It was back to digital salt mines to help pay for my travels. Fortunately, the Weather Godz gave me a break with definitely not beach weather on a cool dark cloudy day. As I had meetings during my lunch hour, it was the perfect chance to have my leftovers from Pura Brasa which held up well in the microwave I had no idea how to use. Pro tip – try the fish setting and pause it after 5 mins.

Having worked straight through lunch into the mid afternoon, I closed my laptop and relaxed for a bit before heading out to a local spot that had come highly recommended. The fog had lifted and now the weather was pretty much perfect so instead of an Uber, I opted to walk. Plus, I wanted to check out this nicer end of Ipanema that borders Leblon.

After a couple of blocks, things definitely started to trend in a tonier vibe, including a very snazzy looking McDonalds. There was also a park where people were walking their dogs and a nice flower market.

As I turned up the street of the restaurant, I was clearly now in a higher end of the barrio with trendy shops and restaurants dotted along the tree lined blocks. Soon I arrived at Alessandro & Frederico – an Italian restaurant known for its seafood pasta dishes.

I had requested outside but there almost every table was either outside or at least semi exposed. I asked my server which he preferred between a couple of the dishes and he recommended the torteloni di zucca- which was good as that was my top choice too.

The dish consisted of tortleoni stuffed with pumpkin and sage with a shrimp bisque sauce. I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of whole shrimp amongst the rich bisque – a nice touch. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the pumpkin and sage made a nice contrast to the briny bisque. The best bite though was a piece of the shrimp with one of the tortelonis swirled in the bisque. Delicious.

My dessert choice unfortunately wasn’t available so I paid my check and walked back towards a gelato spot I had clocked earlier. I was instructed I could only have 2 tastes (fair enough) so I decided to go with the South American staple Doce de Leite and this intriguing other one based on an Italian wedding cake that was the special of the day.

Not certain which to choose I opted for a mix of both. The wedding cake was on top, which was a wise choice as it was the lighter of the two with chunks of cake throughout. The doce de leite brought me back to when I’d have it all the time during the hotter parts of my stay in Buenos Aires but also had pieces of a very rich dark chocolate in it. A much better dessert as it turned out.

Since I was working tomorrow as well, there would be no night cap this time. I strolled back on the opposite side of the street for variety’s sake and a short time later was back at my casa. Tomorrow was also my last full day in Rio so it was time to get some sleep for the last hurrah.

Since it was Labor Day back home, I took advantage of the holiday by sleeping in for a change. The cloudy, cooler weather helped out too. Soon, it was time for lunch so I headed down the street to a place I had noted previously.

Pura Brasa specialized, as the name implies, various grilled meats over an open flame. The restaurant was bustling with lunch goers, and I snagged one of the last small tables.

I had been wanting to try pollo ala brasa so this seemed like a good spot for that. Indeed they had a few different options but I was intrigued by the boneless one with a couple of sides called “brasa style.” The catch was that one was for two people. Still, the price wasn’t too bad and assumed I’d be able to eat most of it anyway.

Yeeeahh, about that… clicking on the picture and zooming in shows just how much food this turned out to be. The chicken appeared to be an entire one deboned. The broccoli rice was in a huge bowl and the chips were plentiful too (and delicious.)

The bowl in the back right is what made this brasa style – pieces of fried egg mixed with toasted breadcrumbs. I was told to put this on top of the chicken and man was it good that way. Mixing it with the broccoli rice was a nice combo too.

There was definitely enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow, as evidenced by the massive to go bag I was handed. Since it was still my day off, I wanted to check out this brewhouse across the street called The Mad Brew. I was hoping to try a few of their various brews and was pleased to see they had a 6 tasting option – for a whopping $4. Sold.

I selected 3 and told the server to pick 3 he liked to finish them off. It was a nice range of styles/tastes from light Pilsner to dark stout. I liked pretty much all of them but the two standouts were the Strong Ale, which they just started brewing last week and their Wittbier, which had orange and yuzu in it – very tasty.

