Eating Our Way Through Oaxaca - One Tamale at a Time

 Instead of showing you pictures of food, I thought I'd show you pictures of us after some of my favorite meals on the tour and let you be the judge on how enjoyable the meal was. You know, food is important to me. And we're in Oaxaca, rightly considered a foodie capital of the world. and we're making art and expending a lot of mind energy so we need to be well nourished. I always aim for nothing short of spectacular food experiences. This trip did not disappoint.

 Above, here some of us are outside Luz de Luna in Huayapam. This was one of my favorite meals of the trip. It started with the traditional, thirst quenching, cacao based drink native to this village called tejate.  After that they brought us out four different kinds of tamales ones by one. They started with the most subtle flavored one, a corn masa with the herb chepil and gradually progressed to the hottest and most intense, a corn masa with red mole and chilis. Some tamales were wrapped with corn husk and others with banana leaf, each tied a different way. The whole meal was then finished with the indigenous beverage made from the chilacayote squash. So good. I was going to send you to the trip advisor reviews for this little hidden gem of a restaurant but it's all in spanish which i guess tells  you it's a  more of a local secret. 

Here we are having just finished up our open air,  terrace covered, candlelit, bunnies hopping through the restaurant, dinner at El Criollo. This place had only opened in the last 6 months and lucky for us is just a block away from our B and B. It features a seven course tasting menu and was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. I thought it was going to be super edgy food but it was comfort food Mexican style with a twist.  The last course was a divine mezcal soaked watermelon.  But don't take my word for it, click here to read what the NYT had to say about it. Highest recommendation. Also by far and away the highest price I've ever paid in Oaxaca.  Can't wait to try their weekend brunch.

Here we're having a little spontaneous, let's pop into this hole in the wall mezcal bar and have a taste of flights late in the afternoon kind of experience.  ( At In Situ near the Tamayo museum) The bartenders were amused. And so were we.

 And finally, and, as always some of the best food of the trip is always the home cooking at Casa Colonial, our very special B and B. Taking lots of our meals here is so much easier than having to travel and take every meal on the go.  Here we are on our last night at the end of our Farewell Fiesta when the Casa goes all out and we have a big barbeque out in the garden and this tim/e live music!!

Thanks so much Casa Colonial for gifting us with the mariachi band. They were almost as delicious as the food!

And click here should you like to read my Thanksgiving post in which I pay homage to my top 10 Oaxacan food experiences.