Do I have your appetite in over-drive
right now? I know; me too. Just the mention of these desserts and I’m having a
piece of chocolate cake for breakfast.
If you happen to feed your food addiction
here, you’ll quickly come to the realization that I love desserts. Not just any
desserts; the ones that are dripping, drizzled or dusted with sugared obsessions,
most notably chocolate.
I experienced a wonderful Amador chocolate at Maido in Lima, Peru just
last week, but many of the best chocolates I’ve eaten lately have been from Oaxaca;
a translation recently served at Nomada cocina de interpretacion here in San
Miguel.
When it comes to favorites, I have mine. And like most people I know who
LOVE food, I never save the best for last.
Buen Apetito!
These restaurants,
known for their celebrated food and not their pastries, make many of my
favorite sweetened pleasures:
Sollano 16
Sundae de Caramelo Quemado con Salsa de Malvavisco y Cacahuates
Espanoles… in any language, Chef Donnie Masterton balances this Ambrosia custom-made,
burnt caramel ice cream topped with salted caramel, marshmallow and a
sprinkling of cacahuates; a confectionery work of art that is way too beautiful
to eat but we dive in anyway. Conclusion: Simple ingredients often make for
some of the most elevated flavors.
After three years, it’s still my favorite dessert in San Miguel
and to commemorate the occasion, we thought you’d like to see a new picture.
PS: Don’t take this off the menu Donnie; I threw out my calorie
book and we’ve just declared it a classic.
Buenos Aires Bistro
Mesones #62
Chef Mariano Alvarez of
Buenos Aires Bistro, the king of Argentine beef in SMA, produced an
Argentinean version of bananas foster, my favorite New Orleans dessert: Banana Frita Flambeado con Brandy y Helado
de Mate or Brandy
Flambéed Fried Banana with Mate Ice cream.
Rich and creamy, homemade ice
cream is the central ingredient of this dessert, made from pure cream
and Yerba Mate, the naturally caffeinated leaves of the South
American rainforest holly tree. That’s what makes it healthy so eat up.
Quince Rooftop
Cuna de Allende 15
Chef Gonzalo Martinez has a limited menu of postres but we love
everything on the menu including the Sweet Corn Cake, the Crepe Cake and my
favorite, the soft Bunuelo fritters.
The
first time I had Bunuelos was from a street stand in Guatemala last year and
I’ve been craving them ever since. Chef Gonzalo filled the gap with his version
of Bunuelos with bitter sweet Oaxaca chocolate. Don’t mind me when I lick the
bowl.
How sweet it is; 15% of all dessert proceeds go to Feed the
Hungry SMA so order an assortment for your table.
Relox #18
Jacinto 1930 pays the respect to
dessert that it deserves by creating uncomplicated flavors that work.
We love Chef Matteo Salas and Pastry Chef Marene Flores Silva for many reasons, one of
them being that they’ve created a flan that we actually love.
The soft cream cheese flan with
avocado milk melts into a sour cream ice cream. In one word: perfection. In two
words: seconds, please!
Starbucks
Canal #3
Want a chocolate overload? This gooey, chocolaty goodness
tastes as incredible as it looks.
It’s amazing that you can find one of the best desserts in SMA right
under your nose. Thanks to a mention from one of SMA favorite chefs, Michael
Coon, this chocolate cake is like eating just-made fudge, only better. It’s
cold, moist, dark, rich, decadent and so full of
chocolate, I’m certain I’ll be ordering it every morning with a supersized
glass of café con leche.
Oh, and just so you know, I’m not sharing!
These SMA
Chefs have one thing in common; they
are responsible for elevating traditional desserts into
something magical. All of them, alchemists in the kitchen, turn the freshest
ingredients into the most exquisite desserts you’ve ever eaten.
Trattoria da Laura a Los Mezquites
Rancho Los MezquitesMarroquin de Anejo 37888
In
a city of first-class chefs, this passionate Italian stands out; some of my
favorite desserts in SMA are made by Chef Laura Buccheri.
The
first time I dined at her restaurant, she served five different desserts; I ate
all of them.
Known
for her wonderful, Sicilian creations, she stays true to
the Italian classics but elevates them using good ingredients and textbook
execution.
Of
the many Italian desserts I’ve eaten, I’ve loved every one of them including
this Genovese al Lemon Curd Cake and her legendary lemon meringue pie.
Things
couldn’t be sweeter right now for this Italian; Laura opens Spaghetteria La
Cocina di Afrodita this week on the upper floor at the new Mercado Sano (ex
Ferreteria Don Pedro), Calle Ancha de San Antonio #123. I’m addicted to
her Carbonara as well as her desserts.
MiVida
Calle Hernandez Macias #97
When Chef Ana
Cecilia Alvarez, the Sous-chef at MiVida Restaurant graduated from La Universidad Tecnologíca in San Miguel de
Allende, she did her internship at Restaurant Il Grecale in Novello, Italy. It
shows.
A source of Instagram envy, we’ve
eaten dozens of desserts at MiVida and every one of them has hit the high mark
on presentation, flavor and taste. What I like most are the homemade fruit sorbets;
a refreshing finish to MiVida’s pastas and meats.
Blessed with unbridled
creativity, she’s one of the young chefs in SMA to watch.
Nomada cocina de interpretacion
Codo #36
I once said
that Chef Sofia Antillon, the Pastry Chef at Nomada cocina de interpretacion, has superpowers. I’m convinced after
eating at least 50 of her desserts that she’s blessed with something more.
Here is her Fiesta; I call it “Party on a
Plate”: blueberry, mango meringue, raspberry meringue, toronjil, cherry with roseberry, mango with
thyme, pomegranate seeds, garambullo, lemon
ice cream with caramelized lemon peel and guava jelly.
I had the first dessert Sofia made in SMA at B’ui – cocina de
campo: Chocolate Chai Ganache with mascarpone cheese, a caramelized banana,
plantain puree and litchi sorbet. It’s a study for the Art of Plating.
From the Peppermint panna cotta with strawberry coulis, rhubarb,
strawberry, blueberry and blackberry sorbet to her most famous dessert, one she
made for the Chef’s Table at the SMA Food Festival this year, the pavlova with
vanilla cream passion fruit caramel, kumquats, peppermint, eureka lemon peel
and blueberries, her desserts are inspiring.
She’s likely to move to the national scene so get her artistic
creations while you can. With no dessert menu, you’re surprised every time you
order. She breaks all the rules, creating
complex desserts that blend interesting and contrasting flavors.
I’ve never been disappointed.
The girls love their sweets…
My friend, Daniela Doig, the creator of the online e-magazine at viajeagridulce.mx , recently did an article on the top desserts in
SMA. She's turned me on to a number of new places and I'm on a mission to try them all. Read her article for some additional, delicious listings.