GOOD FOOD IN MEXICO CITY

And the winner is: Queretaro barbacoa named “Best Taco in the World” at London gala

2013-05-22T09:05:00.003-05:00

“The envelope please…”
On a crisp, cool evening in London recently ‘The World’s Seven Tastiest Fast Feasts Awards’ were revealed at a gala event. Chowzter, a web site and app dedicated to promoting ‘traditional fast food’ was the proud sponsor. The occasion was held as a provocative flipside to the glitzy World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony being held the next night, to highlight ‘low-end’ culinary treasures. Leading global food bloggers, top chefs and food connoisseurs gathered for the first-ever awards ceremony at a trendy London club, the Village Underground. British comedian Alexander Armstrong buoyantly hosted the casual awards gala celebrating the tastiest dishes in seven categories: sandwich, sausage, pizza, curry, burger, fried chicken and taco. Chowzter’s rankings were based on the nominations of a team of more than fifty street food experts from around the world.

English pizza wins over Italian!
A local English pizza, the margherita from Story Deli, won first prize as ‘world’s tastiest fast feast’, provoking many Italians in attendance.
“Nobody can beat the Italians for making amazing pizzas that build on, and respect, centuries of tradition,” Chowzter founder Jeffrey Merrihue said in an interview. “But Story has taken that tradition and turned it on its head, creating a pizza that combines great flavors with an unusual texture.”

Fezes off…
While the evening focused on highlighting delicious dishes from across the globe, the gala also recognized one individual passionate about her work and eager to contribute to the food-blogging industry. Istanbul’s food storyteller and photographer Tuba Satan was honored with the Chief Chowzter Outstanding Contribution Award. She told us: “Food is not always eaten in the best places, but this is real food, for real people; it’s accessible and local and it’s important to get the word out.”

Chef Martín Morales, Nicholas Gilman and comedian Alexander Armstrong

A taco takes it
And out of five nominations for best taco in the world (three of them non-Mexican!) the prize went to Barbacoa Santiago in Querétaro. The tacos at Santiago are beyond legendary with folks who make the pilgrimage just for the experience. Wrapped in maguey leaves and pit-cooked overnight over wood, the fragrant meat is served on freshly made corn tortillas augmented with hand-ground roast chile salsa that would bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened charro.

Keep cool and collect
The award was presented by Martín Morales of London’s Ceviche Restaurant and accepted by Good Food in Mexico City’s own Nicholas Gilman, who flew in for the occasion to represent his adopted country. And when the trophy arrives a ceremony will be held and the deserving winners will be lauded. ¡Que Viva México!

Barbacoa Santiago, Carretera Mexico-Querétaro 152.1, Palmillas, San Juan del Río, Querétaro

Close to home: Maximo Bistrot Local

2013-05-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Note: The fine folks at Maximo have been recently caught in the vortex of a socioeconomic media fest, shedding light on ugly aspects of Mexican society: corruption and classism. See:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/world/americas/restaurant-http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/world/americas/restaurant-patrons-behavior-is-panned.html?ref=restaurantspatrons-behavior-is-panned.html?ref=restaurants
Here, I pay homage to this fine venue by republishing my review of last year.-
I love to criticize. I was raised in New York after all, where criticism is an art form. But Máximo Bistrot Local, a fine new venue for creative cuisine in the constantly up-and-coming Colonia Roma, defies even me to find fault.

Cool and chic Máximo replaces a dowdy medical supply store; where wheelchairs and artificial limbs were once sold you can find the best brandade de morue this side of the Seine. The space, airy and sunny during the day, warm and cozy at night, has been smartly and discreetly given new life. Windows and rooms, once blocked up, were opened, those lovely old tile floors, until not so long ago routinely torn out by tasteless renovators, have been replaced. Simple but comfortable wooden bistro chairs and tables are given room to breathe, both inside and out on the street. Adornment is minimal. Ambient music is mercifully turned low. It’s a space you’re happy to spend some time in. The kitchen is open to view—and the food coming out of that kitchen is worthy of hyperbole.

Chef Eduardo García, formerly of the esteemed Pujol, also worked at Manhattan’s star-strewn Le Bernardín, that high-falutin´temple of good fish. He has brought all of his gastronomic skills to his own place, along with his wife, the affable Gabriela. The only thing they left behind is pretension. The restaurant’s publicity claims that ‘materia prima’ is local and organic, if possible. The chef visits our spectacular markets daily, choosing what looks best,
then adroitly improvising a new menu each day.

The dishes are French and Italian in theory, Spanish in their simple elaboration, all with soulful respect for Mexican tradition. Food looks like food, not art.

The menu wisely sticks to five or six appetizers and the same number of ‘platos fuertes’.

A recent starter was so simply labeled it almost escaped my notice. ‘Sopa de raiz de apio y chicharro’ makes use of that divine root so common in France and so elusive here: celerie rave (celeriac in English). A simple, light cream of fresh pea, green as a Provençal field in spring, is perfumed with a refined essence of celery. The color and fragrance would have pleased Mme. Chanel. Esparragos y holandesa are not toyed with, just done correctly. They looked like the end result of an episode of The French Chef.

Another example: perfectly grilled octopus, tender as a baby’s thigh (must be) is complimented by a drizzle of ‘guajillo emulsion’. A couple of days later this combination had morphed into a brick-red creamy reduced chili sauce and a generous puddle of sautéed huitlacoche – essentially Mexican.

The tuna arrived seared on the top and sushi-pink in the middle, cloaked in a robe of red Mediterranean peperonata. Likewise, ‘filete de cerdo’ is left blushing and juicy in the center, as pork should be unless you’re doing carnitas. Smart.

Desserts are safely relegated to such Parisian bistro classics as a crackly crème bruleé or a rich pot de crème de chocolate. Richer still was a cheesecake of goat cheese, the likes of which I’ve seen neither in Paris, New York nor el DF.

The wine list is carefully chosen, featuring some unusual Mexican vintages—and there’s a good range of prices. Dinner with a glass of wine hovers around $300 pesos per person. A prix fixe comida is offered on weekdays for $150 pesos (ask if you don't see it on the menu).

After an excellent repast on a recent sun-drenched Sunday, my astute dining companion, The French Lady, recalled her favorite bistro in Paris, L’Ebauchoir. Wrinkling her nose in typical Parisian fashion, she agreed to be quoted. “This place reminds me of it.” she said. “It is very, very good!”

She needn’t say more. Nor will I.

Maximo Bistrot Local

Tonalá 133, corner of Zacatecas, (3 blocks south of

Av. Alvaro Obregón) Colonia Roma

Tel. 5264 4291

Open Tuesday – Saturday : 1 -11:00 pm,

Sunday, 11:00 am-7:00 pm

closed Monday

Ver mapa más grande

On the Town: Tapeando

2013-04-23T19:00:00.000-05:00

Berezi Gastrobar

Plaza Samara: Antonio Dovali Jaime 70, Santa Fe.

Tel. 5292 4753

$$$

A scallop never looked so good

This smart new ‘bar de tapas’ is located on the mezzanine level of a new but characterless mall in Santa Fe, overlooking a pretty landscaped garden. It offers Spanish classics well done: croquetas those perfect little béchamel balls, are crunchy out/creamy in and served with pleasantly mild ali-oli. We’ve never seen, in Mexico, the little skewered gildas, named after Rita Hayworth’s character in the eponymous film.

Costillas, little morsels of pork rib are falling-apart tender and lightly sweetened with balsamic.

And callo con romesco y velo de azafrán is a minimally cooked scallop that sits proudly on a dollop of smoky/tangy hazelnut-thickened sauce from Catalonia and is worth the trip to this un-loved part of town.

Capote

Álvaro Obregón 179, Colonia Roma Tel. 5511-0429

Tapeando at Capote

Open: Tuesday- Sunday: 2 p.m.-2 a.m.

Pedro Martín, the Canarian chef once of Tezka and other high-falutin’ D.F. venues has opened an unpretentiously cool bar at the end of Alvaro Obregón with a few tables in and out (which are these days quite difficult to procure). The menu is all tapas, simple-to-complex little dishes, reasonably priced meant to be shared and accompanied by wine from the wallet-friendly list. Service, however, tends to range from perfunctory to downright rude, a rarity in this town of smiling hospitality.

Kaah Siis

Mazaryk 123, corner Schiller, Col. Polanco

Tel. 5250-0274

Open Monday- Saturday 1:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

www.kaahsiis.com

$$$

A new venue for interesting ‘Alta Cocina Mexicana’ offers two tasting menus based on local artisanal and seasonal products. Dishes can be shared or one can take advantage of the tasting menu. The eight course mega is a bit too much even for this glutton – go for the six.

You're the Top: Q&A With Máximo's Chef Eduardo García

2013-04-10T17:22:00.001-05:00

Gabi & Lalo photo © by Peter Norman

Máximo Bistrot Local opened its doors at the beginning of 2012, and quickly became the hottest place in Mexico City. It’s an unpretentious European-style bistro in the once opulent Colonia Roma neighborhood, which is in the midst of a redevelopment boom. Cool and chic Máximo replaces a dowdy medical supply store; once a trash-strewn corner with little foot traffic is now a well-known gastronomic destination. You can find the best brandade de morue this side of the Seine here. Or a classic ceviche. While Mexico-born chef and owner Eduardo García likes rustic French cooking, his feet are firmly planted on native ground, and he often includes typical Mexican ingredients such as chilies, hot and mild; cuitlacoche, the rich corn fungus known as “Mexican truffle”; or country herbs like epazote in his dishes.

The chef formerly worked under Enrique Olvera of Pujol, the esteemed local palace of experimental gastronomy, and also toiled in Manhattan’s star-strewn Le Bernardín where seafood reigns.

García represents the new generation of Mexican cooks who, while well aware of what’s going on in Spain, California and New York, have come back home, incorporating these ideas into their native cuisine.

Eduardo García puts ‘local’ in Máximo Bistrot Local

The chef has brought expert gastronomic skills to his own place, opened on a shoestring and run with his wife, the affable Gabriela, who acts as host. Máximo Bistrot Local’s publicity claims thatmateria prima is local and organic, if possible. The chef visits the city’s spectacular markets daily, choosing what looks best, then adroitly improvising a new menu each day. The food coming out of his kitchen is worthy of hyperbole.

How is what you cook related to classic Mexican cuisine?

Our menu is based not only on Mexican cuisine, but also on local ingredients — hence the name “bistro local.” But I like to include a few “authentic” dishes. The relationship between my cuisine and Mexican cooking is all about ingredients, methods and philosophy. I think my growing up in Mexico and having trained here infuses everything I do. For example, I often take advantage of the huge variety of chilies used in our cooking, and the specifically Mexican ways of preparing them, such as toasting and grinding.

And to classic European cooking?

I wouldn’t say “classic European” but French and rustic Italian. Again, the methods are a big part of the relationship. I take what I consider to be the best techniques from the aforementioned European traditions.

What are the advantages of running a restaurant in Mexico City?

In the city, purveyors are more focused than in other parts of Mexico. We’re in the middle of the country and everything is available here; I can get seafood from either coast hours after it is caught.

the provinces — Mexicans tend to be conventional when it comes to food.

What’s coming up on your menu?

I’m planning a trip to visit small restaurants in Europe to get more inspiration for my menu. I’m more interested in experiencing local, time-honored cooking than the avant-garde stuff.

What is you latest ingredient obsession?

Fresh seafood from Ensenada. There are extraordinary ingredients there. Percebes, for example, are barnacles not well-known outside of Spain, where they cost a fortune. Here they are accessible and I’ve been experimenting with them: I included them in a ceviche recently.

What is your favorite restaurant/chef in town?

I don’t hang out much with the “top” chefs or at fancy restaurants. My favorite place is Fonda Las Margaritas in Colonia Del Valle [a quiet residential neighborhood south of the center]. It’s where I like to eat on my day off. It’s a simple old-fashioned neighborhood fonda that does really authentic no-frills Mexican food.

And out of town?

Casa Oaxaca, in Oaxaca City. My friend, Chef Alejandro Ruíz, is doing incredible things with local market foods there. I always look forward to seeing what he’s up to.

