In Celebration of Street Food

I know the foodies of the world may turn up their noses, but the reality is that the streets of a city often offer some of the best food around. No, you will generally not be getting some great presentation like you would at Four Seasons, but if you are even a little adventurous, let me tell you, the street's where it's at! Now while this is true in a city like Los Angeles, where I've had many a memorable meal from las loncheras, it is even more so in Mexico, where I spend almost half my life. Sadly, many people will never experience anything like a steaming plate of tacos right off the grill because they fear what might happen. Too bad. I still fondly recall the night my son Joseph, and friends Jose Luis and Cesar joined me for a night of tacos at El Flacco's in Guadalajara. An hour after arriving, we walked away from that little stand completely stuffed after a feast of 64 tacos! One of my favorite places for street food in Mexico is Tonalà, one of the cities that make up the greater Guadalajara area. On weekend nights, the main plaza is alive with people, excitement, and food. Tacos, bacon wrapped hot dogs, hamburgers with pineapple, tamales, pozolé and fresh fried potato chips are just a few of the offerings. Once you've had your main course, if you can pass by the tres leches cake booth, make your way to where they are serving bionicos for dessert. This amalgam of freshly cut fruit, nuts, honey and cream is the perfect way to top off your food tour of the main plaza in Tonalà. Another favorite of mine is Taqueria El Rodeo in Oaxaca. Located across the street from the ADO Central Bus Station in Barrio Jalatlaco, this place has some of the best alambre in Oaxaca. Thin strips of beef, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms are all covered in melted quesillo, a wonderful Oaxaca cheese. Order a plate and Antonio, pictured below at his grill, gives you an order of ten tortillas so you can share with your friends. Now here's the beauty of Mexican food stands... your food is made when you order it, you can eat all you want, they are incredibly cheap, and they trust you to pay afterwards when you are all finished. Imagine that, you can run a taco tab! Looking for good food when you travel? Want to eat where the locals do? leave the five star places behind and hit the streets and the markets. Look for the crowds, follow your nose and be adventurous... you, and your stomach will be glad you did! Here's a few more photos, many shot by my friend Joe Ramirez from Mission Focused. Corn on the cob at one of the many carts in Oaxaca In front of Taqueria El Rodeo, Oaxaca One of the candy vendors in the market, Ocotlan, Oaxaca Here I am getting some tejate from a little market stand, Ocotlan, Oaxaca

Looking to Get Away? Sayulita may be your answer...

[The beachfront at Sayulita] When you visit Sayulita, a small fishing village popular with surfers north of Puerto Vallarta, you expect to eat some good seafood. I recently spent a few days there and I was not disappointed. After arriving from Guadalajara via Primera Plus, a top notch Mexican bus company, we got settled into our rented vacation home, Casa Sorpresa. As you may guess, sometimes renting a house off the internet can be fraught with problems. At times the pictures upon which you base your decision are old, or even of another property. In this case, the pictures did not do the property justice. The place was fabulous and only about 100 yards from the beach, where we quickly headed looking for some good eats. We soon came upon Captain Cook's Seafood Restaurant, right on the beach. It did not take long for the margaritas and cerveza to make it to our table along with the requisite chips and salsa. Let me just say that the salsa might be the most pedestrian salsa I have ever tasted. It was more like tomato sauce with a hint of spice. Perhaps owner Uwe Fellier, pictured here, is worried about too much spice for most of his clientele, but this sauce, along with his bottled Huichol hot sauce just don't cut it. How about some fresh chili de arbol salsa for us more adventurous folks? The poor salsa however cannot take away from the real star of Captain Cook's... the food. At Uwe's urging, and in spite of my wife's fear of tough, chewy octopus, we ordered the seafood platter. Lobster, shrimp, scallops, fish, scallops and green lip mussels all joined the octopus and were heaped on a bed of pasta. It was fantastic. The octopus was tender, the mussels delicious, and most importantly, the lobster was perfectly done. The scallops melted in your mouth and the fish was fantastic. [Captain Cook's Seafood Platter] Now when the plate you order is this good, you often wonder about the rest of the menu. Don't worry about that. One person in our group, a seafood hater, ordered up a Hawaiian burger, complete with pineapple. She raved so much that I ordered one for lunch the next day. Made with Kobe beef, it was wonderful as were the fresh fries that came with it. My wife and I went back one more time for a late evening dinner at the oceans edge. And we ordered the signature dish, Pescado Sarandeado, a whole red snapper, butterflied, coated with a guajillo chili sauce and then cooked over a wood fire. Wow! The fish was light with a hint of bite from the chili and just the right amount of smoky flavor from the fire. No other place in Sayulita serves this and probably with good reason. They are not going to beat the combination of beach, fresh fish and wonderful smoky flavor, so why try? Uwe has got this place rolling. During the day he provides his guests plenty of umbrellas and beach front seating from where they can watch the surfers, read the latest book, and enjoy a great lunch. At night, in addition to tables inside his restaurant, you can sit at waters edge for a nice romantic dinner while listening to the surf as it hits the coast. Wrap all this up in a package, add the great service, and Captain Cook's in Sayulita is a winner. I just wish they had some better salsa...

