SnapShots⎢⫸⩥⎢Sunday Brunch and a Stroll By Mercado México

When you’re still trying to find your footing in a new place, rituals or familiars are essential in keeping you grounded. Family pictures. Comfortable, worn in bedding. Holiday traditions. Maybe Pizza Movie Nights or Saturday morning breakfasts. Perhaps a new episode of Game of Thrones. White wine…with ice. And for our family of foodies, you could add brunch to that list. We are a family of eaters; we like eating out and with two small kids, brunch (aka waffles) is high on the chain.

B R U N C H

In only a month, I’d heard about La Cafeteria from a couple of sources so for our first brunch in Guadalajara we headed there. Located in Colonia Americana, we met up with new friends at La Cafeteria, a little cafe tucked into so many trees that you’d think you were eating in a jungle. Like any good brunch spot, we gave our name for the wait list. Unlike, many brunch spots though, they offered free coffee and fresh melon juice while you waited.

We didn’t get to sit outside in the Mexican jungle atmosphere but the inside had its own shabby chic style: fresh pink carnations on the tables, glass chandeliers, exposed brick walls and hipsters… because apparently hipsters can be found in all parts of the world*. 😉

My eggs benny dish was pretty stellar and exactly what someone who was feeling a little lost in her homesickness** should order.  The kids each got their own waffles topped with whip cream and strawberries. I’d tell you it was delicious but they scarfed them down leaving me only a finger swipe of whip cream.

M E R C A D O   M É X I C O

After brunch, we weren’t ready to head home so we walked towards Paseo Chapultepec, a street once know as Avenida Lafayette that was lined with opulent french style mega-homes, but is now humming with shops, bars, coffee spots, and – on certain days of the week – vendor kiosks. But we didn’t make it there.

Before reaching Paseo Chapultepec, we passed Mercado México which was buzzing with its own Sunday fun. I’ve seen a number of these high-end artisanal food markets popping up in big cities lately (NYC, San Juan, etc.) and this has the same feel but today the square was also full of local vendors selling everything from dresses to soap to plants to beer.

This particular vendor caught my eye. I’ve been eyeing up tassel necklaces for y-e-a-r-s but never bought one… til today. I loved the different designs and colors and how delicate and dainty they looked. And I have a bad feeling that this might be that “slippery slope” people talk about. Like Pringles, can you stop after you pop? Because, I mean, come on… look at this stuff.

From our last visit to Mercado México, I knew there were some sweet goodies upstairs in the form of churros. Yummy, crispy, cinnamon-sugary churros. 5 for 40 pesos (or 5 for $2.25). There was a time when, like Sarah Jessica Parker, “Hello Lover” was reserved for a beautiful pair of heels. Now, it’s for churros. Oh how the times have changed.

Like SJP though, brunch with friends and a stroll around a cool city is all I need to lift my spirits. The footing will come… one step at a time.

P.S. I told you we were foodies, A stroll down memory lane, and a MicroAdventure in the Colonial Zone.

Notes:

*No hipsters were harmed in the making of this post.

**Eggs benedict wasn’t necessarily “popular” in Santo Domingo but had become more so in the last couple of years.