Where do you see the restaurant scene headed here in Mexico City?

The culinary scene here is expanding, as are people’s palates. I think that Mexico City is becoming one of the top destinations for food. New restaurants as well as old established ones are using more fresh and local products. And that’s a real good thing.

And what are your life plans?

I’ve been offered jobs here and abroad, book deals, even a TV show! I’ve turned them all down. Because I just don’t have time to do anything but cook, and make sure everything in my place is the best it can be. I’ve seen some of my contemporaries fall prey to the “star chef” phenomena — and their restaurants suffer for this. You can’t be a star and maintain a great kitchen unless it is established and you are able to train younger chefs to be as good as you. I know I’m not there yet. We’re doing amazingly well, are always full and now have sidewalk rights so a few more tables. But it’s very hard work, six days a week, exhausting. I hope I can keep it up.

Gabi & Lalo II photo © by Peter Norman

Note: This article is reprinted, by popular demand, from Zesterdaily.com, for which I am a columnist.

The Best Thing I Ate This Week: White on White

2013-04-04T16:42:00.001-06:00

"It's not Italian" I muttered, as I nodded in assent against my better judgement, not wishing to go against the grain. We were ordering for my birthday dinner at what's just about my favorite restaurant in the world.

Ajo blanco, or white gazpacho is a traditional alternative to the better known red gazpacho. It's ubiquitous in the south of Spain, Andalucia to be more precise, during the warm months. A soup cool in every way, it's as good as the sum of its ingredients, and the balancing skills of its maker. Olive oil, pulverized almonds, vinegar, garlic, perhaps a little bread are whipped into a smooth cream and served over green grapes.

The warm months have arrived in Mexico City, dry dusty desert-like days will be upon us until the rains come. So, yes, a cold soup is a good idea.

It arrived after squash blossom flowers which were fried so light they seemed to levitate off the plate like little cumulous clouds.

The soup was textbook perfect. The balance between sweet, salty, tart and umami was 3 star Michelin.

But Rosetta specializes in regional Italian fare, not southern Spanish. I asked the brilliant chef Elena Reygadas why, why she did it. "My Spanish grandmother made it and when the weather turns warm I get nostalgic - and there just aren't so many cold Italian soups I like." Chef Reygadas' touch is to add a little green apple and tarragon. So the soup is her own. Any Italian would approve.

Go for the white gazpacho while you can. Then eat pasta.

Note: Listen to an in-depth interview with the author: http://colinmarshall.libsyn.com/s3e18-first-rate-second-world-eating-with-nicholas-gilman

Something’s Fishy in the city: Tacos de Pescado

2013-03-19T17:29:00.000-06:00

It’s Lent and time to make the big sacrifice: no meat. Many Mexicans do indeed forego the red stuff in spite of intense carnivorous cravings. Comida corrida joints offer vegetarian lunches, featuring cauliflower tortas or a fish fillet. Eating seafood, it seems, is punishment for many people here. This is a country with two abundant coasts both of which serve the capital within hours, providing us with mountains of fresh aquatic edibles. But Mexicans consume a tenth of the amount of fish as, say, the Japanese do. Too bad, because they certainly know what to do with it; some of the best dishes in the Mexican lexicon are seafood-based.

So a new trend for fish tacos, something previously rarely seen in the capital, is nothing but a good thing. Marisco stands and fondas tend to proffer the same menu of cocteles, tostadas and fried mojarras. But the seemingly obvious concept of fish prepared and heaped in a fresh, warm tortilla is harder to find than you’d think. Common along the northwest coast, in multiple variations, fish tacos are just starting to take off inland.

In the culinarily vanguardista Colonia Roma, two new hip fondas vie for attention across from each other like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford at a Hollywood gala . And a deceptively humble locale draws word-of-mouth-informed crowds in a quiet corner of the Condesa.

Tres Galeones Taquería de Puerto, the best of the bunch, is a smartly decorated retro-style quick lunch spot, attracting the little-hat crowd and run by the affable

Rodrigo Malvido. Trained at NY’s prestigious CIA, the chef returns to his homeland with hi-fi skills but keeps his feet firmly planted on native turf, quietly re-inventing standard puesto beach-fare. The locale is done with the nowadays requisite pretty mosaic floors, rough wood and glass outdoor tables. The eclectic ‘50’s-‘70’s music featuring everyone from Betty Carter to The Shirelles is so groovy you want to stay and just hang out and listen. The chalkboard menu offers tacos, at $20 pesos per, ordered by the piece, as well as tostadas and burritos. Pescado estilo baja is whitefish, battered, fried and served in a light tortilla with fresh pico de gallo and optional salsas to spike things up (a peanut infused sauce resembles, but is infinitely better than, Russian dressing). This, the gold standard of fish tacos, should be steaming, crunchy, fishy but not too, augmented but not overwhelmed by its accompaniments. It’s indeed a winner. So is the taco de pulpo al pastor: succulent octopus is dressed but not smothered in a heady, aromatic red sauce. Less successful is a rather acrid taco of carnitas de pescado – a mis-thought concept as fish doesn’t tend to lend itself to ‘confit’ style preparation; and the pork chicharrón scattered on top will send non-meateaters into a tizzy. Nobody’s perfect. Also worth mentioning is the caldo de camarón served as an amuese bouche – it is unusually rich, a frothy pink bisque with a pleasant chili kick. Tres Galeones is to be commended for its bold and creative yet unpretentious approach to streetfood.

Tres Galeones Taquería de Puerto

Jalapa 117 (just below Alvaro Obregón), Colonia Roma

Open 11:30-6, Monday - Saturday

3 tacos and a drink will cost around $75 pesos

Across the street, the concisely named Fish Tacos & Chips (Jalapa 122, open daily 11-7) is a simple décor-less outdoor fonda with only a few tables. They do this comforting Brit/Mex classic and do it well. The standard fish nuggets deep-fried capeado, i.e. in light batter, are fine if a bit dull, not unlike, in this writer’s experience, their old-world cousins. Better are fish fillets a la plancha – they’re sautéed fresh fillets served in a light wheat tortilla with roasted sweet peppers. The ‘topping bar’ includes lightly dressed cucumber chunks, almost like an Indian raita, and a sweet-ish shredded carrot salad, as well as the requisite thinly sliced cabbage and a few salsas. A paquete includes two tacos and an agua del día--and at $50 pesos it’s easy on the budget.

Meanwhile, over in the Condesa, the bustling El Pescadito, (Atlixco 38, corner Juan Escutia, open daily 11-6, Saturday, Sunday 10-6) offers similar Baja style fried fish and shrimp as well as the tuna-like marlin, stir-fried with chili and heaped on a house made corn tortilla. The ‘fixins’ bar here includes creamy coleslaw, a comfort food for many, as well as several picante salsas. The malty agua de cebada (made from barley) goes nicely. But I’d avoid the queso concoctions on their menu – cheese and fish just don’t go.

A few other places have been serving oceanic tacos all along:

Boca del Rio, Ribera de San Cosme 42, Colonia San Rafael, (near metro San Cosme) has been dishing seafood in this hangar-like location since the ‘50’s.

Pablo el Erizo, Montes de Oca 6, Condesa, does a delicate langosta para taquear.

Contramar, Durango 200, Roma/Condesa does a better carnitas de pescado as well as soft shell crab, and you can ‘see-and-be-seen’ while you’re eating them.

The strikingly designy Limosneros (Allende 3, centro) offers tacos de camarón that are pretty to look at and expertly prepared.

And the Angels Sing: Turtux

2013-02-18T18:13:00.001-06:00

Margarita Salinas

San Angel, pretty and old-fashioned, was never a gourmand’s paradise. Everybody raves about the margaritas at the San Angel Inn, but its food is ho-hum. The Fonda San Angel tried hard but vied with Sanborn’s and lost for quality.

But now one can travel south (of the Viaducto) for fine dining a la Mexicana. While Colonia Roma may be on the cutting edge gastro-wise and the centro is putting ‘histórico’ back into the cazuela, it’s Avenida de la Paz that’s finally getting on the upscale traditional bandwagon. First it was Paxia, now there’s Turtux.

The affable chef and gastronome Margarita Salinas de Carrillo is recognized for her work in promoting Mexican cuisine throughout the world. She has campaigned for the UNESCO proposal to designate Mexican Cuisine as ‘Intangible Patrimony of the World’. She is a notable cooking teacher, and has written about the regional cuisines of Oaxaca, Michoacán and Chihuahua amongst others. Her restaurant Don Emiliano in Baja California won umpteen awards, and her book ‘Tamales y Atoles Mexicanos’, was just published by Larousse. And she has cooked for President Obama.

A mosaic of octopus

With chef Margarita’s newest venture here in Mexico City, we can all dine like a president. The name means 'butterfy' in Maya, but the food is multi-regional.

Her menu—almost as good to read as the food is to eat--is 'tweaked traditional', which, I’m happy to report, is all the rage these days. Artsy-fartsy pretention is left at the door. Grandma’s recipes are revived, overhauled, put together from the best local artisanal ingredients, gussied up a little bit to appeal to the 21^st century diner, and served on a plain white plate with a little drizzle of something just for effect. A case in point is an entrada 0f laminillas de pulpo al cilantro: the octopus, sliced razor thin and drizzled with a simple little cilantro salsa glimmers like a stained glass window – it’s lovely to look at, delightful in the mouth but simple, without annoying pretense.

Spain's (or is it Italy's?) gift to Mexico: fideo seco

The fideo seco, the classic dried noodle dish borrowed from the Catalán lexicon and ‘Mexicanized’ with chili, local cheese and avocado, is perfection itself, the pasta conserving just enough bite to please while the roast chili aroma dances around the nostrils.

Terciopelo de hongos is, as its name suggests, velvety and creamy and redolent of mushroom, the faint aroma of epazote the only reminder that you’re in the land of the Aztecs and not the Gauls.

Borreguito en Pulque

From the menu of platos fuertes a standout is borreguito en pulque con ayocotes. This is a stew of what might have been euphemistically called lamb, but is, in fact the more mature and flavorful mutton. But the meat is falling-apart tender in its brick-red sauce, made fruity and deep by the addition of fresh pulque. Little ayocotes (dumplings of corn masa) add body to this down-home dish.

Totol en mole de pistache (young turkey in a pistachio mole) is one of the more unusual offerings. The light celadon-green mole perfectly complements the delicate meat, which is nicely cradled in a huarache de maiz criollo (masa base of local corn). It works on every level.

Fish is perfectly done, not overcooked, and the 'salsa verde', reminiscent of the classic Spanish garlic/parsley sauce but here with the addition of perfumey cilantro.

Desserts are all muy mexicano and as good as they sound: titles like tarta Eréndira de chocolate de metate y chiles secos or flan de la Abuelita Celia are both tempting and sweetly descriptive.

The wine list, compiled by Margarita’s son the sommelier – this is a family run operation –

is small but well chosen; most selections are from Baja California and prices are accessible.

The simple space, in a small ‘centro commercial’ is pleasant if non-descript: outdoor patio tables offer a more cheerful setting. The price range is $300-500 pp, depending what you drink.

Devoid of off-putting chichi snaz, Turtux offers well-chosen, carefully prepared Mexican recipes in a comfortable, casual setting. It’s a great addition to the growing roster of Good Food in Mexico City.

Turtux

Av. de la Paz 57 (inside the mall)

Col. San Angel

Tel. 5550-3632 / 5550-2753

Open Tuesday - Saturday 1:30 -11:30PM, Sunday, Monday 1-6PM

A note to my readers: See my article on the best DF street food in The Guardian

Ladies Who Lunch: The Women of Mexican Cuisine

2013-02-04T17:00:00.000-06:00

Market Women, oil on canvas, 1947, by Esther Gilman

Since pre-conquest times, women have prepared the food in Mexico; they ground the corn, patted out tortillas, and prepared the guisos, or cooked dishes. They were the ones who incorporated the new ingredients and techniques brought by the Spaniards. As few Spanish women came to the new world in the early years, indigenous women and sometimes African slaves were employed in the conquistador’s kitchens. Known as 'mayoras', they ruled the larders of the large haciendas and worked to develop a true mestizo cuisine.

