A few weeks ago we ventured out to find a place called 'Chick It' that Judy thought she saw near our place. That turned into a trip to HM Hamburguesas. Yesterday we were walking around on Insurgentes for some reason that currently escapes me and we walked past Chickin, recently opened. So recently opened that they didn't have any furniture. Or customers. Or a location in Google Maps. So I'll link to the Condesa location here as reference. Can't find any trace of them online besides this modest instagram account.
We had already eaten lunch, so we noted the opening and decided to come back today. Still pretty empty this afternoon, but at least they had a few tables brought in. ALL the signs in english. I think the menu was all in english, too, which is a little weird. It's common to see the occasional bit of english sprinkled into some advertising, especially with some aspirational car billboards and whatnot. But a chicken sandwich joint?
The vibe was like a Food Network show pop-up restaurant competition that wasn't quite ready for service.
They had a promo going. Standard Chickin sandwich, fries, and a drink (can, no soda fountain), for $119MXN. We got two.
Pretty solid. They maybe make them to order. Took about 7-8 minutes and we were literally the only people there. Sandwich was hot and tasty. Fries were also fresh. Maybe a bit over-seasoned for me. Like the fact that they are generous with the salsas (2 per order).
Hot honey was a good call on the sandwich. Should have gotten something else for the fries. But I will make use of the chipotle habanero with my breakfast tacos.
Verdict: pretty good. Next time I'll just go with the sandwich.
After some delays thanks to IKEA's shit customer service, yesterday was the day we could change out the display shelves at our shop in San Ángel.
We have had these shelves along our long wall for maybe 3 years now.
And they were okay. Solid, clean, well-lit. But earlier this year one of our neighbors in the Bazar put up a huge table in the middle of our room and having to navigate around that has impacted people's sightlines toward our display. With our old display you couldn't really see down or off to the periphery as everything was blocked by wooden shelves or the sides of each unit. So the idea was to get something more open. Glass shelves. No solid sides.
Step one was ordering them from IKEA. Step two was having to drive out to IKEA to clean up the 40% of the order they couldn't manage to properly deliver. Step three was getting a day sorted with Daniel to transport them over to the shop and set everything up. (Side note on Daniel: We met him as the handyman who managed the house we rented here 2015-2017. Ever since then he's been our go-to guy for a variety of projects. Lucha and Mia, our dogs, have known him since they were puppies and still get very excited when he comes to work on something at the apartment).
So things lined up for Friday, August 15th. Daniel got the shelves secured to his car and we were off into Friday traffic in la CDMX.
(Side note about this Burger King. I remember many times driving home on the upper level in this part of the city. You cruise through an aroma wave of french fries and whoppers.)
After getting everything off the old shevles and cleaning up a few years of dust balls, we got the new shelves set up.
In that middle section that has an opening the idea is to custom order a typical Michoacán shelving unit like the one we have in out kitchen:
But we will have it painted yellow to complement the end pieces of the shelving unit.
I thought the lights we had in the old shelves could be re-purposed. But I didn't realize they were actually too long to install in the new shelves. So we have a temporary situation where the new shelves will be a bit dim until I can track down an appropriate lighting solution. But I'm happy with the new direction.
All that done by about 2pm or so, I enjoyed a Friday afternoon nap with the hounds followed by a quick visit to the gym before meeting some friends for dinner. Coincidentally, we met these friends when they were shopping in San Ángel a few years ago and stopped in our shop.
We picked Sapore d'Italia, which I have passed by and wondered about a number of times.
It is down the street from La Parillita, which we've had a couple of nice meals at. Down the street in the other direction is Ocehntaocho Cemitas, which we have enjoyed more than others apparently, given its 3.9 rating (won't stop us from another visit when we want a cemita).
The restaurant was bigger than I expected, with a split dining room. It felt charming. We all agreed it felt a bit like a neighborhood place you could find in the US. They had a full house. And the service was friendly, as noted repeatedly among the nearly 3000 reviews they have (impressive given its lowish-profile neighborhood location). Our collective verdict was it was okay. A nice setting for a meal and to catch up with friends we hadn't seen in a few months. But I don't think anyone was overly impressed with their meal. Judy and I would go back and try a pizza another time. Glad we went, but it is not being added to our must-go list or regular rotation.
The Nuevo Mercado in Pátzcuaro has been in the works for a while now. Maybe a couple of years? Maybe more? (UPDATE: I found an article noting when the project started, which was just about two years ago.) It opened up about one week after our more recent trip in April, so we could only see the outside and peek in from the perimeter. I was skeptical. The old market was a bit chaotic, but had that 'authenticity' that people seek and romanticize. Informal stalls lining the streets, with plastic tarps strung up on all sides to protect from sun, rain, birds, what have you. You can find more pictures in the google maps listing of the old market. I'm sure I have a few in my photoroll from years past, but cannot find them quickly. So I will borrow this one for reference:
The old market had everything you can find in most good Mexican mercados. Fruit & veg. Carnicerias. Taco stands. Jugos y licuados. Clothes, shoes, housewares, etc., etc., etc. We wouldn't visit during every trip to Pátzcuaro, but we would walk through it often enough. Sometimes picking up a purple sweet potato to bring home. Once to buy rain boots during a particularly rainy stretch with flooding streets all about. The old market would blur lines between market stalls and the shops lining the streets that radiate out from the market location. The whole area was, in my mind anyway, just part of 'the mercado'. So I think of the B2B snack snop that sells giant bags of chicharon and cheez poofs as part of the mercado (that bag of cheez poofs we bought turned out to be a not-great decision).
