Somebody Feed Phil (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Mexico City - full transcript
After a mezcal-soaked meal, Phil tries his hand at tortilla making and introduces a stranger to the wonders of tacos al pastor.
I didn't have Mexican food
until I graduated college in the '80s.
And I moved into Manhattan,
I hardly had any money at all.
And we heard about this new place
opening on the Midtown West
on 54th and, like, 8th Avenue.
It was called Caramba. Okay?
And they had Mexican food.
So we would go
and we would get this new thing
called a quesadilla.
It was melted Monterey Jack cheese
with a few jalapeños,
we didn't know what they were,
in between two white flour tortillas,
a tiny dollop of guacamole on top.
Every one of these elements
I just described
was brand-new to me and my friends.
We loved this thing.
I would go to the grocery store
and I would buy a block
of Monterey Jack cheese
that already had the jalapeños
chopped up in it.
I would find the white tortillas
in the exotic food section.
I would go home
and I would do this in a pan,
and I was Mr. Culture.
♪ A happy, hungry man ♪
♪ Is traveling
All across the sea and the land ♪
♪ He's trying to understand ♪
♪ The art of pasta, pork
Chicken, and lamb ♪
♪ He will drive to you ♪
♪ He will fly to you ♪
♪ He will sing for you ♪
♪ And he'll dance for you ♪
♪ He will laugh with you ♪
♪ And he'll cry for you ♪
♪ There's just one thing
He asks in return ♪
♪ Somebody feed, somebody feed ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪
So, there's a legend.
The Aztecs, who were nomads,
were traveling and traveling,
until they were told
if they found the eagle eating the snake,
that is where they would settle.
That spot,
they built a hill of dirt
in the middle of a swamp...
That is now Mexico City.
And this is
that hill of dirt today.
The Aztecs eventually filled in that swamp
and Mexico City is now
the largest in North America.
I don't know what I was expecting,
but I'm seeing
incredible modern architecture,
an absolute explosion of construction
and beautiful buildings.
And then there's all these parks,
and the parks are beautiful.
And then the food.
I'm here to tell you,
if you like a food, go to the source.
Go to the source.
I am at the source.
I'll have plenty of time
to try all the familiar classics,
but to start this trip,
I'm going to a place known for innovation
called Amaya.
The food here is light-years away
from my pathetic bachelor pad quesadillas.
I'm joined by a guy
who knows his Mexican food,
my friend from L.A., Bill Esparza,
and Amaya's chef and owner, Jair Téllez.
All right.
I'm very excited to be here.
He tells me great things about you.
I would say that
his first restaurant, Laja,
kind of taught me that Mexican food
could be... different, very different.
You want people to understand
that within Mexican cuisine,
- there are many, many cuisines.
- Yeah.
Jair's food is modern,
but it still has influences
from his upbringing in Tijuana,
near the U.S. border.
Mexico is a country
that has historically,
it lives this tension between...
innovation and tradition.
There's no such opposition.
You need to be free, and to think,
and to be crazy, and not be afraid to...
to make mistakes. And to, you know...
Thank God we're not... brain surgeons.
We just make food.
Thank God he makes food,
and thank God I'm not a brain surgeon.
Usually fried fish is served in a taco.
- Yes.
- But this time it's in a tostada.
Okay.
Am I eating this with my hand?
- Believe it or not, yes.
- Yes.
This is very big.
- This could be bad.
- This is a test right here.
Mmm.
I thought it would collapse
the moment I bit into it.
It might still.
Don't lose your focus.
So one of the main things,
now that you're in Mexico,
a basic taco technique is
the taco or the tostada doesn't move.
It stays there. You move your head.
Usually, foreigners they come
and they do like this.
It doesn't work. You move your head.
This is very important.
This is a public service.
Leave the taco alone!
You know? Move your head.
You can always move. You have a neck.
Unless you don't have a neck.
It might be difficult.
Right.
- This is a life lesson.
- Is it?
Maybe it's not the strange thing,
maybe it's you.
Maybe you bend a little. Maybe you...
- Yes. You adjust.
- You adjust.
Don't mess with the taco.
I love soft-shell crab,
and here comes a bowl
of small, fried, cut up soft-shell crab.
Like... popcorn?
You could just take with your hands
and eat soft-shell crabs like this.
- Put some of this thing on top.
- Yes. Really?
Sure. Why not?
I'll do whatever you say.
You know what you're doing.
Oh, I've never done it.
I just think it might taste good.
Let me know.
Yes, it tastes good. Yes.
What do you love most about Mexico City?
It's chaotic, yet it's sweet and generous.
- In broad terms...
- Yes.
...Mexico is, in many ways...
the American dream, but in Mad Max.
You can be anything you want to be,
but if you don't do it,
nobody will take care of you.
You're on your own.
You're on your own.
But we're not lonely for long.
- Papa... Papadiablo.
- Yeah.
- Is that your favorite? Papadiablo?
- I love it.
- It's great.
- When I've had mezcal,
it's usually been with lime,
but here they drink it with a slice
of orange and this special salt.
- Papadiablo. Papadiablo, everybody.
- Papadiablo.
- I took a big sip.
- All right.
- What do you with this?
- Chase it.
That's what you do.
Yeah?
Sí.
Papadiablo, which, by the way,
is what they call me at home...
this is the best mezcal I've had so far.
Because it's alive, it's real,
it's so pure.
So, that's how...
Hey, hello. How you doing?
Mad Max.
Mad Max. You see?
It smells so good in here.
Look at the color.
Wow, we're in cactus land.
What makes one guy's cactus
better than another guy's?
There's a saying in Mexico:
Sin maíz no hay país.
No corn, no country.
That's how important corn is
to the Mexican people.
Corn has been a major part of Mexican life
since long before the city existed,
but the reason I like it
is because it makes the tortillas
that make the tacos
that make it into my mouth.
But tortilla making
is a total mystery to me,
which is why I'm going to Maizajo.
Hola.
Oh, this is low. How are you?
- How are you? Welcome.
- Nice to see you.
So these two guys, Santiago and Eric,
are up-and-coming chefs
who also run a successful restaurant,
but thought tortillas were important
enough to open a side business.
- You just started about a month ago.
- Yeah.
We want to keep the tradition
with the little producers.
- Mm-hmm.
- And to preserve the native corns.
They're beautiful.
So, this is your...
How do you say it? Torta...
Tortillería.
- Tort...
- Tortillería.
- Yeah.
- I want to say it right.
Uh, tortil... Tor...
Tortitería?
Tor-ti-lle-ría.
Tortichería.
Tortichería.
Not a "CH," but a "J."
Tortijería. Tortichería.
- Good enough.
- One more time.
- Tortichería.
- Tortillería.
- Tortillería.
- There you go.
Tortichllería.
Shut up, everybody.
They start to make the dough
with this cal viva.
It's like a stone. You can try it.
- I can try it? What do you mean, "try it"?
- A little bit.
Just like this.
This is a volcanic stone.
So they put it in water, like this.
- It's a mineral.
- Touch the water. It's cold.
And look what happens with this.
We have a reaction here.
- Oh, it breaks apart.
- Yeah.
You can touch the water.
- Take care because it's hot.
- Yeah, it's hot.
- Now the water's hot?
- Yes.
What?
If you put the soaked corn in this,
it then binds it together,
it gives it nutrition,
it gets, like, natural occurring niacin.
And it makes the paste for the tortilla.
This process has been around
for more than 3,000 years.
- Do you want to try?
- I'll try it. I won't be any good.
I'm not sure I have
the right hair for this.
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
This is...
First of all, it's hard to do.
And second, it takes a long time
to really get every kernel
into a paste that looks like that.
- Yeah.
- This is why people like machines.
Because this is hard.
Yeah, it's not easy.
All the work behind a tortilla.
You have no idea what goes into stuff.
I'm tired.
Okay, no worry. I can finish.
I worked a total of two minutes,
and now I have to take a nap.
- This is the...
- You're using your hands to flip?
- Yeah.
- Because that's very hot.
You feel it from here,
as if you're near a fire, a big fire.
Want to flip this?
You need to take it with confidence.
- With confidence?
- Yeah.
Can't promise that. Ready?
Just take it and flip it.
- It's really easy.
- Okay.
Did you see my confidence?
I survived the cooking
and finally get to try one.
This... This tastes like fresh corn.
- Yeah.
- Yes.
Like nothing else I've had.
I've never had anything like it.
When I tell you it's the best tortilla
I've ever had in my life,
it's just... it's incredible.
It's delicious, and I see you have
some salsas here. Should I try? It's okay?
Be careful because it's a little spicy.
- This one?
- Yeah, the red one is habanero.
- Habañero?
- Yes!
Should I try habañero?
I mean, is it dangerous?
A little bit.
- That much?
- You can try it.
Yeah, yeah, that's okay.
Wow. This must be like, uh...
Yeah.
Really? Now I'm scared.
Hot? It's really hot?
It's really... Why am I stupid?
When they see you putting it on
and they see you go, "Oh!"
Like this. "Enough!"
That should tell you,
maybe you don't eat that.
You know what makes tortillas
taste better?
When they're filled with pork.
So I meet back up with Bill
to try tacos al pastor
at a little hole-in-the-wall
called El Huequito.
Cuatro tacos, dos y dos.
Con todo.
This seems to be
a thing you see in the Middle East.
It's not the same, but it looks the same.
The vertical spit comes
from the Middle East.
It came here
with Syrian, Lebanese immigrants.
But al pastor is made with anadobo,
and it's a Mexican pre...
It's a pre-Hispanic technique.
This place apparently brought
al pastor into Mexico City.
This is... It's legendary, this place.
Wait a minute.
- You may have undersold it.
- It's great.
Is it particularly great today
or is this how it is every day?
Every day.
Come on.
What?
It's... Yeah.
I swear to you, I was not hungry.
I'm gonna eat this...
and this... and yours.
We can order more.
This is fantastic, people.
Everyone, have some...
Why are you walking past this place?
