Comedor Alheli - SAN AGUSTÍN ETLA

North of Oaxaca city in the Etla area, is a collection of villages tucked away in the low hills of the area. We were wandering along looking to visit the paper factory on New Year Eve day. Given the holiday season, hings were pretty buttoned up. That said, we just wanted to find SOMEPLACE to lunch. Alheli is just shy of the old textile factory which now showcases art exhibits along with artist studios. This village of San Augustin Etla is really nice and more upscale than most others that we have seen in the area. The Comedor Alheli gate was open and a fellow waas unloading groceries. In my C- level Spanish I asked the owner if they were open and found that they were not until after the New Year. I asked if he couild recommend any place where we might get lunch. After a brief conversation with some people in the background he asked me how many of us there were and after I replied two he invited us in for lunch. What amazing courtesy and hospitality! We have been in the area for two weeks and the Mexicans have been uniformally pleasant, courteous, helpful and respectful. There has not been any kind of incident or remark directed toward us. A young woman, later we learned that it was Alejandro's wife, set a table with cloth and place settings and we sat down. We were literally guests in their home, sitting in a shady covered patio that was quiet and not exposed to the street. The owner, Alejandro, described what could be put together for our lunch and this unexpected bu greatly welcomed experience unflolded. We had beer along two very traditional Oaxacan dishes. My wife had a form of Tlayada,a flat large corn tortilla with a rich, flavorful, but light mole topped with that stringy Oaxacan matsarella-like cheese. She really liked it as the tortilla was not the usually crisp hard version found in the area. And the mole was lighter than the complex and very heavy tasting moles we have experienced. Turns out that Alejandro's mother was making what her mother had made and the mole was a family secret. And a delicious one for sure. I had another form of corn tortilla layers smothered with a mild, fresh-tasting tomato sauce, certainly not canned and topped with two perfectly cooked over-medium fried eggs. All the while we chatted with Alejandro, who it turns out spoke English so we were flipping back and forth in Spanish and English. We learned a lot of history about the area and that life would return to normal operating hours the next week. We met his children and wife, but not his mother who remained behind the sceanes. Alheli is a flower common in the area, hence the nameof the comedor. And a note that a comedor is a small eatery generally seating less than twenty people and having a limited menu. Comedors are less that a restaurant which seats more people and has a more extensive menu. Alheli operates daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As we did not have a menu we cannot comment on their selections or prices. We were charged 90 pesos for beer and two dishes, which was certainly far less than we think we would have been charged elsewhere. So...make a point of stopping by when you visit the old factory, now art gallery, and the paper factory further on up the hill. You can park lower on the road to Alheli and walk to both the factory and paper place. A great international travel experience. Nice people, nice place nice meal.

Service: Dine in Meal type: Brunch

Weak. 120 pesos person for a small menu del dia. Not many choices.

Muy rico todo, el sazón oaxaqueño nunca falla, y muy buen servicio con las señoras del lugar también. Nos tocó un agua de jamaica no endulzada (siempre agradecemos ese detalle , una crema de calabaza exquisita y luego arroz y pollo con coloradito, uno de los mejores que he comido también :

Atención personalizada por Dña Carmen. Mole rojo delicioso, tlayudas, café, chocolate caliente y más platillos de la región. Para almuerzo después de visitar CaSa.