One of my favorite chefs is Thalia [Barrios García], who has a restaurant called La Cocina de Humo, where she uses comals [clay pans] to prepare a set menu, which sounds fancy, but it’s really not. It’s very intimate, with lots of different bites from the region [within Oaxaca] where she is from. She’s not doing a fixed menu of the classics, though, but a shorter one, driven by what’s at the market. She is also very good at guisados—braised meats with chiles—so I’m always looking forward to those. And she does this salad with heirloom tomatoes. I think that’s one of the most beautiful dishes that she makes.
What was the best cheap thing you ate?
For a lovely breakfast and a good, quick-stop item, I like to order a comal egg at the market: they crack an egg into the tortilla in the pan, and then add a hoja santa leaf, which has a very strong anise scent. They serve it all with some fresh tomato salsa. Order, if you can, from a stand called Vicky’s Place [at Mercado de Abastos]. And you can always stop somewhere and have a quesadilla—just make sure that the quesillo is fresh. When they’re in season, they’ll add squash blossoms.
And your splurge meal? Was it worth it?
Most of the restaurants here tend to be laid back. There’s actually been a lot of very heated conversations about whether Mexican regional cuisines can be performed in fine dining. Or is their nature not to be more casual? I personally think, like with every cuisine, you can experience it at different ranges. At the restaurants here right now, it’s more about the hospitality and the execution. It’s more about what’s happening on the plate than the luxury of the space or the fanciness of the experience. There’s just this pure, straightforward approach.
Which one dish would you fly back for?
One dish very close to my heart is a tlayuda, which is not as crispy as a tostada, but also not as soft as a tortilla. So it’s right there in the middle. Alejandro Ruiz from Casa Oaxaca makes one with all the insects from Oaxaca—the worms and the chicatana ant and the grasshoppers. He adds a little bit of a bean paste, and then some avocado on top. The chicatana ants taste a little bit like beef jerky and a little bit of coffee; they have this fermented soil taste, but also like a very meaty, aged kind of flavor. The grasshoppers are normally a little bit spicy, because they are roasted with chiles and garlic. Then the worms… I personally think they’re really smoky and more fatty, with a kind of chicharron flavor to them. To me, this dish tastes like Oaxaca.
Best dessert?
The best dessert in Oaxaca is fruit in peak season. The mangos here taste so much better than regular mangoes in Mexico City. If it’s dessert I’ll have it by itself, but as a snack I’ll add a little chile and salt. Adding worm salt is also amazing.
Best drink? Alcoholic or otherwise?
If you’re in Oaxaca, you’ve been drinking mezcal since the morning. You should know, that’s why I keep my trips to Oaxaca a little shorter, because after a few days, you just want to have water and salad. But it would be a pity not to indulge! Real Minero, from Graciela Ángeles, is one of the most beautiful palenques [mezcal distilleries]—she uses very different distillation processes from others so it’s always very interesting to try them. You can find her mezcal in a few mezcalerias that have popped up in Oaxaca.
Any food items you packed to bring home?
Well, I’m always traveling back with mezcal. Most of the good mezcal is produced in very small [batches]. So if you find a mezcal that you like, buy a bottle, because you probably won’t see it again. And I like to buy seeds from some of the markets if I can. That way I can plant them in my garden and get them forever.
