Shortly after arriving in town, I tracked down Jose Luis, a seriously inventive chef who at the tender age of 29 is working magic with the flavors of Oaxaca. After reading about him in the New York Times, I found his quiet pousada called Casa Crespo where he presides as chief alchemist of El Teatro Culinario. Watch for him in the February issue of Bon Apetit.
Because of Oaxaca's intoxicating blend of art, food and we've decided to stay an additional week. We moved houses as the owner of the house in Xochimilco returned on Sunday. On craigslist, we found another beautiful spot which I've named Casa de Jardin Secreto. In addition to two dogs, a pair of hummingbirds and a noisy neighbor rooster, the new house sports a lush private garden, an open kitchen and pretty terrace: the perfect space for a dinner party. We invited Jose Luis and some new friends to join us Monday evening.
The very eclectic and interesting blend of twenty-ish people included friends and teachers from my school, international traveling set living or passing through Oaxaca and some locals. The group hailed from Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Finland, Italy, France, Guatemala, Canada and a sprinkling from the U.S.. I'm pleased to report that most of the evening's conversation was conducted in Spanish. Jose whipped up shrimp, black bean soup, mushrooms and guacamole for a family-style feast.
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