Tag: la biznaga

Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Favorites on the food front

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The Mister came across a blog post somewhere online that read, “La Biznaga is the reason I moved to Oaxaca.” Can’t find that post, but we feel almost as strongly about the place. Casually comfortable, a diverse menu and hands-down the best, most generous and potent margarita we have ever had anywhere.

As during our prior visit a year earlier, our other favorite spot is Los Danzantes. Danzantes is more upscale in service and price, but still avoids feeling stuffy.

Since writing about food in Oaxaca numerous times in 2013, I’ll just let photos speak for these two restaurants.

Los Danzantes grilled octopus with roasted beets
Los Danzantes shredded chicken with Candy’s red mole
La Biznaga La Tehuana, watercress, pear and roquefort salad
Los Danzantes, chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese
La Biznaga Geulaguetza, chicken breast with purslane, cacti, sweet potato chips and black mole
La Biznaga Turista, nut-encrusted redfish over salad
La Biznaga margaritas
Los Danzantes seafood chilpachole
Los Danzantes mashed plantain filled with Ismo-style wedding stew
Los Danzantes roasted watermelon and tomato salad
La Biznaga squash soup with ginger
La Biznaga Zandunga, chicken breast wrapped around plaintain in guava mole
Los Danzantes creamy rice with purslane
La Biznaga las calendas, hoja santa stuffed with quesillo, zucchini blossoms and poblanos
La Biznaga Mazunte, tuna with asparagus, roasted tomatoes and avocado
Los Danzantes grilled flank steak
Los Danzantes, hoja santa stuffed with goat cheese
Los Danzantes quesillo fundido with huitlacoche, epazote and serrano chiles
Los Danzantes
La Biznaga susto, coconut flan in caramel and mezcal suace
Los Danzantes rosemary flavored creme brulee

I promise the Mister and I did not consume every bite of these during our month-long stay. Some friends joined us part of the time, so we had the opportunity to sample some additional dishes.

And, if you ever hear we have packed up and moved to Oaxaca, blame it on La Biznaga.

Postcard from Oaxaca: Flavorful Leftovers

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Sometimes you get home from a trip with the postcards you bought to mail to family and friends unwritten and unsent. That’s what these final food photographs from our month in Oaxaca represent.

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Primarily, the photos speak for themselves, and some of these restaurants were mentioned in the much earlier “Serious Salads” post.

A few notes:

  • We ordered the top-billed pizza at Mexita, which, with a creamy wild mushroom sauce at the base, really had too much going on. Try something more minimalist.
  • The mound of caramelized onions on top of the vegetable couscous at El Morocco Café is wonderful.
  • The atmosphere and food at Epicuro, an Italian restaurant, are good enough to go more than once, but the management needs to lose the cards the servers must ask you to read before you are served. Obviously, the management was offended by some online reviews, and the card says customers are not always right and should take up any criticisms on site instead of online. Ignore the insult because the pizzas and grilled seafood are worthwhile.
  • Presentations are colorful and food straightforward at La Zandunga. We probably would have visited more than once if it were not so close to our favorite spot, La Biznaga.
  • La Teca was way on the other side of town. The Istmeno food was a little heavy for our tastes, but we loved the locals and families gathering on the back patio in the garden.
  • We grabbed sandwiches or a Spanish tortilla from Gourmand Delicatessen several times. The potato-filled tortilla represents a flavorful bargain, feeding the two of us two meals.
  • And, of course, there was street food, ours generally purchased from a woman we would pass on our way home.
  • Oh, and make frequent detours through Jardin Socrates in front of the Soledad Church where neverias vend ice cream in flavors not found north of the border.

Hope this series of restaurant posts serves as a helpful guide for those planning trips to one of our favorite spots in Mexico.

Postcard from Oaxaca: Slipping into comfortable old habits

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La Biznaga was our favorite place to head to for meals five years ago, and it remains so on this visit. Comfortably casual, contemporary Mexican cuisine.

No matter what our food moods are, the menu has something on it to fit. Salads are stunning (see this earlier post); soups are interesting and flavorful. Menu del dia offerings are generous, and now the kitchen even makes smaller dishes from the “deli” available to order in the restaurant.

If that were not enough, we think La Biznaga hands-down makes the best margarita in town – tart, deep and potent. And we’ve sampled many.

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Plus, the servers bring you Oaxacan chocolates with your check.