November Birthday in Oaxaca!

Each year, I try to plan a new adventure for my birthday. Usually international with the exception of last year, pre-vaccine. It softens the blow of getting older and helps me reframe the occasion to be a more joyous one. Once September hits, I get that back-to-school fall feeling even though I have not been in school in years. That nervousness of starting a new chapter, not knowing what to expect. That anticipation of the cold and dark winter coming. And that looming birthday, which marks the end of my personal year and forces me reaccess my life. Travel (and vacation) gives me something to look forward to and helps me get my mind off the stresses of adulthood. After such an amazing road trip to Valle de Guadalupe this past June, I decided to return to Mexico and explore Oaxaca. Many Californians like to visit Cabo, Playa del Carmen, and Puerto Vallarta, but I’m not really a beach resort type girl and I’m not a fan of the super touristy spots. I love quaint little towns, countrysides, nature, small little beach destinations, and boutique or unique accommodations.

My friend in Missouri joined me on my annual birthday adventure and we met up in Mexico City. If you’re meeting your friend at the airport in Mexico City, make sure you know your arrival terminal. We arrived at different terminals and it took us awhile to find each other. She had to take the tram from Terminal 1 to meet me in Terminal 2 and it took an hour to wait in line for a taxi. Make sure you purchase a taxi ticket and wait in line first thing. Traffic in Mexico City is pretty bad. Also, another tip. If you travel to Mexico in November, it’s super cold at night! Pack warm clothes. Except for a couple hours in the afternoon, most of the time, we were freezing! I packed mostly dresses! It felt colder than what the temperatures showed.

We only had a couple days in the city so I can’t say we had that much time to really explore the city other than visit some delicious restaurants—Cha Cha Terraza, Contramar, Quintonil, and Gin Gin—and take a boat ride at the Xochimilco canals. Cha Cha Terraza had a fun lively vibe for dinner and drinks on their upstairs terrace. Contramar had great seafood. Gin Gin is a great bar/lounge down the street from Contramar and has really good cocktails and music. Quintonil is super upscale with an option for a tasting menu. Even though Quintonil is a special culinary experience, it was a little stuffy. Indoors. No vibe. No ambiance. It was also expensive for Mexico standards. You could get an amazing meal at a more fun restaurant for half the price or less. We also stopped at Cafe Toscana next door to Buna cafe in Roma North for a snack and glass of wine mid-afternoon one day and both places were really cute.

In Mexico City, we first stayed at the Sofitel in Cuauhtémoc, which felt like downtown. Even though the area is close to Condesa and Roma North, it was very busy and not as nice. We also stayed at The Orchid House Hotel in Polanco, which I loved because it’s small and boutique. Polanco is Mexico City’s upscale neighborhood. It’s quaint, charming, and walkable. I would definitely stay here again. I had previously wanted to stay at Brick Hotel in Roma North, which is also a cute area, but the rooms were all booked. If you prefer the big hotels, but want to stay in Polanco, you could do The W or The Intercontinenal.

From Mexico City, we flew to Oaxaca. It is a short 1 hour flight. And just as I imagined, Oaxaca was amazing! So quaint and charming! Arts and crafts sold by street vendors. Markets with an array of textile, leather handbags, hats, and jewelry. Cobblestone roads. Decorative flags lined the street. Colorful buildings with beautiful exterior artwork. Old churches. Boutique hotels, delicious food, and great cocktails. Every meal we had was better than the last. I was in heaven!

One thing to note is that I made the majority of the restaurant reservations about two months in advance. Thinking that it would be warmer in Oaxaca, I chose many outdoor rooftop venues for dinner. While Oaxaca was hot during the day, it was even colder than Mexico City at night. Some of the places had heat lamps but they weren’t always working. On two different nights, a couple restaurants mentioned that they ran out of gas for the lamps, which made eating very uncomfortable. I would recommend dressing very warm or doing the rooftop spots during the day for lunch to enjoy the view.

We dined at Los Danzantes, Tierra del Sol, Casa Oaxaca, Criollo, and The Terrace on top of Hotel Los Amantes. While the food was good at all the restaurants, my favorites were Casa Oaxaca and Criollo. Criollo was where I had my birthday dinner and it was super special! The chef from Mexico City’s world renowned Pujol is part of the Criollo team. The only option at this restaurant is to enjoy their 6 course surprise tasting menu, which included a variety of Oaxacan dishes. Each plate was artfully presented and delicious! Casa Oaxaca was a pleasant surprise for lunch. They have rooftop dining. I loved the fresh table-side salsa, the sweet potato wrapped squash blossoms, the agua chile, and their corn-flan dessert. I had never had a CORN flan dessert before and I loved it! Tierra del Sol has a nice rooftop terrace view. They had really good tacos de lechon with chicharron wrapped up in what looked like a banana leaf. It was so good that we came back the next day on my birthday for lunch! The other dishes weren’t as good but we could have ordered the wrong items since they didn’t have an English menu. One thing I learned on this trip is that I love chicharron on everything! I ordered soup several times while in Oaxaca and it often included chicharron in the soup with Oaxacan string cheese, which is also very delicious. Downstairs in the same building of Tierra del Sol, there’s a little cafe that sells Atole, which is a soothing hot corn and masa based beverage that Oaxacans often drink for breakfast or at night. It comes in different flavors. Try it! It’s interesting and different. I liked it. Los Danzantes also served really good food. That’s where we dined on our first night in Oaxaca. But that Sunday night, it was really quiet. We had tortilla soup, mahi mahi and fresh garden tomato ceviche, and fresh short rib pasta.

