El Catedral Restarante, Oaxaca

The best meal for the price that I had on my recent trip to Oaxaca was at this restaurant.  I was with a group that had many different priorities.  Some wanted to eat for a modest price.  Others wanted a memorable meal.

While it was my first trip to Oaxaca, I had done my usual due diligence of trying to find restaurants that I would enjoy on the trip--including an estimation of the cost--now it is very hard to know what a modest price is for a crowd--what might seem very reasonable to one person seems like a fortune to another.  Then there are the people who want an appetizer, a dessert, a few drinks and something for the main meal, and don't understand how it all added up to so much.  But I boldly made this choice--even though one person groaned when they saw just how close it was to the central plaza.

I had a sinking feeling when I went into the restaurant--the tables were set with elegant place settings and there were multiple waiters attentively standing in wait for a very few tables.  The building was just gorgeous, with high ceilings and the arches that you see on the exterior are echoed inside as well.  I was amongst the first to open my menu--and was very pleasantly surprised that there were an abundance of dishes to be had at very reasonable prices.  The house wine was excellent, and the meal came with an amuse-bouche, no less.  The food was outstanding (lots of updated versions of regional dishes that were flavorful, inventive and satisfying (for both the palate and the pocket book).  We were dining in the court yard, and when there were the first signs of rain, a canopy high above us rolled out and we remained dry.  A success!