It’s been awhile, but I liked Mendocino Farms. Planning an LA trip for a conference in late April. Gutsy conference. Hope it works out.
There is a Mendocino Farms in midtown Sacramento … on R Street.
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Thank you! I’ve only been to one in LA! Is it "worthy "?
yup
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And don’t forget to get in a game of foozeball while you’re there.
Late lunch/early supper for us delivered from Bruno’s-- Chicken Piccata. A long time ago in a state far far away (at college) I had my first job as a bus boy which included anything off the menu. Tried the piccata and it was an epiphany! I think the chef got tired of making it for me 
Anyway, I don’t think I ever had it again until we moved here & I saw it on their menu. It was great. This is the 4th or 5th time I’ve had it & all have been good-- a little too much lemon in 1.
Sorry no pics.
Hey moderators-- I sort of feel there should a separate Maine topic in the New England category.
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After breakfast I went straight to a certain well-known producer to try my first traditional Oaxacan chocolate drinks.
100% pure chocolate in one cup, the other one has milk and vanilla.
One of the typical Oaxacan breads to eat alongside chocolate drinks. This one is called “yolk bread”. Super fluffy and only mildly sweet.
Chocolate is dissolved in the kitchen and the server uses a wooden tool to “beat” it until frothy. Then he pours it into your cup.
To my well-being!
One of Mexico’s (culinary) gifts to the world! Can’t wait to go back here after breakfast.
Whilst walking past boarding gates at MEX seeing listed destinations I was thinking to myself there’s nowhere else I would rather be right now. Because, ballenas/whales!!! Feels so good to be back in Me-Hi-Co!
6:30 departure. (Thanks, air traffic controllers*, for keeping me safe! *who have the most stressful job in the world)
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Just wander round outside the touristy centre and one will find there are many local places to eat (real/not heavily-gringoed typical food). Went to a craft beer address but it didn’t exist and found this place in an unassuming location.
The condition of the road is quite normal around here. The shop has no name.
Tlayuda is a typical Oaxacan corn tortilla, a giant one, bigger than a dinner plate. To eat just use your hands, tear the tortilla into smaller pieces. Watch how the locals do it and follow. Easy, really. I even tried the green onion (!), something I deeply loath. Removed the charred layer first. The onion is kind of sweet, no retch-inducing smell and little slime.
Filled with bean paste and cheese. Always cheese.
Tasajo is a dry piece of meat. Translation I got “jerky”.
Condiments: pickled onions, smokey chilli sauce, serrano chilli sauce. Both sauces are nice and spicy. Even my travelling companion who can’t eat as spicy as I likes them.
Also a condiment but not sure what is is. Mild, little flavour, and thin.
No beer, no plain water. Only fizzy drinks or this, water with lime bits in it.
Menu on the wall
Making tortillas. Some locals come just to buy the freshly made tortillas for home use. They bring their own dish cloths to carry the warm tortillas home.
Half an old (oil) drum.
The tortillas are brushed with lard, then a thin layer of bean paste, then next is Oaxacan cheese (“Quesillo”). These 3 things will always go on a Tlayuda. Other toppings are optional.
The tortillas are first cooked on the drum, then roast till crispy over coals, also to melt the Quesillo.
We were the second last to arrive. The shop opens till 5pm. Real local food, no gringos in sight and easy on the wallet.
Ceramics sold on pavement
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There are 2 organic “markets” in town, I visited the first one for lunch.
Tasajo (dried beef or “jerky”) with melted Quesillo (Oaxacan melting cheese, a bit like mozz), and some chapulines (crispy critters) on top.
Prawn aguachile. Hot enough but not blow-my-head-off “hot”. Some cooks make it even hotter.
Be still mi corazon…
Hard to make good photos inside the dark and busy markets. The paths are small and there’s a constant stream of people.
So many types of chillies and they are gorgeous.
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@Presunto - The first picture I thought was going to be a presentation of Huevos Divorciamentos, but chicken! The thin, pale green sauce looked like Mole Pipian but you said thin and the pumpkin seeds should have made it thick.