I made the quick trip back to my place, once again opening my windows to hear the bossa nova music and take a siesta. After my siesta and catching up with the blog, I hopped in an Uber to head to the neighboring barrio of Leblon aka the wealthy one.

My destination though was a causal spot by a famous chef called Boteco Rainha. Basically the Brazilian equivalent of a tapas bar, it was nestled in a small quiet corner spot surrounded by the trappings of a rich neighborhood, including a Louis Vuitton store a block away.

The focus was on seafood small bites and there were several that intrigued me. After chatting with the server about how large the items were, I decided to start out 3 of them.

From left to right was a classic bacalao fritter, a lobster croqueta and finally a shrimp pastel. While all 3 were delicious, the real star was the pastel, which was basically like a square empanada – filled chunks of shrimp in a slightly spicy broth.

My server suggested as a final one their pie of the day, which was a mix of heart of palm and a local cheese. This was another winner with the crumbly pie crust giving way to the roasted veggies and melted cheese. I realized after the fact I forgot to take a pic of the inside. Oh well.

I took an Uber back to my area and had my driver stop at a small restaurant I had passed a few times, which had a nice wine list. It was very nice out so I sat in the small outdoor section overlooking the street enjoying a nice glass of Malbec.

I noticed the couple next to me was speaking Spanish so I asked where they were from- Venezuela as it turned out. I chatted with them for a bit in Spanish telling them how I was relieved to be speaking in a language I understood a lot better than Portuguese.

The female of the couple spoke some Portuguese and both of them spoke fairly decent English too. I actually ended up translating for them as they wanted to know if the 10% added gratuity was common. I told them I had heard that was indeed the case. I wished them a great trip and make the quick jaunt back to my place.

Tomorrow it was back to the digital salt mines for me along with another local restaurant that came highly recommended.

After a pretty late night, I was surprised that I was ready to get out and about relatively early. Having been in Ipanema, it was time to check out the other fabled beach of Rio, Copacabana. While I could have walked there in about 20 mins or so, I decided to Uber there to save some energy plus it was noticeably hotter out.

There was definitely a different vibe than Ipanema, and I soon got why the locals I’ve chatted with prefer that to here. Granted, it was a sunny Sunday so that would naturally bring out more people but the word I’d use to describe it is almost oppressive, especially amongst the quiosquis which were crammed with beach revelers.

There was a nice steady breeze which definitely helped but after wandering around for awhile, I had had my fill of the madness. It was now lunch time and knowing the various spots right on the beach are almost never good and/or overpriced, I walked away from the area and found a couple of blocks down the road back towards Ipanema a brew pub that looked decent.

The breeze was still present which was much needed as was a cold beer. They had several beers on tap, including an intriguing German marzen. Ahh that hit the spot – a surprisingly good version of that style with nice notes of caramel and a depth of flavor that belies its relatively mild ABV.

It was a good thing the beer was so good because the chicken sandwich I ordered… was not. It’s not even worthy of a photo but at least the beer helped wash it down pretty quickly.

I walked back to my neighborhood, taking streets away from the beach for variety’s sake (and forgot to take pics along the way so mea culpa) The tree-lined streets are no doubt crucial to keeping things at least a bit cooler the much hotter months.

I got home to the now familiar sounds of bossa nova echoing down the street from Bar Vinicius. I opened the windows for some nice cross breezes and took a siesta… which turned into a couple of hours of deep sleep. By the time I woke up, my body was basically telling me it would be an early evening.

I walked a couple of blocks up the street to a gastropub and noticed they had a Brahma (Brazil’s main beer) on nitro for their black beer version. I was surprised to be served it in a style I had in Prague called “the sweet” – where as shown in the picture above it’s mostly head that eventually settles. Not exactly what I was expecting but pretty tasty.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the just OK cheese empanadas I had with the beer. Again, not picture worthy either. So it was pretty much a bust of a day food-wise (apologies to my food porn fans out there) but I took it as a signal to get some rest. Tomorrow was supposed to be not great weather-wise so perhaps the rest would continue. By this point in my travels, my body definitely wouldn’t object.

