I'm Francis Lamb, and this is The Splendid Table from APM, the show for curious cooks and eaters.

What's fall to you? For me, it's closing the windows at night. It's wondering if I need to buy a new scarf and it's when I really

get back into cooking again. This week, we get into cooking from all over the place, from a

masterclass and handmade pasta to the old-time food of Appalachia, baking with an award-winning

pastry chef, and the incredibly diverse food of Houston. But first, a love letter to Mexico by Danny Meena.

Danny Meena is a chef, a native of Mexico City,

and a dude with strong opinions on how Mexican food works.

Made in Mexico is his new cookbook, but you can really kind of think of it as a guide to

some of the best markets and restaurants of his beloved hometown.

And our friend, the New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark, talked with Danny about some

of their favorite dishes from the book and the glories

of eating your way through Mexico City.

Danny, welcome.

Thank you for having me, Melissa.

So for people who've never been, tell us what Mexico City's like.

Tell us about the food.

So Mexico City is a pretty big, bustling city.

And with that, there are so many chefs, so many little shacks, so many types of restaurants

that do a myriad of food.

And there's so many like styles that there's like little fundas and little restaurants

that people come and go and eat quickly and it's like homemade food.

And then there's really the best in the world and some super high-in cuisine.

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