night.
Note: All photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved).
DINING OUT The breakfast menu at our hotel is a straightforward one built around eggs. Eggs Mexican style, scrambled eggs with various add-ones, a variety of omelet choices, and chilaquiles, pieces of fried tortilla cooked in red sauce and topped with cheese and often eggs or chicken. All the egg dishes come with a side of black beans. Besides a medley of cut up melon and pineapple, the only totally non-egg dish is hot cakes made with mascarpone and lemon.
Chilaquiles with chicken and a side of beans
Last night we dined at Limosneros, an attractive and innovative restaurant serving a wide variety of tacos and appetizers plus entrees. We were told that fashionable dining in Mexico happens after 7:30 pm and often later, but we’ve discovered that the two restaurants we’ve gone to for dinner could take us as early as 6:30, and we weren’t the only diners, by long shot. Probably because these two establishments open for lunch at 1:30 and stay open through dinner.
Table at Limosneros
At Limosneros we shared the crispy hibiscus tacos (wrapped up tight taquito style) stuck in a mound of guacamole and salsa; burnt chilies, a board of red, green and yellow sweet peppers blistered and served with pineapple and wedges of Brie; Oaxaca croquettes with a spicy dipping sauce; and a pork-stuffed pasilla pepper glued to a mini purple tortilla with a thin layer of peanut sauce. The Chief Penguin tried a featured cocktail made with a corn liquor while I sipped a glass of Albariño. Lots of different tastes and textures in these dishes!
SIGHTSEEING Before dinner last evening, we took an Uber (in plentiful supply) to Alameda Central, a lovely oasis in the heart of the business district and home to the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The park itself has lots of ornate wrought iron benches and formally laid out paths along with tall stately trees and several fountains and sculptures. It’s a fine place to sit and observe the world.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes was started in 1894 and completed about 1930 and is stunning with a beautiful golden cupola. We saw it in the soft evening light before sunset and then hurried down to view the Catedral Metropolitana in the same yellow light.
This cathedral is the one of, if not the largest, in North America. With its twin bell towers, it faces and looms over the Zocalo or public square.
We wandered a bit more and made our way to Limosneros; our total step count for the day was nearly 19,000 or seven miles!
Today’s activity was a guided tour of some of the sights of historic Mexico City. Guide Mercedes is a warm and enthusiastic older woman full of knowledge of the history of her country. A former teacher who came from wealth, she wanted to be and do more than she was doing as a wife and mother. She was adamant that I hear about the various ethnic groups that lived and flourished in Mexico over the centuries and gave a very thorough overview. She said I needed the context before seeing the Diego Rivera murals in the Palacio Nacional, the seat of the government. This Palacio is striking on the outside, but the murals lining the stairwell walls between the main floor and the second floor are truly amazing.
Detail from the Rivera history murals
So much history conveyed visually and so fresh looking even though they were created more than 50 years ago! Also on the second floor are more Rivera paintings of other aspects of Mexican life.
The central post office building was a surprising gem with inside an impressive double staircase and very lavish detailing. With its church-like aura, hard to believe its business was the mundane one of selling stamps! On this outing, we also went inside the cathedral and admired the altar of the kings and then went on to the archaeological site called Templo Mayor. This is an excavation of a portion of a pyramid that existed under and near the current cathedral. Its location was only re-discovered in 1978 when electric workers uncovered a monolith. The site keeps getting developed and there is a lot of information posted about what this settlement probably looked like.
Mercedes chatted up these two police officers while nearby I got out my good camera.
Back in the day, as they say, both my grandmothers set a formal table. Particularly for dinner. Starched white linen tablecloths were the norm along with starched napkins and a napkin ring. Using the ring meant that the napkin could be identified as yours and re-used several times. Flatware was real silver and there were silver salt and pepper shakers, or, in the case of my maternal grandmother’s setting, little salt cellars with tiny spoons. They were such fun to toy with—despite my mother disapproving look.
When I was growing up, my mother had standards for her dinner table as well. We ate in the dining room together, all six of us, almost every night. The highly polished blonde wood table wore a tablecloth (a color or patterned) or placemats, and we used my parents’ wedding silverware. In a concession to modern times and four kids, the napkins were usually paper except on holidays and special occasions. One cardinal rule was that you never cleared the table (and we kids took turns doing this) until everyone had finished eating. This was drilled into us, probably more than any other dictum—except “get your elbows off the table, just as fast as you are able.”