It's so good.
Oh, they're...
It's like, "Yeah, I know, buddy."
I couldn't get...
I couldn't get anyone
to pay attention to this madman
screaming about a taco in Mexico City.
"Yeah, we've seen tacos, mister."
These might be gringos. Come here.
Come on! Come here.
We're making a thing.
Have you had these yet?
No.
- She's vegan.
- I'm going to buy you...
- You're vegan?
- I'm vegan.
- Are you?
- He's not. And he's hungry too.
- Come here, my friend. What's your name?
- Ricky.
- We're gonna help Ricky.
- Okay.
We're gonna change Ricky's life.
What are they doing? They're on vacation.
They're taking a year off
and they're going
all through the Americas.
All right, let's see Ricky's face.
Not now, after he has the taco.
- All right.
- Wait, put some lime... open it up,
and squeeze the lime in there,
'cause that's essential.
All right.
I've had two of these,
so now I'm an expert.
- Oh, of course.
- Right.
What can we give her?
What do they have there for her?
- I don't... No.
- I don't think there's anything.
I'm afraid there's nothing for you.
- Have you had al pastor before?
- No.
- Come on!
- You've been...
- Look at Ricky go.
- Okay.
- Good?
- Yeah.
There's nothing better than turning
someone on to something great, right?
- That's right.
- Ricky!
We sent them on their way.
Ricky a little fatter.
- Bye, you guys.
- See you.
- Have fun.
- Thank you.
Nice to meet you.
Now what?
Now we lie down.
Yeah.
How about here?
Mexico City's metro is huge.
The second largest in North America
after New York's.
But it's clean and quiet.
Look at the marble floors.
And they've got rubber tires on the train.
In the Roma neighborhood
is a beautiful restaurant called Rosetta,
run by award-winning chef Elena Reygadas,
who generally starts her day
across the street at her other restaurant,
a little pastry shop
called Panadería Rosetta,
which I've heard great things about,
even though I think it's fair to say
that Mexico isn't famous for its pastries.
The ones I get in L.A. are fine, nice.
They're a little too sweet for me,
maybe a little dry.
And so, I wasn't that excited,
but then I walked
into the sweetest little shop.
- Chef!
- Hi.
It's so nice to meet you. How are you?
Good.
And then she hands you a donut.
Mmm!
Okay, I'm back.
This is amaranto bread.
So it's like a sourdough.
- Yes.
- But made with amaranto flour.
- Can I taste it?
- Yes, please.
So this is like one of the sourdoughs.
But then we have this one,
which I also love,
and I want you to taste,
which is made with pulque.
- You know pulque?
- I've heard of it, never had it.
- Pulque, it's a ferment. Natural ferment.
- Right.
And if you're in Mexico,
you need to try that.
So this is the pulque bread.
That's the pulque bread.
Bring a little pulque?
It's amazing. It has so much flavor.
And it has... It's also a bit sweet
because of the alcohol, no?
- So this is pulque.
- Pulque!
Oh, boy. Here we go.
So there is some alcohol in this?
There is a lot of alcohol.
Well, not a lot, a bit.
No, it's not that it's bad,
it's just unusual to me.
It's unusual.
This is what people used to drink
in Mexico before the beer arrived.
Here Richard, try this.
But here, I'll give you this too.
This is the bread that's made from it.
That's comedy!
Now, I'll try your chocolate donut.
Not just to get the taste of pulque
out of my mouth.
All right, look at this! Oh, it's so soft!
Can you see this?
Look how your finger just... Whoa.
Can you see how soft that is?
- Mmm.
- Sometimes it's just...
It's one of the softest,
most beautiful, not too sweet...
You could put Dunkin' Donuts
out of business.
...delicious, chocolate-covered...
balls of glory.
But Elena thinks she can top that
down the block at her restaurant Rosetta.
She's actually about
to head over there anyway.
There are two bakeries going.
One at the flagship restaurant Rosetta
and one at the panadería.
And sometimes they need stuff over there,
and sometimes we need stuff over here.
Hola.
It was like the seven dwarfs
going down the street, and I was Dopey.
So this is the pink mole.
- The famous pink mole! I'm excited.
- The famous pink mole.
She made a sauce once for suckling pig.
Uh... She made a pink mole.
And she realized that
this could be used in dessert as well,
because it was sweet but not too sweet.
And this is an amazing creation.
So we infuse beets, peppercorn,
chili, thyme,
and then we add the white chocolate,
which is, of course, what gives
the sweetness and also the consistency.
We really need to blend this.
That's cool, look at that.
Oh, it's a mix... It's a blender.
See, I've never seen anything before.
Everything is new.
I smell the peppercorn.
Yes.
This is the white chocolate,
so I'm going to warm it a little bit.
Yes. Very high-tech.
Is that like those cool stove tops,
induction?
- Induction.
- That's cool.
Mole comes from a word
that means mixture, right?
- Exactly.
- So, it's everything.
- It's a mix of many things.
- Yeah.
Suddenly, we're like,
"Why is the room filling with smoke?"
Oh, my God.
- We're here with master chef Elena.
- Okay.
I'm sorry. Oh, my God.
These things happen a lot. It's not...
Yes, that's why should never have
an idiot that you're talking to.
By the way, if I was cooking,
it would only be that.
- I'm so ashamed.
- Don't be ashamed.
My friend, she put a dish towel
on the stove, just to rest it.
She went out, and burnt down the kitchen
because the stove was on.
- Oh, no.
- Yes!
Her name is...
She lives on the Upper West Side.
- Really.
- It almost cost them their marriage.
- Oh, my God.
- Hilarious.
So it has this beautiful color.
We're using plums,
berries,
and this is only yogurt.
So this could be my breakfast.
Exacto.
And then, hibiscus flowers.
Come on, that's beautiful.
So try it.
It's sweet and spicy and complex.
I see why it's famous.
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
You're kind of a genius.
Well, who doesn't like Elena? Anybody?
Nobody!
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Lunchtime. And I'm heading off
to meet a friend of Elena's.
He's a restaurant reviewer
and culture guru named Rulo Vasquez,
and he thinks I should experience
a classic Mexican cantina.
Formerly for men only,
cantinas were kind of like social clubs
for all-day eating and drinking.
And then more drinking.
That last part is still true.
- And as we say in Mexico...
- Salud!
Of course.
You never drink without saying "salud."
- No, I would never.
- When they hear the clink, they do this.
That was fast.
- Carnitas?
- Mm-hmm.
Look, carnitas.
Looks good, no?
Here's the thing about cantinas...
If you have three drinks...
the whole seven plates
on the menu are free.
Really?
Eight plates.
Free?
So, a happy hour.
Every hour is happy hour.
Yeah, but...
Yeah, that's the hook.
- But you have to drink three.
- Three.
So this is the middle of the day. I can't.
Well, in Mexico, that's how we have lunch.
A couple of drinks
then back to the office.
But you said three drinks.
Which here is completely normal.
Come on, look at this.
Yes! Porky goodness.
Vitamin P.
We have this saying, "Vitamin T."
Tortas, tamales, tacos.
It's like... it's very common to say,
"Get your vitamin T," here in Mexico.
Gonna put a little guac in there.
Put some of this. Don't be shy.
I won't be shy.
Beautiful homemade salsa.
Looky, looky, America.
Yes.
How's that?
Good?
I live here now.
- In this cantina?
- Yeah.
And Mexico City I think is becoming
one of the great food cities in the world.
Hello, friend.
What are you selling? How are you?
He's selling ranch cheese.
Three cheeses...
cow, goat, and black donkey.
- You like it?
- Yeah, I'm gonna buy one.
We can try it.
Want to try it?
- Mmm.
- See, it's delicious.
I'll take one.
How much?
I like your hat.
He says you have big eyes.
And it looks good on the hat.
They're expensive.
Nice outfit.
- Thank you, sir.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- Wow, that's a big whistle. Amazing.
- I thought he was a bird.
- I thought so too.
- Somehow a bird got inside.
I like the man on the La Mascota poster.
He's very famous. You know why?
Because he's
on every pizza box in the world.
La Mascota, you know
what the name means?
- The mascot?
- Yeah.
That was really dumb for me to ask.
I forgot about the word mascot.
You've had churros, yes?
If you're coming to Mexico City,
you have to have
their most famous dessert,
and the most famous dessert is the churro.
And the most famous churro
is here at El Moro.
Churros y chocolate.
Gracias.
This place, El Moro,
began with one little cart in 1933.
Quickly became so popular they moved
to this giant shop a couple years later.
I think I can see why.
How many did I buy?
Chocolate is coming? Okay.
Oh!
Gracias.
Look at that.
Delicious.
Muchas gracias.
Salud.
Here's a word you need to know
when you come to Mexico City:
Xochimilco.
On the outskirts of Mexico City
is a UNESCO world heritage site,
where locals and tourists come to float
down the canals on colorful party boats.
But I'm going at dawn today
with one of the best chefs in the world
for an entirely different reason.
Enrique!
Phil.
- Bon día.
- Buenos días.
- I get to you this way?
- Yes, please.
Through the boats?
Oh. Hello.
- I will do it.
- Do it.
This is not usually... how I get to work.
How are you?
I'm a city boy is how I am.
But look at me now.
Look at me now, Ma.
I'm on a boat in Xochimilco.
- How are you?
- Great to see you.
Great to meet you.
I've been a fan for a long time.
- Thank you. Likewise. Likewise.
- Yes. Yes.
The single most celebrated chef
in all of Mexico is Enrique Olvera.
He has won a lifetime achievement award,
he's won the James Beard award,
and when I meet him this morning,
he's a guy in a T-shirt and a hat.
Vámanos.
We go down the canals on the boat,
and it was gorgeous.
- It's so peaceful.
- Yeah.
Look at the mist coming off the water.
Oh, there you go!
Look at this guy.
Oh, there he goes.
This is not just one main canal,
this is a series of canals
with islands all through.
This is like Venice.
But that's not right.
