Gourmet Meal at a Budget Price

In Mexico the main meal of the day, "comida", is served in the mid-afternoon.  In the old days, businesses all shut down for several hours in the afternoon so that employees could go home, have their "comida", take a "siesta" (nap), and then go back to work.   The "siesta" is a thing of the past, but the "comida" is still the main meal.  There are countless restaurants throughout the city that cater to working people taking a break for their afternoon meal.  In fact many small restaurants are not even open in the evening; they do all their business in the afternoon.  These small eateries typically offer a "meal of the day" with three courses, and several choices for each course.  The day's offerings are usually written on a chalkboard outside the restaurant. The prices are generally very economical, although the food is often unremarkable.

This afternoon I went out looking for a place to eat.  Just a few blocks from my apartment I found a little "hole-in-the-wall" kitchen with a few tables on the sidewalk.  The place had the odd name of "Kousmine Delight".  The menu on the chalkboard looked rather intriguing, so I gave the place a try.  I'm sorry that I did not take my camera with me so that you could see what I had.

First course - a soup from the Mexican state of Michoacán made from tomatillos and cilantro.

Second course - an elegantly presented salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, apple, and jícama served with a strawberry vinaigrette dressing.

Third course - a beef tart with carmelized onions, basil pesto and avocado sauce.

Also included were a beverage and a dessert which was like strawberry mousse.

The entire meal was quite creative and tasty.  I can imagine some pretentious restaurant in the United States serving a similar meal and charging a small fortune.  My bill was 100 pesos... less than eight dollars!