Category Archives: Exit Here

Necessary Beverages: Mezcal, Beer, and Coffee in Ensenada


Ensenada stole a small piece of my heart recently. I have long treasured my ritual breakfast at La Guerrerense, the popular seafood street cart where eating a sea urchin sofrito tostada piled with scallops, avocado, and charred peanut salsa slays all beginnings to the day. But as for the rest of the city, I’ve only had the opportunity to take it in bit by bit, in passing. A walk up the hill that overlooks the city and the Pacific, where a chef friend pointed out the edible plants that sprouted after a fire. A ceviche and beer at Boules, where the magnolia trees shaded chain-smoking women with raspy voices who shared a drink and the gossip around town with me. Birria after a night out, the fried tortillas dipped in a cup of stew relieving my hangover as it coated my lips in deep red oil. I realized on my last visit, a 24 hour mission for a dinner celebrating the region’s indigenous foods, that the more I’m there the more my experiences coalesce into meeting people who like me live for good food and drink. People who dig into obscure corners of food history or plant life. People who find serenity in the extra spicy salsa, the messiness of a tostada as it rolls down their chins, the “last” glass of wine, the shade of a century-old winery in the middle of the city on a sticky hot day. This is a true food city, and the path to it is an easy coastal bus ride from right over the border in Tijuana (which might be one of the nicest two hour bus rides possible). Here are three places for essential beverages while you’re here. A place for a green juice is in this post, don’t think I’d forget to drink my veggies.

Mezcaleria La Penca

Housed on the grounds of the Santo Tomas winery, this mezcaleria feels like you are indeed drinking in one of the secret crevices of a century-old building (more accurately, the former fermentation tank for aguardiente, brandy and cognac). High ceilings are rimmed by garafones and mezcal bottles on the tall shelves, and table-top candles illuminate the cracks that creep up the walls. They carry a few familiar brands like El Soledad and Amores, as well as some special seasonal offerings: a pechuga and an espadin in clay for example. To me, this place is a game-changer for Ensenada as all I usually need to love a city is a no-frills, cozy bar with good taste in mezcal.

Aguamala

I think it was the sip of the Aguamala Sirena pilsner at a local restaurant that sparked my interest in Baja craft beer. It was golden-tan, citrusy and toasty like freshly baked bread. I liked it even more after realizing that when I go to Aguamala it doesn’t necessarily feel like I’m around a beer obsessed crowd (as I would in a California brewery), but maybe just a crowd that likes to have a good time.

You could easily miss this taproom of shipping containers off the highway leading into Ensenada. I did, frustratingly many times. The brewery is built with elevated shipping containers and looks out onto the coast. During sunset the light glares in, but it’s still a great time to go. There is seating on an outside patio, around the bar, and at a row of tables with ocean-views.

Here you can enjoy drafts and taste flights from one of Mexico’s most well know craft breweries, and they usually have guest beers on tap as well. A small bar menu from Valle de Guadalupe chef Drew Deckman is available, and Mondays they have guest chefs. You’ll find staples from the area: oysters, mussels, and ceviche, with some more bar-leaning snacks like a Sonoran hamburger and buffalo wings.

Barra de Cafe

Tucked in the same building as Mezcaleria La Penca is a small café with specialty coffee from Mexico. The staff is super friendly, gladly giving me a whiff of the espresso grain of the day from Nayarit. A small roaster sits in the corner where they roast on off hours, and you can grab 200 gram bags of coffee starting at $96 pesos (about $5 USD) from Nayarit, Oaxaca and Chiapas. The space feels like a cool refuge on a sunny day, with high ceilings, cool concrete walls and light shining in from the glass doors. Black and white tiles border counters and benches, and pops of color come from ceramic artwork and murals that decorate the hallway. There’s comfortable seating in the narrow café or across the hallway in a larger room. You can also order pastries or breakfast from the neighboring restaurant down the hall.