Enrique tells me
this isn't a series of canals,
but actually a bunch of man-made islands.
So you see, like, those pieces of wood?
You know, like the sticks
that are in the islands?
- This here?
- That's how it gets built.
So you put the sticks
that go to the ground...
- Yes.
- And then you start filling up with...
with soil.
And this is how Mexico City
actually got built.
It used to be a huge lake.
And then the chinampas
started to take over the lake.
And the chinampas are
these man-made islands,
- right?
- Yes.
Every piece of land
we're seeing now was man-made?
- Yes.
- It's incredible.
People have these ideas of Mexico City,
like this polluted, massive city...
You know, I don't think you can
come to Mexico City and not see this.
Enrique found this program called Yolcan,
which is farmers taking back this land.
And then we get to the farm...
Look, a welcome!
And a kid comes up to us.
He's Antonio,
and he doesn't look like a farmer.
He's not believable casting for a farmer.
It looks like Tom Cruise got a shovel.
- This is a man-made island.
- Yeah.
We're trying to keep
the traditional way
that chinampa was supposed to be
seeded and cultivated.
Will all of this land be farmable?
Well, Enrique is sponsoring
this chinampa like right next to us.
So this already serves your restaurant?
Yes.
- And that's gonna serve your restaurant.
- Yes.
I can't get over how huge the land is.
Can you imagine how many people
must have been at work?
It's a very difficult job,
something like building the pyramids.
Right.
- It was started about 800 years ago...
- Yes.
...but some people say
it's 1,000 years old, during the Aztecs.
- During the Aztecs.
- Yeah.
You can see
some different varieties of lettuce,
spinach.
These are fennel flowers you can cut.
- Right here?
- Yeah.
- I can eat that?
- Yes.
Puppy! Puppy!
I think this might be my favorite farm,
because everyone that comes here,
you get a free puppy.
All right, not really.
Leave the dog, take the lettuce leaves.
Goodbye, puppies.
I can't stop thinking
about Mexico City
as an island built in the middle
of a swampy lake.
Looking around, I can see that this might
not have been such a great idea.
There are old buildings
sinking into the spongy lake bed,
and entire city blocks that look
like they're on a roller coaster.
I want to get a better view,
and someone told me
that if I go to the top of my hotel,
I might catch a nice sunset.
My breath was taken away.
I didn't know how...
gorgeous this city was
until I was above it
and I could see how it's nestled
amidst the mountains and volcanoes
that surround it.
You can understand
why the Aztecs worshipped the sun.
Mezcal, I always thought of
as smoky tequila,
but here's what I learned.
All tequila is mezcal,
but all mezcal is not tequila.
Tequila, it's only one type of agave,
right? The blue agave.
It's cooked in a steel pressure cooker.
Mezcal can be any variety of agave plant,
and the way it's done is the plant
is put underground with wood and fire.
How's that mezcal for you?
- I can't believe how smooth it is.
- Yeah. It's sweet.
And I had one sip and now I dance.
So you have some
that are a tiny bit smoky,
and some that are so smoky
it's like drinking an ashtray.
Salud.
I might have chosen
the wrong night to drink mezcal
because I got up very early this morning.
I'm talking pre-dawn, right?
And it wasn't just to go to the bathroom.
Okay, good morning.
Oh.
I know what you're thinking.
Usually when you watch...
"He's ruggedly handsome.
But what would he be like
if you woke him up really early?"
I think we can agree,
pretty much the same.
So what does it take
to get me up at 4:00 a.m.?
The best breakfast in Mexico City.
And we're going at this hour
because they get packed.
And maybe you don't get in.
So, like, some athletes
would get up, you know,
to go to that mountain in Hawaii
before dawn
so that you could bicycle down.
This is my equivalent of that.
This is my sport.
I'm like an adventurer.
¿Tostadas?
Waiting for me, and maybe
a little too happy at this hour, is Alex,
our local fixer who knows
the ins and outs of Mexico City.
Chili.
I know the body isn't saying excited.
But just let me finish, like,
up to there and you'll see.
You get there
and it's cafeteria-style seating,
meaning long tables,
long benches, communal.
If we waited another hour,
there's no way we could sit.
Yeah. It's going to be packed.
This is the place
where my parents used to take me
when I was like six, seven.
- Really?
- Yeah, so I...
So you know them
and they know you forever.
Yeah, I know.
Double size.
The waiters here, if they don't like you,
they will take forever
to bring your food,
and if you get in their way,
they get so cranky,
because this is their place.
These beautiful clay pots I notice
are behind the counter,
and they're bubbling
with all kinds of good stuff.
And they're on charcoal,
so this is a fire going under this food.
What do you get?
Eggs and beans?
How good could they be?
Turns out, very good.
- Wow, that was fast.
- Yeah.
I guess
the waiters really like Alex.
- This is eggs and beans?
- Eggs and beans.
- This is not what I was expecting.
- Yeah, I told you.
- It's not the most beautiful presentation.
- No, but...
That's how Mexican food is.
Simple, but at the same time,
lots of flavors.
You have scrambled eggs with beans
put in this shape.
Mmm.
Mmm, mmm!
Oh, yeah.
- Oh, that's good.
- It's pork.
But the sauce...
Tomatillo, green tomatillo.
- And chili, blended.
- That's it.
- That's it.
- Wow, that's good.
This is steak.
- This is morita.
- Morita. Can I do it with the eggs too?
- Whatever you want.
- I'm doing it all.
There's no rules.
This is fantastic.
This is actually not as spicy
as the morita in Los Angeles.
Mm-hmm.
But its more subtle
and has more complexity to it.
Mm-hmm.
It's kind of the flavor
of every Mexican mom.
Like, it tastes like your house.
This is how my mom used to do it.
This is how my grandma used to do it.
I'm laughing because my mom
did nothing like this.
And by "like this,"
I mean food with flavor.
Fantastic. Mmm.
You said you were raised on this.
It's part of you.
- You take a bite...
- Take a bite and then back to childhood.
Yeah.
I'm awake!
Tepito is known
as "el barrio bravo,"
the fierce neighborhood.
People say it still might be dangerous.
Am I going there alone at night? No.
But this is one of the world's
great markets of every kind.
Tents and stalls line the roads
during the day,
and the locals pack the place
in search of any number of items.
Some of dubious legality.
Every movie that's in theaters now
is for sale on DVD.
Even movies like Avatar 2,
which I thought was incredible
they had there
because it hasn't been filmed yet.
But I didn't come here
for bootlegs and Nolex watches.
Tepito's Market is also home to
the most unique street food in the city.
And to find the best, I'll need some help.
Who's taking me?
Bill Esparza, the taco whisperer.
I love this neighborhood
because the food is amazing.
It's my favorite neighborhood
to go eat street food.
I couldn't be more excited
that you said that.
All right.
- It is packed.
- Absolutely.
Migas La Güera.
It's not the migas that we think of
when we go to Austin, Texas,
and we get scrambled egg taco
with the crunched-up tortilla bits.
Migas here means "soup,"
and God knows what else is in this,
but they say it's a cure-all
for hangovers,
and colds, and anything else.
And this is pork?
They make the stock
from pork leg bones.
Yeah?
Cook it for many hours
at a low temperature,
and they thicken it with tortillas
and migas, the breadcrumbs.
- Gracias.
- Okay.
All right, I've been a little bit...
You know, it's not usually what we get.
This is not like Mom's matzo ball soup,
but here we go.
Enjoy!
Oh.
That's nice, right?
Yes. That's just delicious.
Wow, wait a minute. This is just like...
It's heaven.
Yes, because this is
just comfort food, really.
This is not beautiful looking.
But it sure is delicious.
Not exactly first date food.
Why not?
I think you'd bring a first date here
to make sure that your relationship
is about substance, not style.
You say, "Listen, this is who I am."
Right? Not style, substance, everybody.
- You love it, right?
- You bet your marrow, baby.
- Most of the world shops this way.
- Exactly.
And sells this way.
- That's a full bar.
- Yeah.
They're selling virtual reality glasses.
Yeah.
Welcome to Los Corazones.
Oh.
Now Bill has a surprise for me.
He says, "I'm taking you to Los Corazones,
and you're gonna have tacos and
I'm not gonna tell you what's in them."
And I'm like, "Great!
I love being surprised...
by meat."
Look at that.
Okay, we're gonna guacamole everything.
And some salsa roja.
And nopales with cactus.
We'll put it on this guy.
And lime everywhere.
Okay. You know what?
We should eat it and then talk about it.
Eat? I know why you're doing that.
I know. I'm not...
I wasn't born yesterday, Bill.
All right, have that.
How do you like it?
- This is all beef.
- Good. A little tangy.
- It's a little tangy, huh?
- In a way that makes me a little scared.
- You like it.
- Mmm.
Let's have a few more tacos.
I'll tell you something, after that one,
I'm taking a smaller bite of this one.
Here you go.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
It's... That's mine. That's my ride.
All right. Provecho.
- That one's good... for me.
- Mm-hmm.
Now, first tell me what this is,
because I like it.
Beef lungs.
- Which is illegal in the United States.
- Really?
- This is very tasty.
- Mm-hmm.
- The first one you had is udder.
- Yeah?
Udderly delicious.
I'll handle the jokes, Bill.
- Is that legal in the United States?
- No, you cannot get udder.
Some laws are good.
And this is up here, towards the throat
of the cow... of the steer.
Esophagus?
Not esophagus, it's not a... it's just a...
Something more disgusting?
But basically,
this was called menudencias.
- Yes?
- And it's all fried beef offal.
And it's cooked the same way
carnitas is cooked.
- Right.
- In fat.
And by the way,
it's all cooked together anyway, right?
- It's all cooked together.
- I actually really like this one.
Yeah. There's heart in there.
There's lung. There's...
Look at this, this looks amazing.
I didn't have any chicken yet.
That's not chicken.
Passeo De La Reforma
is the main drag of Mexico City,
and, normally, it's packed with cars,
but on Sundays, pedestrians, cyclists,
and their dogs take over.
