A feast for the eyes; devouring the splendor of San Miguel is on the top of our list, especially when it involves good things to eat and drink.
Here
are the spots where we think the food is just as significant as the views.
A picture’s
worth a thousand words so don’t forget your camera.
Buen
Apetito!
Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar
Rosewood Hotel, Nemesio Diez 11
SMA shows its best side from every position
no matter where you sit or what time you go. The light, in basic terms, is magical.
Chef Victor Palma’s kitchen dishes out
high-quality tapas – from pizza to pig - that are just right for sharing. Bring
plenty of pesos and settle in.
This rooftop bar has the best views; a
360-degree spectacle certain to take your breath away, especially at sunset.
Quince
Cuna
de Allende 15
This new rooftop restaurant has in-your-face
views of the Parroquia. I’m taken back each and every time I
walk out onto the patio.
Taste
the flavors of Chef Gonzalo Martinez, who use to cook at the Rainbow Room in
NYC’s Rockefeller Center and for the Orient Express Hotels. His menu is
seasonal and surprising.
One
of the best ingredients in the mix is the service. When I got up to take a
picture and returned to my chair, the waiter had refolded my napkin.
La Azotea
Umaran
#6
This
is one of our favorite rooftop restaurants in SMA because of the service and
the signature dish: a taco shell made from jicama that is filled with
lightly-breaded shrimp and topped with fried leeks, chipotle mayo and a
tamarind sauce. I can never eat just one.
La
Azotea serves a variety of other tapas including these spicy chicken poppers;
pollo with a jalapeno on top that’s wrapped in panela cheese and
bacon. After it’s cooked, it’s dressed with their signature chipotle mayo and
balsamic vinegar reduction.
The
list of personalities who frequent this high-style eatery goes on and on. We also
enjoy the people-watching; it’s never boring, even on a slow day.
ZUMO
Orizaba 87
There are only a handful of
restaurants in SMA that have it all: good food, creative drinks, world-class
service, a top chef and a million dollar view to match. Stewart Haverlack’s
ZUMO is at the top of the list.
We’re getting swamped with reports about the exciting menu
from new chef, Josy Treizman. He’s cooked in some of the world’s best kitchens:
at 2 Michelin-Star restaurant Le Cinq in the George V Four Seasons Hotel in
Paris, 2 Michelin-Star restaurant Le Chalet de la Foret in Brussels and the 5
star luxury resort Hotel del Mar, Vina del Mar, Chile. It’s in Josy’s DNA; his
mother, cousin, aunt and grandfather are also celebrated chefs.
While you’re at it, check out Chef Brenda Rocio Segura Trejo,
who will be part of our article on female chefs in SMA later this month.
Photo of Chef Josy Treizman provided by ZUMO.
Other
views to take in for the people watching:
Sabores San Miguel
Juarez Park June 17-19
https://www.facebook.com/SaboresSanMiguel/
SMA Food Festival
TBAJuly 15-17
http://www.smafoodfestival.com/
What’s not to love
about all your favorite restaurants and chefs in one place? I savor the celebrations
for one thing: the food factor, but people watching comes in a close
second. Camp out all three days because you wouldn’t taste or see the same
thing twice…unless of course you want to.
Watch for updates and
get ready for a high spirited summer. You can pretty much plan on eating your
way through June and July.
Doce-18 Concept House
Relox 18
SMA’s latest culinary gem, Doce-18, is home to some of the
city’s best chefs: Donnie Masterton’s The Taco Lab and Birdie’s Burgers, Matteo
Salas with Jacinto 1930 and Marko Antoine Cruz Sanchez at Daniel Estebaranz’s
farm-to-table restaurant MILPA.
The Kitchen, a natural, light-filled room where all of the
restaurants, except Jacinto 1930, share seating space, is SMA’s newest
people-watching spot. I can’t go in there without running into a half a dozen
people I know or meeting a dozen more. About the people in Doce-18 I want to meet? I figure if I hang
out there for another month, I'll know
everyone in San Miguel.
Also check out Seleccion de la Casa, Santisima Trinidad’s attractive
wine cellar and the
soon-to-open, paint-the-town-red Cocktail Room.
Ten Ten Pie
Cuna de Allende and Cuadrante
As an alternative to Facebook and Instagram, people watching is one of SMA’s most popular sports. Most
people head to the Jardin but when you get hungry, wander down Cuna de Allende
to the outdoor space at Ten Ten Pie. Drink in the views along with an ice-cold Mexican brew. Order the Molcajete; a combination of meats, vegetables and cheese.
Get into the rhythm of the street scene; it always brings on an impromptu fiesta that can only happen
in a San Miguel minute.
Want an education? Start a
conversation with EVERYONE. You’ll also savor the fascinating stories of
visitors worldwide, some who come here just for the food.
Hanks New Orleans Café and Oyster Bar
Hidalgo #12
Someone asked me the other day to describe Hanks;
2x1 drinks and some of the best people watching in SMA! Just ask anyone who has
walked into the place after 5:00 PM and can’t get a seat.
I order the gumbo; it's
not my gumbo but hey, 1219 miles from New Orleans it's the closest thing you're
going to get this side of the border. It’s made with chicken, sausage and
shrimp and just like New Orleans, it's a warm-up before you go dancing in the late
night second-line parade. Do I think I’m in New Orleans when I’m eating it?
Only during Happy hour!
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