Oaxaca, in southwestern Mexico, is one of the country’s most biologically and culturally diverse states, with its Pacific coastline and confluence of mountain ranges at a tropical latitude and the numerous indigenous groups that have populated the area for centuries – or longer. All of these influences have produced a regional cuisine that is incredibly rich and deep and beloved among food-loving Mexicans (and non-Mexicans). Many immigrants from Oaxaca have brought this diversity of food and culture to Mexico City.
The Maldonado family opened Oaxaca en Mexico in Colonia Buenavista 25 years ago and have filled it with the sights and sounds of that state. Three nights a week, an organist from Oaxaca plays live (and the rest of the week there’s live marimba). The colorful decorations and art on the walls come straight from Oaxaca – as do many of the ingredients used in the kitchen, such as the traditional mole negro that is made by hand in Oaxaca and sent to Mexico City in the form of a paste. And the Maldonados, too: “The whole family is from Oaxaca,” said David Maldonado, who runs the restaurant. “The recipes are from my aunt, Aurelia Maldonado. She’s been with us since the beginning and she still cooks for the restaurant every day.”
On a recent visit, we were welcomed with a plate of memelitas, small corn patties topped with fresh cheese – simple and extraordinarily tasty. As an appetizer we ordered a plato típico, a sampler that included chorizo, cecina (spiced flank steak), tasajo (salted flank steak), one mole negro and one mole colodarito enchilada, and an enfrijolada (a kind of enchilada covered in a bean sauce).
After the plato típico, we ordered pollo a la barbacoa, slow-cooked chicken in a tomato sauce served with a simple salad; carne de cerdo en salsa chirmolera, fried pork in a salsa made in a molcajete, or volcanic rock mortar; and an order of cecina that came with a side of delicious black beans. When we praised them, David said, “Some people come to the restaurant just for the beans.” We also love the drinks. The horchata agua fresca came with bits of cantaloupe and almonds, while the chilacayota (a kind of squash) agua fresca, which we had never tried before, reminded us of pumpkin pie and molasses.
The Maldonado family has opened two new locations in Mexico City, one in the Centro Histórico and one in Coyoacán. However, the original location in Buenavista is still the most popular. Some customers have been visiting it for years. “I started coming here with my grandmother about 20 years ago,” one satisfied customer told us. “She loves the food here, and I also became a regular customer.” And now we are too.
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