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photos ASPEN ZETTEL
Dining
A Taste of Oaxaca
El Jardin reimagines itself in the
spirit of Mexico’s epicurean capital
by Omar Mouallem
When El Jardin opened in the Mercer Warehouse
in 2023, it was billed as a pan-Latin American restaurant.
It felt apt for the space formerly home to Rostizado,
Edmonton’s first refined Mexican restaurant, which enjoyed
a celebrated run and would be greatly missed. El Jardin
(“The Garden” in Spanish) was also having a good run, so I
was surprised to learn that it recently changed ownership.
The partners have redirected its focus toward a single,
deep-rooted culinary tradition: Oaxaca.
The state in southern Mexico is often called the country’s
culinary heart, a place where Zapotec and Mixtec traditions
remain strong. Some Oaxacan recipes predate Spanish colo-
nization and the cuisine overall has had minimal Europe-
an influence. It's also where the vast majority of Mezcal is
distilled, making the smoky agave spirit as symbolic to the
state as scotch is to Scotland.
The concept is largely that of co-owner Flavius Iulian
Joita, who built a hospitality career in Mexico City and
Puerto Vallarta before moving to Edmonton. Together with
chef Luis Barocio and his other business partner, they’ve
replaced El Jardin’s multinational menu and clubby
evenings (when tables were cleared out for a dance floor)
with a dining room of historic brick and mirrors that keeps
the spotlight firmly on the complexity of Oaxacan flavours.
My guest and I started with the tasajo asado, an authentic
market staple. It arrived on a crisp corn tortilla with black
bean paste, lettuce, avocado, tomato and quesillo, a Oaxacan
string cheese. The wood-grilled salted beef was tender with
a gentle chew, its salinity softened by the creamy cheese
and beans.
We then turned to the ahi tuna tostada, a structurally
similar dish, albeit with a more coastal, New World influence
thanks to its wheat flour tortilla, cut into four pizza-style
slices. The tortilla was crisped to a cracker-like texture and
topped with seared ahi tuna, smoky avocado purée, pickled
onions and a drizzle of creamy chipotle sauce.
But the standout was the chicken with mole negro —
one of Oaxaca’s seven moles traditionally served for
different occasions. This one is reserved for weddings
and other major celebrations because it’s so labour
intensive. With 20-some ingredients, including Oaxacan
chocolate, the sauce was smoky, spicy and balanced —
neither overly sweet nor bitter. The bone-in chicken was
juicy, accompanied by local mushrooms standing in for
Oaxaca’s wild varieties.
Left page: El Tocayo cocktail (mezcal, ruby port and dry vermouth)
Above (clockwise from top left): Mezcal and hot champurrado; mole negro
with pan-seared chicken; wild mushrooms in zesty aguachile sauce; shrimp
tossed in chintextle sauce
When we visited in August, El Jardin’s ambitious Mezcal
Passport program hadn’t yet launched. It’s now available, taking
patrons on a journey through Oaxaca’s agave biodiversity, from
the versatile Espadín to rare wild varietals like Tobalá and
Tepeztate. The idea is to give guests a guided, story-rich tasting
of mezcal’s breadth and depth.
In the meantime, we sampled cocktails from the mezcal-
based list — all named with a wink. La Tóxica takes its name
from Spanish slang for “the toxic one” in a relationship (meant as
a playful tease between friends or partners). Made with Mezcal
Solmano, watermelon, lemon and a Tajín rim, the drink is
colourful and fruity, smoky on the nose but light on the palate.
El Tocayo is a smooth Mezcal mix with Ruby Port, Martini Dry
Vermouth, syrup and habanero bitters. Smooth and velvety
under a creamy foam, it’s balanced between sweet and herbal
notes, with a hint of habanero.
While it’s a long way from Oaxaca, and authenticity is limited
by the ingredients it can source, El Jardin’s new direction
is closing the distance between Edmonton and Mexico’s
culinary capital. ED.
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