Gotta love a city that gives the streets
over to the people once in a while.
No restaurant has made the case
for Mexican fine dining better than Pujol.
Best in Mexico City
and one of the best in the world,
Enrique Olvera's gem is a revelation.
Enrique recently moved Pujol
to this beautiful new space...
where he reimagined the place...
perfected it...
made it less formal and more fun.
This is where
all that Xochimilco produce ends up,
and today I'm lucky enough to eat it.
I'm joined by my new favorite dining pals,
Elena and Rulo,
who happen to be good friends
with Enrique as well,
proving that even a city this big
can still feel like a small town.
Whoa.
Things are happening.
- This is one of my favorite dishes ever.
- Look. Smoke.
Really.
The first dish is baby corn.
You eat the whole thing?
There's smoke coming out of it,
but that turns out to be
the least of my worries.
The mayonnaise is made with ants.
Why do you tell me things?
- Because you have...
- No. And it's a treat.
Take one.
This is really a treat in every way.
It's delicious.
It's a mayonnaise with coffee
and the ant chicatana,
which is a flying ant,
basically from Guerrero and Oaxaca.
But I'm not seeing whole ants here,
these are little bits.
It's... pulverized, ground,
and they mix in the mayonnaise.
That's actually the way I prefer my ants.
Pulverized.
Okay.
I dream really with this dish.
It's just...
- It's delicious.
- It is.
The ants make it
smokier and saltier.
Smoky and salty and, like, earthy.
- Yes.
- Mmm. Wow.
And the corn is delicious, no? Mmm.
Wow. All right, I eat ants.
Which is good,
considering what's next.
Look at that beauty.
Chayote squash with olive oil.
Sea asparagus, we call it salicornia,
and worm salt with serrano chile.
- Enjoy.
- Thank you.
Did she say worm salt?
- Worm salt, yeah.
- Worm salt.
That's the one you have with mezcal.
With the orange?
- Oh, that's...
- That's worm salt.
- I've been eating it all week.
- And you liked it?
- Yes.
- So now you have it in another context.
Now I'm fine. Bon appétit.
Insects are like a great seasoning.
And it's gonna save the world
apparently, right?
Because it's so plentiful
and so much protein.
- Get used to it.
- Get used to it.
- It's delicious.
- Mmm.
It's spectacular.
I've never had anything like it.
Who's this?
- Sorry, someone was sitting there.
- Welcome.
I'm sorry, man, I'm gonna take over.
Uh, wow, the first couple of things
were already amazing.
In my life, before today,
I had only eaten two ants.
- That was it.
- Two of them.
In Tokyo.
And when they told me, you know,
there's ants on the corn,
I was a little bit nervous.
- But I have to say, they were delicious.
- They're delicious.
I like almost everything.
Hey, man, I like ants now.
- I like worms.
- Yeah.
- Look at me go. I ate udder.
- What's udder?
On the bottom of the cow that you milk.
The milking part.
- That's delicious.
- That's delicious.
- Delicious.
- Did you try eye?
- What?
- Eye.
What are you doing to me here?
It's kind of a squishy,
but not so bad, no?
Yeah.
- Are we having eye today?
- No.
The final dish
is what Enrique Olvera is most famous for,
and here it is.
Some sauce on a plate.
So this is the mole.
The one in the middle is not as charred,
and the one in the outside
has been charred to a black mole.
This is Enrique's famous
mole madre,
or mother mole.
It's called that because the darker mole
is ever-changing
and contains small amounts
of all previous moles.
Every seven to ten days
we make a new batch.
We mix it with the old batch.
But this has mole from three years ago.
- What?
- And the recipe changes.
- What day are we in?
- Uh, twelve hundred sixty-seven.
Twelve hundred sixty-seven days
of reheating the same mole.
- Really?
- Yeah.
So to you, this is a living thing.
- Yes.
- It's like bread starter, right?
The reheating process
is more about unifying the flavor.
Oh.
Oh.
That's beautiful.
- I have not seen those.
- Wow.
What's the deal with these?
They're a very traditional herb.
Yeah.
And it has a beautiful anise flavor to it.
It's really good with the mole.
And with everything.
Wait a minute.
I cannot... I can't even.
I'm tasting
dried chilies and tomatoes
and garlic and onion and cinnamon
and chocolate and peanuts.
I'm tasting history.
It's absolutely amazing.
They took the... They took the tortillas.
Gracias.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
How can you talk about anything else?
That's a showstopper.
Stop the show!
That was like crazy good.
Thank you.
All right, what am I having?
- So this is pulque ice cream with guayaba.
- What?
Did you call him?
No, I didn't... I haven't.
Pulque ice cream.
With guava.
Mmm.
- How's the pulque ice cream?
- Can we bring the mole back?
No. No.
Hello!
Oh.
Is this the Rosenthal residence?
- Yes.
- Do I have the right number?
Because you both look very good.
I was expecting much older people.
According to the pictures,
I think you're having more fun there
than all the other places you've been to.
- Is that true?
- No, I don't think so.
Why don't you think so, Ma?
Because I think you enjoy
every place that... where you are.
I think you're right.
- But I think this is a little more.
- No.
They seem to be... The people seem
to be friendly or something. I don't know.
Max, you said the same thing
when they were in Israel.
Now you're saying he's happier here.
- He's happy wherever he is.
- Okay.
As long as he's not here.
You guys, just take it away,
just give them a show.
Have you ever had this?
El Moro.
- What's that?
- I have no idea.
It's a pretzel.
It's not a pretzel.
This is called a "churro."
And what it is, it's made from corn flour,
and then they fry it, and then
they roll it in cinnamon and sugar
- like French toast.
- Yes.
And then they do this.
I'm gonna show you. Hang on.
I don't want to spill it,
but can you see that at all?
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Yes.
- What is that?
- You dip your churro, it's made to dip,
in the hot chocolate.
Hot chocolate?
I'm telling you.
How about giving some to Richard?
I should give some to Richard?
Why can't I enjoy something
for five minutes?
Eat that and give him the rest.
All right.
Come here, Richard.
- Here he is.
- Hello.
Your favorite.
That's enough!
- No, go ahead, take some more.
- No, I'm good.
Now I'm gonna add...
I'm gonna try to add...
Hang on.
Hello!
Yes! You're here!
Very nice!
So we have Max and Helen
sitting in Manhattan.
And we have Selma and this pretty girl,
her name, I think, is Monica
in Pennsylvania,
in Selma Haran's house.
And I've spent many a nice evening
on your grandmother's old bed
where she died.
Weren't you the lucky boy?
Yes.
Selma, you're the new one
that people don't really know.
Should we do a show in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has amazing food.
She's a very good cook herself.
She is. Just like my mom.
I think this finally, Helen,
is your redemption.
I've always loved
my mother-in-law's cooking.
- Oh, you...
- Thank you, Monica.
When I had the unspeakable
part of the cow in a taco yesterday,
I actually said,
"I miss my mother's cooking."
Well, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Goodbye, everybody.
- Bye.
- Bye.
Goodbye, it was a pleasure.
Sometimes when you're traveling,
the thing you miss most
is a simple, home-cooked meal.
Not my home,
but since Enrique invited me,
I'm going to his house.
It's my last night in Mexico,
and I'm having dinner with Enrique,
his wife, Allegra,
and their two sons, Bruno and Aldo.
I'm told Aldo has the gift.
I'm looking forward to tasting
some of his cooking too.
- You brought me flowers!
- Yeah, they're not for you.
- Hi, I'm Phil. It's nice to meet you.
- Hello.
Nice to meet you.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
All I have for you is this.
That's good enough.
Wow.
Aldo and my daughter
invented a type of quesadilla...
- I want to try it.
- ...which is called aplastada.
So, he wants to make one for you.
Wow.
That's the opposite
of what I would intuitively do,
just put the cheese
facedown on the griddle.
That's the whole technique.
- That's it.
- That's it.
That's what I think we eat the most here.
Quesadillas?
- No, that thing.
- Like this.
- Because quesadilla is folded.
- Right.
This is the cheese first
so the cheese gets brown.
Oh.
All right, I'm gonna try your cooking.
- Can I grab one? Is this okay?
- Yeah.
Put lemon on it.
Thank you, chef.
I don't know, Dad.
He's pretty good.
- He's not bad.
- We want our kids to surpass us, right?
Of course.
He's on the road.
- Yes? Is this a banana leaf?
- Yeah.
Here I go.
Mmm.
This is fantastic.
Now, you also have a sister, yes?
- Yes.
- Yes.
- Did she not want to be with me?
- No.
- She's in, like, skating class.
- In the class.
- Skating?
- She's the middle.
- The middle child.
- Yeah.
And she's a fantastic sister. Yes?
No.
- What's wrong with her?
- She's like a control freak.
But you're the older brother.
Don't you have control?
No, Gaia is like their second mother.
So whenever Allegra is not around,
- she bosses them around.
- Bosses them around.
But that's
because they behave like children.
And she behaves like a woman.
- But I'm a child.
- I know.
You're supposed to, right?
"But I'm a child, Dad."
Could you see yourself being a chef
when you grow up?
- No.
- No?
Is it too hard, you think?
Not too hard...
You mean like anybody can do it?
Not anybody.
Someone special?
No.
The guy's sitting right here.
Well, for me, everyone's special.
Wow.
Profound.
That's very nice.
It's not true, but it's very nice.
Growing up in the U.S.,
you think you know what Mexico's like,
because it's so close
and there's so much that's familiar.
But Mexico City isn't at all
what I expected.
Sure, the old favorites are there and
they're better than I could have imagined,
but there's also a lively modern city,
filled with innovation and a lot of soul.
A city of openness,
laughter, and friendship.
I've met so many great people here.
One of you is going to be kissed.
There are people who want to steer
the conversation about Mexico
for their own reasons,
but I hope you don't let them,
because I thought I knew
what Mexico City was gonna be like.