Back to the current story ...
For the past two years much of the mercado was relocated to the plaza chica. That situation was objectively a mess, so by comparison the nuevo mercado would be an improvement. My concern as nothing more than a regular visitor to town was that the new market would be another step down a path towards contrived, charmless homogeny. In just the 10 years we've been coming through it feels like there have been a lot of changes. A couple / few boutiquey hotels opening up, like El Eden. Some chic, sophisticated cafes, bakeries, and shops. I know things evolve and that managing 'progress' is tricky. But it does feel like the genuine character and 'alma' that justified the city's selection as a pueblo mágico, the vibe that attracted travelers to experience the 'magic', is at risk of becoming a bit stagecrafted for tourists. Admittedly it's a long way off from feeling like an Epcot version of Pátzcuaro. And some of these new places are undoubtedly good additions. But others, like the complex at Casa Musi, for example, feel like an unnecessary step in the wrong direction. The collection of little restaurants and Don Gennaro's hot chocolate shop that were in that corner building previously had charm and appeal that can't be concocted in the brainstorming session of some rich family's LLC (or whatever the Mexican equivalent is).
All that is semi-relevant preamble to say I was dubious about the nuevo mercado. And at this point all I have had is one limited first impression. Let's see how I feel next year after another 3 or 4 visits. But my first impression is that it is a net positive.
The streets that were once blanketed with informal puestos spreading out in all directions are now tidied up.
Stepping in from one of the entrances you can see it's still not fully ramped up. But we were also there fairly early in the day. Around 10am. So it could also be that not everyone had opened up for the day yet.
It's a multi-level deal with an attractive atrium of sorts.
So we headed up to see what was what. More shops and a nice view of the lower level.
All the way up top there is a pedestrian bridge connecting the two buildings. There are a number of food stalls up there that will likely be a very cool place to enjoy some tacos with a view. But today was early and cloudy. So we snapped a few pics and kept it moving.
We went up via the stairs, came down via the ramp, and did note they have an elevator. So it's relatively accessible, though the one elevator was pretty small.
Net - I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll be back out there in October and will have to check out the upper deck's food hall for lunch and report back.
Today's lunch adventure was supposed to be a new chicken place Judy saw on Avenida Insurgentes. Allegedly called 'Chik-it' (no such establishment according to google maps). Once we realized 'Chik-it' might have been a weird dream we needed a back up plan. Hamburguesa HM was the winner. We have passed this place a few dozen times over the last 3.5 years living in Del Valle Centro. Seen other locations around the city, too. Apparently there are 10 locations around la CDMX. Never really gave it a go. Just don't go out for burgers much.
From the Insurgentes side of this location you'd never guess how big it is. From the back side, which opens up onto maybe one of the shortest streets in Mexico City, Cerrada de Artemio de Valle Arizpe, it looks like nothing special. Turns out it's decent. Place was pretty busy. Had all the screens on a Womens Euro quarterfinal between France and Germany (Germany won). Can see how it could be lively for a higher profile event.
Didn't take any pictures of the menu, but it's a multi-page laminated deal with hero shots of burger after burger. And a compelling tower of Aros de Cebolla which was enough to convince Judy. Looked better on the menu than this, but she was happy. $110 MXN for at least 20 hearty onion rings.
Judy got a pulled pork 'burger' that she was really happy with. I had my mind on something chicken related (was excited to try 'Chik-it') and got a Burrote with cruji pollo. Was hoping for something akin to the old fried chicken wraps I used to get at KFC way back in the day. It was just okay. Loaded it up with the side of jalapeños they brought to the table, plus alternating shots of cheez whizz and bbq sauce. I blame myself for getting the chicken option at a place named 'Hamburguesas'.
We would try it again. I'll get a burger next time.
Any visit to Gdansk will involve some time walking along Długie Pobrzeże, browsing the shops, considering the restaurants, snapping pics of the new buildings over on Granary Island. If you enjoy the steady flow of people walking by and the buzz of being on the beaten path, you can stop at a place like Ostro and eat out front, where the experience might look like this:
However, as we learned during our walkabout earlier in the day, there is a parallel universe behind the facades. A chill area of back patios illuminated by classic streetlamps and strings of warm bulb lights.
We opted for that experience. Stylishy casual. Lively, but not rowdy. Good vibes.
Service was, let's say reserved. But I think that varied by server. A few of them looked like they were finding inspiration in Robert Palmer's "Simply Irrestible" back up band. Hair pulled back. Minimal expression. And our main server maybe uttered 10 words to us throughout the course of the meal. Seemed to maintain a consistent approach with neighboring tables, so it wasn't just us. But at the end of the evening a friendly fellow delivered our check and wished us well. Not rude service. Just not warm service.
This starter was delicious. I believe it was a burrata with some olive tapenade and bread they make on premise. Great beginning.
I was intrigued by the promise of Polish red wine on the menu.
I do not have the most discriminating palate for wine, but I remember it being tasty enough.
Our choice of pizza was not as successful. It sounded great on paper. Some kind of cheese, bit of ham (I think), and pistachios (which is a pretty big thing in Poland). Taste was good. Dough was nice. But the 'cheese' was so fresh and watery that it turned the middle of the pie into a soup. Couldn't get through the whole thing. Which was fine since we weren't starving as we housed the starter dish. But there would be no glorious next-morning-pizza for breakfast.
Overall a strong recommend for the experience. Nice atmosphere. Looked like a great selection of craft beers if you're not convinced by the Polish wines. Just be careful with your pizza selection. Wrong cheese can sink the deal.
