A Lovely Evening in Oaxaca

Although the days have been warm here, the nights have been rather chilly.  (I know, I shouldn't complain, when my friends back home in Ohio are shivering in the cold and snow!) Last night, however, the temperature was milder, and our stroll from the apartment to the center of the city was especially pleasant.

 The Church of Santo Domingo at night.

 The Cathedral of Oaxaca

For supper we chose "El Asador Vasco", a restaurant located on a second-story balcony overlooking the Zócalo, the main plaza.

We could not have had a better table.  This is the view from where we sat.  We could look down on the activity on the plaza, and listen to the musical groups that were playing below.

The restaurant, as the name implies specializes in Basque and Spanish cuisine, but it also has international fare and traditional Oaxacan dishes.  We began our supper with Spanish starters.  We shared a pitcher of sangría and an order of "croquetas de jamón" (ham croquettes).  I also had "sopa de ajo" (Spanish garlic soup).

For my main course, I switched to a Oaxacan dish... chicken in "almendrado" sauce.  "Alemendrado" is another one of Oaxaca's "mole" sauces, but it is quite unlike most of the other "moles".  It is made with almonds and tomatoes.  The flavor is very delicate with a hint of "picante".  It was delicious.  Now I have had two of Oaxaca's seven "moles" on this trip.

(photo taken by Jane)

Jane opted for grilled salmon with roasted vegetables.  She said it was delicious.

"El Asador Vasco" is more expensive than the other restaurants we have visited so far.  My bill (I also had dessert and coffee) came to about $35 US.  But considering the atmosphere, the excellent service, and the delicious food, it was good value for the money.  By United States standards, it was a bargain.  

We definitely plan to return again during our stay in Oaxaca.