Knowledge of their recipes and techniques was passed down from generation to generation until our era. Not until the last decades of the 20th century did young women have options other than to be housekeepers and cooks. Even in recent years a woman’s occupation was often written on official forms as “labores propias de su sexo” or “work appropriate to her sex.”

As women’s lives changed, the store of culinary knowledge began to be lost. Information long kept private and not shared outside of the family was no longer valued by those destined to inherit it. It seems that all the best recipes come from somebody’s grandmother, but getting someone to part with these carefully guarded secrets is another matter. Often only after years of friendship, will a cook “spill the beans” so to speak. Diana Kennedy, who traveled the countryside in search of material for her books reports that getting people to divulge their secrets was her hardest job.

Woodcut by Irving Berg, c.1949

Today few culinary institutes in Mexico teach techniques of classical Mexican cooking. Since the 1980’s, however, many women chefs, notably, Alicia Gironella de Angeli, Patricia Quintana, Monica Patiño, Martha Ortiz Chapa and Carmen 'Titita' Degollado, have opened their own restaurants to international acclaim, with the aim of promoting both traditional and innovative Mexican cuisine. Before them came women who promoted the culture of Mexican cooking, including cookbook authors Lula Bertrán, María Orsini, María Dolores Yzabal, and researchers Janet Long and Lila Lomelí. Most of their work sought to improve restaurant standards, promote Mexican food outside the country, organize food festivals, write books, and collect regional recipes. They in turn followed earlier generations of women, among them, Josefina Velázquez de León and Adela Hernández, who at the beginning of the 20th century gathered recipes and wrote cookbooks. Even artists and arbiters of culture like Frida Kahlo, Olga Costa and Lupe Mariín who celebrated all things Mexican included the culture of food in their work.

Outside Mexico, it was also principally women who spread the word: Diana Kennedy, Josefina Howard, Zarela Martinez, Gabriela Cámara, Josefina Santicruz and Thomasina Miers are some of the most notable. Recently, collected knowledge from home and abroad has begun to be taught in a few culinary institutes in Mexico, notably at the Centro Culinario Ambrosia. While we must recognize the accomplishments of male chefs and scholars, such as Rick Bayless, Ricardo Muñoz, Salvador Novo and Jose Iturriaga, in no other world cuisine have women been so recognized and celebrated for their important contributions.

(This article, adapted from my book, is re-published due to popolar demand)

Where women rule the roost:
Taberna del León
Altamirano 46, Plaza Loreto, Colonia Tizapan de San Ángel
Tel: 5616-3951
Open Monday-Saturday 2pm-10pm, Sunday 2pm-6pm
Located in an old paper factory remade as a shopping mall, this lovely old house with a sunroom serves Franco-mexican food under the watchful eye of chef Monica Patiño

El Tajín
Miguel Angel de Quevedo 687, (inside the Centro Cultural Veracruzano), Coyoacán.
Tel: 5659-4447 or 5659-5759
Open daily 1pm-6pm
Owner Alicia Gironella d’Angeli is one of Mexico’s foremost chefs and authors (she wrote the new Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana among other books) is an original and tireless promoter of Mexican cuisine. Her mole xico is to die for.

El Bajío
Avenida Cuitláhuac 2709, Colonia Obrera Popular Tel. 5234-3763.
Open Monday-Friday 10 am-6:30 pm, Saturday, Sunday 9am-6:30pm
Three Branches:
-Parque Delta Mall, Av. Cuauhtémoc 462, Colonia Narvarte
-Alejandro Dumas 7, Colonia Polanco, Tel. 5281-8245
-Plaza Parque Reforma 222 Tel. 5511-9124, 5511-9117
Chef Carmen 'Titita' Degollado author of several cookbooks, is another big name in the Mexico City culinary scene. Carnitas is the specialty, although there are many other tempting dishes on the menu. Her original restaurant is the most charming, although the Polanco and Reforma locations are open at night.

Izote de Patricia Quintana
Presidente Mazaryk 515, Polanco
This temple of gastronomy is one of the first chef/diva ruled houses.

Dulce Patria
Anatole France 100 (around the corner from the entrance of Hotel Las Alcobas which is located at Presidente Masaryk 390) Polanco
Tel. 3300-3999
Open Monday-Saturday 1:30-11:30, Sunday until 5:30
Chef Martha Ortiz Chapa's (formerly of Aguila y Sol) delights the palate and the eyes.

A note to my readers: See my article on Street food in The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/feb/08/best-places-eat-street-food-mexico-city

Hot Tamales! The Feria de Tamales in Coyoacán

2013-01-30T17:44:00.001-06:00

Tamales are traditionally eaten around Candelaria (February 2) to celebrate the beginning of the planting season and the coming of spring. Coyoacán's Museo de Artes Populares presents, as it has done for the last 21 years, an extraordinary 'feria de tamales' with vendors from all over Mexico and beyond offering their regional variations of corn husk or banana leaf stuffed morsels. Be sure to visit the cornfest and arrive with an empty stomach. The festival goes until Sunday, February 3rd.
See link:
http://www.conaculta.gob.mx/detalle-nota/?id=25300

15 Minutes of Fame: The Best of 2012

2012-12-24T17:00:00.000-06:00

1. The Gone With the Wind we-knew-who-would-win award for best restaurant of the year goes to: Máximo Bistro Local. The popularity of this now much lauded Roma eatery has gone viral, but the quality remains uncompromised. The chef has integrity and just refuses to abandon ship for Hollywood stardom. Bravo!

2. The Maria Felix award for prettiest and best Mexican is undoubtedly deserved by Limosneros. The newest high-end centro resto, in a gussied up colonial palace is the best option for a romantic dinner downtown. And the bar features everything national. ¡Andale!

3. The Katherine Hepburn she-keeps-on-winning-ove-and-over award is gladly handed to Rosetta. Once again the Roman Italian beauty must be congratulated for the constant high standards of its kitchen. Hats off to chef Elena Reygadas.

4. The Sophia Loren girl-from-the-barrio award goes to Fonda Kelly. It’s a little hip gem of a place in the middle of Tepito, paean to artist Phil Kelly that serves surprisingly good midday chow. And it’s for those on a budget (note: sadly, Fonda Kelly closed as of the end of 2012)

5. The Julie & Julia award for best Mexican cook book of the year is well deserved by Hugo Ortega’s Street Food of Mexico. Several books came out this year about street or snack food, but none as uncompromising as this lovingly written homage to the author’s homeland (and home city of D.F.). If you want to open your own puesto, this is the book with which to start.

Honorable mentions:

Best place to get smashed: Chonicler of DF's underbelly David Lida reports that "I would be hard pressed to choose one place, given the number and the variety and of course what mood I would be in. But I would rely on an old favorite Cantina Tio Pepe at the corner of Independencia and Dolores in the centro

Best Ice Cream: Helados Palmeiro. Eugenio Palmeiro's ice cream stand in the Mercado Medellín is, according to the owner, an Habanero, made according to his memories of that iconic Havana institution, Heladeria Coppelia. He also offers malteadas made with real malt just as they should be.

Best mole – by far, that of the little 50-year-old downtown hole in the wall, Fonda Mi Lupita. Their rich, lightly sweet chocolaty concoction is divine.

Best bakery – Panadería Da Silva, who has a couple of new locations, including the easily accessible mezzanine store in the Downtown Hotel brings great Portuguese breads and pastries to our previously deficient city. His pasteis de nata are unparalleled, better than those famous ones in old Lisboa.

Best bread: Pastelería Bó, with a couple of Condesa loacations does the best baguette in town. The French Lady says so. And their tarts are good too.

Best arrachera - El Hornero in the Roma, is according to the carnivorous Sr. de la Torre, the place to which all such animals must return.

Best tacos al pastor – El Huequito is still it. But only the original, on Ayunatmiento.

Best Asian – Benkay in the Nikko hotel no longer offers that tempting buffet but they serve up fine Nipponese fare in their pretty new space and it’s like a trip to Tokyo. The seasonal bento, at $325 is a good deal too. Runner up: Mojing, in the centro does Chinese for Chinese very, very well.

Best old time market – The Mercado Jamaica is classic, there’s good food to eat, decent quality fruits and vegetables, the aisles are wide making for easy access and they have around the clock flower market. What’s not to like?

Best new time market – The recently disappeared French Market inside the late (and not lamented, by this author, anyway, Le Bouchon) is sure to resurface. J'espère que nous reverrons bientôt…

Silver Bells: The Medellín Night Market

2012-12-02T22:53:00.001-06:00

For those visiting or living in el D.F., be sure to pass by the Mercado Medellín night market to see Christmas in full throttle. Stands line the east side of the market (on calle Campeche) and besides offering real Christmas trees, an apparent D.F. tradition, feature decorations of all kinds, from baby Jesus's most likely made in China to handmade decorations that conjure a warm Yuletide carol. The mood is pure gaiety as normally homebound families emerge into the increasingly frosty eve to shop and - best of all - eat.
The comedores open around 6pm and remain in service until midnight. Jolly diners fill long picnic tables set up in the street while purveyors hawk their goods luring new customers in. They offer a large variety of antojitos from rich red pozole with all the trimmings to enchiladas to sopes. Try a tostada of bacalao a la Veracruzana, the beloved end-of-year dried cod stew. Or a sope of romeritos, a green vegetable done in a mole-like sauce with dried shrimp. Tamales waft their tantalizing steam while giant pambazos, those salsa-slathered torta bombs sizzle away. There is warm fruit-filled punch to wash it all down and flan or buñuelos - giant rounds of crispy fried bread - with honey for dessert. This is a don't-miss neighborhood Navidad tradition in the city. The Mercado Medellín is located between Monterrey and Medellín, Coahuila and Campeche in the Colonia Roma. If you arrive by Metrobus, get off at Campeche and walk east. Nearest metro stop is Chilpancingo. The market will be open seven days a week until midnight through December 23rd.

A note to my readers: See my DF recommendations in this month's Condé Nast Traveler:

http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2012/12/mexico-city-travel-guide-architecture-food-nightlife-hot-spots

East Side/West SIde: El Parnita & Dulcinea do Mexican Right

2012-11-15T20:57:00.000-06:00

I’ve never been a fan of the new-fangled; I resisted CDs, cell phones, even computers, for years. And that goes for food as well. I’ve been cynically sampling ‘upscale’ Mexican cuisine for decades, ever since I hung at El Olivo, Roberto Santibanez’ long defunct hipster spot of the ‘80’s (where, no doubt, more was snorted in the WC than consumed at table) and the long-running La Tecla started experimenting with such dubious nouvelle dishes as pasta with mole and deconstructed chiles en nogada.

Then a few Polanco chefs (you know who I mean) came along and did away with tradition altogether, going for global gastro-trends. Flor de calabaza became a foam. Unspeakble things appeared in sorbets and sauces. That’s why I celebrate what appears to be a new trend: a tweaked return to basics, or ‘grandma with a twist'. Pretention is exchanged for simple updating of the tried and true. New places at every step of the scale, are opening offering good Mexican food to 21^st century diners used to clean preparation and pretty presentation. Cases in point at either end of the fancy spectrum: Limosneros and Fonda Kelly, which I recently lauded.

Aztec Cravings: El Parnita

The name of this unassuming antojería means ‘pal’ or friend’. They’ve been dishing out comida corrida for over thirty years, but just recently hit the charts--it’s where the arts and media crowd meet for lunch in uber-chic Colonia Roma.

The large renovated space recalls an ordinary lunch spot, blaring TVs and all – until one realizes that those ordinarily intrusive boob tubes show photos of works of art instead of Televisa toons. Ambience is likewise downplayed in a hip Paris bistro sort of way – umbrella-topped tables spill out onto the street and jazz softly plays.

Best of all is the food. It’s simple, but the flavors are vibrant.

Antojitos (corn-based snacks) rule. The marvelous tacos viajeros, tender, tangy pork served with red onions and an array of smoky and spiky sauces, are wrapped in house-made tortillas.

The fried shrimp taco is also a good choice, the fresh crispy sea creature served with greens—a crunch-fest. Another fine oceanic option is the ceviche, lightly marinated chunks of scallop and fish served with warm tostadas. Parnita’s variation on the Jalisco classic torta ahogada (drowned torta) is the best we’ve sampled in the city, a perfect balance of soft/crunchy texture and umami laden filling – with a perfect whallop of chili. Parnita is a friendly place and prices are friendly as well – lunch will run 100-150 pesos, if you behave yourself.

El Parnita
Avenida Yucatán 84, (Near the corner of Yucatán and Monterrey)
Tel. 5264 7551

Open Tuesday – Sunday, 1:30-6pm

Gente ‘Nice’: Dulcinea

Leave your car with valet parking and stroll about in Polanquito, the lively heart of Polanco, Mexico City’s 'East side' neighborhood—it’s a delightful part of town. There are a lot of swanky options for dining, but I often head to Dulcinea, a simple café whose tables spill out invitingly onto the sidewalk. The crowd is a genial mix of young ‘ladies-who-lunch’, business types and foreign residents. And the food is carefully prepared and presented with flair.

Chef Lucy Acuña, who runs the show, studied at New York’s Culinary Institute of America. Chef Lucy acknowledges tradition, but gently pokes at it, and gussies it up a bit.

Her simple sopa de tortilla, for example, contains the usual garnishes of fried tortilla strips, roast chilies and avocado, but all served dry—the brick-red broth is poured at table over the garnishes, French bistro style. The crema de cilantro, pretty as a Seurat landscape, is lightly perfumed with avocado leaves.

Aguas de frutas are served in homey white enamel pitchers that seem straight from the

marché de puces – a nice touch.

Several antojitos are offered. Sopes de arrachera is the most traditional – corn masa shells, fresh and crisp/tender, the meat buttery. Tiradito de pulpo blends thin slices of buttery octopus with a chili/tomato glaze, served over a puree of celery with a whisper of ginger. It’s both light and hardy—a winner.

A notable main dish is the arrachera, offered with mole de jamaica, a light, sweet-sour sauce. Pollito de leche (aka Cornish hen) is roasted and served with fruity tamarindo or jamaica sauces.

Desserts are predictable but satisfying: flan, crepes, chocolate mousse.

Dulcinea also serves breakfast. ‘The French Lady’ breaks her fast regularly here, and highly recommends the chilaquiles divorciados—with two competing sauces, red and green, as well as pancakes, better than Jemima ever made.

Dulcinea’s prices reflect its surroundings (it’s right around the corner from the Café Snob - I'm not making this up)– you’ll spend at least $250 pesos per person for a light lunch, without drinks. But the quality is good—you’ll get what you pay for and leave happy.

Dulcinea

Oscar Wilde 29, Polanco
Tel. 5280 8909

Open Sunday, Monday 9am-6pm

Tuesday-Saturday 9am-1am

A branch is coming to Santa Fe Santa Fe

Beggar’s Opera: Limosneros hands out fine Mexican fare

2012-10-23T14:41:00.000-05:00

The continuing transformation of Mexico City’s centro histórico into a happening glamor spot is astounding.

It was quite by accident that we noticed the latest venue for chic Mexi-dining. A very old building, which for years sat waiting to be restored to its colonial splendor, has at last been reincarnated as Limosneros, the newest entry in the centro’s list of top-notch restaurants.

The story goes that the building was home to the local artisan’s guild, whose members collected funds (limosnas i.e. “donations”) to build various public buildings. Fast-forward to the 21^st century, whose post-modern style is in evidence here. Juan Pablo Ballesteros, son of the family that owns the venerable Café Tacuba just around the corner, took it upon himself to acquire and restore this two-story Spanish colonial edifice, exposing volcanic stone walls, brick ceilings and cantera doorways. The effect is tradition gone mod. Tones of black, brown and beige abound. Some wood gives warmth. Lighting is low. Music is patron-friendly - that is, it stays in the background where it belongs.

But the best news of all is that the kitchen puts out some of the most refined Mexican food in the city. An intriguing menu has been designed by gastronomic scholar José Luís Curiel and chef Lula Martín del Campo. It updates classics in a hip, modern but unpretentious way. Unlike at other high-falutin´alta cocina Polanco palaces, this food aims to please without ostentation or dubious re-invention. Presentation is pretty, almost Japanese. But recipes generally stick to the contents of grandma’s larder or gently introduce a new but familiar element--always straight from the market, not from the lab.

I love the antojitos offered as entradas, and could make a meal of them. Flautas de flor de Jamaica are golden crunchy tortillas, stuffed with a sweet-sour mix of fragrant purple hibiscus flowers and topped with cream. Elegantly served on a slab of dark grey slate, this dish is illustrative of the attention paid to detail, respect given to marketplace comfort food; not a cliché is in evidence.

Likewise, the tamal de camarón crocante is another twist on the ordinary, a corn tamal served in a banana leaf, crowned by a quick/deep-fried shrimp, which is to be devoured head, shell and all—a smart texture-fest.

Cazuela de cuitlacoche

A little cazuela de cuitlacoche presents this oh-so-delicate black corn mushroom, lightly sauteed and gratinéed, to be eaten on mini white wheat tortillas that have been pre-shmeered with a spikey ‘chipotle varnish’. It’s a perfectly balanced yin/yang experience and goes to show what a cunning Mexican kitchen can do.

A comforting sopa de quelites is, as the delighted Miss L exclaimed, “Mexican matzoh ball soup.” The wild greens swim in a sea of rich chicken stock, the matzoh-like corn masa balls bobbing about like beach balls in a Frankie Avalon picture.

Even better is a refined sopa de tortilla, one of the best I’ve sampled. An old-style recipe is barely tampered with: the brick-red broth is enriched with two kinds of chilies and topped with the usual assortment of avocado, chicharrón and fresh cheese. Deep.

Tamal de camarón

The main dish menu is divided into meat and fish; the kitchen excels at the former. A standout is filete al limón, a buttery-tender cut of beef swathed in a subtle, quiet, red chili sauce perfumed with lime. The sauce doesn’t over-whelm, as a good French sauce wouldn’t. It’s Aztec-Gallic fusion at its best.

Costillas en salsa de morita y mezcal are falling-apart tender, and recall those crowd-pleasing red ribs that old-style Chinese restaurants used to offer. But a more complex smoky aroma from the mezcal marinade reminds you that this is Mexico not Chinatown.

Recommended for the non-carnivorous are the huazontles capeados, the stuffed amaranth greens in their tomato caldo given pizzazz by a fresh goat cheese. It almost goes without saying that products are local and even organic when possible.

The dessert menu follows current DF trends and doesn’t stray much; included is the ubiquitous but well realized crème brûlée de mamey and a heady volcán de chocolate, a melting chocolate dessert with a ‘blackberry mole’.

Featured on the drink menu are fine artisanal beers and mezcals. Tequila, as is the current fashion, is played down and pricey as well - 90 pesos a shot – ouch! There’s an astutely chosen wine list featuring Mexican vintners, but prices are high; it would be nice to see a couple of purse-friendly house reds, as none offered are under $550.

The caveat vis a vis drink prices is only to say that food is reasonable – a meal with a drink should cost $350-500 per. Well worth it for the quality.

Small details of service add a level of delight here, e.g. the small handmade tortillas that are served in a little embroidered pouch, the amuse-bouche of esquites (a corn dish mostly known as a street food), or the excellent trio of salsas that appear at the table seconds after being seated.

Juan Carlos photo: Peter Norman

Breakfast is served on weekends and features a divine birria, that rich goat stew and broth from Jalisco as well as a curious omelette of beef "ceviche". There are also more familiar Mexican egg dishes and a children's menu that includes house-made catsup!

Limosneros has not been open long and I have no doubt that it will just get better. And it’s already very good – it trumps all other ‘high-end’ options in the centro and most in the city. Palms up.

Limosneros

Allende 3 (near Tacuba), Centro

Tel. 5521 5576

Open Monday-Friday, 1:30 -11 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sunday 9a.m. - 7p.m.

The Maja Clothed: Spanish cooking at its best

2012-10-09T18:31:00.000-05:00

Northern Spanish cooking has been on everyone’s mind in recent years. Chefs Arzak and Adriá have become household names - well, in foodie circles, anyway. It’s amongst the world’s finest as well as simplest cuisine. Local, indigenous, sustainable ingredients are au courant and that's what it's about. Why are people just discovering Spain now? Well, during the Franco dictatorship the words Spain and gastronomy didn’t mix. The country was closed, poor and cultural regionalism frowned upon. The local populous barely had enough. So you didn’t go to Spain to eat.

My first trip to Iberia was in 1984, when Spain was rapidly emerging from the dark years. I traveled through the country for four months, eating nothing but fried meat, potatoes, and chilled house wine. I fell in love, permanently with the artists of the ‘siglo de oro’ (Velazquez, Ribera, Murillo), flamenco, toasted bread with olive oil on it (perhaps the best thing I ate) and Madrid. But I didn't eat well. Another extensive trip 15 years later turned my head around, gastronomy-wise. What had changed, it or me? A little of both. I’m much more experienced in finding what’s true and good to eat. And with the opening up of the country, a reverse trend was set in motion and now great pride is taken in local foods and dishes. Everywhere you go--and Spain is a huge place—you’ll find fine cooking, dishes prepared with pride based on local ingredients and tradition. Simple and fresh are the keywords. So, it is only natural that here in the New World, Spanish-trained chefs have a keen eye for what’s local, seasonal and in the market, adapting to old-world techniques and recipes. It’s no wonder Spanish cooking is currently trendy around the world. And Mexico City’s best restaurants these days are Iberian.

Chef Paulina Morel

Now there’s Maja. The word, in Castilian slang means ‘cool’ or, more specifically ‘beautiful’ as in the ‘que padre’ of Mexican parlance. Maja the restaurant is all of the above.

Set in a restored Porfiriano mansion, with a pretty patio, the grey-toned post-modern décor is innocuous but it doesn't matter: the food is the star of the show.

Young chef Paulina Morel studied for several years in San Sebastian the mecca of Basque cooking and then worked here at the esteemed Biko. Her menu is northeastern Spanish, i.e. it encompasses the Basque country, Catalonia, Asturias and Cantabria, with a couple of central and southern dishes thrown in for good measure.

Start with the iconic croquetas de jamón; a magically thin bronzed crust surrounds velvety, smoky ham-infused béchamel – textbook perfect. Pulpo a la feira, buttery grilled octopus is a delight. And patatas bravas, the paprika shmeered roast potatoes ubiquitous in Spain, and so often compromised here because of our pallid Mexican papas, are crunchy and richly flavorful.

Although neither northern nor seasonal (in Spain anyway) a gazpacho appears on the menu, and it’s not the Anglicized tomatoey version, but the real thing: olive oil thickened with bread and livened with tomato, garlic and sherry vinegar. As good as I’ve had in Sevilla.

The hot soup option, sopa de pescado Donostiarra (or Basque fish soup) is really a reduced bisque, redolent of the sea –a winner.

From the main menu, and a true test of any Spanish chef, is the deceptively simple fish of the day en salsa verde, which contains only five ingredients. This green sauce is comprised of emulsified olive oil, perfumed with sweated garlic, finely minced parsley and the juice a couple of happy clams. A perfectly sauteed filet sits in a little puddle of it. Chef Morel proves she learned a thing or two in the old country as here these lovely ingredients are precisely balanced. Brava!

The Asturian classic, solomillo en salsa de Cabrales, can hit like a bomb: a tender steak is smothered in a cream of the spiky blue cheese of the eponymous town. Here it is light and just rich enough.

A side of salteado de verduras pleasantly surprises: its perfectly cooked vegetables retain the right amount of crunch and conceal a delightful payload of Catalan romesco, the sauce of roast red peppers thickened with hazelnuts.

Top off the meal with a standout torrija caramelizada a typical dessert that falls somewhere between French toast and bread pudding.

The wine list is not long but varied enough in its offerings and price range to satisfy, although on several visits, staff was not knowledgeable as to its contents.

Dinner for two will be around $1000-1200 (pesos) with a bottle of low end wine.

Maja is a fine and welcome addition to the growing list of superior venues for Iberian cuisine. Boinas off to the chef!

Maja
Restaurante de Comida Española de Autor

Durango 279, near Av. Sonora, Roma/Condesa

Monday - Wednesday: 1:30 - 11p.m.

Thursday to Saturday: 1:30p.m. - 1:30a.m.

Sunday until 1:30- 6p.m.

Tel. 5211-7972 / 5211-4964

www.restaurantemaja.com

See my previous post on Spanish food in the city: http://goodfoodmexicocity.blogspot.mx/2009/03/old-country-eating-spanish-in-city.html

Tacos al Pastor - Quintessentially Chilango

2012-09-27T16:42:00.002-05:00

Mexico, like its northern neighbor, is a melting pot. Its cuisine is a mélange of many foreign influences. Certain dishes, like the torta the legacy of the Italian panino, were adapted to Mexican tastes. Another, tacos al pastor, which translates as “Shepherd’s tacos,” is now a quintessential Mexico City food. Its history is vague. Some say Lebanese immigrants brought their shawarma to nearby Puebla in the 1930s and the Middle Eastern method of cooking seasoned lamb on an upright spit, which evolved from the Turkish doner kebab, morphed into an essentially Mexican foodstuff. (Tacos arabes are still to be found.) Others claim the introduction was later, in the ’50s, and the setting was the capital. Regardless, it is agreed that lamb was first used in the tacos, but because Mexico is not a lamb-eating society, pork was substituted and condiments were added to suit Mexican tastes.

To make tacos al pastor, sliced, pounded strips of pork are marinated in fruit juice, chili and spices such as cumin, achiote and oregano, then stacked on an upright skewer and grilled, manually turned from time to time. The recipes vary from stand to stand — proprietors are loath to give away their secrets. Because the special grill and spit are necessary to make the dish, no one in Mexico sees fit — or is logistically able — to make it at home and tacos al pastor are almost always found in street stands or fondas. True recipes are thus hard to come by. Restaurateur Martha Chapa (of the acclaimed Dulce Pátria in Mexico City) provides an intriguing home adaptation in Los Tacos de México that includes pineapple vinegar and fresh juice, guajillo and ancho chilies, garlic, onion and cilantro. Chicago-based Rick Bayless’ recipe features achiote (sometimes called annatto, it’s extracted from the seeds of the red spiny achiote fruit) that colors the marinade red, as well as canned chipotle chilies.

While at home the meat would be cooked over an open grill, in professional venues the vertical apparatus is topped by a hunk of pineapple and onion which render their sweet juices. The meat is sliced off by the pastorero, (a tacos al pastor maker) and served as an open taco on a small soft corn tortilla. A sliver of the pineapple, chopped cilantro, onion and a dollop of drippings top it off. Diners augment with lime and salsa to taste.

Condiments for tacos. Credit: Nicholas Gilman

One of my favorite places to eat tacos al pastor is El Huequito (which means “the little hole”), a tiny operation in this city’s Centro Histórico, founded in 1959 and among the first places in the city to serve tacos al pastor. At El Huequito the sliced meat is bathed in a moderately picante salsa of chile de árbol, enhanced with chopped onion and cilantro and rolled up in its small tortilla. Several salsas are available for serious chileros — chili lovers. The meat is juicy and succulent, the smoky grilled aroma lingering until you take the next bite. Washed down with an ice-cold horchata or agua de Jamaica, these morsels are simply divine.

But I live in the Art Deco district of La Condesa, a couple of miles from Mexico City’s old center. When I need a quick lunch I stroll over to El Tizoncito, a much-loved open-air taquería surrounded by high stools. Like many places, it claims to have “invented” the taco al pastor. As the large, conical pastor roasts slowly in front of the red-hot vertical grill, curls of aromatic, heady, meaty smoke waft lazily toward the hungry diners. Fresh-fried tortilla chips are delivered with the salsa stand and its five little pots of colorful sauces in varying shades of bright greens and brick reds. Another pot contains warm bean purée.

The pastorero works swiftly, slicing off the hottest, crustiest pieces from the mound along with a bit of bronzed pineapple and a spoonful of drippings. He quickly sprinkles on diced sweet white onion and dusts the top of the taco with finely chopped cilantro. The plate of three open tacos is whisked to my table. Only three at a time, that’s the limit. I think about adding more salsa, lime — but, no — why gild the lily? I pick up a taco, folding up the sides with thumb and index finger, closing the end with the forefinger. With the first bite, I immediately get that flavor of roast pork, the perfume of cilantro, the bite of the onion, subtle bitter aroma of chili, and the sweet heady piña. One more small bite and the first taco’s gone. The second and third follow. I hail the waiter and ask for more. I think about the bittersweet experience of downing a dozen of the best oysters, that feeling of mourning you enter when you’re on number 12. It’s always over too soon.

El Huequito
Ayuntamiento 21 (near López), Centro (and many branches)
http://www.elhuequito.com.mx/

El Tizoncito
Tamaulipas 122, Condesa (many branches)
http://www.eltizoncito.com.mx/

Also worth checking out:

Plaza Meave
Eje Central, east side, between Rep. El Salvador & Meave, Centro
This one, in the entrance to a hideous electronics mall, may not be the best but it's certainly the biggest. You can pick up a portable phone cheap while you're at it.

El Trompito
Londres 119 (near Dinamarca, Zona Rosa)

Piny Tacos Kosher
Ejército Nacional 458, near Emerson, Polanco (opens at 6PM, closed Friday eve, obviously)
Believe it or not, they make tacos al pastor with beef here. And they're good. Mavel Tov!

Tacos El Greco
Michoacán 54, Condesa
Try the earlier, Middle Eastern version here. Opens at 2.

El Pastorcito
Lorenzo Boturini 4503 (way south & east of the centro)
This place is out of most people's way but legendary.

View Larger Map

See my video of a couple of years back:

Chiles en Nogada Redux

2012-09-10T13:01:00.000-05:00

Each September Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain and its national pride during Fiestas Patrias, with lots of fireworks, mariachis, tequila, and, of course, chiles en nogada, Mexico’s most ‘patriotic’ dish.

A true mestizo food, the origins of this rich concoction are enshrouded in legend. The story goes that Agustín de Iturbide, 'emperor' of Mexico, arrived in Puebla on August 28th, 1821, having signed the Treaty of Córdoba affirming Mexico’s independence from Spain. He was offered an elaborate comida in honor of his saint’s day, prepared by the nuns of the Convent of Santa Mónica. Don Agustín refused all the tempting platters offered him, fearful of being poisoned (either by the Spanish, who considered him a traitor, or the insurgents who suspected him of planning yet another monarchy; they were right). He feigned stomach trouble, but when the exquisite chile en nogada was served, he couldn’t resist. Records show that versions of this dish existed long before these events, but it’s a good story, and the dish has been associated with Mexico’s independence ever since (August and September also happen to be the months when the star ingredients, walnuts and pomegranates, are in season). Chef, culinary historian and restaurateur Ricardo Muñoz Zurita admonishes that nogada made with dried, packaged nuts, is “vastly inferior” and “should not be taken seriously”. Restaurants offering the dish year-round are automatically suspect.

Chile en nogada is a green poblano chili, filled with ground seasoned meat, bathed in cream and walnut sauce, then sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and parsley. The red, white, and green of the dish are the colors of the Mexican flag, symbolizing Las Tres Garantías (the three guarantees) of the Constitution: union, religion, and independence.

There are as many recipes for chile en nogada as there are cooks, and most Mexican families have a jealously guarded one. The controversy of whether to capear (fry in batter), or leave it natural is a perennial dilemma. For me, that extra turn in oil is gilding an already fattening lily, so all of the chiles en nogada mentioned in this article are sin capear. I’ve sampled many over the years – at the tables of Mexican friends, in humble market fondas, and at high end gastronomic temples, both here and abroad, and I’ve come to a conclusion: this classic dish should not be tampered with. A “deconstructed” version I once had at a trendy New York eatery, posed a naked chili atop its sauce instead of underneath, deeply offending my visiting Mexican friends.

It seems that all the best recipes come from somebody’s grandmother, but getting someone to share that carefully guarded secret is another matter. Regina Gómez Dantés, language teacher and native capitalina hosts an annual chiles en nogada party, continuing a tradition started by her mother in the 1950’s. She reluctantly agreed to share her mother’s recipe –only because I have known her for 20 years!

Los Chiles en Nogada de Doña María Esther Dantés Arce
serves eight
For the picadillo:
1 k. (2lb) tomatoes
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
4 slices bacon
4 slices Serrano ham
¼ k. (1/2lb) each ground beef and loin of pork
1 plantain
2 slices pineapple in syrup
1 slice biznaga (candied fruit)
100g (3.5oz) each chopped almond and pecan
50g (2oz) chopped black olives
30g (1TB) chopped capers
4 tart apples, peeled and chopped
2 pears, peeled and chopped
2 peaches, chopped
Olive oil
8 medium poblano chilies
Pomegranate seeds
Chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Nogada
1 package (1/2lb) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 cup whipping cream
½k (l lb) fresh nuez de castilla (walnuts)

Prepare the chilies: Roast over an open flame or under the broiler until the skin blackens, turning frequently – place in a paper bag for 20 minutes. Remove blackened skin by rubbing, but do not
run under water; it doesn’t matter if a little bit of skin is left.
Make the picadillo: Sauté the ingredients up to the meat in a little oil until well seasoned; add nuts and biznaga, and lastly the fresh fruit, diced to 1/4”. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare the nogada: put all ingredients in the blender; add sugar to taste.
Stuff prepared chilies with meat filling, pour sauce over chilies and dot with pomegranate seeds and parsely. Serve with white rice, nothing else.

*****************************************

If you don´t have the energy to make your own, many restaurants are offering chiles en nogada this month. The best we sampled were carefully and lovingly prepared, with attention paid to the creaminess of the sauce, the contrasting texture of the filling, and a delicate balance of sugar, spice and salt. So here are some of my favorite places to enjoy that rare combination of pleasure and patriotism, chiles en nogada.

Fonda Mi Lupita
Buen tono 22, at Delicias, near the San Juan market, Centro histórico
Tel. 5521-1962
Open Monday-Saturday 1pm-6 pm

Excellent, perhaps the best chiles en nogada (and, at 80 pesos, the cheapest) are only occasionally served in this funky hole-in-the-wall fonda, best known for its mole poblano. Prepared with attention to detail, the picadillo is chock full of fruit, spiced with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg; the meat is hand chopped, not machine ground, making for a more rustic texture. The nogada, thick and creamy (and not sparing of the expensive walnuts), is fragrant with cinnamon. The waitress explained that the recipe came from the grandmother of the owner, Don Rosendo. Four Star.

La Ki-K (formerly La Fonda de Don José)
Fernando Montes de Oca 42, corner of Atlixco, Condesa
Tel. 5211-9564
Open Sunday-Tuesday 9AM-6PM, Wednesday-Saturday 9AM- 11PM

This pleasant, unpretentious Condesa eatery features a sidewalk terrace and an extensive menu of Mexican and international dishes. Chef Federico Ramirez, son of the original owner, explained that his recipe for chiles en nogada comes from his maternal grandmother, Doña Simona Cantú – no surprise. The meat here is shredded, flavorful, and a bit picante; the nogada is only slightly sweet--a blue ribbon example.

Izote
513 Mazaryk, Polanco
Tel: 5280-1671
Open Monday-Saturday 1pm-1am, Sunday 1pm-6pm

A friend’s mother thinks Patricia Quintana’s version is the best in town, so I had to check it out—I always listen to mothers about food. Izote is one of the best-known restaurants in Mexico, and chef Quintana has a high reputation for her refined classic Mexican dishes. She does not disappoint with her chile en nogada. The flavors are well balanced (if a bit milder than those mentioned above) and beautifully presented, but at $350 pesos (“is that for one or two?”) is outrageously over-priced.

El Cardenal
Three locations:
Palma 23, (between 5 de Mayo & Madrero) centro

Juárez 70 (inside the Sheraton, facing the Alameda)

Paseo de las Palmas 215 (Colonia Lomas de Chaputepec)

This 60 year old highly successful institution had languished for years in its dusty original location like a Chekovian widow until someone decided to re-fashion it as a purveyor of Nueva Cocina Mexicana - something it does with mixed success. I Always eat something good here, however, and return from time to time; I still prefer the now spruced up original location on Palma. And the chiles en nogada we sampled recently were superior.

Sanborn’s (La Casa de Los Azulejos)
Calle Madero 4 corner of Eje Central, Centro
Tel: 5512-1331
www.sanborns.com.mx
Open daily 7am–1am

Everybody in Mexico knows this venerable institution with its branches all over the country. It’s the old standby for a late-night bowl of soup or the ‘clean’ breakfast for your visiting relatives, but not generally recognized as a culinary Mecca. I thought I’d see how a chain, the oldest in the country, might do this classic dish. I went to the source, the original 18th century Casa de Azulejos in the Centro, to sample the fare. Predictably, Sanborn’s version is less carefully fashioned: the chile was undercooked, the filling bland and the sauce runny. But, not bad for corporate cooking, and for $115 pesos you also get a soup, salad, dessert and drink, all traditional Mexican recipes and all very good. Goes to prove that even our institutions still produce 'real food'.

Text and Photos © 2009/2012 Nicholas Gilman - all rights reserved

Luck of the Irish: Fonda Kelly

2012-08-30T20:11:00.001-05:00

(Fonda Kelly has closed as of the end of 2012) Phil Kelly was a prolific Irish-born painter, who for 30 years made Mexico his home. (See David Lida's fine literary portrait) He was no ‘ex-pat’, his life was truly here. He knew el D.F. inside and out and he loved it. So after he died, in 2010, his widow Ruth (Mexican, of course), and restaurateur/provocateur Marco Rascón of the restaurant Peces, decided that the best tribute to this amante of all things urban would be to create an eating and meeting place most typically Mexican: a fonda. Open barely a month, it’s not your run-of-the-mill artsy café–-and, for a change, not located in Roma or Condesa.

Fonda Kelly is installed in a charmingly faded colonial building near Tepito--our ‘South Bronx’ to some, a treasure trove of antique architecture and old-time Mexican ambience to others. Ruth explains that “this place, this neighborhood is just what Phil would have wanted. It’s called a ‘fonda’ but isn’t, at least not like the old- fashioned ones around here. We keep prices low so that it's accessible to everyone. But the food is different, more healthful than what's usually found nearby.”

Part of a neighborhood cultural center offering low-cost courses in the arts, the space is casual with a few simple tables, white walls sporting several of Kelly’s watercolors and an open kitchen stretching to the backyard.

Ruth Murgía, widow of the artist

Chef Mariana Mora’s simple but playful menu is Mexican and eclectic, and loaded with seafood. She imbues her dishes with Spanish and North African touches while keeping her feet firmly planted on native turf. Tapas-style starters include an hojaldre Azteca, a Provençal- style tarte topped with frijoles charros. Little vegetarian empanadas are light, crispy/crunchy. Unusual tortas of arrenque (herring) and salmon with capers are offered. The bacalao-filled tamal sounded intriguing but they were out on a recent visit. A summery green salad featuring rose petals is, to quote W.C. Fields, “easy on the eyes” and a pleasure to eat.

Thursday is pozole Guerrerense day and this bright green pipian-like soup is lightened up--perfect as a first course. Even better is the caldo de oso, a superb seafood soup sporting several huge New Zealand mussels and fragrant white clams. Its heady, lightly picante broth recalls the best Manhattan clam chowder you never had. And it’s only 25 pesos--a true bargain.

Rose petal salad

Several classic fonda meat dishes are on the menu, such as the ubiquitous arrachera, all done correctly. But it’s fish that the Fonda Kelly does best. A grilled pulpo (octopus) turns out to be the whole animal--all eight legs and the head! It's anointed with olive oil, roasted until tender as a baby’s tukhus and served with a flurry of parsley. It's as fine as I’ve had in Galicia. Order it to share--it was too much, even for this boundless writer.

Caldo de Oso

While the menu stays simple during the week, Saturday is paella day and I am confident that the chef knows what she’s doing with the deceptively easy Spanish rice.

Desserts are basic – pays, cakes, and an unusual twist on the commonplace gelatina. Here it's flavored with anis. The coffee is superior.

The Fonda Kelly is a sure winner, well worth the detour – the old centro histórico is a better place for it. Caps off to the memory of Kelly and to good food in an increasingly attractive city center.

Fonda Kelly

Calle Nicaragua 15 (about 6 blocks north of the Zócalo)

Tel. 5545-0569

Open Monday - Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM, closed Sunday

Note: the area, though quiet, can be dicey. Unaccompanied women
may feel uncomfortable walking here.

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An explanation from the author: I only write what I believe. All opinions here are educated but subjective. For the most part, I only publish reviews about places I like, and I try to be forgiving of minor faults. Mexico City is not Paris and I am not Michelin. If I don't like it, I don't write about it except, in some cases where the hype or fame may merit the negative criticism. So take it all with a grain of salt. N.G

From Russia with love: borscht, Chekhov & all that

2012-08-16T17:00:00.003-05:00

Dinner in the Russia, illustration by Esther Gilman, 1963

My father, theatre critic Richard Gilman, traveled to the Soviet Union in 1989 to research his seminal book on Chekhov’s plays. Harboring visions of Tolstoy, Gogol and the Cherry Orchard, he anticipated hearty, heavy meals of vodka, black bread and steaming meat and beet borscht. There were none. As in most Communist countries, conserving culinary tradition was at the bottom of the list. He reported going to bed on an empty stomach night after night. Boiled potatoes, cabbage and meat were as ‘gourmet’ as it got. If it got. Apparently things have changed and as in many renewed democracies, the new Russia has revived its cuisine. Caviar and shashlik are now to be found. Vodka flows.

The Russian presence in Mexico, however, is small. Unlike New York, we have neither baths nor a Tea Room. An occasional “empanadas Rusas” stand pops up, nothing much 'old country' about it (there’s one at the corner of Insurgentes and Tlaxcala) but otherwise the Grand Tenochtitlán is a bleak blini-challenged, empty samovar.

Russian Roulette: Kolobok

So how or why a tow-headed Siberian family landed in El D.F. and opened Kolobok Restaurante Ruso is a mystery. It’s one of the few Russian restaurants in the city. The popular spot on the corner of Santa Maria la Ribera’s Alameda offers such iron curtain classics as borscht and palmeni (like the Polish pyrogi, dumplings). Unfortunately the food tends to be bland, more an odd cultural experience than interesting ethnic eating. (see my article on Santa Maria la Ribera in the NewYork Times)

The lovely chilanga Natasha, who offers classes in Russian language, has tried Kolobok. She reports, in her charming Russian-accented Spanish, that their food is “too simple, too few ingredients are used; I left dissatisfied.” Considering the probable ingredient options in Siberia, that doesn’t surprise me. So, for do-it-yourselfers, Natasha generously shares her own family recipe for beet borscht, nothing like the one-dimensional cold stuff you may know from NY’s Carnegie Deli. It's a heartwarming, complex one bowl dinner that Anna Karenina herself would have loved. Natasha's insistent that you use good, rich stock and grate the raw garlic on at the end "...to give it perfume."

The lovely Natasha

Borscht Natasha

2 Tb vegetable oil

Beets 750g (1.5 lb), peeled

Onion 250g (1/2 lb)

Cabbage 250g (1/2 lb)

Carrot 2 medium, 125g (1/4 lb)

Tomatoes 2 plum or 250g (1/2 lb)

6 cups good, rich meat stock, beef or pork, preferably homemade

2 or 3 Tb wine vinegar, or to taste

1 Tb tomato paste

½ ts dill seed

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large clove garlic

Sour cream or plain yogurt

Finely mince the onion. Grate the beets, carrots and cabbage using the fine side of a grater. Heat the oil in a sturdy soup pot. Sauté the onion for a few minutes; add the beets, then the carrot and cabbage. Stir with a wooden spoon until vegetables are softened, about 6 or 7 minutes. Add stock, tomato paste, dill . Grate in whole tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, and cook for 1 1/2 hours .

Add vinegar, salt and pepper. Grate in the garlic clove.

Serve with a dollop of cream. And some nice rye bread if you can find it. Maybe a shot of vodka or two.

Приятного аппетита!

Kolobok Restaurante Ruso

Salvador Díaz Mirón 87, Col. Santa María la Ribera

Open daily, 10AM to 8PM

An explanation from the author: I only write what I believe. All opinions here are educated but subjective. For the most part, I only publish reviews about places I like, and I try to be forgiving of minor faults. Mexico City is not Paris and I am not Michelin. If I don't like it I don't write about it except, in some cases where the hype or fame may merit the negative criticism. So take it all with a grain of salt. N.G.

The Lady Vanishes : The mini chiles en nogada

2012-08-07T12:47:00.005-05:00

It was Miss K who found them. “I know you don’t believe me” she lectured, “but it’s this ordinary looking puesto in front of the Social Security office. They’re tiny stuffed jalapeños in nogada, but they don’t burn your mouth out. I've never seen anything like them.”

They were the best kept secret of the Condesa until Jim Johnston put them in the next edition of his book, “Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler”. I mentioned them to Rick Bayless. He went.

Then it was B. who broke the news, tweeted and texted all over town: “they’re gone; vanished without a trace…and no one knows where they went”.

Such is life in the post-modern 21^st century, where tradition, history and Peggy Lee don’t count. These cultural/gastronomic gems just up and disappear; so be it.

But the news is good. Turns out ‘Sra. Mari’ went to Morelos, but her son has revived the stand in a different location: at the north-east corner of Av. Insurgentes, just north of Calle Tlaxcala. Next to the Siberian ‘Empanadas Rusas’ stand (another story waiting to be written).

A mere 10 pesos buys you a miraculously low-fire roast chili stuffed with a particularly succulent picadillo, and cloaked in a perfect rosy cream/nut sauce. The requisite pomegranate seeds are even sprinkled on top. Have them in a taco (into which they want to spoon some superfluous rice – just say “no”) or on a plate, rice al lado.

And don’t miss other well-crafted guisados and/or the chile rellenos.

Some stories have a happy ending. Or is it a beginning.

Mini Chiles en Nogada

North-east corner of Av. Insurgentes (right-hand side as you face north), just north of Calle Tlaxcala, near the Chilpancingo metro/metrobus stop.

Open Monday through Friday morning until early afternoon – best to go early (before 2PM). When they run out, they close up and go home.

