Azul Condesa in Mexico City

I know that it's a bit hard to make out in that photo (it was really dark in there!), but those things with the toothpicks in them are wedges of oranges dusted with chili powder and salt. The idea was that it was supposed to go with the mezcal in the little wooden bowl on the left. And what a great mezcal it was. I didn't catch the name, but it was significantly different from the harsh ones that I've had in the past. This one was smoother and had a smoky aroma, going very nicely with those salty spicy oranges. It was so easy to drink that we immediately got another round.

Anyway, this rather upscale place is from a local chef named Ricardo Munoz Zurita in the trendy Condesa district of Mexico City (Nuevo Leon 68, 5286-6380). I was a bit worried at first when I overheard American English being spoken at a lot of tables, but in retrospect, I can see why my local friends took me here. See, I asked for really authentic Mexican food, and this chef seems to be quite the authority on regional cuisines from across the country. Indeed, there were things on the menu that even my local friends had never had before, and in fact were a bit scared to try!

Now, the things that we ordered weren't *that* exotic. One was just a plate of sea snails (a bit rubbery, but full of the savory taste of the sea and pretty much what one would expect of them), while the other was guacamole topped with chapulines (delicious, but perhaps even more memorable to me was the very pronounced corn and lard taste of the tostadas that came with with it). Everything else that we got was good too, including the ceviche, some little panucho de cochinta pibil, and a super chocolate-y mole. Good call. Now it's time to go back to the hotel and pass out.