Lunch at La Capilla Restaurant, Zaachila, Oaxaca...

The menus at La Capilla are printed on oversized wooden planks Oaxaca is known for it’s great food and with good reason. Molé, tlayudas, tasajo, cecina, quesillo and of course the famous chili de agua are all Oaxacan delights that you will come across if you ever find yourself traveling in this region. One of the best places to experience the breadth of the Oaxacan gastronomic world first hand is at La Capilla, or in English, The Chapel, a rustic restaurant near the entrance of Zaachila, about 30 minutes from the center of Oaxaca City. I had the pleasure of sharing a meal there recently with some good friends. The moment you get here, you realize this is not your grandmothers restaurant. Entering under a bougainvillea archway, you are quickly transported away from the hustle and bustle of the city and into a world of private palapas, banquet tables and the biggest open kitchen you will ever see. While the service here is impeccable, the food is the real star. We started with quesadillas, in this case fried tortillas stuffed with quesillo and epazote, a local Oaxacan herb. They came with a delicious black bean puree and a choice of salsa verde from tomatillos, or salsa roja, made from chile de arbol. Alongside our appetizer, we shared a large pitcher of ice cold jamaica, a light sweet fruit punch made from a hibiscus like flower, la flor de jamaica. It was perfect on a hot day. Next up was our consume, or soup, I had the chicken while my friends had the lamb. Both were light and wonderful, but perhaps even more so with a little bit of salsa and lime. That was followed by a plate of tender beef or tasajo, chorizo, more quesillo, and one of the best chile rellenos I have ever had. Unlike the typically heavy greasy variety you find in so many Mexican restaurants in the US, this delight, made from a dried pasilla chile, was light, fluffy and not greasy at all. Of course, every part of our meal was accompanied by all the fresh handmade Oaxacan tortillas we could eat, making for a wonderful afternoon. Unfortunately, many people will never find this wonderful jewel of a restaurant because it is off the beaten path. Don’t be one of them! A short bus or taxi ride from Oaxaca City, or one of those little moto-taxis from the center of Zaachila will get you right to the door of one of the best restaurants you’ll ever visit. Just like a visit to Oaxaca is not complete without a trip to the ruins of Monte Alban, the same is true with La Capilla. Ask any Oaxacan and they will tell you food is central to their culture. Don’t miss an opportunity to learn why at La Capilla, one of the true temples of Oaxacan food. Here's a short video I shot after lunch...

Dateline Oaxaca... news from the field...

Want to see what we are doing in Oaxaca? Click here and enjoy the pictures and notes from my friend Joe Ramirez, who helps document what we are doing by using his gifts as a photographer... Enjoy!