Alta Baja


The new kid on the same block as La Penca and Barra de Cafe, Alta Baja is a rooftop bar and restaurant. The space is split up into several sections creating a number of nooks suitable for a romantic moment or a group hang while feeling like you have the place to yourself. The west side was my favorite: a balcony overlooking sixth street with a small bar, a few high tops and lounge area. The red and blue hand-painted facades of the stores and taco stands are right below, deepening in color as the sun goes down behind the hills of Ensenada. My Wendlant pale ale, the cobalt walls and golden mirrors all looked glorious in that light. They have a great beer list of Baja craft beers plus a few on tap from California, a cocktail list and a full dinner menu (I didn’t try the food but hope to be back to do so).

Seven Places to Eat and Drink in Mexico City


I recently went back to Mexico City and while I discovered that I would be happy sipping on a Victoria and eating chile-covered fruit floating on the Xochimilco canals all day, here are some stationary food and drink options to mix it up!

Ricas Quesadillas y Tlacoyos Light
It’s most likely that nearby each tourist destination in Mexico City there is a street food stall that is a destination in itself. A few blocks away from El Museo de Arte Popular there is a line of vendors sheltered by red plastic tarps. At this stand you can enjoy a quesadilla or tlacoyo (a torpedo-shaped masa snack that’s stuffed) with the backdrop of a church’s blue and yellow stained glass windows across the sidewalk.

The masa here serves as a vessel for guisados, which literally translates to stews or braised meats, but can be different toppings that sit in cazuelas waiting to be scooped into a taco or other masa creation. We sat at the short stools and ordered three quesadillas filled with squash blossoms, huitlacoche and mushrooms. The blue corn  masa tortillas are freshly pressed, coming off the comal like the color of a flame’s heart. Quesadillas can be made with requeson and/or quesillo oaxaca, and there are meat guisado options too. Sitting on the sidewalk at a table decorated only with salsa, limes and salt, eating my favorite childhood snack reminded me that often eating one dish made just right can be more exquisite than anything at a fancy restaurant.
Closed on Sundays. On Av. de Balderas between Independence and Juarez.

El Auténtico Pato Manila

I’m still confused by what Manila has to do with this place, but continuing on the theme of doing one thing and one thing well, this is a taqueria devoted to duck, one of the few meats you typically don’t stumble across at  taquerias. The narrow Condesa restaurant fits 15 seats, half of them around the kitchen counter.  The only spots of color in the white-tiled space are a portrait of Mao (interesting), a blue speaker that lights up, and the jamaica, tamarind, and sweet and sour sauces on the counter. The signature dish here is the Tacos Kim: roasted duck, plum sauce, carnitas, cucumber, and green onions on a flour tortilla. The dish mimics the fixings for pecking duck, which the owners were inspired by while traveling in China. Here the mandarin pancake is subbed for a flour tortilla. Between the plum sauce and the flour tortilla, it’s a fun mingling of food memories if you grew up with both genres of flavors.  For a more Mexican take, go for the Tacos Manila: duck, beans, epazote on a corn tortilla (although I didn’t find them as tasty).


There are a few beer options here, and if you’re smart you’ll flag down the camote and roasted platano vendor circling the block for some dessert (Thanks Jeronimo!) $70 pesos for a plate of four tacos, and they have tortas on the weekend.

Cafe Avellaneda

Sometimes when traveling it’s the small victories and not the over-the-top meals that are the most memorable. The coconut crema on the side of the road, the copita of mezcal in a dive bar, the day-changing coffee on a busy city trip. At Cafe Avellaneda that was the coffee drink I had, made with tamarindo, espresso, juniper and tonic. The tartness of the tamarindo played with the bitterness of the espresso and the tonic mellowed things out.

This tiny cafe and bar a few blocks away from the touristy area in Coyoacán opens up to the street and has a few places to sit at the copper counter. There are a number of coffee and tea cocktails on the menu, however the cafe works with small coffee farms and has a range of specialty beans from Mexico, so even the straight-up is special here (the owner is a barista competition champion too).

