Back at the Apartment

After spending five nights at Alejandro's house, last night he drove me to the apartment that I rent.  Those who have been reading my blog for a while already know that the apartment is located in the neighborhood of Nápoles and just a short walk from the Mexico City World Trade Center.

 
This morning I went to one of my favorite restaurants for breakfast, "El Cardenal", once again, a place to which my long time readers have been introduced.  "El Cardenal" is a chain of restaurants which specialize in traditional Mexican food.  My nearby branch is across the street from the World Trade Center in a shopping mall.  It does not have the atmosphere of the original restaurant located in an old building in the Historic Center, but the food and service are just as good.  In fact, the service here is superb.  I always have a bevy of servers waiting on me.

Just as on my last trip, the restaurant has outdoor seating where, even though the morning was a bit chilly, this paranoid traveler could eat al fresco. 

A waiter took my drink order... Mexican hot chocolate and freshly made guava juice.  Another waiter came with a pitcher of hot chocolate, stirred it with a "molinillo", a wooden implement to make it frothy, and poured it into my cup.  Yet another waiter came with a selection of freshly baked "pan dulce".  I selected a chocolate filled pastry.  That was consumed before I ever took out my camera.

For my main course I ordered "gorditas hidalguenses"... "gorditas" in the style of the state of HIdalgo.  "Gorditas" (which translates as "fatties") are usually little cornmeal cakes with a stuffing.  These, however, were quite different.  Each "gordita" consisted of two small tortillas with a chopped beef mixture in between them.  They were garnished with "queso fresco" (Mexican farmer's cheese) and cilantro, and covered with a nicely spicy green sauce.  Accompanying it were a small bowl of beans, and a crusty "bolillo" hot out of the oven. "El Cardenal" has the best "bolillos", and it was perfect for sopping up the green sauce.  

I later looked up "gorditas hidalguenses", and, sure enough, the picture looked just like what I ate.

A wonderful breakfast to start the day!