Friday…dinner….promises of a new and exciting place, a long week deserving a shot at a relaxing dinner with friends, would the locations desired live up to the expectations needed on a weekend? — Wait until you see and hear these locations…

2:45 hits and we gather in the library, two groups, my reliable and dependable eatery boss Elaine, recommender of the week Michelle, and her Lower School colleagues as well as a handful of dining faithfuls in Tracy, Sue, we are off to a coffee shop. Or so I thought. Only this was better.

We show up at the front door of a side street residence, and I am looking. And looking. And looking. Where is the shop? I do not see signs, I do not see any evidence of a coffee shop yet we are here? …..I am confused… a door swing opens and a friendly garcon, ooops, sorry, caballero, opens, greets and ushers us into a patio.

We look around, we see some wooden chairs, some trees, a few apartments, residences. No coffee. Anywhere. I am not saying anything as I am sure this is a stop along the way, and THEN to the coffee shop. Them I know and hear, this is it, we have arrive? What?

Amazing what unfolded next – wooden tables appeared, a white drink (this is where my friends come in) with cinnamon was served out of nowhere while we waited and ….wow! This is good! “We are getting a a table around the corner for you, you are early, but we will begin…” I am still amazed at the thoughts of, “This is a coffee shop?!” – –

Then we saw here, I believe Camilla was her name. She came home from school, unafraid and ready to socialize, the cutest and sweetest daughter of the host you could imagine.

As we waited for our second group to arrive, she entertained and made us laugh. The best part of our Friday outings began to unfold, we talked about our anticipations, laughter, anger, and general thoughts of our experiences here and I knew we were in for something special. Our second part of the group arrives (Tracy, Sue, Michelle) and the folding table with chairs arrive, and we move to a table.chair set across the outdoor patio. Camilla joins us….coffee beings to be set in front of us….and with hearts no less. But this is just the beginning. Perhaps the best Cappuchino (and I have to say I am a novice) set in front of me is served. The design of the heart

is the bonus, the taste is the giveaway…WOW.

The lesson of the history of retrieving the beans from Oaxaca as well the as process of his services to fix coffee machines, preparing the beans for grinding, collecting and returning with these valuable resources to enable this experience, all during the demonstrations of how the designs are created, and servings of Expresso, Chocolate, the taste of the actual chocolate BEAN – and the offers of a dinner if we wanted it, the taste of the meat and potatoes we could have for dinner, a total of 150 pesos is a STEAL. Should we blow off our reservations? Well, we just did at 5:30, that was a distant dream – and who cares? The coffee testing, the good company, the great hosts, the patio has been turned into the best coffee parlor you could imagine and the surroundings have peeled away from view to reveal a courtyard of hospitality, magic, and great experiences.

We are given a Day of the Dead sugar skull,

fruit-like frozen popsicle desserts,

and Camilla continues to turn on the charm constantly.

Having to pull ourselves away from seeing the factory and the warehouse was an understatement as we resignedly leave to our dinner destination, all hoped up with the best coffee served…(I didn’t mention how we could purchase kilos of this magic coffee….amazing and I know what certain people are going to get for Christmas, begging for the source of THIS coffee)… AMAZING undercover experience we had, could it be topped…with TAPAS not that we missed our dinner reservation?….

Oh Yes…another hidden treasure, we arrive at Broka, on Zapecata, or so it appears as I stand in front of another garage door – what is this, Inspector Gadget or 007 night for finding good places? 🙂 A waiter sees me peeking into the window and asks if I want to enter….into what? We find a narrow passageway and cut through the kitchen and then the inside of a warehouse opens up into a dining area and central wood stepped dining area that at first just causes you to be amazed this can’t be really opening up? Then, we are seated, and we begin drinks It is 7:30…after a few hours of conversation, I look at the board and wonder if the promise of food will become a reality, and sure enough….TAPAS! (Marrow filled delicacies, mini pizzas, Springroll like delights, and more and more and more…) How many do you want? We go through one, two, three, four….hours later and after number ELEVEN – ONCE – we wonder how much this is going to rack us for….12 pesos per Tapas does not even begin to classify how wonderful, delicious, and what a great find Broka is. A night if surprises was certainly this dining out experience and having missed the dinner menu and received Tapas turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the Tapas were perhaps the best I had, maybe next to SPain…an VERY distinct memory begins to produce in my mind of Tapas in Spain and I realize the blending of the delicious servings here remind me of Spain and Portugal in a heartbeat.

Perhaps another “one of the best” Friday experiences occurs thanks to my boss Elaine, Coffee guru expert finder Michelle, and a great collection of friends that have joined us in this experience, have made this perhaps a one of the best Friday dining experiences in Mexico….:) If you miss Broka, you are missing one of the best parts of Mexico, and I can’t suggest the coffee secrecy destination unless you have an in with Michelle, which I am eternally grateful for this chance to meet such a wonderful family and experience as this…I plan to return November 4th, and if you have any wanting for an AMAZING experience, you might want to track down Michelle…:) Gracias\ Mexico!