Gastronomia Oaxaqueña

Are you surprised? I am. I know I said that I couldn't handle the pressure of posting this so soon, but I did it.

Anyway, upon finishing my blog post this afternoon, my sister met me for lunch at this restaurant. I have eaten tons and tons (and no, I don't think this is an exaggeration) of Tex-Mex food in my life, and sometimes it is sold to me under the guise of being actual Mexican food. But make no mistake, my friends, this is the real deal. This place serves up food from the region of Oaxaqueña in Mexico.

My sister and I ordered from the counter, as we weren't sure of the protocol, but later we saw others seat themselves and they were brought menus. But the man and woman behind the counter didn't seem to mind our faux pas (if it was one) and were patient with our order, as neither of us was sure what we wanted to have.

We wanted to order the chapulines (that's right, grasshoppers!), but they didn't have them in stock, so we settled for the empanada and molotes appetizers. We didn't realize it, but they had another side to the menu that listed tacos, street-sized tacos and combination plates. The tlayudas were recommended, but after looking at a picture on the table cloth depicting a large plate covered with a tortilla and topped with black beans and meat, we decided against it.

As it turned out, the molotes and empanada was more than enough food for the two of us. They also had some pastries in the glass case to the right of the counter, but when we arrived it was mostly empty.

We were served chips and salsa almost immediately upon sitting down. This is your obligatory chips y salsa picture. I don't think tortilla chips are considered Oaxacan, but I suppose the restaurant is catering to certain patrons' expectations for a Mexican food joint.

Our empanada arrived with a gorgeous crust. It was hard not to dig in right away.

We couldn't wait as long with the molotes. Boy, they were delicious. This Oaxacan holiday street food is made with fresh masa rolled into small oblong shapes, then filled with chorizo and potatoes, fried until crisp and golden, topped with black bean puree and queso fresco. The puree was amazing and just slightly sweet, and the moist queso fresco added a nice savory element.

Inside the empanada was chicken and a wonderful, subtle yellow mole. The guacamole and pico de gallo were extremely fresh. Everything tasted so homemade, and as though it was crafted with love. And if love tasted like anything, I'm pretty sure it would be this.

Oh, I'll be back here, I'm sure of it. Especially so I can try the chapulines. It will be as close as I can get to revenge for the garden.