Dario Wolos In Mexico

In Straight Trippin', OC friends and family share tidbits from their latest travels. This time, Dario Wolos from New York Mexican food institution Tacombi jets off to Mexico D.F. and Oaxaca for some culinary research.

Name: Dario Wolos
Occupation: Hospitality
Travel destination: Mexico D.F., Oaxaca
Carry-on necessities: Notebook, Macbook Air
Reading materials: Four random magazines I'll buy at the airport that pique my interest before the flight leaves
Most over-played tracks on your iPod this trip: Sadly, it’s still the "Giorgio by Moroder" track by Daft Punk from last summer: "My name is Giovanni Giorgio but everybody calls me Giorgio.”
Favorite outfit to travel in: Jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie
Highlight of your trip: After a long flight from NYC to Mexico D.F., we drove two hours in heavy traffic to a smaller airport, got on a three-hour ride on a small prop plane to the Pacific Coast, and spent another hour driving to Hotel Escondido. I finally put on my bathing suit and headed out to the beach, and just as I was putting my towel down on a hammock, I looked out to sea. A huge hump back whale jumped straight out of the water about 300 meters offshore, followed by its baby and some of its friends. It did a couple flipper waves, back rolls, and a couple more jumps, and schools of fish start bouncing out of the water and flocks of birds start diving all around—it was crazy. Serious nature documentary moment out of nowhere!
Souvenirs you brought back: The sweet Curzon tostadas they make in Oaxaca
Best thing you ate: Make-your-own tacos on the beach with fresh grilled fish, tortillas, vegetables, and salsas
What do you wish you could bring back? Whales. It would be awesome to get them to come and jump around the Hudson off the West Side Highway.

Getting on a small prop plane to fly to the Pacific Coast

Flying over the mountains of Oaxaca, you can begin to understand how Mexico's cuisine developed differently in each region. The mountains are nearly impossible to traverse.