food

My friend Debbie met me at the Albuquerque airport, and we immediately did what we usually do, and found a place to eat. Sawmill is like a very large and uniquely different food hall. Pizza was pretty good, and the fruit tart was from Creme de la Creme.

Then it was off to Debbie’s house in Los Alamos. The next day was the fourth of July and a barbecue with her family. Since Los Alamos is in the forest, there would be no fireworks. Instead 500 drones created a magnificent display of patriot images that we watched from the roof of Debbie’s house.

Our first excursion was to Taos (another city of the arts) to visit the Pueblo. Some Native Americans still actually live there, but many places were open with souvenirs and native art for sale.

Lunch at Legacy Cafe – friendly staff, food OK. Didn’t know that Taos was the home of Kit Carson.

Back to Los Alamos to plan our next adventure. Enjoyed a great bluegrass concert from High Desert Rangers. Her neighborhood is beautiful and full of nature’s wonders.

Off to Santa Fe to the Coyote Cafe for lunch. I refer to it as returning to the scene of the crime – my third time here – always an adventure. Food is good but always too much to finish.

I only flew one way, because we wanted to go back to California on Route 66. Debbie could take me home then continue on to see her dad. I had driven this part of the route before, so I picked certain stops that I thought Debbie would enjoy. First stop was El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico, where some of the major starts of the 40s and 50s stayed while filming movies nearby.

Next was Jack Rabbit Trading Post in Joseph City, Arizona. It was closed when I was there in 2015. This time souvenirs were available!

On to Winslow, Arizona and two special treats. The La Posada Hotel was amazing. If we had known just how amazing, we would have planned to stay longer.

Dinner in the Turquoise Room was absolutely delicious in every way. Fried Squash Blossoms, Blue Cheese Salad, Shrimp Pasta – double yum!!

Two blocks away from the hotel we got to stand on the corner in Winslow Arizona. There were not 7 women on my mind, but we did hear a lot of Eagles songs.

Breakfast in a cafe that used to be a bank. The old Diebold safe was still there. Always a souvenir store.

Off to Delgadillos Snow Cap Cafe where the current owner just celebrated his 98th birthday. His family has owned this place since the beginning. Waited quite a while for our burger. This place was busy….not all tourists.

Oatman, Arizona is filled with burros. They run the town, the town takes care of them. They draw lots of tourists who feed them and take photos. I adopted a mother and her baby but they were too big to fit in the car.

The entry to Oatman driving west was a nightmare. It was 28 miles of twisting road with no barriers. By the time we reached Oatman, we wondered if it was worth it to see a bunch of burros.

It did change our plan for the day. Debbie was so tired that we decided to just head for home. So we didn’t see Roy’s Motel & Cafe or Bagdad Cafe. We stopped in Hesperia to rest our butts and eat something. We arrived at my house at 10:30pm. SHE HAD BEEN DRIVING 10 HOURS.

The Other Thing – Although we were disappointed with the end of our trip, but we did have a good time overall. It’s always fun when we are together.

Located in DTLA on Olympic Boulevard in Koreatown, Guelaguetza is a restaurant, boutique market, and an advocate of Oaxacan culture in Los Angeles. Owner, chef and author Bricia Lopez spoke about her cookbook, “The Art of Mexican Style Grilling”, at our local Costa Mesa Library in late January. Two hundred people showed up. That kind of following caused my curiosity to go into overload. I had to see what all the fuss was about. I had dinner there with my son on a Saturday night in February. We had a reservation but still had to wait a bit and ended up in the covered patio. The menu is mole-based and a little overwhelming if you are not familiar with this type of cuisine. We were a little disappointed with the experience. I drank my first Paloma.

But not to be discouraged, I decided to give it another try – this time with my friend Sandy who is more familiar with mole. We went on a Tuesday for lunch and ate in the dining room.

First of all, there was no paper menu. We had to scan it to our phones. Not my idea of the best way to peruse my options, but I guess this is the future. The day called for Palomas (Don Julio Reposado Tequila, fresh lime juice and 1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice), served with complimentary chips covered with Mole Coloradito. Made with ancho chiles, New Mexican chiles and pressed on a hot dry skillet and flash roasted. They were sprinkled with queso fresco.

Sandy needed some coffee to prepare for what was to come next. Friends of my son told him that we must try the Chapulinis ala carte. This term is specific to Mexico and Central America and derives from the word meaning “crickets”. They were grilled with jalapenos and garlic. I managed to avoid the peppers, but still, they just weren’t good – not much flavor. The couple in the table behind us were gobbling them down like candy.

We were just not feeling it so far, but on to our entrees. This is where my photos fall short because all the dishes are covered with mole, and you can’t tell one dish from another. On the left is my shredded chicken with Mole Coloradito (I knew that mole was tasty). On the right was Sandy’s Carnitas Mole Negro (made with chilies, nuts, seeds and Oaxacan chocolate). Both dishes were served with rice.

They don’t look that appetizing, but I think we gringas are just not used to this type of Mexican food. All dining out, in my mind, must end with dessert. The flan were pretty good and so was my Oaxacan hot chocolate.

The Other Thing – We came a long way to be disappointed, but it was an adventure, and the service was friendly and helpful. When with my son and with Sandy, most of the diners there were Hispanic. That should be a good sign – just not for us.

This, That, and The Other Thing

Tag

NM TO AZ TO CA

Guelaguetza