How Weekends Should Always Be: Part 1, Chocolate Caliente

Last weekend I 'ran' a marathon of fantastic food. An endurance challenge that, like actual running, was made even more enjoyable - appreciated for its length and more humorously mused over - by the presence of a fellow participant: My best friend was visiting from NY for the weekend and I had planned for us to visit an assortment of food destinations that I had been meaning to share/try. My friend (whom I shall refer to as "J" only because it makes me giggle to not use her full name - as if this were a top secret document of utmost importance) and I have shared many a good dish and bottle (or 2, or more) of wine. From our visits to small, grilled-llama-serving homes in Argentina to Muppet-filled German bars in NYC to playing "guess the wine" with Restaurant Eve's sommelier, I know she'll always be up for whatever I can find!

We kicked off the weekend by meeting another friend for dinner at Oyamel. While I love Mexican food, I have to be honest and say that I wasn't particularly interested in this restaurant (which I walk past on my way to work) until I saw the Washingtonian's review of their spiced hot chocolate. As raving fans of Haagen Dazs' Mayan Chocolate ice cream, I thought J and I should most definitely review the hot chocolate ourselves.

The restaurant itself is fun and beautiful. The different levels between the main entrance/bar, lower seating area and back room give the relatively small space an open feel (even with the hanging butterfly mobiles, arched corridor-like ceiling in front of the bar and glass partitions to the back room). Various hues of orange and dramatic candelabras dripping with melted max, give the Day of the Dead theme a warm spotlight in front of the windowed store front.
(I particularly loved the shadow-box tile in the unisex bathroom - thanks to the blogger who had a picture for me to share.)

Oyamel's menu consists mostly of antojitos, or 'small plates'. Being particularly hungry, J and I had already bookmarked an assortment of 5 plates that we wanted to try when our on-time friend arrived. We all agreed on our choices, ordered the food and some drinks. Being at a Mexican restaurant that offered more types of tequila than I'd ever seen, the list of tequila concoctions looked amazing. I went with our waitress' recommendation: the Oyamel Pomegranate Margarita w/ pomegranate, agave nectar, Cointreau, Jose Cuervo, and lime. The best part of the nicely shaken drink was the "salt air" - a thick layer of salty foam floating on top. (Totally made me think of Marcel and his concoctions on Top Chef.) J went with the "Old Fashion" cocktail. A twist on the traditional, Oyamel's is made with Siembra Azul Reposado, pomegranate, mango, orange bitters and agave. Both were fantastic.

Without question, we started our meal with the table-side preparation of guacamole. The traditional ingredients were super fresh and chunky. Green tomatillo, serrano chili and crumbled queso fresco were delicious additions. We were very sad when our chips could no longer wipe more green deliciousness from the bottom of the stone bowl.

From there we enjoyed a red snapper ceviche, steamed mussels in a delicious tequila-based sauce, a grilled skirt steak with guajillo chili and crushed peanuts, and albóndigas (meatballs) in chipotle sauce with crumbled ‘double cream’ cheese and cilantro. The snapper gave the ceviche a rich texture, the mussels were small, tender and their sauce was made sweeter by shaved onions, the skirt steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the meatballs were well-marbled and very flavorful. Over all of these wonderful dishes, however, my favorite was the "Sopes de Frijol Con Hoja de Aguacate": Traditional corn flour cake topped with refried black beans, ground avocado leaf, queso fresco cheese and a salsa negra of chipotle chiles and piloncillo sugar. The dense texture of the small round cakes gave the slightly-sweet, moist topping a perfect platform. The touch of sugar balanced and enhanced the smokiness of the chipotle and the 'brightness' of the cheese. I love sharing small plates! You have the opportunity to try a whole assortment of delicious dishes.

For dessert, I had only one thing on my mind - Chocolate Caliente. The waitress brought out a clay pitcher of hot milk and a small bag of the secret chocolate mix (cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla beans and cloves). She used an interesting wooden utensil to incorporate the powered mix: the plunger/stave/dash-like instrument had a hollow carved base and ornate rings that swirled the milk when rolled between your palms. We all "ahhh-ed" at the delicious smell of the cocoa mix and the warm milk as the prepared drink was poured into our cups. It was just so delicious! The resulting beverage didn't taste like a powder had been mixed into it at all. It was perfectly blended, rich and fragrant (but not overpowering). It was like a more comforting, less-chocolate-y version of Mayan Chocolate ice cream.

J's and my hot chocolate verdict? Definitely go have some!