Season’s Greetings – Wild Mushrooms

2012-07-25T12:55:00.000-05:00

Here in sunny Mexico, with all its biodiversity, we are lucky to have fresh produce year round. Ruby red tomatoes twelve months a year mean an end to the cans of Italian plums I used to buy back in New York. Papayas just keep a comin’. Something green is always being sold, just-picked. Still, we are delighted by the seasonal appearance of various fruits and vegetables: artichokes in the spring, mangos in the summer, citrus in winter. More and more, however, the seasons are blurring. There are now grapes, asparagus, mangos, apples available all year round, all imported and all at a steep price –taste-wise. This time we can blame it neither on greedy gringo corporations nor our friends on the side of the earth where they walk upside down. The culprits are our good neighbors south of the border, namely Chile. And NAFTA. All the more reason to pay attention to what’s local now.
From July into October wild mushrooms hit the markets of central Mexico. Here in the capital, the month of August is high ‘shroom time. An extraordinary variety of them are on offer, mostly culled from the wilds of the States of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos and Puebla. Some, like the yellow duraznillos, the grayish clavitos or the spongy morillas, correspond closely to such Euro- appreciated and high priced treasures as chanterelles and morels. No wonder one sees French residents gleefully scooping up kilos of them at the Mercado San Juan, thrilled to be paying 80 pesos instead of 80 Euros. The religious and culinary use of hongos has been important in Mexico since long before the arrival of the Spaniards. The Mexica even dedicated the deity Nanacatzin as ‘Lord of the mushrooms’. Much of this culture was lost; hallucinogenics are still popular in certain indigenous groups (remember Maria Sabina?) but the gastronomic traditions hang by a thread. Interestingly, most customers I see buying odd hongos silvestres are humble people from the country. While chef/historian Ricardo Muñoz Zurita gives space to 40 separate varieties in his Enciclopédico de Gastronomía Mexicana, the most I have seen for sale at any given vendor is a dozen, which is an amazing sight to behold. Most wild mushrooms sold here are prepared as traditional Mexican guisados (stews), for soups or tacos. I have tried to ‘westernize’ some. I once bought a kilo of bright blue toadstools, trusting the wisdom of the aged woman who was selling them, but wary of their safety, I sautéed
them with a little garlic and served over fresh pasta. One eater said they reminded her of an autumnal New England woodland. Another guest’s setting of choice was a Florida swamp. My ‘cream of hens of the woods’ fared even worse: the toilet down which I dumped it retaliated by backing up making for an unspeakable situation. And the dog on whom I tried to pawn off my inedible ‘sauté de black tree fungus au vin’ still runs when he sees me coming. But other varieties taste sublime, like the golden yemas (which ARE chanterelles), or the subtle, oaky, clavitos; they are a cook’s delight – and they can be home-dried for later use: simply slice them up and set out in the sun or in a low oven. Or do like the Provençal and string them up like Christmas popcorn. They can later be substituted in recipes calling for dried porcini. Unfortunately, while some renowned local chefs like Jared Reardon of Jaso and Jair Téllez of Mero Toro take advantage of these gifts of the Gods and present seasonal dishes, it is rare to find the traditional Mexican versions offered for public consumption. A ‘miracle’ stand in La Marquesa, Restaurante Lupita, makes quesadillas, a roasted foil-wrapped packet, and the occasional stew; a vendor or two in the market of Amecameca might do a taco; but I have never seen them anywhere else. You’ll just have to do it yourself.

Where to buy and eat wild mushrooms:

Tianguis: most tianguises (weekly street markets) are selling wild mushrooms now, for example, Condesa's Tuesday market on c/Pachuca, and Polanco's Saturday market

Mercado Merced – Along the western (front) side of the main building are several amazing vendors. Take the metro to the ‘Merced’ stop. Exit at the front end of the train and turn left as you leave – you will be in the main building. If you walk straight to the front side, then turn left; walking along the corridor of vendors who line the outside wall you will see them, towards the end. Prices here are much cheaper than most.

Mercado San Juan – Renowned stand no. 261, to the left as you enter the market, is run by Hermelinda Guillén Vargas and offers the best in the country, including farmed porcini and shitake. She has the dried versions year-round. Several other stands have a smaller selection.

Mercado Jamaica - The central flower market south of the centro is easy to get to by metro - just get off at the Jamaica stop. Inside the food section are several mushroom sellers. - see comment below.

Tenancingo, Edo. De México – Outside the large market in the center of town about 2 hours from el D.F., sit ladies from the country selling the most extraordinary varieties of mushrooms – I have seen both blue and bright crimson ones for sale here. Thursday and Sunday are tianguis days so there are even more. The market is also famous for its rebozos.

Restaurante Lupita is located in La Marquesa, on the highway to Toluca, about a half-hour’s drive from the city. After you go through the underpass entering La Marquesa, it is at km. 9. You will see a sign on the right announcing ‘Valle del Potrero’; to the right of the archway are two connected stands – Lupita is the one on the left.

See my other post for recipes! Click here

See my review of Mourad New Moroccan Cookbook

Text and Photos © 2012 Nicholas Gilman - all rights reserved.

Just Friends : L’Entre Potes

2012-07-11T16:36:00.000-05:00

What’s new in Colonia Roma? You could run yourself ragged trying to keep up with the bars, shops, restaurants and antros that are popping up like mushrooms.

Álvaro Obregón is the main drag here, where you’ll find some of the bigger, glitzier places. But as rents have risen, Roma’s side streets are attracting creative, young entrepreneurs with smaller budgets. Wandering the residential streets a few blocks from the hubbub, I made my latest discovery, L’Entre Potes.

Lovers of Paris (who isn’t?) will adore this little sidewalk bistro, which opened its doors earlier this year. L’Entre Potes, which translates as ‘amongst friends’, is a collaboration of three native Parisians. A lunch joint by day, bar by night, the good food and wine here will transport you to the City of Lights.

Chef Frederique turns out multi-culti comfort food in his compact open kitchen. Friends Morgan and Claire run the show outside.

Considering the quality, the copious and hearty menu du jour is a bargain at 90 pesos ($130 with a glass of house wine). On my first visit I was impressed with a gazpacho that would have pleased any Spaniard, fragrant with good olive oil. It was followed by a textbook-perfect carne de ternera c/salsa Roquefort. This bistro classic comprised a generous portion of tender, seared beef bathed in a light Roquefort sauce served with golden pommes frites—the best fries I’ve had in Mexico. I cleaned my plate with an exceptional baguette, chewy and flavorful.

Another day blanquette de veau, the creamy veal and mushroom stew was served with a side of cous cous. Salads, such as an ersatz niçoise, are carefully arranged and pretty, although at times overdressed and too vinegary.

Desserts are tried and true: traditional clafoutis , tiramisu, tarte tatin or crème brulée.

An option for non-meat eaters was the gratin de acelgas & espinacas—vegetables as the French do them—butter, cream and cheese (viva Julia!). Gratins are the specialty of the house, and the potatoes dauphinoise are divine. But the menu is not strictly French--an occasional curry or pasta might make an appearance.

Evenings get busy here—the place is small and fills up. Tapas, such as nicely chosen cheese or charcuterie plates, are proffered. A few Spanish tapas classics like croquetas, tortilla española and the Catalan pan tomate recall the chef’s stint in Barcelona. Décor is simple, a clean white bar with seating for 5 or 6, several rustic wood tables and the requisite patterned cement-tile floor make for tasteful, cheery dining. And if weather permits, there is outdoor seating as well.

L’Entre Potes is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, a sophisticated lunch option and a pleasant, adult cocktail venue.

L’Entre Potes

Orizaba 167 (between San Luís Potosí and Querétaro)

Tel. 5264 1561

Open Monday 2-5:30, Tuesday-Saturday 2-2AM, closed Sunday

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Bed of Roses: The Jamaica Market

2012-06-12T14:16:00.000-05:00

A spectacular, old fashioned, covered market serves almost every Mexico City neighborhood. While, sadly, more and more Mexicans are convinced that it is cheaper, easier and ‘more modern’ to shop in American-style supermarkets, where lower quality food is shipped from shady sources beyond our borders, traditional mercados continue to thrive. A centrally located market was menaced a few years ago by the possible construction of a Walmart nearby: the vendors protested, the Walmart won. But the Martínez de la Torre, lives on, full of savvy shoppers who prefer quality food. And someone tried to torch the Walmart; I swear it wasn't me.

The Mercado Jamaica (pronounced “hah-MY-kah”) is the archetypal covered Mexican market. Built in the late ‘50’s during a government effort to modernize local outdoor markets, it is divided into three parts. In the first two you’ll find the usual fruits, vegetables, chilies and meats. The third nave houses the city’s main retail flower market.

This neighborhood emporium continues a tradition that goes back to Aztec times, when the area was crisscrossed with canals and boats used to transport produce grown in Xochimilco. Surprisingly, there were still a few canals in use as late as the 1940’s. Doña Beatriz, an ‘elote’ (fresh corn) vendor, whose mother worked here too, explained to me that the area was once a wholesale center for corn products. This tradition survives in the form of several vendors offering fresh and roasted corn as well as sweet, rich pan de elote (corn bread) in an aisle filled with flowers.

The main retail venue for flowers, open round the clock, 365 days a year, is a must-see—it’s bursting with all the colors that define Mexico. Arriving by metro, (the Jamaica station) enter the first building and keep walking back to the rear where you find the flowers. The hangar-like space, paved with soft petals and leaves, is home to mountains of roses, in all shades from white to deep crimson, that fill the air with their heady perfume. Stems of lilies as tall as a man, pallid or deep pink, lure passers-by. Calla lilies “suitable to any occasion” are always in bloom. Perky white daisies, imported purple irises and mums tempt shoppers. Weird, exotic jungle blooms, out of a King Kong picture, are abundant--and cheap. Vendors arrange wild, ornate baskets and wreathes of blossoms, for any affair from births to deaths and everything in between.

In the food section, good quality fruits and vegetables are carefully piled up in colorful pyramids. The scent of tropical fruits like mameys and maracuyas waft through the air. The usual fresh meat, fish and poultry stands serve loyal customers.

The Jamaica is a good place to eat: several classic Mexican antojitos are found here. This market has become known for its huaraches – elongated, thick, bean-filled, corn dough patties so-named because they are shaped like a shoe. A meat-topped plate of two, accompanied by chorizo, grilled nopal cactus and onions, avocado and cheese costs just $65 pesos at Huaraches Adita. A smoky, corn-instilled delight, it’s also one of the most grease-laden repasts I’ve consumed--I suggest sharing.

Carnitas Paty, around the corner, offers huge, ultra juicy tacos of confit of pork, garnished with
chopped onion, cilantro and brick-red salsa, for
$15 each. “Holy Mother of God” my friend M. exclaimed on a recent visit after taking a bite, the
chili infused meat juice dripping down his chin.

Jamaica is one of the few markets where you can still find tepache, an old-time Mexican drink. This mildly fermented, non-alcoholic fruit juice is usually made with pineapple rinds, but sometimes other fruits are added. It’s produced by macerating the fruit for several days in orange-painted wooden barrels. Reminiscent of New England apple cider, it’s icy and refreshing, redolent of pineapple, sweet but not cloying. A large glass from Tepachería ‘El Oasis’ costs only $5.

The Mercado Jamaica has something for everybody. Go yourself and bring your out of town visitors for a taste and a view of our great city’s living heritage.

Mercado Jamaica
Av. Congreso de la Union and Morelos, south of the centro
Metro: Jamaica

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Carnivorous Cravings: ...to The Bloody Last Drop - part III

2012-05-22T15:55:00.000-05:00

This is the third and last installment of the poor Sr. de la Torre's bovine ramble through our fleshy steakhouses...

10 Dias, 9 Parrillas: A Trilogy (Part III)

DAY 8: Gardel Grill

We have this theory that parrillas, like certain other things, must be cheaper outside Roma/Condesa. But the online menu for La Evita on Reforma proves our theory wrong. And when I find the online menu for La Rural on Insurgentes in Colonia Napoles, they don’t even list prices, which brings to mind the old saying, “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

So we head for Rio Lerma in Cuauhtemoc instead, home to Quebracho (which is pretty good for a chain restaurant parrilla by the way), the mass-market airplane hangar-like Don Asado (such a shame what that franchise has become), the unknown quantity that is Berretín and Gardel Grill, which I went to once a couple years ago with some friends and I remember being pretty good. We opt for Gardel Grill, and as we enter, something is different from how I remember this place…it’s kitted out for office workers.

We order the 600 gram bone-in asado de tira to share because at 185 pesos it’s the most economical steak on the menu, cooked to medium-well. There’s an impersonal feeling here I can’t quite put my finger on. The meat is still crackling when it arrives and it’s definitely fattier than the asado de tira at Los Uruguayos. This is not necessarily bad in and of itself, but as we proceed eating, the cut becomes progressively fattier, to the point that I’m finding some bites that aren’t even edible.

VERDICT: The lowest cost cut of meat is no excuse for serving the cheapest value. For what it’s worth, I saw quite a few customers ordering pasta. We won’t be back.

Gardel Grill

Rio Lerma 171 between Guadalquivir and Ebro, Colonia Cuauhtemoc

5533-3466 | 5514-0714

Arrachera: 350 grams / 190 pesos

Asado de tira: 600 grams / 185 pesos

Vacio: 400 grams / 190 pesos

DAY 9: La Parrilla Argentina

We didn’t realize until we were ordering that La Parrilla Argentina is a chain; we just came here on the recommendation of an acquaintance whose office is nearby. This place is cantina large, with a capacity of easily 200 people and a preference for old bolero music—when we walk in, José José’s voice is manhandling the sound system. There’s a very old-school feel here and I have no doubt that during Friday happy hour this place is thumping. The waiter assures us the asado de tira is not too fatty and we order it medium-well. The meat explodes with flavor to the point that I forget that there’s chimichurri, picante or any other condiments on the table because really, this doesn’t need anything extra on it.

