Mexico City is a food
lovers paradise. I am one of them. Like many others, my life revolves around
food. I'm just glad I was in Mexico City the first time I realized this.
Just ask anyone who
has spent a fair amount of time in the city and they can rattle off at least a
dozen or more places where they had a great meal recently ... and that's
without thinking. Food just doesn't get any better than this.
Some of the best food
I've eaten has been on the street. I had a plate of off-the-chart Tacos Al
Pastor the other day and spent 30 pesos or the equalivent of $2.40.
But I would also not
dismiss the food I ate at Azul Condesa or Pujol last year where I was taken
back by both the quality and affordability of the meals. They would cost at
least four times more back in the states.
I for one love the Roma
neighborhood. This is the second time I've stayed in Roma where the restaurant
scene is lively and more alluring every time I return.
And on this trip,
Maximo Bistrot, Delirio and Rosetta were all within walking distance of one
another. Maximo Bistrot was planned. Delirio and Rosetta were accidental finds.
That's what I love about walking.
I happened to be
staying 2 blocks away from Rosetta. I showed up on their doorstep my first
night hungry, tired and not wanting to wander too far from home. They were
fully reserved but somehow took me in and found a table where I enjoyed one of
the best meals I've had in Mexico City. They were all so nice I could hardly
thank the staff enough when I left.
This experience was an
unexpected and treasured moment in my food diary...and I've had many in Mexico
City.
The Wall Street Journal
calls Mexico's capital “the least-appreciated great food city in the
world". And it is…and within three and a half hours of my doorstep, I can
get my food fix almost any time I want.
With a little AM planning,
I can even be there in time for comida.
Buen Apetito!
Maximo Bistrot
Tonalá 133, Esq. Zacatecas, (3 blocks south of
Alvaro Obregón) Colonia Roma
Chef Eduardo Garciá
never studied gastronomy but developed his skills in the kitchens of Mexico
City’s famous Pujol and Le Bernardin in New York.
Le Bernardin
specializes in classic Eurocentric cuisine. Pujol has evolved as a restaurant
that pushes traditional Mexican cuisine to the limit and creates new dishes
based on old techniques.
It was no surprise
then that the Chef's special lunch for me was every bit as good as his
credentials.
I had sweetbreads; the
pancreas and thymus glands of sheep and cattle. I know. It sounds awful but
they are favored by chefs because of their interesting flavor and texture.
People seldom fix them
at home. They take a fair amount of time and fuss as there is a thick membrane
that needs to be peeled away...more of an art form than a technique.
Delirio
Monterrey 116-B, Esq. Álvaro Obregón, Colonia
Roma
Mónica Patiño is one
of the most popular chefs in Mexico.
Delirio is a
deli-market that cranks out great tortas every day for hundreds of tourists and
locals.
What's to love about
this deli? This ham spent years of slow curing and has now produced beautiful,
rich meat with deep, multi-level flavors.
A patron of slow and
local foods, Patiño offers products in the restaurant that are Mexican-made and
organic as well.
Rosetta
Colima 166, Colonia Roma
Chef Elena Reygadas
turned this old historic mansion into an Italian restaurant. It is one of the
most beautiful restaurants I've dined in.
She was actually here
in San Miguel at Patio 3 for Mesa Abierta while I was in Mexico City.
Rosetta serves
outstanding pastas but her real masterpiece: Old world bread. In fact, once you
taste this bread you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.
She has cooked under
world-renowned chefs Nieves Barragan of Fino and Georgio Locatelli of Locanda
Locatelli. During her years under Locatelli she discovered a true passion for classic
Italian cuisine.
Oft times, her menu
changes according to the weather and she works with seasonal ingredients - some
of them rare - which come from the Mexican countryside.
She sources more than
80% of her principal ingredients from small-scale vendors in Mexico.
I had scallops in a
lemon wine sauce. The dish was magnificent. T
The restaurant also
offers a wide variety of sparkling red, white, and pink wines. In fact, when
you come into this restaurant, you're immediately inclined to sit down and order
a glass of Franciacorta or Prosecco- the Italian Champagnes.
Who hangs out here?
Legions of authentic Italian foodies and those who are looking for a perfect,
romantic dinner.
Or the see-and-be-seen
crowd. If you're lucky, you can sit on the patio and feast your eyes on many of
the telenovela stars who frequent this place.
This is perhaps one of
the best meals I've had in Mexico City.
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