How many tacos is the right amount of tacos? Such a thing is perhaps best left undiscovered. But, a half dozen or so is definitely a good amount of tacos.
I got up early and picked up an assortment of pastries at the bakery, while catching up on a night’s worth of doomscrolling and doompodcasting. Mexican pastries always disappoint in terms of flavor, but they make up for it in sheer variety. We lingered around the apartment rooftop patio for a while, before meeting up with our friend Avidan, the Taco Mensch, for a tour. We met Avidan on our last visit, and loved his perspective. We’ve kept in touch through COVID, and it was such a pleasure to see him again. Since COVID killed the food tour business, he pivoted and started an Israeli street food place called Bar Pita.
We explored and ate and caught up. Avidan thinks there’s been a real renaissance in the food scene in Mexico City during COVID, as people have focused on ingredients and quality and pursing new opportunities. Avidan also loaded us up with a week’s worth of must-do activities – cool new restaurants to try, galleries to visit, and much more.
After our tour, we swung back to the apartment to digest for a bit. Then we set out to check out some of Avidan’s recommendations, which didn’t disappoint. At MAIA Contemporary, we saw a rather stunning exhibit by Sabino Guisu. Then we headed to Utilitario Mexicano, where we bought some gorgeous textiles. Wandering back, we met our friends to get some drinks at an indoor/outdoor treehouse bar. They taught us to play the Arab card game “hand”, before we grabbed some fantastic Peruvian food for a late dinner.
Now, dear reader, you must be thinking “Wow, what a full day! Because you are very old, you probably went straight to bed after that right?”. But no! Avidan had yet another connection for us – getting our names on the guest list at a speakeasy mezcal club. It didn’t even open until 10pm! Surely only cool young people go to places like that!
Following the instructions we were given, we knocked on the unlabeled white door and got invited inside. There were a few rooms set up with different mezcal and cocktail options, and a very laid back vibe. We made it until almost 11:30, which felt like quite an accomplishment. Nothing good happens after midnight.
What a great day! You sure do pack a lot in, and I would never, ever describe you as “very old.” (Wee tech note: I tried Chrome, then Safari, and the photos didn’t load individually.)