Stop The Junk Food

Alvin Starkman  M.A., LL.B.

 

La Catrina de Alcalá ranks amongst the city’s finest restaurants, rather unsual since most other restaurants within two blocks of the Oaxaca’s zócalo manage to get by with cafeteria-style atmosphere, mariachis and marimbas, and mediocre food.  But owner / artist Rolando Rojas took the plunge, and the gamble has paid off:  both quality Oaxacan, and unique continental fare in a tasteful courtyard setting, in the heart of the Centro Histórico.  

 

The establishment is actually three businesses combined in a two-story piece of prime real estate, along Oaxaca’s famed pedestrian walkway, Macedonia Alcalá:  an upper level boutique style hotel; an art gallery featuring the works of Rojas and several other respected local artists; and the adjoining eatery, managed by chef Juan Carlos Guzmán Toledo. 

 

The experience begins with an attractive young woman clad in regional dress, smiling and welcoming at the restaurant’s entranceway, ushering you to your table. The focal point is a large, cantera stone fountain.  Otherwise the décor is minimalist, white walls adorned with sparsely placed art and a series of gilt stars.  Yet the ambiance somehow exudes comfort and warmth, perhaps facilitated by the lone strumming troubadour, half hidden behind a strategically placed cluster of plants.

 

Waiters are eager to show off their English proficiency, whether needed or not, as bowls of salsa, one smoky tomato-based, and the other with a hint of shrimp are placed alongside totopos (crispy, toasted corn-flour crackers).

 

The restaurant prides itself in its use of seasonal, locally produced ingredients, and boasts that when you patronize La Catrina you’re helping local economies. Vegetarian dishes, “slow food,” and plates from the Isthmus region of the state are noted.  However, occasionally the odd import sneaks in as a special, such as kobe beef.

 

The menu otherwise covers all the bases:  soups, salads and appetizers; meat, poultry and pasta; fish and seafood, and regional specialties such as a selection of three Oaxacan moles.  But even those dishes in the continental genre are often presented with local flare.

 

Particularly noteworthy as starters are the poblano pepper soup with mushrooms, squash blossom and bacon, and hierba santa leaves stuffed with Oaxacan string and goat cheeses in a green tomato and mecco chili sauce.  The salads range from the traditional to the unique (jícama, sunflower seeds, toasted almonds, wheat quenelle, fried hibiscus flowers and fresh cheese with hibiscus dressing).  The staff is extremely accommodating in terms of sensitivity to those with dietary restrictions or a purist palate. For example, at our most recent evening out, chef Juan Carlos was happy to comply with my wife’s request for a simple small green salad.

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The seared tuna with mango and habanero sauce, alongside white beans in coconut milk is prepared to perfection, with the flavor of each ingredient easily discernable.  The sliced duck and fresh fig is served on a bed of julienne of zucchini “spaghetti,” smothered with a dark purée of honey-fig. And beef lovers are able to experiment with the non-traditional, be it a rib eye served with guacamole and creamy garlic-stuffed chili, or go for something more Oaxacan, steak marinated with mezcal, pineapple and apple, served with garlic purée stuffed chilito. 

 

All of the after-dinner non-alcoholic hot beverages are available high-test, or decaffeinated, so extend your evening without concern, perhaps concluding with a martini glass brimming with a selection of three tropical fruit sorbets.

 

Also noteworthy:  La Catrina has developed a dedicated breakfast and lunch crowd, often comprised of predominantly local residents. Coffee or tea is suggested upon arrival, with warm, freshly baked breads and an assortment of sweet rolls for the asking.  Dishes include an assortment of eggs and omelets, traditional Oaxacan breakfast fare such as enchiladas, tamales, chilaquiles and typical Oaxacan grilled meats with garnishes, both unique and traditional salads, and sandwiches featuring spinach, goat cheese, pecan, apple, basil, mushroom and squash blossom. 

 

La Catrina de Alcalá (www.casacatrina.com.mx).  M. Alcalá 102, a couple of blocks north of the zócalo.  Oaxacan cuisine with an international flare.  Locals and tourists. 

Alvin Starkman  M.A., LL.B.



 

Thankfully the recent expansion from 24 to 40 seats hasn’t detracted from the intimacy and quaintness of this downtown Italian restaurant and pizzeria.  It still has classy yet welcoming décor of deep cranberry and white walls, simple pine tables and cushioned chairs stained dark to enhance a bistro-like feeling, and not to be overshadowed, floor-length draperies well-matched to the magenta / wine tones. The soft sound of jazz heard from the street is alone enough to make you want to take a peak in, and then you’re hooked. 

   

 

You’re warmly welcomed by Italian owner Simone, who is almost always on hand.  His presence remains, yet more in the nature of consultant, available to make suggestions, innately knowing when his attention is needed, and when not.   He advises regarding selections from the printed menu, or large blackboard.  We’ve never been disappointed with his wine recommendations, each having been carefully chosen by Simone so as to ensure appropriate pairing of food with wine, as well as affordability for middle-of-the-road patrons. 

 

 

The primary culinary reason for visiting Vieja Lira is its pizzas.  However, the fish, seafood, pastas and zuppas run a very close second.  And even if the temptation to order a traditional plato fuerte is too great to resist, and you’re inclined to pass on the pizza, suggest to others in your party that pizza as one of the appetizers might satisfy the curiosity if not secret yearning of all. 

