Comida: Part II A Sample Menú del Día (Vegetariano)

Like 6000 months ago, I premiered my -supposed- first in a -supposed- series of entries about food. Then, I got sidetracked by all things merry, fa-la-la, etc. But, you know what? I'm back on the comida-train now, ready to make you salivate to all that vegetarianism in Mexico has to offer.

Matt and I have one month remaining in this lovely country. That means we have one month left of scouring the apartment for random pesos in pockets, between cushions, and under furniture so that we can enjoy our favorite restaurants for the last times before we depart.

To recap, Comida: Part One was all about soups. Specificially, that entry highlighted soups served with the menu of the day (menu of the day is a four-course meal with a set price and set options, a la a chef's choice kind-of-thing).

Today, I'm going to present pictures of last Saturday's menu of the day at Restaurante Yug, our favorite of the favorites.

First of all, I must pay homage to the aguas frescas. As I've previously stated, the fresh juices here are incredible. Aguas are served at many restaurants, alongside the juices. Aguas are more watered down than the juices and are often sweetened. Matt drank agua de pepino y limón (cucumber-lime juice). It was thirst-quenchingly delicious.

I imbibed the horchata. Horchata is a rice and nut-based drink (like ricealmond milk), sweetened, and spiced with cinnamon and vanilla. Oh, its scrumptious. Luckily for us, horchata is quite popular and easy to find in Austin.

For the salad course, Matt and I opted for the same thing out of three possible choices, the nopales oaxaqueños. Nopal is a type of cactus; it's the kind with flat, broad, green fronds. It's very common in the American Southwest. Nopal is a very popular vegetable here (after being de-needled, of course); especially popular served in dishes, sandwiches, and tacos. Biting into it is fun, because it does that bursting thing, similar to biting into a snap pea. So, the nopales were sauteed in oil and dusted with chile flakes and served with Oaxaca-style cheese. Oaxaca cheese is fluffy and pillowy, mild in taste, and pleasant.

For the soup course, Matt enjoyed crema de espinaca, or cream of spinach. Yug's cream soups are always velvety soft, smooth, and decadent. I chose sopa de lima because I didn't know what it would entail, and that was exciting to me. It turned out to be a tortilla soup (no problema) with a variety of vegetables, and no lima beans, to my surprise.

For the main course, Matt went with the enchiladas suizas. Enchiladas are quite popular in this part of Mexico. You can get them with all sorts of "innards" (including cheese, spinach, and every kind of meat imaginable), and they are smothered in all sorts of sauces (mole, pepita, tomato, green tomatillo, cream, and even a meat-based sauce). Matt's were served in a tomato-based sauce with a "melty" cheese on top (perhaps Oaxaca-style?). Inside, there was a spongy, soft, non-"melty" inside (perhaps queso freso, a farmer's style cheese).

For the entree, I devoured albondigas norteñas. I chose this one because, once again I had no idea what an albondiga was (it's easier to be adventurous at a vegetarian restaurant: no cow brains or chicken feet or whatevs). Turns out albondigas are usually meatballs. Mine were filled with all sorts of hearty green veggies. The dish was served with wedges of boiled potatoes. The highlight, though, was the sauce. Matt and I both liked its dynamic flavor and slight hint of bitterness. It tasted familiar but I could not put my finger on it for a couple days. Then, it hit me. Matt and I made a chile bisque a year or two ago, and it called for dried chiles, specifically a type called guajillo. With this little chile pepper, a little of it goes a long way, and it was definitely the standout flavor in this tomato-based sauce. As you can see, the whole thing was topped with a little queso fresco. Perfect!

Our meal ended with a crepe stuffed with pineapple and smothered in a homemade strawberry, orange, and apricot syrup (at least those were the flavors I tasted).

See! See! Vegetarians can eat well, too! And all this cost around $6US per person and included a variety of breads before the entree! Mexican cuisine is so amazing that even the meat capital of the world has great vegetarian options. Oh boy, we'll miss this place.