My late arrival plus it being 2 hours earlier on my body clock meant my start for the day began a bit later than anticipated. It was for my first lunch in Rio which of course meant it was picanha time. Fortunately, there was a highly regarded churrasqueira a mere two blocks from my place.

I entered into Churrasqueira RJ and was immediately hit with the intoxicating aromas of grilled meat. Honey I’m home. There was a handy diagram of the various cuts of meat and a video explaining the same. Suffice it to say, vegetarians ciudades!

I was here though for just one cut – the picanha, which is a Brazilian staple. It arrived on a sizzling hot plate with some fries that had onion and paprika seasoning. The picanha, on the other hand, just had salt and that’s all that was needed. Perfectly cooked, it was tender, juicy and very, very tasty. The fries were almost as good with that very interesting blend of spices. A great first meal in Rio for sure.

As I walked back to my place, I heard the familiar sounds of bossa nova in the background. It turned out to be coming from a bar/restaurant across the street. In fact, even as I returned home, it was close enough to still be able to hear after opening the window in my living room, which also exposed the view above – not too shabby.

After a quick recharge of my iPhone, I venture out into the beach promenade of Ipanema to walk off the picanha. The beach was full of activity despite the cooler than normal temperature. I didn’t mind that though as it made for a very pleasant walk.

Since it’s winter here, the sunset was very early so I walked back towards my place to get a nice view of Sugar Loaf Mountain looming the background.

I decided for dinner to check out Vinicius Bar and Restaurant where I had heard the music earlier. It was now a different singer and the vibe had change as well. This was as old school as it gets including dressed up waiters and flambés table side.

This old school approach also included my dinner selection – trout meunière with broccoli rice and potatoes in a brandy shrimp sauce. The last item was prepared table side, lighting the brandy on fire and then pouring it over the fish for a classic touch

I was so charmed by the atmosphere I would have been perfectly happy if the dish was just OK. Instead, it was the best thing I had so far in Rio. The fish was perfectly cooked and very fresh with the sauce pairing beautifully with it. The potatoes were light and fluffy, and I became an instant fan of the Brazilian staple broccoli rice. Delicious.

I was having such a good time I decided to try another Brazilian classic – pudim de leche which is their version of flan. My server seemed disappointed he didn’t get to do his flambé trick but that’s never been my jam. The flan was slightly more bitter than the Spanish variety but very tasty. A nice capper to a lovely dinner and a show.

I had passed by a lively spot in my walk earlier so I headed down a couple of blocks for a night cap. In keeping with what had become a theme of the day of Brazilian classics, that meant I had to try a caipirinha.

This version was a bit more tart than I’m used to getting stateside but was still very refreshing with a pretty generous pour of cachaza. I enjoyed the people watching as I sipped my drink and took in the overall festive mood of Ipanema on a Saturday night. Tudo bem.

My quick trip to Bogota was drawing to a close but first lunch.

Mini-mal was a highly regarded spot focused on ancient Colombian dishes. Located on a quiet street by a park, it was packed when I got there so the only option was to sit on the terrace. Fortunately, it was nicely shaded from the much hotter day than my previous ones here.

Doing my now de rigueur three appetizers as my meal, first up is were the seafood empanadas. While fairly small, they packed a large flavor punch with nice chunks of seafood nestled between the creamy potatoes.

Next up is was something wholly new to me – a flexible arepa nicknamed “the dog’s ears” topped with stewed rabbit and spices. This was delicious, with a nice balance between the spices and the chunks of rabbit.

Last but certainly not least were the arrullos – basically an Amazon version of a tostada with squid, octopus and shrill in coconut milk, green curry and a sour sweet sauce. This was another interesting contrast of tastes, sweet, sour, spicy. It was a nice way to finish things off.

I headed back to the hotel to grab my luggage and dash to the airport. As noted above, this was way too short of a visit to such a fascinating city. I will be back for a longer stay soon.

I had yet another long-ish flight, thankfully I had a bulkhead seat, to get to Rio, which after delays made it just past 1am when I arrived. I had arranged with the very friendly husband of the owners of the AirBnB to met me at the gate, making the premium I paid for the ride well worth it to avoid all of the hassle.

