What a find! Out of the trodden downtown area (and with plenty of street parking), you can find a spacious, clean, light, welcoming place with a guitar duo often providing traditional music to go with the traditional and excellent Oaxacan dishes.
Miguel and Elena, the owners, welcome and serve customers, while daughter Alejandra runs a kitchen where recipes she learned from grandmothers in both sides of the family come to life in generous portions. Los Compadres originally belonged to Miguel's parents for many years, and when they were ready to retire, Miguel, Elena, and Alejandra stepped up to continue to create "cocina de herencia" (inhereted cuisine, as per Elena).
The three generations are evident in plentiful botanas (h'ourdeurves), with only the thinnest chicharrón, locally made sausages, house made head cheese, tiny memelas (sope-like corn miniature pizzas), and quesillo, of course. I ordered a pumpkin blossom and buds soup that was perfectly seasoned, but still with room for some of the fresh huajillo hot sauce at the table. I ordered the chiles rellenos, and was served a chile poblano stuffed with cheese and a huajillo with minced meat, which had echoes of chile rellenos I'd eaten as a child. Manageable portions of black refried beans and rice with yerbasanta as well as slices of fresh tomatoes, avocados, and a carved radish worked well together to leave me satisfied and happy. My dinner companions ordered a beef tongue stew and an amarilo, both excellent representations of Oaxacan cuisine, especially the former. The dishes were accompanied by regular supplies of piping hot, handmade tortillas, with timely, not bothersome visits by a friendly waiter, busboy, as well as Miguel, Elena, and Alejandra.
For dessert, I had buñuelos, a traditional pastry dish that can be overwhelmingly heavy, drowning in molasses. Not so; the version that I was given was a large, thin, crispy pastry with barely a drizzle of the home-made, honey-derived syrup. I also tasted some of the arroz con leche (rice pudding) one of my companions ordered, which had the right balance between not overcooked rice bathed in a rich mixture of sweetened milk, cinnamon, and other mysterious spices.
Miguel, Elena, and Alejandra have quite a variety of drinks, from aquas frescas, beer, micheladas and, of course, mezcal, reposado o blanco. I am biased toward the latter, and in Los Compadres, they offer one of the most memorable espadines I've tasted. Rather than the southeastern end of the valley (i.e., Mitla, Matatlán), the origin of this rare find is Ejutla, the less well known mezcal-producing region. The espadín available at Los Compadres is much more complex than others, with subtle hints of carmel, licorice, and even coffee. When I first tasted it, I thought it was an ensemble of Tobalá and Espadín, only to be set straight by Miguel. It was so good that I had to have a second shot, which went perfect with the buñuelo I had for dessert. Lucky for me, Los Compadres sells 1/2 liter bottles of this gem, at a very reasonable price. read more
