La Polar

Guillermo Prieto 129, corner of Melchor Ocampo, Colonia San Rafael





LA CASA DE LA BUENA BIRRIA or La Polar had its beginnings in the early 1930's as a local beer joint whose owners hailed from Ocotlán Jalisco. In the 1980's already well established and with a reputation for the best Jaliscan style birria of Mexico City the original business began to physically grow into what we see now, a restaurant/bar/events center. La Polar proudly displays its longevity on the side of the building with the legend " 74 aniversario 1934-2008" , add another year and we're celebrating its 75th year in business now.

Birria can be made with lamb,goat,or mutton or a combination of any of these meats but it is the seasonings that make the dish. According to Ricardo Munoz Zurita's "Diccionario Enciclopedia de Gastronomia Mexicana" the traditional recipe calls for salting the meat and rubbing with a salsa/sauce of chiles, which can be ancho, guajillo, morita, cascabel and colorado that are ground together with black pepper, clove, oregano, cumin, vinegar, salt, garlic, and onion. In some areas pulque is also added to this mixture and the whole wrapped in maguey leaves. An exceptional festival/party dish its preparation requires an expert hand and at La Polar the results are delicious.

And please don't ask for a menu, the offering is Birria in all of its glory.

Los Chamorros de Tlalcoquemecatl

After an intense year of accompanying journalists, radio crews, and TV crews around Mexico City I finally had time to go through my own notes!
Of course everything turned on what was happening in the food world. New emerging trends, old traditions, new chefs, culinary legends and wherever there was great food. From street corners to valet parking the distances traveled covered the whole of Mexico City.
The reports that follow in the coming weeks will cover eateries that will transport you to Mexico City, literally as well as figuratively. So come with us to visit Los Chamorros of Tlalcoquemecatl.


Los Chamorros
Pork leg you won't believe, in the style of Jalisco state.

177 Tlacoquemecatl St., Del Valle 
Tel: 52-55-5575-1235.

Culinaria Mexicana

Finally a web site that provides up to the minute and detailed coverage of all things associated with the Mexican Culinary scene. From current news items, interviews of the movers and shakers of this world, recipes, calendar of events, to a virtual store and yes even Culinary tours!

Developed and directed by three of the younger generation, Claudio Poblete Ritschel heads up the group as its editorial director, as his executive director ( and beautiful wife) Silvia Ayala Barajas, and as the creative director Arturo Aguirre Tapia. They bring years of experience to this much needed enterprise.

The scene here is sizzling and this launch of the web magazine will keep you up to the day with all things culinary in Mexico!

Tortas in Mexico City

New York Magazine's restaurant section has been one of several dining guides that I use when I'm in "El Norte". Today's online restaurant section came with an article on a distinctly MEXICAN creation, the TORTA, and to tell the truth, if you haven't eaten a torta in Mexico City, you don't know what your talking about!
Luckily good friend Nick Gilman covered the torta, and its regional variations, in his blog Good Food In Mexico City. So for an insiders view of the torta, cemita, pambazo, and torta ahogada go to his article on this most protean of Mexican "good eats".


Nick Gilman's Torta report, and if you get very hungry catch a plane and munch your way through his recommended best of Mexico City Torta stands.


After writing this post FaceBook friend Juan Carlos Chavez sent his recommendations for tortas in the city. Here are his top picks:

June 29
Ruth, en la Ciudad de México, La Texcocana, Don Polo y El Moro, -según yo- las mejores

To Laugh Again!

Finally a laugh...... and NO, eating pork doesn't give you the swine flu!