After doing some work in the morning, I headed over to the old part of town for lunch at a spot a friend recommended to me as well as to check out the nearby Museo Botero. The drive highlighted both just how big Bogota is plus how diverse as we serpentined through a series of sharp curves eventually landing on a street that felt like I had stepped back in time.

Towards the end of this cobblestoned street was Dios. Both a hotel and a restaurant, I was escorted into a lovely patio with an open fire pit. Keeping with my desire to try a few different things, I settled on 3 of the smaller dishes.

First up though was a very visually stunning plate of dark bread with an herb butter. It was nicely toasted with a slightly sour taste that was balanced by the compound butter.

That was soon followed by my first real course – a shrimp tartare wrapped in avocado. Again, the presentation was stunning and the dish itself was bursting with fresh flavors. A great start.

Next up was a seafood sausage of salmon, crab and octopus which was paired with roasted potatoes in a chimichurri sauce. This was another winner with the crunchy potatoes making a perfect bite with the rich sausage.

Last up was their version of crispy pork belly in this case with pickled watermelon radishes in a mocalete sauce. The acidic radishes were a much needed counterpoint to the unctuous pork belly and the slightly spicy sauce. Probably the least favorite of the three for me but still very tasty.

I made the quick jaunt down the street to the museum and immediately a large smile came across my face. Fernando Botero, who only died last year, is one of my favorite modern artists, with an instantly recognizable style that is wholly unique.

The museum, which was free, is a former mansion with a beautiful patio. It is divided between his own works (paintings, sketches and sculptures) and his very impressive collection of works from modern masters, including two Picassos!

The museum was full of people all delighted by the whimsical style of Botero. I was surprised that many of my favorites below aren’t really that old – including a couple from the 1990s.

After leaving the museum, I took a quick around the old part of the city and now understood why only to come here during the day. It definitely wouldn’t feel safe at night.

I headed back to my hotel to do some more work and of course a much needed siesta before embarking on sadly already my final dinner in Bogota. The restaurant was just under a mile away so I decided to walk in crisp weather.

Cafe Bar Universal has become a local favorite for its combination of Colombian and global cuisine. It definitely had the vibe of a local hangout so I could see why it was fairly packed. Oh and get the fries I was told. Por qué no!

After my first choice being sadly already sold out, I chose two dishes and ofc, the fries. First up was kromesqui – which consisted of croquetas filled with pork and potato, which were wrapped in lettuce with a tarragon mayo sauce. This was outstanding with various textures complementing each other quite nicely mixed with the tangy sauce. Delicious.

Next up were the fries, which are doubled fried to make them extra crispy. And indeed they were. It was quite a large bowl of them so I wisely decided to stop once my final course arrived.

My server had suggested the agnolotti with roasted shiitake after the other shiitake dish I wanted had been 86d. Once again portion size is a non issue in Bogota, with the pillowy agnolottis covered in a very generous shavings of Grand Pabano. I ate just about all of it, enjoying the large shiitake caps with the light pasta. There would be no dessert though.

I did, however, opt for a night cap (and my first sip of alcohol) back at Mesa Franca, which had turned into quite party scene versus when I had lunch there. There was a special list of cocktails made with what was explained to me as an “ancestral” liquor called Viche Monte Manglar.

After being warned off of my first choice (no bueno my friendly server said) I went with her recommended Mula Pacifica – basically their version of a Moscow Mule, sans the copper mug. It turned out to be a great option as the potent liquor was tempered by the ginger and lime soda.

Soon it was time to head back across the street and get some sleep (no elevator issues once again!) Tomorrow would be one last meal before getting on yet another big silver bird, destination Rio de Janeiro, where I would finally have some time to stretch my legs a bit.

It was time to finally get back to South America. Brazil was my main destination but a crazy good deal to Bogota made me add that as a pit stop first. I would soon regret for making just that but more on that later.

The flights while a bit bumpy were mostly uneventful. I was also pleasantly surprised the altitude (8700 ft) wasn’t affecting me much… yet. It was also very easy getting out of the airport and making the relatively short trip to my hotel. That’s when the easy part stopped.

