Category: Mexico

Mexico to Florida: Dining Haute to Casual

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LAST DAY IN MEXICO CITY

We crammed a fair bit into our last full day in Mexico City.  It was all built around our reservation for a 1:30 lunch at Pujol, considered the best restaurant in the city. Our exquisite meal lasted nearly three hours.  Pujol changes the menu daily, and we had our choice between two seven course tasting menus, one built around corn and the other, the sea.  We chose, “Mar,” the sea, and were delighted and intrigued by the range of tastes, textures and presentation.  

Everything from street foods including two tender ears of corn that had been smoked in incense and coated with a caramel covered sauce, to a wreath of diced scallops in a lime pico, to a beautiful piece of grilled octopus with a dollop of pureed carrot that looked like egg yolk (I was never a fan of octopus, but this trip has expanded my palate), to a square of sea bass on tomato marmalade under a brittle green leaf, a puddle of two kinds of mole, plus more. It was the height of culinary talent, but also very tasty. 

Chayote squash and scallop pico

Octopus and pickled carrot
Mole madre 1,847 days, mole neuvo

BIRDS

Before going to lunch, we visited the aviary in Abraham Lincoln Park in the Polanco neighborhood.  We got there just after it opened and the birds, parrots, parakeets, songbirds, and one lone peacock, were noisy and screechy, but oh, so colorful.  With an assist from the Chief Penguin, I made some camera setting adjustments that enabled me to get some satisfactory photos.  And it was fun!  The other visitors were mostly mothers or nannies with young children plus one young couple. Not crowded and you could get up close to some of the parrots and to the peacock.

ART

After lunch, we made brief tours of two museums.   Museo Jumex is a relatively new museum, opened in 2013, which focuses on contemporary art and aims to “become a laboratory for experimentation and innovation in the arts.”  There wasn’t a lot on exhibit, so we didn’t stay too long.  Across the street is another museum which in some ways is more noted for the building’s architecture than the collection.    

Museo Soumaya

Museo Soumaya is a large private museum and is the collection of founder Carlos Slim, one extremely wealthy man who named the museum for his late wife.  Its distinctive building, narrow at the base and widening like a vase as it rises to a rooftop space, make it stand out from the more linear buildings surrounding it.  This collection of 66,000 pieces covers a wide range of time periods from European art to Mexican artifacts and articles to the largest collection of Rodin sculptures anywhere.  We were there very late in the day and the museum had been invaded by several big groups of what appeared to be middle school students all in like garb, each group with a different colored stripe on their black pants.  I’m not sure if they had a specific assignment, but there was an adult or two herding the separate groups.  They made for a noisy visit so we somewhat quickly wound our way up several levels and then in a more leisurely way surveyed the art and wound our way down. 

FLORIDA RECOVERY

We returned home several days ago.  What better way to recover from a gastronomically challenging trip than to go to a prized Irish sports bar?  Several of our male friends have enthused about going to Clancy’s after golf for a leisurely lunch. Bill, marketeer supreme, has suggested for the past year that several couples should go with him and Alice for the experience.  It finally happened!  We four, along with Cathy, Dean, Jane and Mark, gathered for a relaxed lunch.  Clancy’s outside is very pleasant.  There is a now a sunshade over the tables, new pristine restrooms, and an owner and waitress who know our crew well.  

The menu has all those good items you probably shouldn’t eat but will willingly indulge in on the right occasion.  This was the right occasion.  Between us all, we ordered a tuna melt, chicken quesadillas, a burger, wings, a Clancy roll (fried and very special) and scoops of tuna salad on greens.  The latter proving that if you want to be healthy, it’s possible to find a salad or two!  Oh, almost forgot to mention the Clancy’s chips with blue cheese dip that Mark ordered to share.  These orders went along with an IPA or two or three just to wash it all down.  A good time was had by all; and as my sister Sal might add, we laughed a lot!  We will return.

Good times at Clancy’s!

Note: Mexico City photos by JWFarrington; Clancy’s photos by Bill & Mark. Header photo is a ceviche served at Pujol.

Mexico City: Architecture & Food

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BARRAGAN’S CASA GILARDI

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 Gilardi
Red 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).

Mexican Pyramids

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PYRAMIDS
Today was the day to go back in time, way back, as they say. We were picked up promptly at 8:00 am by the same exuberant guide as yesterday, Mercedes, and her skillful driver Lalo. The Chief Penguin had not met them yesterday and Mercedes was so delighted to see him, she practically embraced him! The Teotihuacans lived less than an hour from the city from 100 to 750 AD. It’s not clear what led to their demise, but theories center around internal fighting and a series of destructive fires. In any case, these people built some very impressive pyramids and a whole city that thrived for more than 600 years.


On the way out of town, we saw the mountains that surround Mexico City and clusters of houses built up the mountain side and the cable cars that provide transport between these communities. These are not the homes of the wealthy, but rather the workers, plumbers, electricians and the like. The houses appeared to be stucco and were painted in solid bright colors. Mercedes told us that a leader might draw individuals together and then they would all paint their houses the same color. In addition to scattered shots of different colors, I saw clusters of hot pink and deep turquoise and even some yellow.

Piramide del Sol

There are a series of entrances or gates to Teotihuacan (“the place of gods”) taking you to different parts of this ancient city. Given that it was a Sunday when entry is free to Mexican nationals, there was already a line of cars. Mercedes decided we should go out of order from the usual route and see the Piramide del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun) first. It is the largest and tallest at 70 meters or approximately 230 feet high. The construction is more elaborate than one might think with layers of stones surrounded by mortar and pebbles and then solid layers and more layers piled on that. There are sets of steep stone steps (straight up, no slant, very narrow and no railings) and, if you are ambitious or fit or just determined, you can climb to the top. We found that going up to the first of five levels was enough for us—a real stretch for my knees!

You might think that the Sun would be at one end of the Avenue of the Dead running through the city, but it is on the side and the Piramide de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon), shorter at only 46 meters, anchors the end with a lovely, more intimate plaza.

Piramide de la Luna

At the Moon plaza, Mercedes had us stand in a particular spot to feel the energy, and we had a few minutes of guided meditation, reminiscent of what sometimes we do in my yoga class.

Patio of Pillars at Palacio Quetzalpapalotl

We also made brief stops at Palacio Quetzalpapalotl, at the remains of the Temple of the Mythological Animals and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent (at the far end opposite Moon) where we could see the reddish color used on the walls and some of the artistry painted on the stone. Overall, Teotihuacan is an amazing accomplishment and we only saw the highlights. Although there were crowds of people, they and we were dwarfed by these manmade structures!

In the Temple of the Feathered Serpent

The Chief Penguin had missed yesterday’s outing to central Mexico City so we returned for brief views of the Diego Rivera murals in the National Palace, the interior of the main cathedral, Aztecs performing in the street, and the central post office. We even got to watch a noisy parade (looked political from the banners) pass by.

DINING NOTES
After our outings, we had dinner at our hotel the past two nights. Grilled chicken with sautéed veggies for me one night and a tasty salmon the next. We think the chef must be lonely since we have been the only diners, but perhaps that was due to the early hour at which we chose to eat.

Saks down the street has become our regular lunch place and it’s very good! Yesterday, after only munching on cookies and downing lots of water during our excursion, we went Mexican at the fashionable hour of 2:00 pm and ordered enchiladas, beers, and guacamole.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo shows people at the top of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Mexico City: Eating & Seeing

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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.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).