Pasillo del Humo

Pasillo del Humo is a project by the son of Celia Florian, one of Oaxaca’s culinary heroes (read an interview with her I did last year) and I am so pleased that we came here for brunch. As all proper breakfasts should begin, we were immediately served café de la olla (choice of hot chocolate too) and given a selection of golden brown pastries: the chocolate croissant was buttery perfection and the concha was fluffy and not too dense, one of the best I’ve had. The breakfast menu offers some of my favorite Oaxacan staples, like chilaquiles with choice of guajillo sauce, moles or frijol, with an optional fried egg or tasajo. There’s a tamale plate with a trio of yellow mole, black mole, and bean tamales. I had the cazuela de huevo y chapulines: grilled hoja santa, melted quesillo, chapulines (grasshoppers) and a fried egg in salsa chile pasilla mixe. It was earthy and tart, flavors true of chapulines and hoja santa, which might be intense if you’re not familiar with them.

The space is on the top floor of a food hall in the Condesa, with high ceilings decorated by murals of Istmeño lace headdresses and embroidery blooming over the tops of wooden panels. The kitchen is open, bookended by piles of pastries on one side and colorful tortilla baskets on the other. It would be a great place for lunch as well.

Xaman

I’m not really recommending this place. More just compelled to comment on it. Part SNL parody of Ojai, part mixologist haven, this bar’s schitck is incorporating pre-Hispanic ingredients into craft cocktails. Punch bowls are served in jicaras and rosemary garnishes are lit on fire as they leave the bar. A guy with a man bun walks through the floor periodically with copal.

On one hand, the space is beautifully designed with apothecary-like bottles behind the bar, crystal cups of rose petals and ginger sitting on the counter, and elegant wood paneling and private booths. Also, I like drinks with cactus fruit and zapote shrub. On the other hand, I wonder how the people who spend and make money at Xaman identify with and give credit to the indigenous people who have kept alive traditions and knowledge of these plants and fruits. This is why I’m not wholeheartedly recommending this place, but I think it captures a trend we should talk about. The DJ here was one of the better we heard, with disco beats getting us up to dance in the copal smoke (I’m rolling my eyes at myself).

PataNegra
Come to this long-time neighborhood bar for live Son Jarocho, music from Veracruz, on Sunday evenings around 6 or 7. There was one professional dancer with the band, and a whole bunch of impressive audience participants. In the evenings it feels like PataNegra is a low key tapas bar, but as soon as the live music stopped the playlist went right to pop and the lights went down so expect a change in the vibe. Look out for other shows as well, they are known to bring in some well-known acts.

Felina
If you like a classic cocktail with a side of Don Draper fantasy, come here. The low lit corner bar feels like a mid-century posh library with swanky velvet chairs and couches, patterned wallpaper and circle mirrors.

They’re know for their classics, but I was pleased sipping on a drink with orange blossom, lemon, mezcal and ruda (a bitter herb) for garnish. With Brazilian soul on the turntables this is a sexy spot to lounge before a night out.

In between meals:

The Suprema Corte de Justicia in the historic center has what are probably some of the most moving and under-admired murals in the city. Down each stairwell of the Supreme Court are murals interpreting the theme of justice. The History of Justice in Mexico by Rafael Cauduro is the most contemporary and chronicles the history of abuse by the government against its citizens. It’s hyper-real with police officers in riot gear poking out through the windows and torture cell basements at the bottom of the stairwell. It’s a fierce cry for justice in a building where it has so often been denied.

The Museo Dolores Olmedo is housed in a 16th century hacienda with peacocks and hairless Xoloiztcuintle dogs roaming around the property. Olmedo was a wealthy business woman who administered Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s estates, so there are rooms full of their work as well as photos of the couple, all interspersed with a big collection of mostly pre-colombian art. A perfect day would be to come here in the morning and then head over to the nearby Xochimilco canals for snacks and beer on a boat (it’s good to leave the canals by 4 pm, when they get crowded with college kids).