After checking in, the very nice bellhop offered to bring my luggage upstairs. We boarded the elevator, and I noticed the doors shut very hard and fast. I joked that I need to be careful or I’d lose a foot trying to get into it. He used my key card to go to the 6th floor and then… nada. To make matters worse, now for some reason the 2nd floor button was lit up but we weren’t moving. Uh oh.

To add to the comedy factor, the walkie talkie the bellhop had kept saying over and over “please change the battery now” I also couldn’t get any signal so we appeared to be stuck, literally. Perhaps it was because of the long travel and my overall tiredness, I didn’t really panic. My new amigo however was saying a prayer repeatedly asking God to open the doors.

About 45 mins later and after several failed attempts to pry open the doors, we were told a technician was coming to free us. My amigo kept insisting they call the fire department but the manager (“Don Pedro! Don Pedro” as my amigo pleaded) said the technician would handle it. Finally, after about an hour, he did just that and I quickly crashed in my very basic but spacious room.

The next morning I worked for a bit and now the altitude had caught up with me. With a dull headache, I headed literally across the street to a place a friend had recommended – Mesa Franca.

A very cool little spot, I was presented with a menu in Spanish as well as English – except for one section which they didn’t have to translate. It was a mix of very creative sounding dishes. However, my garlic issue made the list a lot shorter. That actually turned out to be a good thing as I probably would have never ordered what I did.

First up was a combo of yuca based focaccia with a local honey butter, which was delicious. This was paired with watermelon “tartare” with horseradish, capers, lacto fermented chili, chives, cashew cream and dill infused oil. This basically blew my mind as it tasted exactly like steak tartare with an amazing blend of spices.

I’m a sucker for roasted beets and this preparation sounded very intriguing – Red beets – Roasted and smoked, goat cheese emulsion with kefir, chimichurri, mizuna. This was another winner with a very generous portion of hearty beets in a very rich sauce. The beet greens as a salad on top was a nice touch too.

I headed back across the street to do some work (hey I have to pay for this somehow!) and a much needed siesta. While still feeling the effects of the altitude, I wasn’t about to miss my reservation at one of the top 50 restaurants in Bogota – Harry Sasson.

Named after the famed Colombian chef of the same name, his flagship restaurant was located in a tonier part of town. After walking through the very attractive patio, I entered into the massive main room but was soon escorted to a smaller side room with a fireplace roaring away. A really stunning restaurant.

The menu had at least 20 things I wanted but given that was impossible and wanting to take advantage of the massive wood ovens, I decided to go the wood roasted route.

It was a cool rainy night so the wood roasted tomato soup sounded particularly appealing. For such a simple name, the flavor was anything but that. It was quite simply, the best tomato soup I had ever had. Bursting with flavor from the roasted tomatoes and whatever magical combination of smoked herbs, I eagerly ate the large bowl of goodness along with the excellent bread.

Keeping with the wood roasted theme, next up was the season wild mushrooms with herbs. I thought it might be a nice side dish but was soon presented with a sizzling forest of wild mushrooms on a fajita plate. Clearly meant to share for the table, I had no issues making it my main dish. The mushrooms were perfectly cooked and seasoned, with the hot plate allowing me enough time to enjoy them at a leisurely pace without getting cold.

I was pretty full so the famous Harry’s Bar Hot Dog would have to be another time. I wasn’t sure how I could keep up the wood roasted theme with desserts but then I saw the rum soaked wood roasted pineapple item. Sold.

The pineapples were diced and layered on top of a biscotti with roasted coconut ice cream and pina colada foam. This was Colombia in a dessert – from the rum in the pineapples to the mix of tropical and sweet flavors. A great capper to a great meal that cost less than $50.

I took the incredibly cheap Uber home (eschewing the even cheaper motorcycle option) and headed to bed. Tomorrow would be my last full day in Bogota so I planned to make the most of it.

After drying off and my last siesta, I made my way down a steep hill and across a very busy main thoroughfare to my final restaurant, Criollo, known for its innovative twist of traditional Oaxacan cooking. One of the first changes from almost all of my dinners was the lack of the terrace, opting instead for a nice patio.

