Guelaguetza

My brother Dino and his wife Grace invited us to dinner on their almost last supper. They had one more dinner to go before their flight the following day. They had read great things about this restaurant which was established in 1994. It was rated the best Oaxacan food in the country by Jonatan Gold.

Sandi and I got there a bit early. There was no parking except for valet, which was fine, but they didn't allow cars to park until 6 p.m. A Tesla tried to drive in as I parked across the street in a small strip mall, but he was immediately told to leave. We had to go inside a Korean market to see if anything was interesting, but we did not buy anything. There was a guard at the parking lot, ensuring that the lot was just for the market's patrons. The same thing happened to Gary with Dino and Grace. They had to circle a few times until just shortly before 6 p.m., when we were all allowed to come and park. 

The place did look lively as a band was just getting ready to play. This is a "happening place," with many people, and we noticed people picking up orders to take home.

We left the ordering to Dino and Grace since we were going to eat family-style. Our server helped decide what to order since none of us were familiar with Oaxacan food. They gave us some chips with mole and cheese to start. That was enjoyed by all. 

They ordered a pitcher of Margarita. After all, what's Mexican food without Margarita? Our first course was the Quesillo Fundido. This was melted Oaxaca cheese, chorizo, and mushrooms with a side of guacamole served in a hot skillet with corn tortillas. That was absolutely delicious. I think I could have eaten just that with the tortillas. Then came the Festival de Moles; 4 individual servings of mole negro, mole rojo, coloradito and estofado. These were served with shredded chicken with a side of a large handmade tortilla. That was interesting and quite good. We were almost full after that. 

The surprise was the main meal which was half order of the Botana Oaxaqueῇa, an assorted tasting platter of the best of their grilled Oaxacan meats which included chorizo, tasajo, cecina, chile relleno, carnitas, Oaxaca cheese, grilled onions, and cactus. This was served with guacamole, frijoles de la olla with nopalitos and 14 memelitas. The half order was supposed to serve 4. There were 5 of us, and we had so many leftovers that Sandi and I were the lucky recipients of the leftovers. Though this was our second and final meal (Sandi and I), Gary, Dino and Grace had breakfast, went to Tatel for a full-on lunch at noon, and consumed more food at 6 p.m. None of them wanted to entertain the idea of dessert.

Guelaguetza is a very good Oaxacan restaurant that serves good portions. The parking is chaotic unless you are there a few minutes to 6 p.m. The streets surrounding the restaurant are very narrow, and there is no parking on these narrow streets. It would probably be best to uber to alleviate the chaos. They are located at 3014 W. Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles, California.