Thanks to my sisters, Jenny and Kyana for scouting a few of these places and being the best company, and to Jeronimo for showing us around!

Five Places to Eat and Drink in San Diego


The first time I went to San Diego I got stuck in traffic for hours. Like, way more hours than we thought. So long that I didn’t even chuckle at my first glance of the nuclear tits (power plant domes that resemble a bosom on the I-5). We had some mediocre fish tacos when we got there. My bestie was pregnant so she couldn’t even order a stiff drink. It was a bummer.

Since then I have been back mostly for family visits, but recently went to do some eating and drinking reconnaissance for an upcoming event I’m helping to produce. I was armed with recommendations and optimism, and they did not fail me. The drive was smooth, the tacos memorable in the right way, and the hot dogs came out of a lowrider. Read on for details.

Galaxy Taco

I first tried a Galaxy Taco at Tacolandia, and I remember the savory carnitas and blue corn tortilla like it was yesterday. This time the grilled avocado was seared in my memory (see what I did there?) A half of an avocado covered in elotes (corn, chipotle, cotija, and garlic), over black bean puree in a soft, freshly made blue tortilla.

Come thirsty too, there’s a corn beer made just for Galaxy by Benchmark Brewing with non-GMO corn and a tamarind michelada. We also sampled a delightfully balanced mezcal cocktail with Ancho Reyes Verde, a housemade pineapple syrup and poblano chile. The space is dynamic with a partial patio housed under papel picado and bright green walls, a purple and red corn mural on one wall, and scribbles from guests all over the far wall.

Barrio Dogg

In a celebration of the lowrider culture in Southern California, Cruizin Lowrider Galeria hosts a dope collection of photographs, multimedia and a tire-made sink in Barrio Logan. Right outside, Barrio Dogg’s cleverly designed cherry red lowrider hot dog stand offers an array of gourmet dogs and salsas that are not playin around.

My favorite was the Samurai: an angus dog, drizzled with hoisen BBQ, topped with pickled jicama, cucumber, and carrot, plus siracha with jalapeño, cilantro, crunchy garlic and wasabi sesame seeds. Add some of the guayaba salsa or carrot habanero for an extra kick. Don’t let the enamoring name or the beet-purple color fool you: purple rain will light your tongue up with the number of chiles in it. Keeping with the theme of chicano comfort food, you can also get a bowl of sopa de fideo, a creamy tomato based noodle soup I can never resist. Outside seating only, dogs range from $5 to $8.

Barrio Logan is a historically Mexican-American and Chicano neighborhood with a history of activism and fighting gentrification. On this block you’ll find a number of awesome businesses and galleries (a few more listed here) owned by longtime residents that cater to the community and just down the road you can explore Chicano Park, which was recently named a National Historic Landmark.

Por Vida

Just like patches or enamel pins on a backpack, the stickers on a register can say a lot about who’s behind it. I already liked the decorated tin lanterns and the soundtrack, but when I saw the Michelle 2020 and pink concha sticker on the register, I was wishing there was a neighborhood cafe like this in my LA and Oakland neighborhoods. Part gallery and store, the cafe hosts events and has a sweet selection of branded mugs, growlers, shirts and more. Coffee is locally roasted and a blend of organic beans from Latin America. With white walls, a bar facing the street-side open windows, and picnic tables the space at Por Vida is airy and welcoming. Come here for the canela & brown sugar latte and regular events and gallery openings.

Border x Brewing

Wash the doggs down with a beer at the neighborhood brewery with craft beers inspired by Mexican flavors. There’s a big patio, live music, tacos and a killer horchata golden stout.