Upstairs from Los Danzantes is their partner speakeasy bar called Selva. There’s no sign. The entrance is roped off with a man guarding the doorway. The bar is super charming with prohibition era vibes. Cocktails were pretty and carefully curated. Another bar we enjoyed was Sabina Sabe, which is a lot more casual but has great music and good cocktails. They serve food as well but we didn’t get a chance to try any. The rooftop at Hotel Los Amantes has great views for a sunset drink. They have a small bar downstairs that we liked as well. I think I ordered a mezcal cocktail with pineapple everyday in Oaxaca.

Aside from eating really well, I did a group tour to Hierve el Agua. Helpful tip: exchange your dollars for pesos. You will need it for the entrance fee, for the group buffet lunch, and also for mezcal purchases at the distillery (they have a high minimum for credit card purchases). The tour lasted all day because they include a few stops including a mezcal tasting, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Because of land disputes, we had to take the unpaved, bumpy road up the mountain to get to the pools. Once you get to the entrance/parking lot, you have the option of hiking 45 minutes down to see the petrified waterfalls or just going straight to the pools. Going down was not a huge problem but it was a little exhausting coming back up because of all the steps. It definitely gets you all heated up and ready to jump in the pools. But if you just want to take cute pictures and relax, skip the hike and just go straight to the pools and then you won’t have to worry about packing hiking clothes and sneakers along with your bathing suit and towel. The view was beautiful. Bonus: I made a few new friends on the tour because I went solo. My friend didn’t want to wake up at 7am to join the tour.

My friend and I stayed in 2 different hotels during our time in Oaxaca. The first few nights we stayed at Grana B&B, which is very quaint and quiet and the staff is so accommodating. We had a suite with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, which was nice. Breakfast was included and is made to order and it was delicious. I don’t normally love yogurt but the yogurt was really good! Yogurt anywhere outside of the U.S. is really good, in my opinion. The location was central. We also stayed one night at Hotel Los Amantes, which has the most beautiful rooftop views. Great for sunset drinks and the food was pretty good as well. It’s made up of 2 buildings across from eachother in a central location not far from Grana B&B, with 2 rooftop restaurants, and a small bar downstairs. We stayed in the Cuishe room with 2 queen beds. While the room was nice, the hotel in general is a little loud because of the atrium and rooftop restaurants. But it was convenient to be able to just run upstairs for a cocktail or snack. Breakfast was included there as well and it was pretty good also.

The people of Oaxaca were so welcoming, nice, and helpful. The tourists we befriended were also so friendly. I loved Oaxaca and would definitely visit again! They have direct flights from Los Angeles to Oaxaca on Mexican airlines. I have to say that the best part for me was the food because as you know, I love food! They use grasshopper in a lot of dishes but it’s unrecognizeable. I’m not a huge fan of mole even though it’s a popular dish in this region. Though I did discover that I am a huge fan of chicharron, Oaxacan cheese, and mezcal cocktails. I love their fresh corn tortilla and chips and salsa. I regret that I didn’t get a chance to have churros or hot chocolate while I was in Oaxaca and Mexico City. Check out my Instagram to see all the yummy food I ate!

I can’t wait to see more of Mexico. I want to visit Guadalajara, the town of Tequila, San Miguel, Matzalan, and maybe Puerto Escondido next. This vacation was such a nice reset. I felt like I was fully able to unplug from work and the stresses of life. It has been such a long time since I’ve been on a week long trip that did not involve any sort of work. Weekend road trips don’t count because you get those days off anyways. I’m already looking forward to another vacay. It has been hard for me to focus on work after returning from such a good trip. Plus, we’re right smack in the middle of the holidays. All I want to do is curl up on the couch and watch Christmas movies. This year is flying by too fast. And my post-vacay blues are setting in. I need to plan my next adventure soon. What’s next on your travel list?

Portabella Mushroom "Al Pastor" Tacos

I love tacos and living in Los Angeles has allowed me to taste a variety of amazing tacos—from taco trucks, to obscure taco stands, to night markets. My favorite would have to be Al Pastor tacos, mainly because it usually comes with fresh pineapple slices and I just love pineapple on everything (including pizza!). But I don’t always want to eat meat. As I’m writing this post, I’m realizing I actually haven’t had tacos OUT in a long time!!! I need to get my booty to a taco truck ASAP! I created a vegetarian Al Pastor recipe so that I would have a healthier option when making tacos at home. Plus, I love learning different ways of making traditional recipes to cater to different diets.