I wasn't prepared
to have it take my breath away.
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil? ♪
♪ Oh, please, somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪
until I graduated college in the '80s.
And I moved into Manhattan,
I hardly had any money at all.
And we heard about this new place
opening on the Midtown West
on 54th and, like, 8th Avenue.
It was called Caramba. Okay?
And they had Mexican food.
So we would go
and we would get this new thing
called a quesadilla.
It was melted Monterey Jack cheese
with a few jalapeños,
we didn't know what they were,
in between two white flour tortillas,
a tiny dollop of guacamole on top.
Every one of these elements
I just described
was brand-new to me and my friends.
We loved this thing.
I would go to the grocery store
and I would buy a block
of Monterey Jack cheese
that already had the jalapeños
chopped up in it.
I would find the white tortillas
in the exotic food section.
I would go home
and I would do this in a pan,
and I was Mr. Culture.
♪ A happy, hungry man ♪
♪ Is traveling
All across the sea and the land ♪
♪ He's trying to understand ♪
♪ The art of pasta, pork
Chicken, and lamb ♪
♪ He will drive to you ♪
♪ He will fly to you ♪
♪ He will sing for you ♪
♪ And he'll dance for you ♪
♪ He will laugh with you ♪
♪ And he'll cry for you ♪
♪ There's just one thing
He asks in return ♪
♪ Somebody feed, somebody feed ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪
So, there's a legend.
The Aztecs, who were nomads,
were traveling and traveling,
until they were told
if they found the eagle eating the snake,
that is where they would settle.
That spot,
they built a hill of dirt
in the middle of a swamp...
That is now Mexico City.
And this is
that hill of dirt today.
The Aztecs eventually filled in that swamp
and Mexico City is now
the largest in North America.
I don't know what I was expecting,
but I'm seeing
incredible modern architecture,
an absolute explosion of construction
and beautiful buildings.
And then there's all these parks,
and the parks are beautiful.
And then the food.
I'm here to tell you,
if you like a food, go to the source.
Go to the source.
I am at the source.
I'll have plenty of time
to try all the familiar classics,
but to start this trip,
I'm going to a place known for innovation
called Amaya.
The food here is light-years away
from my pathetic bachelor pad quesadillas.
I'm joined by a guy
who knows his Mexican food,
my friend from L.A., Bill Esparza,
and Amaya's chef and owner, Jair Téllez.
All right.
I'm very excited to be here.
He tells me great things about you.
I would say that
his first restaurant, Laja,
kind of taught me that Mexican food
could be... different, very different.
You want people to understand
that within Mexican cuisine,
- there are many, many cuisines.
- Yeah.
Jair's food is modern,
but it still has influences
from his upbringing in Tijuana,
near the U.S. border.
Mexico is a country
that has historically,
it lives this tension between...
innovation and tradition.
There's no such opposition.
You need to be free, and to think,
and to be crazy, and not be afraid to...
to make mistakes. And to, you know...
Thank God we're not... brain surgeons.
We just make food.
Thank God he makes food,
and thank God I'm not a brain surgeon.
Usually fried fish is served in a taco.
- Yes.
- But this time it's in a tostada.
Okay.
Am I eating this with my hand?
- Believe it or not, yes.
- Yes.
This is very big.
- This could be bad.
- This is a test right here.
Mmm.
I thought it would collapse
the moment I bit into it.
It might still.
Don't lose your focus.
So one of the main things,
now that you're in Mexico,
a basic taco technique is
the taco or the tostada doesn't move.
It stays there. You move your head.
Usually, foreigners they come
and they do like this.
It doesn't work. You move your head.
This is very important.
This is a public service.
Leave the taco alone!
You know? Move your head.
You can always move. You have a neck.
Unless you don't have a neck.
It might be difficult.
Right.
- This is a life lesson.
- Is it?
Maybe it's not the strange thing,
maybe it's you.
Maybe you bend a little. Maybe you...
- Yes. You adjust.
- You adjust.
Don't mess with the taco.
I love soft-shell crab,
and here comes a bowl
of small, fried, cut up soft-shell crab.
Like... popcorn?
You could just take with your hands
and eat soft-shell crabs like this.
- Put some of this thing on top.
- Yes. Really?
Sure. Why not?
I'll do whatever you say.
You know what you're doing.
Oh, I've never done it.
I just think it might taste good.
Let me know.
Yes, it tastes good. Yes.
What do you love most about Mexico City?
It's chaotic, yet it's sweet and generous.
- In broad terms...
- Yes.
...Mexico is, in many ways...
the American dream, but in Mad Max.
You can be anything you want to be,
but if you don't do it,
nobody will take care of you.
You're on your own.
You're on your own.
But we're not lonely for long.
- Papa... Papadiablo.
- Yeah.
- Is that your favorite? Papadiablo?
- I love it.
- It's great.
- When I've had mezcal,
it's usually been with lime,
but here they drink it with a slice
of orange and this special salt.
- Papadiablo. Papadiablo, everybody.
- Papadiablo.
- I took a big sip.
- All right.
- What do you with this?
- Chase it.
That's what you do.
Yeah?
Sí.
Papadiablo, which, by the way,
is what they call me at home...
this is the best mezcal I've had so far.
Because it's alive, it's real,
it's so pure.
So, that's how...
Hey, hello. How you doing?
Mad Max.
Mad Max. You see?
It smells so good in here.
Look at the color.
Wow, we're in cactus land.
What makes one guy's cactus
better than another guy's?
There's a saying in Mexico:
Sin maíz no hay país.
No corn, no country.
That's how important corn is
to the Mexican people.
Corn has been a major part of Mexican life
since long before the city existed,
but the reason I like it
is because it makes the tortillas
that make the tacos
that make it into my mouth.
But tortilla making
is a total mystery to me,
which is why I'm going to Maizajo.
Hola.
Oh, this is low. How are you?
- How are you? Welcome.
- Nice to see you.
So these two guys, Santiago and Eric,
are up-and-coming chefs
who also run a successful restaurant,
but thought tortillas were important
enough to open a side business.
- You just started about a month ago.
- Yeah.
We want to keep the tradition
with the little producers.
- Mm-hmm.
- And to preserve the native corns.
They're beautiful.
So, this is your...
How do you say it? Torta...
Tortillería.
- Tort...
- Tortillería.
- Yeah.
- I want to say it right.
Uh, tortil... Tor...
Tortitería?
Tor-ti-lle-ría.
Tortichería.
Tortichería.
Not a "CH," but a "J."
Tortijería. Tortichería.
- Good enough.
- One more time.
- Tortichería.
- Tortillería.
- Tortillería.
- There you go.
Tortichllería.
Shut up, everybody.
They start to make the dough
with this cal viva.
It's like a stone. You can try it.
- I can try it? What do you mean, "try it"?
- A little bit.
Just like this.
This is a volcanic stone.
So they put it in water, like this.
- It's a mineral.
- Touch the water. It's cold.
And look what happens with this.
We have a reaction here.
- Oh, it breaks apart.
- Yeah.
You can touch the water.
- Take care because it's hot.
- Yeah, it's hot.
- Now the water's hot?
- Yes.
What?
If you put the soaked corn in this,
it then binds it together,
it gives it nutrition,
it gets, like, natural occurring niacin.
And it makes the paste for the tortilla.
This process has been around
for more than 3,000 years.
- Do you want to try?
- I'll try it. I won't be any good.
I'm not sure I have
the right hair for this.
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
This is...
First of all, it's hard to do.
And second, it takes a long time
to really get every kernel
into a paste that looks like that.
- Yeah.
- This is why people like machines.
Because this is hard.
Yeah, it's not easy.
All the work behind a tortilla.
You have no idea what goes into stuff.
I'm tired.
Okay, no worry. I can finish.
I worked a total of two minutes,
and now I have to take a nap.
- This is the...
- You're using your hands to flip?
- Yeah.
- Because that's very hot.
You feel it from here,
as if you're near a fire, a big fire.
Want to flip this?
You need to take it with confidence.
- With confidence?
- Yeah.
Can't promise that. Ready?
Just take it and flip it.
- It's really easy.
- Okay.
Did you see my confidence?
I survived the cooking
and finally get to try one.
This... This tastes like fresh corn.
- Yeah.
- Yes.
Like nothing else I've had.
I've never had anything like it.
When I tell you it's the best tortilla
I've ever had in my life,
it's just... it's incredible.
It's delicious, and I see you have
some salsas here. Should I try? It's okay?
Be careful because it's a little spicy.
- This one?
- Yeah, the red one is habanero.
- Habañero?
- Yes!
Should I try habañero?
I mean, is it dangerous?
A little bit.
- That much?
- You can try it.
Yeah, yeah, that's okay.
Wow. This must be like, uh...
Yeah.
Really? Now I'm scared.
Hot? It's really hot?
It's really... Why am I stupid?
When they see you putting it on
and they see you go, "Oh!"
Like this. "Enough!"
That should tell you,
maybe you don't eat that.
You know what makes tortillas
taste better?
When they're filled with pork.
So I meet back up with Bill
to try tacos al pastor
at a little hole-in-the-wall
called El Huequito.
Cuatro tacos, dos y dos.
Con todo.
This seems to be
a thing you see in the Middle East.
It's not the same, but it looks the same.
The vertical spit comes
from the Middle East.
It came here
with Syrian, Lebanese immigrants.
But al pastor is made with anadobo,
and it's a Mexican pre...
It's a pre-Hispanic technique.
This place apparently brought
al pastor into Mexico City.
This is... It's legendary, this place.
Wait a minute.
- You may have undersold it.
- It's great.
Is it particularly great today
or is this how it is every day?
Every day.
Come on.
What?
It's... Yeah.
I swear to you, I was not hungry.
I'm gonna eat this...
and this... and yours.
We can order more.
This is fantastic, people.
Everyone, have some...
Why are you walking past this place?
It's so good.
Oh, they're...
It's like, "Yeah, I know, buddy."
I couldn't get...