 

 

Drinks arrive almost as readily as the crusty, soft yet dense bread, hand-cut to be drizzled with the herb infused olive oil or perhaps some paste-like salsa de chile de arbol.

 

 

The pizza is one generous size, with crust as thin as I’ve ever chomped, surely worthy of winning an award.  It borders on the thickness of a tortilla or perhaps tlayuda.  For this cena our eight-slicer had cheese, tomato and the usual herbs and spices, each quarter with a healthy topping of one of artichoke, black olive, mushroom and pepperoni. While it was the first appetizer to arrive, and we knew there were more entradas to follow,  the four diners in our party were drawn to devour it all, without even a single, obligatory “no, you take the last piece.”

 

 

Our appetizers were rounded out with a bowl of ten or so medium-sized garlic shrimp, skewered, and an order of bruschetta of chicken liver paté, dare I say good enough to remind me of my grandmothers’ recipe from The Old Country.  Watch out asiento, schmaltz is making inroads into Oaxaca.

 

 

My wife’s seafood bouillabaisse consisted of a medley of seafood and fish, juices appropriately spiced with a blend of fresh local herbs including your standard Italian selections, served in an oversized bowl.  I continued with the crustacean theme, indulging in a hefty serving of fettuccini with seafood including squid, octopus, shrimp, scallop and local langostina in their shell.  One of our guests ordered seared tuna over a bed of mixed exotic greens.  She’d requested “rare, much less than medium,” I piped in “almost still swimming,” yet the plate arrived disappointingly overcooked, bordering on well.  Without question or discussion the dish was removed, and in short order another serving, properly grilled, arrived with appropriate apology.  The final entrée was one of the daily specials, rabbit with choice of penne or linguini, in a tangy tomato sauce.

 

 

Two bottles of Italian merlot having been retired, the restaurant by now almost empty, we were nevertheless still inclined to continue with just a bit more catching up with good friends.  A couple of brandies and herbal teas, a tiramisu, and a coconut ice cream served in its half shell, most agreeably put the finishing touches on an evening of overall contentment.

 

 

Vieja Lira

Trattoria & Pizzeria

Pino Suárez 100

Centro, Oaxaca

Hours: 1 – 11 p.m., closed Tuesday

Tel:  516 – 1122

 

 

 

 

 

Alvin Starkman  M.A., LL.B.

Middle class residents of major American and Canadian cities tend to have their favorite all-day Sunday brunch haunts…relaxed, clean, diner-style restaurants dishing up home cooking in a comfortable familiar environment.  Six days a week from 1 to 6 pm Los Almendros serves such a function for local Oaxacans.   Tucked away on a cobblestone privada close to Blvd. Manuel Ruiz in Colonia Reforma, a few blocks northeast of the baseball stadium, Lionel Leyva with wife Soledad and family have been greeting friends and new devotees since 1974.  You can’t help but feel at home in this Cheers-esque setting as you watch Lionel greet his own set of Frazier Cranes .

 

Upon entering the quadrangle-shaped comedor you’re struck by its warmth and amiability, without a trace of pretension.  Wooden tables with traditional colorful woven cloths are covered with thick plastic.  Walls are adorned with framed photos of the owners with family and patrons of celebrity…no politicians, but rather actors, singers and songwriters.  Two mounted deer busts serve as testimony that the Leyvas do things their way, and the throngs of faithful as evidence of approval.

 

The menu is limited to perhaps 15 or 20 authentic Oaxacan plates, some of which are appetizers.  You can choose daily specials not often found in other local eateries.  All is á la carte, so begin with one or two of the modestly priced botanas, perhaps memelas or an appetizer sized grilled meat dish, each of which is accompanied by salsa and guacamole.  The house mezcal is noteworthy and definitely worth sampling if nothing else.  For this visit Lionel had a tobalá and a surprisingly smooth gusano.

 

Although we arrived relatively early for this comida, by the time we were ready to order entrées, surprisingly the Sunday staple of Barbacoa de Borrego (bbq goat) had been sold out to patrons who knew better than we did to order ahead or for take-out.  All was not lost, however, since my wife’s main dish of tender pork ribs was prepared in the same style as one of the traditional barbeque recipes, baked in a tangy sauce and enveloped in foil.  Try the black beans with aromatic flavor of hierba de conejo as a side dish to any of the grilled or baked meats.  I began with a generous, piping hot serving of absolutely spectacular caldo de espinazo with an assortment of carrots, beans, potatoes and requisite pork, flavored with chili pasillo and accompanied by a dish of sliced lime, chopped onion and serrano chili for added acidity, spice and texture.  That, after appetizers and some of the better tortillas I’ve had in a while should have been enough, but the tongue in its traditional mole called out to me.  With whole black and green olives, and a tomato based sauce flavored with onion, garlic, raisin and almond, this bowl of lean, succulent sliced meat ranked with the best.  To complete the meal, if you haven’t had cajeta, the goat’s milk caramelized sweet, try it here in a light gelatin, alongside a cup of café de olla.  

 

Just as the regulars returned to that immortalized Boston bistro every week, you too will be drawn back to Los Almendros time and again, if not on a subsequent visit during this trip to Oaxaca, then upon your return… and greeted just as warmly as the old gang. 

 

Notes:   Comida only, 1 – 6 pm

             Closed Thursdays

             Beer, spirits and liqueurs

             Full meal incl beverage  70 – 90 pesos

 

Comedor Familiar Los Almendros

3ra Privada de Almendros #109,

Col. Reforma, Oaxaca

 tel: 515-2863|