Cantina Mayahuel

For all things agave in San Diego, Cantina Mayahuel is the spot. With hundreds of tequilas and mezcals, no doubt you’ll be content sipping on something. The cocktail here is the margarita, made with orange nectar, orange liqueur and lime. The vibe here reminds me of a small mezcal bar in a lake town in Michoacan, Mexico— dark and unpretentious with carved wood mermans watching me from the wall. There’s a food menu here with daily specials, but I was taco-ed out so I had a ceasar salad which was a bit overdressed for me, but otherwise good flavors. The one thing that I noticed traveling outside of the Bay Area is that when you order a salad you don’t have to split three beets and a leaf of frisee between two people, you actually get some value— even a full meal if you’re like me and love vegetables. Happy hour is 12-6 pm, Tuesday- Friday with $5 drink specials.

Side note: a few of these businesses will be at Mexico in a Bottle, which I’m helping to produce, on March 11th in San Diego!

Degrees Plato: A Oaxacan Bar Menu and Hella Beer in Oakland

I am a chip girl. BBQ potato chips, classic tortilla, new-age flax and chia speckled, doesn’t matter the flavor: pretty soon after opening I’m covered in crumbs and tossing the empty bag in the recycling. That’s why I don’t even keep them in my house. So when I tried the Totopoz Adobadoas at Degrees Plato, tortiila chips in a Guajillo salsa, topped with queso cotija and crema fresca, I was pretty happy for weight-control purposes that they came in a small bowl.

Degrees Plato is a newish beer bar in the Laurel with Oaxacan-inspired fare from Flor Crisostomo, a Oaxacan chef who has worked at Nido, Calavera and other spots around the Bay Area. With all the beer gardens and tap rooms opening in Oakland, it’s the Mexican bar food that attracted me to this place— and the overall vibe and menu that kept me interested.

Owners Rich Allen and Mercedes Sperling live in the neighborhood and wanted to make it a family friendly place, and even though I don’t have kids yet, a beer bar that garners a more diverse crowd than bearded beer bros was definitely a pleasant place to pass the evening. The Mexican twist on bar food pays homage to Rich’s mom, who is from Mexico, and I like that the kids furniture and books honor the next generation.

There’s a huge and varied selection of beer on tap here, as well as a long beer fridge that lines the back hallway with foreign and domestic craft beers that can be taken to-go. Ciders and wine are available on tap too, but the selection of beers is so wide I bet if you have a conversation with the bartender you’ll find a beer that’ll please your palate.

For food, go for the smokey totopoz, and don’t forget to squeeze a lime on them. I love epazote, the minty and earthy herb seen in Oaxacan cuisine, so I appreciated its addition to the quesadillas filled with black beans. Tortas are made with Fruitvale’s Peña’s Bakery bread, and can easily be split between a few people. The food is affordable, with the most expensive bites toppng out at $11.

Decor here is fun and comfortable: black, white and green murals from Denmark-born artist Anne Bundgaard decorate the walls and poke out of corners. It could almost be mistaken for a Mikkeller taproom, but the table tents holding colorful cards from the Mexican bingo game Loteria signal otherwise.

https://www.degreesplato.com

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Five More Reasons to Visit Morelia, Mexico


In Morelia every Friday night they do a fireworks show in front of the Cathedral, and as we learned even when it rains. There were a few gold sparkly bursts, but mostly the cathedral was surrounded by a haze of pink and blue smoke. Is this what it looked like during the revolution?  This is a city so old and well preserved the past is easily imagined. The present is pretty cool too. For an introduction on where to eat and hang in Morelia, read my first post. Here are a few more reasons to visit.

