Step aside Starbucks...

There is an up and coming purveyor of fine coffee in Mexico - Cielito Querido, a Mexico City upstart with a vision for future expansion to other cities in Mexico and the United States. As if to say to Starbucks, don't think you can best our heritage of world class coffee, they print a bold snub on their to-go cups that says "Aquí, le decimos chico, no alto." Here, we say small, not tall." (Thanks for the translation correction, Theresa.)  Their motto is "not on every corner, but in every neighborhood." Mérida is not mentioned in their list of expansion sites, although Cancun and Puebla are slated. Cancun... that resort city where droves swoop in to get sloshed on Margaritas and fry their bodies in the Caribbean sun.With prices running higher than Starbucks for a standard cup of coffee, I suppose they see Cancun as a safer bet. I'm not sure why I'm disappointed that our fair city is not on the list. There are plenty of places for a great expresso. The wonderful Cafe La bohème is an easy walk from our house and Ki' Xocolatl is just  a short stroll to the central plaza area. Any number of restaurants serve a decent cup of post dinner coffee or expresso. Or an invite to dine at home with these guys, who have a monster expresso machine in their kitchen! And, in a pinch, well... there's always Starbucks.

Doña Tere's, coffee beans, viveros & random photos

Just more of my random shots

One of the nice things about meeting new friends in Mérida, especially those who have lived here for a while, is that you learn about some really good places to shop or eat that are off the beaten path and that would take some time to discover on your own. One such place is Doña Tere's, a favorite Santa Ana cocina economica, which has been featured in Yucatan Living. Besides the fact that we can walk out our front door and be there in less than two minutes, the food really is quite good - simple, yet flavorful, home-cooking. Just order from the blackboard, grab a cold soda or bottle of water from the fridge, and you are quickly served a bowl of black bean soup, the entree (usually chicken or pork), a serving of rice, several slices of fresh lime and pepper and a bowl of warm tortillas. All for about 25-35 pesos, depending on whether you order the half serving or the whole serving. I ordered the half serving on two occasions and walked away completely satisfied. Try to get there before 2:00PM as this is a favorite eating spot for students and albañiles working in the area.

Another great find was a shop- in Itzimná I believe- that sells fresh roasted coffee beans from Chiapas.  It is imperative to be able to find good coffee, because it is doubtful that we will be able to get shipments from Nespresso to Mexico.  Plus, we should be supporting the Mexican economy now that this will be our new home. I don't have the exact address but will be happy to find it if anyone is interested.

Ruben accompanied me to a couple of viveros (nurseries) where I purchased some new plants for the garden. Both were just a short drive from the Centro and the prices were considerably cheaper than similar size containers in the US.  Now I just have to learn which plants are not targets of the infamous leaf-cutter ants.