Today’s restaurant staff seem never to have learned to wait until everyone is finished—or have conveniently forgotten. Is a shortage of clean dishes in the kitchen prompting this snatching of plates before everyone is done? It is rude and makes the lone eaters feel rushed and singled out. In my recent dining experiences, even better restaurants aspiring to fine dining are guilty. Whenever possible, I put a halt to the early removal of plates, but more restaurants should slow down their wait staff and let the meal play out in a more leisurely fashion.
ELEGANT ITALIAN DINING IN SARASOTA
Friends introduced us to CasAntica in downtown Sarasota which we had probably passed many times, but never really noticed. The restaurant is in an historic house with an outside patio, small dining rooms throughout, and a rooftop garden. We ate in a quiet alcove near the bar which happened to be unoccupied except for the bartender. The menu includes homemade pasta dishes, veal, chicken and fish entrees, and a selection of salads and other appetizers. The salads are large so sharing a tricolore (arugula, cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan) was the right move. The Chief Penguin and I ordered veal preparations, veal piccata and veal saltimbocca, and both were luscious. The best veal we’ve had in this area. Our friends ordered the salmon and were equally pleased with their choice. Definitely a place to return!!
Salmon Piccata at A Casa Tua
ITALIAN FARE IN OUR BACKYARD
Since its move farther up Cortez Road, A Casa Tua, is practically next door. This unprepossessing Italian restaurant is family owned and has just seven tables, so reservations are recommended. The menu offers a nice selection of pastas, chicken and salmon entrees as well as a rack of lamb, along with appetizers and salads. The Chief Penguin and I snagged a table the other evening and really enjoyed the salmon piccata and the ravioli of the day stuffed with broccoli and sausage in a thick tomato sauce. The C.P. also sampled and was wowed by the special appetizer of three long plump sardines baked with lemon Mediterranean style. And the Caesar salad was a most generous portion with plenty of shaved Parmesan. Overall, a welcome addition to the local dining scene!
SARASOTA FAVORITE
Burrata Salad
We have dined at Bijou Cafe in downtown Sarasota near the opera house several times recently. It’s always excellent and is one of our longtime favorites. I usually order the chicken cutlet with sautéed spinach or the Carolina trout with almonds and veggies. This time I tried a new salad of burrata, heirloom tomatoes and strawberries which was colorful and delicious!
At 6:30 pm after a detailed briefing from Alfredo, we had a concert by Alberto Faya and a combo of keyboard, bass guitar, and drums. Senor Faya is a professor, performer and noted Cuban music historian who hosts a weekly radio show and is quite a celebrity. He gave us an informative narrative of 500 years of Cuban music back to its African roots, punctuated by songs and instrumental pieces. Some pieces were composed or arranged by Faya himself or by his son, the guitarist. His wife, also a music professor, played keyboard for one arrangement. It was a lively way to begin the formal part of our people-to-people exchange.
Following the concert, we boarded our very nice modern tour bus for a short ride to central Havana and then to the tiny Chinatown area for dinner at San Cristobal, a high end restaurant. The streets were narrow and so we left the bus and walked the last two blocks on crumbling sidewalks past unprepossessing buildings and dodgy looking surroundings. The elegant double doors to San Cristobal were just a hint of what was to come. After a brief wait in the lobby, we were ushered into a private room with a large round table easily able to accommodate our group of ten. The walls were plastered with photos, art, and many small wooden pendulum clocks.
As it turned out, President Obama dined here in March 2016 in this very room and Holli had the seat of honor where he sat. Tablecloth was gold and set with bright magenta napkins. The meal had been pre-arranged, and mojitos were brought for everyone and a round platter of hors d’oeuvres set out on a lazy Susan (a Chinatown touch). Everything from tiny fried taro balls, blue and Swiss cheeses, fish and shrimp ceviches, Spanish omelet bites, some kind of eggplant which had chocolately overtones, and some pepperoniesque slices.
The entree choices were grilled chicken or fish, lamb stew, pork, or shrimp in sauce. The Chief Penguin and I had the grilled chicken, thin slices, which we learned was imported from Brazil, not local. It was tasty. Bowls of potatoes flavored with paprika and one of mixed vegetables (carrots, eggplant, cabbage) were brought for the table. Wine was poured and as a finale, glasses were placed and we each got a shot of 50 year old rum! Quite an experience and all made more special by recalling how much we missed that president.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was after 10:30 and time to call it a day—a long day!
