Friday, July 21, 2006

Friday Food Photos #1: La Carta de Oaxaca




Salud a Felicia de San Diego Daily Photo! Inspired by her trek through SDs fab Mexican restaurants, I thought on Fridays I'd try to feature shots of some of Seattle's popular foods and cafes.

La Carta de Oaxaca (pronounced waa-HOCK-aa) is located on shady Ballard Avenue in the heart of the Ballard neighborhood. This is an exceptional restaurant where all dishes are small, cost $9 (US) and under, and are fun to share with others at the table. They carry seemingly a gazzillion kinds of tequila, so if you are in search of a perfect margarita, you will find it here. Here I picture some cold beverages (beer w/lime & margarita/no salt) to wish everyone relief from the heat waves everywhere. The food is authentic regional fare from the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, spiced wonderfully and presented attractively. The kitchen is at the center of the small restaurant, and one can sit at a counter and watch the cooks and tortilla maker in action. There is also a tiny bar toward the back. The walls are a photographer's dream, filled with high quality black and white photos of Oaxacan scenes and people, accented with stunning enlargements of backlighted panels of luminous color photos. A powerful effect in these wall arrangements of white-framed images.

I ordered fresh halibut tacos (pictured) and mushroom empanadas. Both were delicious. There is always a line waiting to get a seat, but put your name in, because it's worth the wait, and is a fun place to bring your friends for good conversation and good food.

Big welcome to new Daily Photo family member West Richland Daily Photo, from the eastern side of our fair state of Washington, a region known for its fruit, wine, and wonderful vistas remeniscent of Napa, CA, France, or Italy.
c. 2006 Seattle Daily Photo

4 comments:

Marie McC said...

Mmm, the Friday Food Fest begins! I'm getting hungry, and it's nowhere near lunchtime!

Felicia said...

Thanks Kim! Those fish tacos look delicious - the first time I had one I was happily surprised with the taste and texture of the cabbage. I can see getting the same thing from some place in San Diego. Can't wait to see more of Seattle's food offerings!

Michael Salone said...

I'm here for the cool one! Merci for the invite Kim.

Ryan said...

The food looks good to me. Finding good Mexican/ Baja food in the Northwest is always a treat.