I couldn't get anyone
to pay attention to this madman
screaming about a taco in Mexico City.
"Yeah, we've seen tacos, mister."
These might be gringos. Come here.
Come on! Come here.
We're making a thing.
Have you had these yet?
No.
- She's vegan.
- I'm going to buy you...
- You're vegan?
- I'm vegan.
- Are you?
- He's not. And he's hungry too.
- Come here, my friend. What's your name?
- Ricky.
- We're gonna help Ricky.
- Okay.
We're gonna change Ricky's life.
What are they doing? They're on vacation.
They're taking a year off
and they're going
all through the Americas.
All right, let's see Ricky's face.
Not now, after he has the taco.
- All right.
- Wait, put some lime... open it up,
and squeeze the lime in there,
'cause that's essential.
All right.
I've had two of these,
so now I'm an expert.
- Oh, of course.
- Right.
What can we give her?
What do they have there for her?
- I don't... No.
- I don't think there's anything.
I'm afraid there's nothing for you.
- Have you had al pastor before?
- No.
- Come on!
- You've been...
- Look at Ricky go.
- Okay.
- Good?
- Yeah.
There's nothing better than turning
someone on to something great, right?
- That's right.
- Ricky!
We sent them on their way.
Ricky a little fatter.
- Bye, you guys.
- See you.
- Have fun.
- Thank you.
Nice to meet you.
Now what?
Now we lie down.
Yeah.
How about here?
Mexico City's metro is huge.
The second largest in North America
after New York's.
But it's clean and quiet.
Look at the marble floors.
And they've got rubber tires on the train.
In the Roma neighborhood
is a beautiful restaurant called Rosetta,
run by award-winning chef Elena Reygadas,
who generally starts her day
across the street at her other restaurant,
a little pastry shop
called Panadería Rosetta,
which I've heard great things about,
even though I think it's fair to say
that Mexico isn't famous for its pastries.
The ones I get in L.A. are fine, nice.
They're a little too sweet for me,
maybe a little dry.
And so, I wasn't that excited,
but then I walked
into the sweetest little shop.
- Chef!
- Hi.
It's so nice to meet you. How are you?
Good.
And then she hands you a donut.
Mmm!
Okay, I'm back.
This is amaranto bread.
So it's like a sourdough.
- Yes.
- But made with amaranto flour.
- Can I taste it?
- Yes, please.
So this is like one of the sourdoughs.
But then we have this one,
which I also love,
and I want you to taste,
which is made with pulque.
- You know pulque?
- I've heard of it, never had it.
- Pulque, it's a ferment. Natural ferment.
- Right.
And if you're in Mexico,
you need to try that.
So this is the pulque bread.
That's the pulque bread.
Bring a little pulque?
It's amazing. It has so much flavor.
And it has... It's also a bit sweet
because of the alcohol, no?
- So this is pulque.
- Pulque!
Oh, boy. Here we go.
So there is some alcohol in this?
There is a lot of alcohol.
Well, not a lot, a bit.
No, it's not that it's bad,
it's just unusual to me.
It's unusual.
This is what people used to drink
in Mexico before the beer arrived.
Here Richard, try this.
But here, I'll give you this too.
This is the bread that's made from it.
That's comedy!
Now, I'll try your chocolate donut.
Not just to get the taste of pulque
out of my mouth.
All right, look at this! Oh, it's so soft!
Can you see this?
Look how your finger just... Whoa.
Can you see how soft that is?
- Mmm.
- Sometimes it's just...
It's one of the softest,
most beautiful, not too sweet...
You could put Dunkin' Donuts
out of business.
...delicious, chocolate-covered...
balls of glory.
But Elena thinks she can top that
down the block at her restaurant Rosetta.
She's actually about
to head over there anyway.
There are two bakeries going.
One at the flagship restaurant Rosetta
and one at the panadería.
And sometimes they need stuff over there,
and sometimes we need stuff over here.
Hola.
It was like the seven dwarfs
going down the street, and I was Dopey.
So this is the pink mole.
- The famous pink mole! I'm excited.
- The famous pink mole.
She made a sauce once for suckling pig.
Uh... She made a pink mole.
And she realized that
this could be used in dessert as well,
because it was sweet but not too sweet.
And this is an amazing creation.
So we infuse beets, peppercorn,
chili, thyme,
and then we add the white chocolate,
which is, of course, what gives
the sweetness and also the consistency.
We really need to blend this.
That's cool, look at that.
Oh, it's a mix... It's a blender.
See, I've never seen anything before.
Everything is new.
I smell the peppercorn.
Yes.
This is the white chocolate,
so I'm going to warm it a little bit.
Yes. Very high-tech.
Is that like those cool stove tops,
induction?
- Induction.
- That's cool.
Mole comes from a word
that means mixture, right?
- Exactly.
- So, it's everything.
- It's a mix of many things.
- Yeah.
Suddenly, we're like,
"Why is the room filling with smoke?"
Oh, my God.
- We're here with master chef Elena.
- Okay.
I'm sorry. Oh, my God.
These things happen a lot. It's not...
Yes, that's why should never have
an idiot that you're talking to.
By the way, if I was cooking,
it would only be that.
- I'm so ashamed.
- Don't be ashamed.
My friend, she put a dish towel
on the stove, just to rest it.
She went out, and burnt down the kitchen
because the stove was on.
- Oh, no.
- Yes!
Her name is...
She lives on the Upper West Side.
- Really.
- It almost cost them their marriage.
- Oh, my God.
- Hilarious.
So it has this beautiful color.
We're using plums,
berries,
and this is only yogurt.
So this could be my breakfast.
Exacto.
And then, hibiscus flowers.
Come on, that's beautiful.
So try it.
It's sweet and spicy and complex.
I see why it's famous.
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
You're kind of a genius.
Well, who doesn't like Elena? Anybody?
Nobody!
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Lunchtime. And I'm heading off
to meet a friend of Elena's.
He's a restaurant reviewer
and culture guru named Rulo Vasquez,
and he thinks I should experience
a classic Mexican cantina.
Formerly for men only,
cantinas were kind of like social clubs
for all-day eating and drinking.
And then more drinking.
That last part is still true.
- And as we say in Mexico...
- Salud!
Of course.
You never drink without saying "salud."
- No, I would never.
- When they hear the clink, they do this.
That was fast.
- Carnitas?
- Mm-hmm.
Look, carnitas.
Looks good, no?
Here's the thing about cantinas...
If you have three drinks...
the whole seven plates
on the menu are free.
Really?
Eight plates.
Free?
So, a happy hour.
Every hour is happy hour.
Yeah, but...
Yeah, that's the hook.
- But you have to drink three.
- Three.
So this is the middle of the day. I can't.
Well, in Mexico, that's how we have lunch.
A couple of drinks
then back to the office.
But you said three drinks.
Which here is completely normal.
Come on, look at this.
Yes! Porky goodness.
Vitamin P.
We have this saying, "Vitamin T."
Tortas, tamales, tacos.
It's like... it's very common to say,
"Get your vitamin T," here in Mexico.
Gonna put a little guac in there.
Put some of this. Don't be shy.
I won't be shy.
Beautiful homemade salsa.
Looky, looky, America.
Yes.
How's that?
Good?
I live here now.
- In this cantina?
- Yeah.
And Mexico City I think is becoming
one of the great food cities in the world.
Hello, friend.
What are you selling? How are you?
He's selling ranch cheese.
Three cheeses...
cow, goat, and black donkey.
- You like it?
- Yeah, I'm gonna buy one.
We can try it.
Want to try it?
- Mmm.
- See, it's delicious.
I'll take one.
How much?
I like your hat.
He says you have big eyes.
And it looks good on the hat.
They're expensive.
Nice outfit.
- Thank you, sir.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- Wow, that's a big whistle. Amazing.
- I thought he was a bird.
- I thought so too.
- Somehow a bird got inside.
I like the man on the La Mascota poster.
He's very famous. You know why?
Because he's
on every pizza box in the world.
La Mascota, you know
what the name means?
- The mascot?
- Yeah.
That was really dumb for me to ask.
I forgot about the word mascot.
You've had churros, yes?
If you're coming to Mexico City,
you have to have
their most famous dessert,
and the most famous dessert is the churro.
And the most famous churro
is here at El Moro.
Churros y chocolate.
Gracias.
This place, El Moro,
began with one little cart in 1933.
Quickly became so popular they moved
to this giant shop a couple years later.
I think I can see why.
How many did I buy?
Chocolate is coming? Okay.
Oh!
Gracias.
Look at that.
Delicious.
Muchas gracias.
Salud.
Here's a word you need to know
when you come to Mexico City:
Xochimilco.
On the outskirts of Mexico City
is a UNESCO world heritage site,
where locals and tourists come to float
down the canals on colorful party boats.
But I'm going at dawn today
with one of the best chefs in the world
for an entirely different reason.
Enrique!
Phil.
- Bon día.
- Buenos días.
- I get to you this way?
- Yes, please.
Through the boats?
Oh. Hello.
- I will do it.
- Do it.
This is not usually... how I get to work.
How are you?
I'm a city boy is how I am.
But look at me now.
Look at me now, Ma.
I'm on a boat in Xochimilco.
- How are you?
- Great to see you.
Great to meet you.
I've been a fan for a long time.
- Thank you. Likewise. Likewise.
- Yes. Yes.
The single most celebrated chef
in all of Mexico is Enrique Olvera.
He has won a lifetime achievement award,
he's won the James Beard award,
and when I meet him this morning,
he's a guy in a T-shirt and a hat.
Vámanos.
We go down the canals on the boat,
and it was gorgeous.
- It's so peaceful.
- Yeah.
Look at the mist coming off the water.
Oh, there you go!
Look at this guy.
Oh, there he goes.
This is not just one main canal,
this is a series of canals
with islands all through.
This is like Venice.
But that's not right.
Enrique tells me
this isn't a series of canals,
but actually a bunch of man-made islands.
So you see, like, those pieces of wood?
