Food & Drink SIDE BAR
Yucatán’s Top 5 microbrews
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ifteen years ago, craft beers in Yucatán were a disappointing proposition. Today, artisanal brewers here are preparing some delicious and unique microbrews. In no particular order, here are our favorite lesser-known brands. » Phelddagrif Blonde Ale (Thodes Ale) is much more amber in color than one would expect. It is smooth and easy to drink but a little lacking in body. It leaves no aftertaste, pairing particularly well with some tacos de picaña. The names of their beers make reference to Nordic mythology and feature labels with bizarre mythological creatures. Facebook: @Thodes.Ale.Brewery » Session IPA by Casa Pinillos is a really solid India Pale Ale by any measure, and probably the best domestic take on IPA I’ve had. Hints of citrus were extremely refreshing, but its aroma is more like pineapple. West Coast IPAs are known for being low in malt content, very clear, and dry with a focus on the hops. Facebook: @casapinillosbrewing » American Stout by Fervor has a color that suggests a stronger body, but this is not the case. American Stout’s hints of coffee and chocolate are not exactly my cup of tea, though my companion seemed to enjoy it. After drinking half the bottle, a subtle aftertaste began to develop that was compensated by a wonderful aroma. @cervezafervor » Cerveza de Miel by Acasillados achieves a great balance between hops and honey. In all honesty, I expected a novelty beer. I was mistaken. If you did not know right off the bat that this beer is infused with honey, you might have a hard time putting your finger on the source of the sweet taste. This beer went down extremely easily and was extremely light. @acasillados » Laguer Habanero by Laak also sounds like a novelty beer, but it’s not. At the first sip, the taste of habanero is barely discernible. Maybe about one-third of the way through, the pepper’s unmistakable tingle asserts itself. Not that at any point it became overly spicy. Facebook: @Cerveza_Laak —Carlos Rosado van der Gracht
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Molotes at Nanishe are filled with chorizo con papa and bathed with beans, green sauce, and queso fresco.
Nights at Nanishe
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ednesday to Sunday evenings, Nanishe takes over the kitchen at firm favorite Maíz Canela y Cilantro. A family-run affair, Javed, his sister María de los Ángeles, and their mother Sebastiana started the business 10 years ago, moving to Santiago last April. The family takes pride in serving authentic Oaxacan food prepared with ingredients they bring directly from the region. The menu is short but punchy: chilaquiles, tlayudas, tortas, and molotes, washed down with natural fruit juices, guayaba being the star of these. We decided to share two dishes, the first of which was the molotes. The best way we can describe these is crisp corn torpedos filled with soft chorizo con papa. They sit on a bed of shredded lettuce and are bathed with beans, a creamy green sauce, and a sprinkling of queso fresco. The real magic happens
though, when you add a dab of salsa macha to each bite, really making all the flavors and textures sing. An icon of Oaxacan cuisine, the tlayudas are made with either white or blue corn filled with a thin layer of refried beans, asiento (pork lard) that adds a very characteristic flavor, quesillo, and either tasajo (dried beef), chorizo, cecina (pork with a dried chili pepper rub), or chapulines (dried grasshoppers). Think of this as the most delicious, brittle, 30-centimeter corn “quesadilla” you’ll ever eat. Food prepared by locals with strong convictions and ties to authentic ingredients and traditions never fails to delight the taste buds. Nanishe, at Maiz Canela y Cilantro, Calle 70 464, between 55 and 55A, Barrio de Santiago, Centro, Mérida. Open 6 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. @tlayudasnanishe
TEXT AND PHOTO HANNAH HUDSON and EDUARDO VÁZQUEZ ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE
