DISH OF THE WEEK: Mezcal Mushroom Tlayudita at FOR ALL THINGS GOOD

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

Outside of Korean corn dogs, Oaxacan food and housemade masa was maybe the hottest trend this year in NYC. In the old days, you’d have to head out to Elmhurst to find a restaurant that was nixtamalizing their own masa. Now you just have to head to hipster Brooklyn.

This is extra exciting for me because I had to sadly cancel a vacation to Oaxaca at the beginning of the pandemic due to our ongoing situation. So I was able to get some of those rustic flavors right here in New York.

I visited a few of these new spots, but my most exciting visit was a quick one at an unassuming little spot in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The restaurant is called For All Things Good – inspired by a Spanish phrase “para todo mal, mezcal, para todo bien, tambien” meaning “For All Things Bad, drink mezcal and For All Things Good, drink mezcal too.” Although this is the official name, the title out front reads “Molino & Cafe” to showcase that this is both a place to eat and drink, but also a molino, a place where corn is milled into masa.

I didn’t really have time to sit, relax, and enjoy the environment, but I did grab a quick breakfast dish to go and it was beyond phenomenal. In fact, it was probably the best thing I ate all year.

Mezcal and mushrooms are two of my favorite things to consume. Together, it’s nearly impossible for me to resist on a menu.

In the morning and afternoon only, these two Oaxacan ingredients are served on a tlayudita, which is essentially a very thin crisp and chewy tortilla grilled and served almost like a pizza.

The toppings included a thick spread of refried black beans topped with salty, chewy white Oaxcan cheese, a fistful of cilantro, and dots of an earthy spicy Salsa Macha (made from pumpkin seeds) which I imagine encompasses all the great things about Oaxacan food.

I didn’t yet mention those magical meaty maitake mushrooms (also known as Hen of the Woods). As they tend to do, they soaked up all the smoky spicy earthy flavors of the dish. And their hearty hefty somehow held up to the paper thin crisp tortilla, which was firmer than a chip but more delicate than a quesadilla and had so much intense corn flavor.

Ideally, I would have sat and enjoyed this because I had some intensely pleasurable moments while relishing each bite. But I ate it while walking to my next destination.

The world has changed and my dining habits are a bit different. Since I couldn’t experience this in Oaxaca and I didn’t have the ability to sit and enjoy it at this adorable little café, I’ll have to settle with eating it out of a container on the go. But even that was something I was very grateful to experience. Price: $16