There will always be
controversy when it comes to food. A recent article, published by The Independent out of the UK, suggests
that San Miguel is emerging as the new culinary capital of Mexico.
While friends in DF
agonize at the mention of it, they also grudgingly acknowledge San Miguel's
growing influence in Mexico's culinary scene.
I made an observation
after a recent trip to Guatemala; there is a level of sophistication in the culinary
scene here in SMA. Not just on the strength of the restaurants, chefs and their
menus but also in the availability of quality ingredients, artisan stores to
buy them, and a developing wine and cocktail culture. Add into that mix the
number of visiting chefs like Lee
Dubberman from Ariel’s Restaurant
who cooked at Provecho this winter
and you've got a culinary capital in the making.
Certainly this level
of refinement has been brewing for some time and has taken an enormous leap
forward in the two years I have been here.
Are we there yet? One
thing is for sure… you can eat your way around the world and never leave San
Miguel.
Granted, if you want
to eat out African, British, Caribbean, Eastern European, Irish, Korean, Middle
Eastern, Vietnamese
or really authentic Greektown-Chicago-style food right now,
you'll have to cook it yourself but sourcing ingredients has gotten a lot
easier and there isn't too much you can't find in San Miguel or Querétaro to
show off your culinary skills.
You can patronize your
old standbys like
Hecho en Mexico (Ancho de
San Antonio # 8), Los Milagros (Calle Reloj #17),Café Buen Dia (Callejon del Pueblito #3), Tacos
Don Felix En La Casa (15th
Fray Juan de San Miguel St/Col. San Rafael), Cafe Monet (Zacateros #83), Mama Mia (Umaran #81) or La Parroquia (Jesus #11) and get a good meal, but if
your palate is far more adventurous, here are the restaurants that will
transport you to anywhere in the world...and you don't have to bring your
passport.
We’ve written about all
of them this past year so I’ll leave you with these mouth-watering photographs
to remind you that San Miguel’s culinary profile has come this far.
Buen Apetito!
American:
Lavanda, Dr
Ignacio Hernandez Macias 87
Hansens, Calzada
de la Aurora #12
Argentinean:
Buenos
Aires Bistro, Mesones #62
Asian:
Sweet
Water Catering, Saturday Organic Market
Bakery:
Panaderia
El Maple, Salida a Celaya #53
Panaderia
La Buena Vida, Hernandez Macias #72,
Int. 5
La
Mesa Grande, Zacateros 49
BBQ:
Diablo
Panzon, Salida a Celaya #94
Cajun/Creole:
Hank's
New Orleans Café and Oyster Bar, Calle Miguel Hidalgo #12
Canadian:
Santos
Crudoteca, Del Los Suspiros #7
Contemporary:
The
Restaurant, Solano #16
Continental:
Paprika
Restaurante San Miguel de Allende, Ancha de San Antonio #7
Danish:
Café
Oso Azul, Zacateros 17
Dessert:
Petit
4, Mesones 99
Eclectic:
Provecho, Ancha
de San Antonio #10A
European:
Restaurante
1826, Calle Nemesio Diez #11
French:
Chamonix, Sollano
#17
German:
Berlin
Bar and Bistro, Umaran #19
Global:
La
Mezcaleria, Correo #47-A
Indian:
Bhaji, Cuadrante
#34
International:
Aperi, Quebrada
101
Nirvana
Restaurant and Retreat,
Camino Del Cortijo a Montecillo de Nieto,
Antigua Via Del Ffcc 21-2 El Cortijo
Italian:
Bacco, Hernandez
Macias #59
Cent’anni, Canal
#34
Cafe
Firenze, Recreo #13
Japanese:
Delica
Mitsu San Miguel de Allende, Calzada de laLuz #49,
Col. Guadalupe
Lebanese:
Fenicia, Zacateros
#73
Mediterranean:
Cumpanio, Correo
#29
Mexican:
La
Posidita, Cuna de Allende #13
Moxi
Restaurant, Hotel Matilda, Aldama #53
Muro, Loreto
10B
Don
Lupe Mexican Grill,
Pila Seca 34-B
Oaxacan:
Salsabor
Prehispanc Delicatessen,
Antonio Plaza 21-A, Col. Guadalupe
Pan Asian:
Chao
Ban, Pila Seca #16
Peruvian:
La
Parada, Recreo 94
Pizza:
Casa Chiquita, Correo
45
Seafood:
La
Sirena Gorda, Calle Barranca y Huertas
Southern:
Cafe
Mesones, Mesones #74
Tapas:
Tapas
San Miguel, Umaran #36
Luna
Rooftop Tapas Bar, Nemesio Diez #11
La
Azotea, Umaran #6
Thai:
Orquidea
Comida Thai, Zacateros #83
Uruguay:
Tannat
Cocina Con Caracter,
Ancha de San Antonio #67
Vegetarian:
Via
Organica, Margarito Ledesma #2