Mezcal Bars

For many of us north of the border, we immediately associate mezcal with Oaxaca (as most mezcal we see here comes from Oaxaca). But, mezcal is actually produced in nine regions of Mexico and Michoacán is one of the primary producers. Which means in its capital city there’s a treasure trove of mezcal you can taste that you can’t get in the States. Intrigued? Head to Tatita, a small mezcaleria with a big shared courtyard. The patio is at the intersection of the Fuente de Las Tarascas, a bronze statue of three bare-chested indigenous princesses, and a park frequently visited by ruffled dress-adorned teens posing for quinceañera photo shoots. Pink limestone arches border the neighboring streets. Inside the bar lampshades made out of straw cowboy hats hang low, wood boxes filled with mezcal bottles hang on the blue walls, and tables are lacquered with comic books. The menu features mezcal from Michoacán producers and has some small bites too. Its bigger sister restaurant, Tata is the patio restaurant of my dreams (mostly for the décor and drinks— more here).

Closer to the cathedral, Mezcaleria el Desnivel with its dark walls, loud music, and neon chalk plantings is a little more lively, and there’s a nice list of mezcals and a killer special: $55 pesos for a beer and a mezcal shot (and best believe it’s better than any house mezcal in the U.S.).

Murals

Morelia has a deep revolutionary history and fortunately has its fair share of artists to help tell that story. Don’t miss the Palacio Del Gobierno, where the walls are covered in the history of the Mexican Revolution and Michoacán painted by Alfredo Zalce, a contemporary of Diego Rivera and Michoacan native. His work, like other great muralists of Mexico, incorporates social and political criticism and it’s always fascinating to me how murals like this end up decorating government buildings.

Sometimes murals offer even more to their spectator when they are hidden. Walking into Café Europa there are cachetonas, big clay angels with their cheeks puffed and lips pursed on the wall. Inside, the dining room sits underneath a tall open ceiling, the light filtered by hanging baskets. Walking further into the café the kitchen window is underneath a ceiling-high mural of two topless women. Flashes of white chef coats and hats move below. Inside a private dining room old wood and twig brooms hang from the wall.

Markets

Michoacán is the agricultural powerhouse of Mexico, and a lot of the produce you see in the States is from this area. To explore regional ingredients, the Mercado Independencia is the place. Outside along a faded mural wall is the live animal section, where men holding subdued roosters wait on the sidewalk. On certain days women come from towns nearby to set up blue tarps and sit on crates selling goods: sometimes blue corn tortillas wrapped in embroidered napkins, bright squash blossoms and shiny calabacitas, blackberry tamales, or peeled nopales cut and packed in tied plastic bags. It’s with these vendors where I always learn the most. Inside there are hot food stands, places for snacks and market bags, and down the way a clothing and shoes section.

The food court phenomena has also arrived to Morelia. At Mercado Don Lucas small glass pods with mini retail stores are downstairs, and upstairs, open air kiosks house craft beer and mezcal. There are food stands and tiered seating areas among the exposed brick, hanging plants and crisp white walls. There are clues though that this isn’t Portland: beautiful blue and yellow hand painted tiles downstairs, Huichol beaded wall hangings, and prices that aren’t inflated. I initially anticipated overpriced trendy food but the first thing I ordered cost the same as it would at any taco stand.

We ate two tacos from Flor De Canela downstairs, a bistek in chile negra and chile capon, with freshly made corn tortillas. We also enjoyed a juice from the stand next door with orange, lime, pineapple, ginger and guava. The tortas ahogadas upstairs were just ok, you can definitely find better here.

Museums

To get a glimpse of the art scene in Morelia, head to El Museo Contemporeana Alfredo Zalce, a small museum along the former aqueduct, which hosts a permanent collection of his work and rotating exhibits. When we were there modern sculpture works by a group of local students were on display.

Casa Xola

There are a few things that make a hotel memorable and one of those is an epic rooftop. This four-bedroom boutique hotel is a few blocks from the plaza central and each room is thoughtfully decorated with artesania. On the rooftop enjoy the outdoor kitchen and lounge, a fireplace, and views of the cathedral peaking above the layers of tropical plants (like mango and papaya trees). Breakfast, enjoyed at a large dining table in the kitchen, is included: a variety of fruit, cereals, and yogurts were available and the owner will make eggs upon request. A full review here.