Restaurants of Puebla

Puebla is a diner's delight.  The city is famous for mole poblano.  Moles are among the most complex sauces.  A mole negro can have more than one hundred ingredients.  The slightly simpler mole poblano can be made with a trifle over 20 ingredients.  For an authentic recipe see:  http://www.patismexicantable.com/2010/03/mole_poblano_de_los_angeles/

We had a nearly perfect mole poblano at El Mural de los Poblanos, named after its famous mural of the people of the town.  The mole was complex with a sliver of sweetness and a hint of heat.  Service was excellent.  A full breakfast with juice, coffee, entree, fruit, and rolls was about ten dollars.

This dramatic version of cafe con leche was extra.

Set off by the mural, the restaurant is stunning.

A prime contender for our best meal in Mexico is CasaReyna. http://www.casareyna.com/en/restaurant  Service was attentive and informative, including advice on which mescals to order form their full carte.  For those unfamiliar with mezcal, it tends to be smokier and rougher than tequila.  Tequila is only made from blue agave.  Mezcal is made from other agaves. Some mescals made from low yield, and sometimes wild agaves, can be as intense for your wallet as for your pallet.  Fortunately, Roslyn and I preferred moderately priced mezcals.

The food was so good that I was to focused on gluttony to focus much on photography.  Our favorite dish was fried parsley.  It was half gone when I took this picture.

The shrimp dish below was also exceptional.

The rest of the meal is a blissful blur that I will leave to your imagination.  CasaReyna is must if you visit Puebla.

Although the squash blossom salad below was quite good, the rest of the food at Meson Sacristia de la Compania did not live up to the prices (higher than the moderate CasaReyna) or the beautiful setting.

The stew, and the mole sampler below were average at best.

But the beauty of the setting below is undeniable.  The courtyard with a cross in the prior blog entry is also from this restaurant.

Las Ranas is a far less formal, and thoroughly local establishment.  An al pastor taco carved off the vertical spit is the most popular entree.  Budget friendly, the taco is 8 pesos  (about sixty cents).

But my favorite was the chorizo with cheese.

Traditional cantinas were surprisingly rare in the old part of town.  One wonderful exception is the tiny La Pasita, known for the drink of the same name made from dried raisins.

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