I had a great seat overlooking the main room plus to my immediate right was this big fellow.

His name was Claudio, the restaurant mascot who has recently ended his reign as the cock of the walk and now enjoying his retirement at the ripe old age of 5. I assured him I wasn’t a fan of cockscomb soup which he seemed to appreciate.

There was only a 6 course tasting menu, which was fine as I would have selected that anyway.

Course 1 – 2 amuse bouches

• cauliflower with dried chilies with anchovies and peanuts on a cauliflower puree
• nigiri of blue fin tuna

The first amuse was by far the more interesting of the two, with a wide range of flavors in a couple of bites.

Second course – Jicama and chayote squash salad in a bean sauce. This was light and refreshing with the crunchy raw jicama enhanced nicely with the slightly sweet bean sauce.

The third course was the best example of mixing old and new – a tamal made of guava paste with pickled carrots and cipolino onions and a red mole. I’m usually not a guava fan but it really worked in this case, its sweetness mitigated by the spicy red mole.

Next up was the first of 2 main dishes – sea bass with a masa, sour cream and white wine purée alongside white corn. This was the only real dud of the meal. The combo really didn’t work for me and the fish was rather bland although still quite edible.

Fortunately, the course was a real winner – chicken with a sweet black mole. Unlike the mole negro I had the previous night, as indicated this was a sweet version, which substituted sweet potatoes and yams for the smoked chilies. I’m usually not a fan of such sauces but it really worked here, almost like a gastrique often paired with duck or other game birds.

The traditional palette cleanser was strawberry sorbet with dragonfruit jellies in a prickly pear sauce. This would again not something I’d order but it was (particularly the dragon fruit jellies, which I could have had a bowlful of) a great pre dessert.

As for the actual dessert, it was another winner – pavlova with vanilla cream and passion fruit sauce. It was rich and decadent plus the playful element of cracking through the merengue shell. A fun to the end meal.

By the time I finished the last bit, I was pretty much feeling like my buddy Claudio was at the same moment captured above. I was done, and it was a good thing I was heading home tomorrow as my stomach needed some rest too.

Given the elections the next day and the imposed alcohol ban, it was literally impossible to go somewhere for a nightcap. So that, therefore, effectively ended my time in this special city. I will definitely be back sooner rather later but next time in much cooler weather. Hasta próxima.

Now that I no longer had work, I decided to mix things up a bit and head outside of Centro to check out a highly recommended spot for brunch. Ancestral was up on a hill by a park in what looked like an up and coming part of Oaxaca.

From the chirping birds to the abundant greenery, it certainly was a chance of pace. Known for cooking items on the comal (an ancient version of a plancha basically, I had zeroed in on the chilaquiles with yellow mole.

Now this was some proper-looking chilaquiles, with chips keeping their crispiness against the spicy yellow mole to the oregano pulled chicken. Muy sabrosa!

Since I had no pesos, I asked them to hail a taxi that accepted credit cards. 10 mins later a very friendly driver showed up and after some back and forth about my destination, off we went… until l asked to confirm he took cards. He said they had told him I was paying cash. Great. The driver though graciously pull over on the street that would, eventually, get me to the museum. Close enough I guess.

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise (pun intended) as that path allowed me to finally go inside the cathedral. It was at least 20 degrees cooler and many others like myself had taken temporary refuge from the heat and hubbub outside.

As I exited, I hear the distinct echoing music of some sort of marching band and noticed quite the celebration in the square ahead. It turned out to be a birthday party complete with indeed a marching band, giant paper mache heads and some poor kid that had a huge balloon that he had to keep spinning like a globe.

I made my way past the revelers to finally reach my destination, the Museum of Oaxacan Painters. Once again having no cash, they graciously let me in for free (not that it was much – about $4).

The first exhibit was dedicated to the famous Carnival, which takes place in July. I can’t imagine what a mess that must be for the city but very cool at least seeing it in this form.

I appreciated the variety of mediums and style that were featured throughout the small but well curated museum.