We have not had much Oaxacan food here until recently. Most of the Mexican immigrant population here has come from the border states in NE Mexico and the Gulf states, plus the states that contributed a lot of workers to the Bracero program in the last century (Jalisco, Hidalgo). So I’m fascinated and seeing a lot I’m not familiar with.
I always enjoy you travel reports so much. The pictures look great to me.
ETA: Well I see the first line of my post should have been on the Breakfast thread 
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Cajun-ish hot dog, v2
Richard’s andouille (spicy), on well-toasted (crispy/crunchy) Pane Turano, Blue Runner Creole style creamy red beans on the bread, Lowensenf Extra Hot Mustard, plus the last of the can of beans (with some hot sauce added), and pickled okray.
Excellent. The first version with the Aldi chicken sausage wasn’t bad but this was much better. Very meaty sausage - chunks not ground
Wrap;
Spinach tortilla, Swiss cheese, supermarket deli sliced chicken breast, griddled, thick cut bacon, thin slices of raw zucchini. I should say Attempted Wrap - mathematically, the volume of ingredients was too great for the tortilla 
Mid-afternoon snack:
Baked sweet potato with sour cream and salsa verde (tomatillo based). I forced myself to eat only half so I could have some leftover SP for toast the next morning.
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Very impressive!
Fried chicken sandwich on Kaiser roll with cabbage slaw, dill pickles, mayo, and mustard. I used this recipe more or less for the chicken which came out pretty well - the chicken was cooked through and the crust didn’t get overly fried since it was finished in the oven.
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Thanks, Bruce!!!
More from Oaxaca.
Checked out another “organic market” where I had some lunch.
Food does not look like in the advertised photo but it’s prawns.
Oaxaca is corn territory. Flour tortillas don’t exist here, and don’t even dare ask.
Fish ceviche ‘tostada’, on same big and crispy tortilla.
Crispy critters, but no earworms and isopods. Mostly garlicky, savoury grasshoppers.
Master potter demonstrates how Zapotecan black pottery is made. Takes about 4 weeks or from this to the final product, all manually. No glaze is applied.
I would have bought these 2 cups but I no longer buy stuff. Only edible souvenirs.
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I had reservations about tamales but wanted to try anyway. Much better and almost nothing like the stuff I ate in Chile (slimy and pasty). Same problem with S.E. Asian boiled (sticky) rice parcels wrapped in banana leaves. It’s not the food. Comes down to my texture aversion.
Sweet tamal.
Rajas, but does not contain cheese/cream. Chicken and chillies, probably poblanos. I often see them sold on streets or at the produce stalls. Spicy. The chilli sauce is spicy enough to make me sniff.
Probably their most sold tamales, chicken in chocolate mole. Comes with extra mole negro. At busy times I noticed most Mexicans ordered this one and one wrapped in corn husks. Glad I tried all 3. No slime issue, corn massa is coarser. At this pleasant chocolate shop-restaurant you can see everything being made in the open kitchen, if you stand at the counter or if your table has views of the kitchen doorway.
The pasilla Oaxacaqueños come in 3 sizez (I got all 3) but the biggest ones are most smokey, darkest and a little moist.
First batch of pure chocolate and pasilla Oaxacaqueños. Wanted to know how much could fit into my rucksack. Found out I had room for twice as much and went back to the market for more. My bag smells amazing now, a mix of chocolate and chillies.
The small round-shaped chillies in previous photo.
They also have vanilla. Chilli sellers know that if you know about Oaxacan pasilla chillies then you probably also want to buy vanilla. I gave her all the cash I had in my pocket for only a few of these, as they are quite expensive.
Home-made salsa macha with different chillies. Seen on a random door in a non touristy part of town.
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“this one and one wrapped in corn husks.”
What is that one wrapped in? Maybe plantain or banana leaves?
I can almost smell and taste them. Almost, but can’t. 