You know, like the sticks
that are in the islands?
- This here?
- That's how it gets built.
So you put the sticks
that go to the ground...
- Yes.
- And then you start filling up with...
with soil.
And this is how Mexico City
actually got built.
It used to be a huge lake.
And then the chinampas
started to take over the lake.
And the chinampas are
these man-made islands,
- right?
- Yes.
Every piece of land
we're seeing now was man-made?
- Yes.
- It's incredible.
People have these ideas of Mexico City,
like this polluted, massive city...
You know, I don't think you can
come to Mexico City and not see this.
Enrique found this program called Yolcan,
which is farmers taking back this land.
And then we get to the farm...
Look, a welcome!
And a kid comes up to us.
He's Antonio,
and he doesn't look like a farmer.
He's not believable casting for a farmer.
It looks like Tom Cruise got a shovel.
- This is a man-made island.
- Yeah.
We're trying to keep
the traditional way
that chinampa was supposed to be
seeded and cultivated.
Will all of this land be farmable?
Well, Enrique is sponsoring
this chinampa like right next to us.
So this already serves your restaurant?
Yes.
- And that's gonna serve your restaurant.
- Yes.
I can't get over how huge the land is.
Can you imagine how many people
must have been at work?
It's a very difficult job,
something like building the pyramids.
Right.
- It was started about 800 years ago...
- Yes.
...but some people say
it's 1,000 years old, during the Aztecs.
- During the Aztecs.
- Yeah.
You can see
some different varieties of lettuce,
spinach.
These are fennel flowers you can cut.
- Right here?
- Yeah.
- I can eat that?
- Yes.
Puppy! Puppy!
I think this might be my favorite farm,
because everyone that comes here,
you get a free puppy.
All right, not really.
Leave the dog, take the lettuce leaves.
Goodbye, puppies.
I can't stop thinking
about Mexico City
as an island built in the middle
of a swampy lake.
Looking around, I can see that this might
not have been such a great idea.
There are old buildings
sinking into the spongy lake bed,
and entire city blocks that look
like they're on a roller coaster.
I want to get a better view,
and someone told me
that if I go to the top of my hotel,
I might catch a nice sunset.
My breath was taken away.
I didn't know how...
gorgeous this city was
until I was above it
and I could see how it's nestled
amidst the mountains and volcanoes
that surround it.
You can understand
why the Aztecs worshipped the sun.
Mezcal, I always thought of
as smoky tequila,
but here's what I learned.
All tequila is mezcal,
but all mezcal is not tequila.
Tequila, it's only one type of agave,
right? The blue agave.
It's cooked in a steel pressure cooker.
Mezcal can be any variety of agave plant,
and the way it's done is the plant
is put underground with wood and fire.
How's that mezcal for you?
- I can't believe how smooth it is.
- Yeah. It's sweet.
And I had one sip and now I dance.
So you have some
that are a tiny bit smoky,
and some that are so smoky
it's like drinking an ashtray.
Salud.
I might have chosen
the wrong night to drink mezcal
because I got up very early this morning.
I'm talking pre-dawn, right?
And it wasn't just to go to the bathroom.
Okay, good morning.
Oh.
I know what you're thinking.
Usually when you watch...
"He's ruggedly handsome.
But what would he be like
if you woke him up really early?"
I think we can agree,
pretty much the same.
So what does it take
to get me up at 4:00 a.m.?
The best breakfast in Mexico City.
And we're going at this hour
because they get packed.
And maybe you don't get in.
So, like, some athletes
would get up, you know,
to go to that mountain in Hawaii
before dawn
so that you could bicycle down.
This is my equivalent of that.
This is my sport.
I'm like an adventurer.
¿Tostadas?
Waiting for me, and maybe
a little too happy at this hour, is Alex,
our local fixer who knows
the ins and outs of Mexico City.
Chili.
I know the body isn't saying excited.
But just let me finish, like,
up to there and you'll see.
You get there
and it's cafeteria-style seating,
meaning long tables,
long benches, communal.
If we waited another hour,
there's no way we could sit.
Yeah. It's going to be packed.
This is the place
where my parents used to take me
when I was like six, seven.
- Really?
- Yeah, so I...
So you know them
and they know you forever.
Yeah, I know.
Double size.
The waiters here, if they don't like you,
they will take forever
to bring your food,
and if you get in their way,
they get so cranky,
because this is their place.
These beautiful clay pots I notice
are behind the counter,
and they're bubbling
with all kinds of good stuff.
And they're on charcoal,
so this is a fire going under this food.
What do you get?
Eggs and beans?
How good could they be?
Turns out, very good.
- Wow, that was fast.
- Yeah.
I guess
the waiters really like Alex.
- This is eggs and beans?
- Eggs and beans.
- This is not what I was expecting.
- Yeah, I told you.
- It's not the most beautiful presentation.
- No, but...
That's how Mexican food is.
Simple, but at the same time,
lots of flavors.
You have scrambled eggs with beans
put in this shape.
Mmm.
Mmm, mmm!
Oh, yeah.
- Oh, that's good.
- It's pork.
But the sauce...
Tomatillo, green tomatillo.
- And chili, blended.
- That's it.
- That's it.
- Wow, that's good.
This is steak.
- This is morita.
- Morita. Can I do it with the eggs too?
- Whatever you want.
- I'm doing it all.
There's no rules.
This is fantastic.
This is actually not as spicy
as the morita in Los Angeles.
Mm-hmm.
But its more subtle
and has more complexity to it.
Mm-hmm.
It's kind of the flavor
of every Mexican mom.
Like, it tastes like your house.
This is how my mom used to do it.
This is how my grandma used to do it.
I'm laughing because my mom
did nothing like this.
And by "like this,"
I mean food with flavor.
Fantastic. Mmm.
You said you were raised on this.
It's part of you.
- You take a bite...
- Take a bite and then back to childhood.
Yeah.
I'm awake!
Tepito is known
as "el barrio bravo,"
the fierce neighborhood.
People say it still might be dangerous.
Am I going there alone at night? No.
But this is one of the world's
great markets of every kind.
Tents and stalls line the roads
during the day,
and the locals pack the place
in search of any number of items.
Some of dubious legality.
Every movie that's in theaters now
is for sale on DVD.
Even movies like Avatar 2,
which I thought was incredible
they had there
because it hasn't been filmed yet.
But I didn't come here
for bootlegs and Nolex watches.
Tepito's Market is also home to
the most unique street food in the city.
And to find the best, I'll need some help.
Who's taking me?
Bill Esparza, the taco whisperer.
I love this neighborhood
because the food is amazing.
It's my favorite neighborhood
to go eat street food.
I couldn't be more excited
that you said that.
All right.
- It is packed.
- Absolutely.
Migas La Güera.
It's not the migas that we think of
when we go to Austin, Texas,
and we get scrambled egg taco
with the crunched-up tortilla bits.
Migas here means "soup,"
and God knows what else is in this,
but they say it's a cure-all
for hangovers,
and colds, and anything else.
And this is pork?
They make the stock
from pork leg bones.
Yeah?
Cook it for many hours
at a low temperature,
and they thicken it with tortillas
and migas, the breadcrumbs.
- Gracias.
- Okay.
All right, I've been a little bit...
You know, it's not usually what we get.
This is not like Mom's matzo ball soup,
but here we go.
Enjoy!
Oh.
That's nice, right?
Yes. That's just delicious.
Wow, wait a minute. This is just like...
It's heaven.
Yes, because this is
just comfort food, really.
This is not beautiful looking.
But it sure is delicious.
Not exactly first date food.
Why not?
I think you'd bring a first date here
to make sure that your relationship
is about substance, not style.
You say, "Listen, this is who I am."
Right? Not style, substance, everybody.
- You love it, right?
- You bet your marrow, baby.
- Most of the world shops this way.
- Exactly.
And sells this way.
- That's a full bar.
- Yeah.
They're selling virtual reality glasses.
Yeah.
Welcome to Los Corazones.
Oh.
Now Bill has a surprise for me.
He says, "I'm taking you to Los Corazones,
and you're gonna have tacos and
I'm not gonna tell you what's in them."
And I'm like, "Great!
I love being surprised...
by meat."
Look at that.
Okay, we're gonna guacamole everything.
And some salsa roja.
And nopales with cactus.
We'll put it on this guy.
And lime everywhere.
Okay. You know what?
We should eat it and then talk about it.
Eat? I know why you're doing that.
I know. I'm not...
I wasn't born yesterday, Bill.
All right, have that.
How do you like it?
- This is all beef.
- Good. A little tangy.
- It's a little tangy, huh?
- In a way that makes me a little scared.
- You like it.
- Mmm.
Let's have a few more tacos.
I'll tell you something, after that one,
I'm taking a smaller bite of this one.
Here you go.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
It's... That's mine. That's my ride.
All right. Provecho.
- That one's good... for me.
- Mm-hmm.
Now, first tell me what this is,
because I like it.
Beef lungs.
- Which is illegal in the United States.
- Really?
- This is very tasty.
- Mm-hmm.
- The first one you had is udder.
- Yeah?
Udderly delicious.
I'll handle the jokes, Bill.
- Is that legal in the United States?
- No, you cannot get udder.
Some laws are good.
And this is up here, towards the throat
of the cow... of the steer.
Esophagus?
Not esophagus, it's not a... it's just a...
Something more disgusting?
But basically,
this was called menudencias.
- Yes?
- And it's all fried beef offal.
And it's cooked the same way
carnitas is cooked.
- Right.
- In fat.
And by the way,
it's all cooked together anyway, right?
- It's all cooked together.
- I actually really like this one.
Yeah. There's heart in there.
There's lung. There's...
Look at this, this looks amazing.
I didn't have any chicken yet.
That's not chicken.
Passeo De La Reforma
is the main drag of Mexico City,
and, normally, it's packed with cars,
but on Sundays, pedestrians, cyclists,
and their dogs take over.
Gotta love a city that gives the streets
over to the people once in a while.
