Lunch with a friend at La Catrina in Croton-on-Hudson. I had no idea what La Catrina was so the very friendly owner explained it to me. I’ve since supplemented her information with addition information found on the internet:
Everywhere you look on the streets during Day of the Dead celebrations across Latin America, a familiar face looks back. A face that juxtaposes the macabre and the elegant, it’s in the makeup on children’s faces, the elaborate dress of the women, in the celebratory ‘bread of the dead’ and in every shop window selling souvenirs and emblems of this uniquely atmospheric festival.
This face has a definite aesthetic: a skull, wearing a much-embroidered bonnet resplendent with flowers. This is La Calavera Catrina – the ‘elegant skull’ – often simply La Catrina. And however superficially festive it may appear, La Catrina’s presence throughout Mexico’s Day of the Dead mythology makes a much deeper statement of mortality, destiny and the societal divisions of class. (From La Catrina: The dark history of Day of the Dead’s immortal icon)
The restaurant décor is very much in line with the above: Brightly colored paintings of La Catrina; figurines; skull light fixtures; skull beer mugs (I particularly liked these and bought two of them). The men’s room even had a stick figure with a skull as a head on the door.
It was a lovely cool, sunny day when we went so we sat in the pleasant outside patio (see picture above).
As for the food – it was wonderful, probably the best Mexican food that I’ve had.
Interior shot.
One of the numerous brightly colored paintings (more below).
A figurine.
Skull candle holder.
Skull light fixture.
More Figurines.
Gustavo.
Skull beer mug.
Taken with a Nikon D800 and Nikon AF Nikkor 28-80 f3.3-5.6