SUNDAY, JAN. 27
Breakfast was served officially beginning at 8 am, but we got there a few minutes early. Knowing that it might be a long time until lunch, I ordered scrambled eggs and ham along with toast, only to learn later that the country has a shortage of eggs and some hotels don’t have any to serve. I won’t repeat that order tomorrow.
Cuba has system of ration cards and our local guide told us that everyone gets enough to eat, but that food must be gotten from several sources. The amounts allowed per person for a month through the ration card are not enough so people buy from both the small produce carts that are now allowed (a bit of private enterprise) through a licensing process and often through the black market.
Seventy percent of Cuba’s food has to be imported, even meats such as chicken. The government does not have enough grain to feed chickens to become food rather than raising them as egg producers. On Saturday afternoon, the Chief Penguin and I did visit the shopping center facing the Malecon and went into the supermarket. The frozen case had lots of turkeys and one large whole salmon while there wee shelves with lots of canned and jarred tomato products. Selection overall was very limited.
We have enjoyed several lovely generous meals so far at new private restaurants, but even they, as the co-owner of yesterday’s lunch place told us, have difficulties sourcing supplies and producing the food listed on their menu.
We spent several hours this morning exploring the streets of Old Havana on foot and visiting four important and historic squares: Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza Vieja, and Plaza de San Francisco. We also walked through Plaza del Cristo, Marlon’s favorite since it draws locals rather than tourists. Most of the others were crowded with clusters of visitors. The architecture ranged in age from the 16thcentury fort at the port entrance through lovely 18thcentury buildings including a convent in Plaza de San Francisco to more contemporary buildings from the 1950’s. On every street, however, you see the famous classic cars, some well maintained colorful convertibles available for hire with a driver, others old clunkers.
Before lunch, we visited a groundbreaking graphic design shop, Clandestina, which is using recycled fabrics and other materials to produce a range of silk screened shirts, dresses and bags. This is a private business founded by Cuban designers and they recently held their first fashion show. They are also the first Cuban business to have their store on the Web. I had a pleasant chat with one of the team, a young man who is in his last year of school working toward his graphic design degree.
To get to our lunch destination, we rode on a bicycle taxi. Some of Havana’s streets are narrow and this is an efficient mode of transport which holds two people. Our driver was adept at avoiding potholes and obvious bumps. Lunch was again at one of the new private restaurants, Mas Habana. We began with the ubiquitous mojitos and a choice of appetizer, tomato bruschetta or cheese balls (I chose the latter), then had the option of shredded beef Cuban style, grilled shrimps in garlic sauce, lobster tail, chicken, or pork.
I ordered the pork which was thin slices topped with grilled onions and accompanied by fried plantain slices and a bit of salad. Bowls of rice to pass were added to the table. The pork was just fine, but I think the beef entrée and the lobster were the stars.
For dessert, we could have homemade ice cream: guava, pineapple, or red mamey, each served in its fruit shell. The mamey was a lovely salmon color and has an unusual mild flavor not like anything else. It says something about the quality of this paladar that we had so many entrée options. Lunch was leisurely and after arriving about noon, it was 2:00 pm when we left.
Mamey ice cream in its shell
Before making leaving the neighborhood, we briefly went into Floridita, a famous bar and one of Ernest Hemingway’s haunts. He’s immortalized with a sculpture.
Next and last stop by bus was the Colon Cemetery, one of the oldest and most important in Latin America. It was named for Christopher Columbus and opened in the 1860’s and contains many large mausoleums and lots of sculpture. A number of very wealthy and prominent individuals and their families are buried here.
Octavio, a very knowledgeable staff member in the cemetery archives, developed a second job and a following as tour guide extraordinaire. He has a unique rapid fire delivery, a wicked sense of humor, and a way of asking his audience after key points, “Understood?” We began our walkabout with him on foot, but then the clouds let loose so for the remainder he joined us on the bus. Afterwards, our GeoEx and local guides exclaimed that they had just seen parts of the cemetery they’d never seen before!
Tonight to a former cooking oil factory warehouse now a center for art and music.
