Chef Jorge León León
and his mother, Elvia
León Hernández, at their
restaurant, Alfonsina.22 TRAVEL+LEISURE | SEPTEMBER 2019
NORTH
AMERICA
W B R
RUN BY CHEF Jorge León León and his
mother, Elvia León Hernández,
Alfonsina tastes like both the past and
the future of Oaxacan cuisine. The
setting is as personal as dining can be:
the bottom floor of the León family
home, about 20 minutes outside
Oaxaca City. On the day I visited, men
from the neighborhood were finishing
up lunch, taking a stack of Elvia’s warm,
freshly made tortillas with them when
they left. My five-course lunch began
Alfonsina
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA LA RAYA, MEXICO
with a tostada topped with raw slices of
corbina, sautéed mushrooms, and
crispy sticks of leek. Next came a white
mole—a pre-Hispanic recipe made
from cauliflower and corn—with
sautéed shrimp and a pile of delicate
squash blossoms. Huauzontle, a wild
green with an earthy flavor, is dipped in
a light tempura batter and fried, then
laid over fresh cheese and salsa macha,
the greenest sauce I’ve ever seen or
tasted. Elvia’s gorgeous, supple tortillasare served with a pool of brick-red
mole and topped with cured nopales.
There is so much depth to this food, in
the corn-rich tortillas, in the dusky
mole, in the righteous and hallowed
combination of the two. Alfonsina
exemplifies what makes Mexico
perhaps the most exciting place in the
world to eat in 2019. Tradition is
honored; newness is allowed to
flourish. The wisdom of the mother is
treated with the same respect as the
ambition of the son. Together, they
create something unique to this place
and this time—something
extraordinary. 183 Calle García Vigil,
52-1-55-2659-3941; prix fixe $32. JALIL OLMEDO