To make Al Pastor tacos, you need Achiote powder. This required me to run all over town for hours searching for the spice! You really have to go to a Mexican grocery store or Food-4-Less. Sometimes it’s available at western markets but that can be hit or miss. And for me it was all miss after miss. I think I went to three western markets on my side of town before I gave up and went further out to Food-4-Less. Even though it was a journey trying to find this ONE spice, the outcome of my recipe made the trek totally worth it! I impressed myself with this dish! LOL. Don’t worry—all the other ingredients are easy to find. Give my vegetarian taco recipe a shot! It’s really good, I promise!

PORTABELLA MUSHROOM Al PASTOR TACOS WITH PINEAPPLE (makes about 12 small street tacos)

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 1 lb Portabella Mushrooms

• 2 tsp achiote powder

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp garlic powder`

• ½ tsp chili powder

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp sugar

• ¼ cup orange juice

• ¼ cup pineapple juice

• 1 lime, juiced   

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Additional Ingredients:

• small street style white corn tortillas

• 1 cup of fresh pineapple slices

• 1 mixed cup of chopped cilantro and diced sweet yellow onion

• 2 limes, sliced for serving

• salsa

Creamy Avocado & Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (optional):

• 4 tomatillos

• 1 jalapeno

• 1 ripe avocado

• ¼ sweet yellow onion

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp chili powder (for medium spice)

• ½ lime, juiced

• 1 cup of cilantro

Directions:

Clean portabella mushrooms and pat dry. Slice them with medium thickness. In a large bowl, mix the mushrooms with the marinade  ingredients. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and  saute mushrooms until cooked through. Set aside. Char pineapple slices in another skillet or keep raw. Warm  tortilla in a separate skillet. Assemble taco with tortilla, add cooked mushrooms, sprinkle cilantro & onions, top with pineapple and serve with fresh lime wedges and salsa. I served mine with homemade Creamy Avocado & Roasted Tomatillo Salsa.

For the Creamy Avocado & Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, roast the whole tomatillos and jalapeno for about 25 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees. Let cool. Then blend in a food processor with the other ingredients.

Jackfruit "Carnitas" Tacos with Pineapple

I love learning new vegetarian recipes. Lately, I feel like I’ve been eating too much meat. I miss how my body felt when I used to be a vegetarian. But it’s so hard to go back to that lifestyle, especially right now as I’m working on the Cambodian cookbook.

After recently having jackfruit kabobs at Elf, a vegetarian Mediterranean restaurant in Silverlake, I felt inspired to try making something savory with it myself. When I think of jackfruit, I think of the sweet fleshy, orange fruit that I’ve had during my travels through Southeast Asia. However, green jackfruit (young) from the can tastes nothing like it. It’s sort of bland but does have a nice meaty texture. This is actually a good thing for me because I’ve discovered that I’m allergic to the ripe, orange version of the fruit. If you haven’t tasted fresh, ripe jackfruit, you need to try it! It’s so good!

While there are so many options for jackfruit recipes that I want to try, I started with carnitas tacos. Because who doesn’t love tacos?! I adapted my pork carnitas recipe to this one. I think the pineapple slices really make the taco. But I’m biased because I love pineapple on everything!

I want to try making bbq jackfruit “pulled pork” or jackfruit “chicken” teriyaki next time. If you have any other suggestions, let me know! I’d love to hear your ideas!

Jackfruit “Carnitas” Tacos (makes about 8-10 small tacos)

Ingredients:

·      1 can of green jackfruit

·      1 package of small corn tortilla

·      ½ sweet yellow onion, diced

·      1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (optional – too spicy for me!)

·      ½ cup of tangerine or orange juice

·      2 tsp oregano

·      1 tsp cumin

·      1 tsp paprika

·      1 tsp salt

·      ½ tsp pepper

·      1 tsp honey

·      1 tbsp lime juice

·      1 tbsp olive oil

Toppings:

·      ¼ sweet yellow onion, finely diced

·      ¼ cup of cilantro, finely diced

·      1 cup of pineapple, sliced

·      ½ cup of radishes, thinly sliced

·      salsa (I made my own, see previous blog post)

·      1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

In a large bowl, break apart the jackfruit and remove any seeds.  Add tangerine juice (or orange juice), oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, honey, and lime juice.  Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with olive oil.  Saute the onions.  Once it starts to turn a golden brown color, add jalapeno slices if you like spice.  Otherwise, pour in the jackfruit mixture and braise for about 8-10 minutes.  You may need to lower the heat to medium. Stir occasionally. If the mixture gets too dry, you can add a little more tangerine/orange juice.

Serve over corn tortilla with fresh salsa.  Top with fresh onions, cilantro, radishes, pineapple slices, and lime wedges.