Off to Mexico City, Paris & Cape Town

I'm off today on one our certifiably insane food-wine-flying trips with my MSP travel buddy batmandds… 60 hours of flying including 5 long haul First Class fights on the world’s two best First Class airlines. And five spectacular restaurants… Michelin 3 star and #5 in the world Pujol in Mexico City, Michelin 3 star Le Pre Catelan in Paris, and three amazing Cape Town restaurants… #37 in the world and #1 in Africa FYN, #56 in the world La Colombe and Salsify at the Roundhouse. I’ll post reels on all of flights, dining and The Park Hyatt Paris Vendome and The Silo Cape Town.

First stop on our whirlwind trip is Mexico City and a 2pm lunch at PUJOL the #5 in World’s Best. While batmandds had an easy Delta nonstop from MSP (arriving on time), I had to connect to get to MEX in time. AA offered a DFW connection that would get me to MEX at 12:05pm… IN THEORY. 

At DFW, first stop is the Capital One Lounge in the D terminal.

And delicious chilaquiles.

Quick check of the bar.

And a wow on the wine offerings...

Off to my gate and so far so good...

... but true to its pathetic garbage airline status, DFW-MEX was delayed 90 minutes due to mechanical. And true to form, AA started rolling delays. By the time AA found a new plane, I had missed my window to get to Pujol, given Mexico City traffic. 

Nice cleaning job AA.

Lunch was the usual disgusting AA offering.

... and totally inedible.

We arrived 90 minutes late. then 30 minutes to wait for a gate and the long trek to immigration.  Then headed for the pleasant landslide Centurion Lounge to wait for Air France checkin to open.

Excellent margarita and margharita pizza.

Here is my Instagram video of our itinerary and my day with dreadful American Airlines.