VERDICT: This place is great if you can get your boss or sugar daddy to pay for it.

La Parrilla Argentina

Lafragua No. 4, corner of Monumento a la Revolucion, Colonia Tabacalera

5566-5542 | 5566-5667

Arrachera 350 grams/154pesos, 700grams/303pesos

Asado de tira 350 grams/173 pesos, 700 grams/308 pesos

DAY 10: La Biela

Luisa says this is the last we eat parrilla for a long time so I should order carefully. I’m picking vacío. The prices here (not to mention the previous two places) raise the question of how Roma and Condesa parrillas could be the cheapest priced in the city and our temporary theory is that the Roma and Condesa parrillas are a) competing with each other and b) where the Argentines and Uruguayans go to eat, versus out here in middle-class colonias, like Napoles, where Argentine grill is considered something exotic, and therefore priced accordingly.

There’s an old maxim in journalism: “Show, don’t tell.” So why don’t I just show you how juicy the vacío is here:

Unfortunately, juicy in this case doesn’t necessarily equate to more flavor. The vacío at Escarapela was definitely better, and in contrast to the previous parrilla, I find myself leaning a lot on the chimichurri here to enjoy the meat.

VERDICT: This is a relaxed old-school mom-and-pop outside of Roma/Condesa. It’s pricy, but I like the atmosphere here. Also, Chiandoni’s famous homemade ice cream is two blocks away.

La Biela

Dakota 305, corner of Pennsylvania, Colonia Napoles

1107-6549 | 5687-9763

Arrachera 350 grams / 215 pesos, 600 grams / 320 pesos

Vacío 350 grams / 215 pesos, 600 grams / 320 pesos

Asado de tira 600 grams / 290 pesos

When he’s not eating meat, Ulysses de la Torre is an emerging markets consultant and maintains a blog about finance and economics in developing countries at www.divergingmarkets.com.

END PART III

To see part I click here

To see part II click here

Carnivorous Cravings: Meaty moments -part II

2012-05-10T15:41:00.000-05:00

This is the second part of a three part series on where to eat the best arrachera in el D.F. by guest researcher Ulysses de la Torre.

"Vegetarians are a chef's worst nightmare" fumed Anthony Bourdain. Tony, this is for you:

10 Dias, 9 Parrillas: A Trilogy (Part II)

DAY 4: Casita de Buenos Aires

Prices speak louder than words and what I’m drawn to at Casita de Buenos Aires is that not only is 500 grams the smallest arrachera but it comes with complete side salad and costs 170 pesos. Think about that. It implies 300 grams for 102 pesos. The rest of the menu speaks for itself.

The arrachera is soft and subtle and I can definitely taste the grill, but it’s not fair to compare it to yesterday’s entraña since it’s a different cut of meat. This place oozes nostalgia, sells fresh homemade empanadas out of the storefront fridge to take home with you and is a perfect place for an afternoon comida. The only downside: given its location in a still-refurbishing area of Roma, doors close at 7 pm. But if you’re in the area during daytime, there’s no reason to not be here eating meat.

VERDICT: Great value for money. We’re definitely coming back to try their other cuts. Also—the kitchen is run by women.

Casita de Buenos Aires | Queretaro 188 between Monterrey and Medellin, Colonia Roma

5574-2204 | 7 days, 13:00-19:00

Arrachera: 500 grams / 170 pesos

Asado de Tira: 500 grams / 180 pesos

DAY 5: Los Uruguayos

We walked by El Zorzal at Tamaulipas and Alfonso Reyes and saw that 400 grams of arrachera cost 212 pesos, so we continued down Atlixco past Juan Escutia until we arrived at Los Uruguayos. I generally dislike theme restaurants, but once in a while you find one that pulls it off, and Los Uruguayos has temporarily convinced me I’m in a small village in Las Pampas. The stereo is playing South American trova until a live accordion player shows up. I’m about to say this feels like more of a date spot than anything else so far when Luisa says one thing this place definitely is NOT is a date spot. As I’m reconciling this difference of perception, I notice that the only other customers during a Monday lunch are older men with large stomachs.

On the menu, a couple of things strike me: 1. They actually have picaña, imported from Uruguay, which explains the 240 peso price. 2. For the first time, the asado de tira is cheaper than the arrachera—500 grams for 140 pesos—and even cheaper than Casita Buenos Aires, which means it’s clearly time to try that. I order it medium-well on account of it including the bone and from the first bite I understand everything. This is a rougher cut and a rougher taste and a lot more smoke. The training wheels have just come off.

VERDICT: I’ve since learned that two other people we know, one of them an Argentine sommelier in our building, cite this as their favorite parrilla and I can see why. We’re definitely coming back here.

Los Uruguayos | Atlixco 38A between Juan Escutia and Antonio Sola, Colonia Condesa

5553-7375 | Sunday – Wednesday 13:00 – 19:00, Thursday – Saturday 13:00 – 23:00

10% discount for home delivery

Arrachera: 400 grams / 150 pesos

Asado de tira: 500 grams / 140 pesos (with bone)

DAY 6

Honestly, I need a break. I spent today eating nothing but vegetables and then for dinner we went to our friend’s dinner party and met an Uruguayan guest who said his favorite cut is vacío. So I guess that means vacío is next.

DAY 7: Escarapela

I’ve been here as often as I’ve been to El Hornero, and it’s just as small—the Che/Maradona/etc. homage aside, it looks and feels like you’re sitting in a wine cellar. Escarapela is never empty, but considering its location in the heart of Condesa, still manages to keep a pretty low profile. Escarapela’s centrality still has its drawbacks though, specifically that it consistently has the worst strolling musicians I’ve heard in the entirety of the six-odd years I’ve lived in Mexico City. Seriously, the musicians are as bad as the meat is good.

Anyway, today is the day I order a vacío while Luisa orders arrachera, both cooked medium. And today is the day I become a grown man. The arrachera is as dependable as it always is here. But whereas arrachera is a ride on a freshly paved street in some leafy suburb, vacío is an offroad romp through the outback. Basically, this engine’s got a lot more horsepower—juicier, fattier, fuller.

VERDICT: It feels weird to say this, but I don’t think I’ll ever eat arrachera again.

Escarapela Condesa | Nuevo León 62, between Parras and Laredo, Colonia Condesa

Phone: 5211-4444

Arrachera: 330 grams / 125 pesos

Asado de tira sin hueso: 330 grams / 128 pesos

Vacio: 330 grams / 135 pesos

See Part I of this article

When he’s not eating meat, Ulysses de la Torre is an emerging markets consultant and maintains a blog about finance and economics in developing countries at www.divergingmarkets.com.

* END PART II *

Carnivorous Cravings: where's the beef?

2012-05-01T15:23:00.000-05:00

For the first time in the history of Good Food in Mexico City, I turn the podium over to a guest writer, while I explore the Good Food of various points of mysterious Eastern Europe and the more familiar Occident.

This three part series on where to eat the best arrachera in el D.F. will give any good vegetarian nightmares worthy of a George Romero film. But this one ain't for the rabbit food set. Read on, bloody meat-eaters:

10 Dias, 9 Parrillas: A Trilogy (Part I)

By Ulysses de la Torre

The idea was to find the best Argentine arrachera steak in Mexico City. But anyone familiar with this corner of the food universe should already see problems with the premise. First, although arrachera is served at many Argentine parrillas here, it’s a northern Mexican cut; second, there are too many Argentine parrillas to try them all by deadline; third, what about Uruguayan parrillas?

With those caveats in mind, my wife, Luisa, and I set forth to see what we could find.

DAY 1: El Hornero

This wasn’t supposed to be anything like the movie where the guy eats McDonald’s every day for a month, but that’s what I’m thinking of right now. We’re beginning at El Hornero because we’ve been here enough that the two Argentine owners know us and it’s intimate enough—capacity is three dozen—that if you catch it at the right time, the owners might sit and chat. Tonight turns out to be one such night.

Matias says what he serves as “arrachera” (what I ate) is called entraña back home. Since opening three years ago, I’ve tried everything here, but never with the aim of comparing it in a meat-off. So what about the arrachera/entraña tonight? It has the requisite smoothness of a decent arrachera, plus the added punch of a marinade. Also, Matias says it’s kosher. Over dessert, we tell him of our parrilla challenge and ask which meat is a must-have for any worthwhile parrilla. Matias says asado de tira. He also says there’s no difference between Argentine and Uruguayan parrillas. So what’s already apparent on day one is that this is about more than just arrachera.

VERDICT: El Hornero is one of our standbys. And whenever I finish a meal here, I’m always kind of sad it’s over.

El Hornero | Cordoba 148, between Zacatecas and Guanajuato, Colonia Roma

5584-5413 | 044-55-3948-7088 | Monday – Saturday 13:00—21:00, home delivery, cash only

Arrachera: 350 grams/140 pesos

Asado de tira: 350 grams/145 pesos

DAY 2: Quilmes

For breakfast, I ate all fruit, and for lunch, all vegetables. So guess what it’s time for?

We’re determined to avoid chain restaurants, but we made an exception for Quilmes on a friend’s recommendation. It’s cavernous—two floors—and unlike El Hornero, where even the clientele was Argentine, Quilmes targets Mexicans. I’m sure Sunday brunch is busy, but tonight, Friday, it’s more empty than full. Quilmes has been in Condesa since the pre-hipster days and as if to accentuate this fact, we watch a hipster walk in with his girlfriend, look around, and murmur to her, “aquí no está padre güey.” But the girl insists and they take a table.

Prices are higher and the music is disastrous (Phil Collins, El DeBarge…need I go on?). The walls are absent of the Che/Maradona/Evita/Gardel montage typical of many parrillas, instead plastered with futbol jerseys and flat screen televisions. The arrachera is unmarinated and uniformly smooth and I can taste the charcoal. Nothing exciting about this, but it does the job. I don’t usually pay attention to the quality of picante sauce, but its watery taste compels me to take note.

VERDICT: Not bad, but given this city’s proliferation of parrillas, I see no need to return. And there’s no way the owner would ever sit with us for a chat.

Quilmes | Alfonso Reyes 193, between Cholula and Saltillo, Colonia Condesa

5516-1438 | 7 days

Arrachera: 350 grams/165 pesos

Asado de tira: 350 grams/235 pesos

DAY 3: Cuareim 1080

Fate has delivered us here. We were headed elsewhere in Polanco, but while looking for a parking spot, wound up in front of Cuareim 1080, an Uruguayan parrilla named after a Montevideo artists’ commune closed by the military dictatorship in 1978. Since it’s Uruguayan, instead of Che/Diego/Evita is artwork from the original commune and Uruguayan folk rock on the stereo. Here’s how real Cuareim keeps it: arrachera isn’t even on the menu. The waiter says their closest meat to arrachera is entraña, so I order it medium (as I generally do) and when it arrives, it has no side dish, which is fine considering I’m up to my neck in vegetables the rest of my waking hours.

The meat has slightly more fat and some skin and I can taste the grill. Also, it’s clear Quilmes was missing last night—there, the meat was smooth and decent quality, but it tasted diluted, like the picante sauce. Here, the flavor is jumping off the plate.

VERDICT: This place is cool, and rather understated for Polanco. Like El Hornero, I’m hearing a lot of southern cone accents, and also like El Hornero, it’s cozy—good for a private party where you want to be able to take over the joint.

Cuareim 1080 | Newton 105, between Masarik and Lamartine, Colonia Polanco

5531-7448 | Monday – Saturday 13:00-21:30, Sunday 13:00-19:00

Entraña, Asado de Tira: 300 grams / 150 pesos, side not included

When he’s not eating meat, Ulysses de la Torre is an emerging markets consultant and maintains a blog about finance and economics in developing countries at www.divergingmarkets.com.

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