My favorite though was a local sculptor who had created these massive “guardians”

After getting my culture on, I took a taxi back up the hill to the bakery I had discovered yesterday, to get a sandwich for the flight home and another one of their yummy carrot coconut muffins. Plus, it was close for a gourmet ice cream shop that sounded like a perfect treat. Alas, it was closed but a chocolate cafe next to it was open. Obviously, the last thing I wanted was a hot chocolate but they also had a cold Oaxacan chocolate malt.

I’m normally not a fan of chocolate malt but once again this was hardly ordinary. Complex and bursting with flavor and giving me a nice buzz from the 50% cacao, I had to stop myself from slurping it down all at once.

I walked down a couple of blocks back to my place and finding the pool empty, hopped in too cool off even further. I needed to regain my strength for my final meal out, which will be the topic for my next (and last for this great city) post. Stay tuned.

Hey did I mention it was hot here? The cumulative days of heat had begun to take a toll on me so being able to grab a sandwich at a small bakery 2 blocks from me sounded good.

While I waited for them to make my lunch, I checked out their wondrous selection of baked goods, choosing what I had been told to was their specialty, almond croissants, along with a carrot/coconut muffin. This great spread was a grand total of $9 and the bacon egg croissant sandwich was exactly what I needed.

My final day of work done along with my requisite siesta, I headed down the hill into a much more boisterous Centro now that the weekend was here. My destination was one of the stations of the cross for foodies – Casa Oaxaca.

I had a pretty spectacular table overlooking the cathedral where a female opera singer was playing the hits. Soon, a server approached me to create a custom salsa from a variety of ingredients. At last I could actually have a salsa without garlic! I picked out my selections, and he proceeded to ground and mix them all together in my very own salsa.

After I placed my order for my starter, I was given a large blue corn tostada with crumbled quesillo for my new salsa. It was a great way to enjoy it and a perfect kickoff to the meal

Soon after, my starter arrived – mushroom quesadilla with radishes and greens. This was definitely the fanciest quesadilla I had ever had and one of the best. The earthy mushrooms were beautifully mixed with the ubiquitous quesillo along with the perfectly crisped tortilla. Superb.

But I was really here for only one thing – the world famous Casa Oaxaca mole negro with turkey, which is the traditional protein pairing. The mole is made of 52 ingredients, including a custom chocolate spice blend created for the chef via a local market.

The aroma of the mole alone was captivating but when I actually tasted it, my mind was blown. The depth and the complexity of the mole made me realize I really had never truly had mole negro. It was sweet, bitter, savory, rich and unlike anything I had ever have. It even made my least favorite protein- white turkey meat – delicious. Now I know why it’s so sought out. Incredible.

I didn’t really want a true dessert but it was finally cool-ish enough to try the famous Oaxacan hot chocolate. A local had told me the other day it’s actually better to do it with water versus milk as it brings out the spices more. The server smiled when I chose that option and soon my steaming hot cup arrived.

Similar to the mole, it was like I had never really had hot chocolate. The spice and complexity was truly something with the water indeed making the flavors stand out more. It was a great way to end one of the best dinners I’ve ever had in Mexico. I will be back someday.

Still buzzed from both that experience and the high octane chocolate, I walked a few blocks away from Centro to the Oaxaca Brewery.

As I entered, it was readily apparent there was no A/C with a fan blowing essentially hot air around the room. With that in mind, I opted for the taster of their hazy IPA since that was definitely not something I was expecting to have. It was a nice thirst quencher.

After I had a few sips and had cooled down a bit, it was time for what had immediately caught my attention as a dark beee lover – the cacao nibs Pilsner. Pilsner was actually a very smart choice for this as it wasn’t as heavy as a porter or stout. This was a home run with the great Oaxacan cacao nibs adding some depth and complexity to the beer.

Chatting with the bartender, he told me that because of the presidential elections on Sunday, as of tomorrow, no alcohol would be served until Monday. That made this beer the perfect way to end my journey with the great variety of alcohol in Oaxaca. I made my way back to mi casa to get some rest for the last hurrah of my final day/night.