No restaurant has made the case
for Mexican fine dining better than Pujol.
Best in Mexico City
and one of the best in the world,
Enrique Olvera's gem is a revelation.
Enrique recently moved Pujol
to this beautiful new space...
where he reimagined the place...
perfected it...
made it less formal and more fun.
This is where
all that Xochimilco produce ends up,
and today I'm lucky enough to eat it.
I'm joined by my new favorite dining pals,
Elena and Rulo,
who happen to be good friends
with Enrique as well,
proving that even a city this big
can still feel like a small town.
Whoa.
Things are happening.
- This is one of my favorite dishes ever.
- Look. Smoke.
Really.
The first dish is baby corn.
You eat the whole thing?
There's smoke coming out of it,
but that turns out to be
the least of my worries.
The mayonnaise is made with ants.
Why do you tell me things?
- Because you have...
- No. And it's a treat.
Take one.
This is really a treat in every way.
It's delicious.
It's a mayonnaise with coffee
and the ant chicatana,
which is a flying ant,
basically from Guerrero and Oaxaca.
But I'm not seeing whole ants here,
these are little bits.
It's... pulverized, ground,
and they mix in the mayonnaise.
That's actually the way I prefer my ants.
Pulverized.
Okay.
I dream really with this dish.
It's just...
- It's delicious.
- It is.
The ants make it
smokier and saltier.
Smoky and salty and, like, earthy.
- Yes.
- Mmm. Wow.
And the corn is delicious, no? Mmm.
Wow. All right, I eat ants.
Which is good,
considering what's next.
Look at that beauty.
Chayote squash with olive oil.
Sea asparagus, we call it salicornia,
and worm salt with serrano chile.
- Enjoy.
- Thank you.
Did she say worm salt?
- Worm salt, yeah.
- Worm salt.
That's the one you have with mezcal.
With the orange?
- Oh, that's...
- That's worm salt.
- I've been eating it all week.
- And you liked it?
- Yes.
- So now you have it in another context.
Now I'm fine. Bon appétit.
Insects are like a great seasoning.
And it's gonna save the world
apparently, right?
Because it's so plentiful
and so much protein.
- Get used to it.
- Get used to it.
- It's delicious.
- Mmm.
It's spectacular.
I've never had anything like it.
Who's this?
- Sorry, someone was sitting there.
- Welcome.
I'm sorry, man, I'm gonna take over.
Uh, wow, the first couple of things
were already amazing.
In my life, before today,
I had only eaten two ants.
- That was it.
- Two of them.
In Tokyo.
And when they told me, you know,
there's ants on the corn,
I was a little bit nervous.
- But I have to say, they were delicious.
- They're delicious.
I like almost everything.
Hey, man, I like ants now.
- I like worms.
- Yeah.
- Look at me go. I ate udder.
- What's udder?
On the bottom of the cow that you milk.
The milking part.
- That's delicious.
- That's delicious.
- Delicious.
- Did you try eye?
- What?
- Eye.
What are you doing to me here?
It's kind of a squishy,
but not so bad, no?
Yeah.
- Are we having eye today?
- No.
The final dish
is what Enrique Olvera is most famous for,
and here it is.
Some sauce on a plate.
So this is the mole.
The one in the middle is not as charred,
and the one in the outside
has been charred to a black mole.
This is Enrique's famous
mole madre,
or mother mole.
It's called that because the darker mole
is ever-changing
and contains small amounts
of all previous moles.
Every seven to ten days
we make a new batch.
We mix it with the old batch.
But this has mole from three years ago.
- What?
- And the recipe changes.
- What day are we in?
- Uh, twelve hundred sixty-seven.
Twelve hundred sixty-seven days
of reheating the same mole.
- Really?
- Yeah.
So to you, this is a living thing.
- Yes.
- It's like bread starter, right?
The reheating process
is more about unifying the flavor.
Oh.
Oh.
That's beautiful.
- I have not seen those.
- Wow.
What's the deal with these?
They're a very traditional herb.
Yeah.
And it has a beautiful anise flavor to it.
It's really good with the mole.
And with everything.
Wait a minute.
I cannot... I can't even.
I'm tasting
dried chilies and tomatoes
and garlic and onion and cinnamon
and chocolate and peanuts.
I'm tasting history.
It's absolutely amazing.
They took the... They took the tortillas.
Gracias.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
How can you talk about anything else?
That's a showstopper.
Stop the show!
That was like crazy good.
Thank you.
All right, what am I having?
- So this is pulque ice cream with guayaba.
- What?
Did you call him?
No, I didn't... I haven't.
Pulque ice cream.
With guava.
Mmm.
- How's the pulque ice cream?
- Can we bring the mole back?
No. No.
Hello!
Oh.
Is this the Rosenthal residence?
- Yes.
- Do I have the right number?
Because you both look very good.
I was expecting much older people.
According to the pictures,
I think you're having more fun there
than all the other places you've been to.
- Is that true?
- No, I don't think so.
Why don't you think so, Ma?
Because I think you enjoy
every place that... where you are.
I think you're right.
- But I think this is a little more.
- No.
They seem to be... The people seem
to be friendly or something. I don't know.
Max, you said the same thing
when they were in Israel.
Now you're saying he's happier here.
- He's happy wherever he is.
- Okay.
As long as he's not here.
You guys, just take it away,
just give them a show.
Have you ever had this?
El Moro.
- What's that?
- I have no idea.
It's a pretzel.
It's not a pretzel.
This is called a "churro."
And what it is, it's made from corn flour,
and then they fry it, and then
they roll it in cinnamon and sugar
- like French toast.
- Yes.
And then they do this.
I'm gonna show you. Hang on.
I don't want to spill it,
but can you see that at all?
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Yes.
- What is that?
- You dip your churro, it's made to dip,
in the hot chocolate.
Hot chocolate?
I'm telling you.
How about giving some to Richard?
I should give some to Richard?
Why can't I enjoy something
for five minutes?
Eat that and give him the rest.
All right.
Come here, Richard.
- Here he is.
- Hello.
Your favorite.
That's enough!
- No, go ahead, take some more.
- No, I'm good.
Now I'm gonna add...
I'm gonna try to add...
Hang on.
Hello!
Yes! You're here!
Very nice!
So we have Max and Helen
sitting in Manhattan.
And we have Selma and this pretty girl,
her name, I think, is Monica
in Pennsylvania,
in Selma Haran's house.
And I've spent many a nice evening
on your grandmother's old bed
where she died.
Weren't you the lucky boy?
Yes.
Selma, you're the new one
that people don't really know.
Should we do a show in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has amazing food.
She's a very good cook herself.
She is. Just like my mom.
I think this finally, Helen,
is your redemption.
I've always loved
my mother-in-law's cooking.
- Oh, you...
- Thank you, Monica.
When I had the unspeakable
part of the cow in a taco yesterday,
I actually said,
"I miss my mother's cooking."
Well, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Goodbye, everybody.
- Bye.
- Bye.
Goodbye, it was a pleasure.
Sometimes when you're traveling,
the thing you miss most
is a simple, home-cooked meal.
Not my home,
but since Enrique invited me,
I'm going to his house.
It's my last night in Mexico,
and I'm having dinner with Enrique,
his wife, Allegra,
and their two sons, Bruno and Aldo.
I'm told Aldo has the gift.
I'm looking forward to tasting
some of his cooking too.
- You brought me flowers!
- Yeah, they're not for you.
- Hi, I'm Phil. It's nice to meet you.
- Hello.
Nice to meet you.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
All I have for you is this.
That's good enough.
Wow.
Aldo and my daughter
invented a type of quesadilla...
- I want to try it.
- ...which is called aplastada.
So, he wants to make one for you.
Wow.
That's the opposite
of what I would intuitively do,
just put the cheese
facedown on the griddle.
That's the whole technique.
- That's it.
- That's it.
That's what I think we eat the most here.
Quesadillas?
- No, that thing.
- Like this.
- Because quesadilla is folded.
- Right.
This is the cheese first
so the cheese gets brown.
Oh.
All right, I'm gonna try your cooking.
- Can I grab one? Is this okay?
- Yeah.
Put lemon on it.
Thank you, chef.
I don't know, Dad.
He's pretty good.
- He's not bad.
- We want our kids to surpass us, right?
Of course.
He's on the road.
- Yes? Is this a banana leaf?
- Yeah.
Here I go.
Mmm.
This is fantastic.
Now, you also have a sister, yes?
- Yes.
- Yes.
- Did she not want to be with me?
- No.
- She's in, like, skating class.
- In the class.
- Skating?
- She's the middle.
- The middle child.
- Yeah.
And she's a fantastic sister. Yes?
No.
- What's wrong with her?
- She's like a control freak.
But you're the older brother.
Don't you have control?
No, Gaia is like their second mother.
So whenever Allegra is not around,
- she bosses them around.
- Bosses them around.
But that's
because they behave like children.
And she behaves like a woman.
- But I'm a child.
- I know.
You're supposed to, right?
"But I'm a child, Dad."
Could you see yourself being a chef
when you grow up?
- No.
- No?
Is it too hard, you think?
Not too hard...
You mean like anybody can do it?
Not anybody.
Someone special?
No.
The guy's sitting right here.
Well, for me, everyone's special.
Wow.
Profound.
That's very nice.
It's not true, but it's very nice.
Growing up in the U.S.,
you think you know what Mexico's like,
because it's so close
and there's so much that's familiar.
But Mexico City isn't at all
what I expected.
Sure, the old favorites are there and
they're better than I could have imagined,
but there's also a lively modern city,
filled with innovation and a lot of soul.
A city of openness,
laughter, and friendship.
I've met so many great people here.
One of you is going to be kissed.
There are people who want to steer
the conversation about Mexico
for their own reasons,
but I hope you don't let them,
because I thought I knew
what Mexico City was gonna be like.
I wasn't prepared
to have it take my breath away.
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody, please, somebody, please ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil? ♪
♪ Oh, please, somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