We think
some of the best things to see in San Miguel de Allende are found on a plate. We hope you’ll tag along as we rediscover our city over the
next few months, finding new dishes from
chefs who are so talented, you’ll want to try their entire menus.
Whatever your passions are, we’ve
got you covered so don’t book your return ticket home just yet. We’ll give you
other inspirations worth chasing: shops, classes, galleries and adventures -
some that can push you out of your comfort zone; a place we haven’t been to since
we moved to San Miguel.
And just as we were
catching our breath from the opening of two new restaurants, La Dona (San Francisco
32) and Bar Margaret (Mesones # 3) the increase in activity continues.
After success in the cities of Leon and Querétaro, Bruno Cucina (Mesones #58) opened in SMA. We had our first
tasting there this week;
impressed with the unusual dishes on the menu, including fabulous Ox Cheek
Nuggets and Al Mattone (chicken) cooked on a brick. Alejandro de la Vega is the
new young chef and turning out a Tiramisu that was silky and authentically
Italian was Maria Guadalupe Suarez Mendez (Lupita). We’ll be back for two more
rounds. In the mean time, live music is featured starting Thursdays through the
weekend.
Partners from Mexico City will introduce
another new star next month, Santiago & Macarena cocina contemporanea, in
the Essentia Hotel at
#63 Mesones.
Meanwhile, renovations are under way in the space in back of Plaza
Colonial (Canal #21) with an added rooftop, bringing a more casual, Mexican
restaurant (think exceptional Pozole) to Centro in the next month.
Cent'anni Ristorante got
a facelift (Canal 34) and Ruta de la Milpa’s (Canal #18) new chef, Chef Jorge Corcega,
brings his philosophy, which is totally focused on the products of the milpa
and the Mexican countryside, to SMA. Also, Los Milagros has moved up the hill
(Salida Real a Queretaro #91) to offer another gorgeous view of SMA.
Opening in Mercado
Sano (Ancha de San Antonio #123, San Antonio) is Boado del Cielo, featuring tastings
from Chef Vanessa Romero. We’ve known Chef Romero who has been cooking in
Mexico for over 25 years and has been on the food festival fast track for the
past 5 years.
Also at Mercado Sano, one of our favorite chefs, Gabriel
Ordonez, is doing a pop up on Saturday; making burgers of Short Rib,
Chuck and Top Sirloin. The burger is served on a fresh potato roll baked by
Mesa Grande, is piled high with caramelized onions and smothered in his own secret
sauce. Go try it; he’s there every weekend. As the juices ran down my chin, I’m
reminded that this is how a great buger needs to taste. The meat, purchased from
KOE across from Los Frailes, is the carnicería that
many food lovers in SMA are raving about. We’ve heard that the steaks are the
best in town; a New York Strip so tender you can cut it with a fork, priced at
$105 pesos. Koe Sma Boutique de carnes is at Relámpago 1, La Lejona, 37765 San Miguel de
Allende, Gto. Hours Daily 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Phone: 415 138 0236
Phone: 415 138 0236
Also, a congratulations to Chef Great Ortega Casanas on the TEN year anniversary of MiVida restaurant today. This is a huge accomplishment which we will be celebrating tonight.
Now, we’ll dish up 30 more reasons to
love San Miguel de Allende right now. Add them to your growing list because,
come September, we’ll turn around and feed you 30 more.
Buen Provecho!
David Jahnke Cooking Class Lab
Chef David Jahnke has the #1 cooking
school in SMA and now he’s landed on the top again; he’s listed among the best
cooking classes in Mexico.
He’s shown us the Tuesday Market,
even though we’ve been there a hundred times, sharpened our knife skills,
tossed us into the thick of making moles and taught us that we can prepare fish
to absolute perfection in a pan we never, ever visualized cooking in.
Congrats to the Maestro, who first
appeared in our guide to SMA cooking schools back in April, 2017. His teaching
style sets him apart; he’s one of the best instructors we’ve run across in the
50 years we’ve been cooking.
Contact him for a class schedule at david.jahnke@gmail.com. Sign
up early as many of the modules sell out.
La Dona
I’ve never
met a problem a dessert couldn’t fix so we did
a dessert tasting; picking all four on the dessert menu at La Dona – the Chocolate:
Esfera de Chocolate de Metate; Corn: Pan de Elote; Rice: Arroz con Leche de La
Dona and Sugar: Bunuelos. Chef Juan Arroyo Pineda's team, neXtia
alumni Chef Juan Manuel Galvan Lopez and Pastry Chef, Vichenza Salinas, offer a
delicious selection of desserts made from high-quality ingredients, resulting
in multiple textures and visuals; some way too beautiful to eat. In fact, we
can never decide which our favorite is; we love them all.
What else did we savor at La Dona
besides a round of desserts? Arrachera, perfectly cooked in a wood fired oven, a
baby corn appetizer with Huitlacoche, and another taste of their remarkable, signature
dish, roasted cauliflower with dehydrated tomato.
Make a reservation and go before the
rest of SMA finds out that La Dona is one of the best, new restaurants in SMA. We
know it; soon, you will too.
La Dona
San Francisco #32, San Miguel de
Allende
Hours: Monday – Wednesday:
12:00 Noon - 10:00 PM
Thursday – Sunday: 12:00 Noon -
11:30 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Chef: Juan Arroyo Pineda
Lucky Tuk Tours SMA
Since many of the expats in SMA are without a
car by choice, we thought that Tuk-tuks would be a perfect mode of transportation here,
especially after a month long trip to Guatemala, where we took them every day.
Tuk-tuks will soon be transporting locals and visitors
to cultural and culinary landmarks around the city. You can design your own
tours and book a Tuk-tuk for the entire day. We got a preview ride and it was
so much fun, Tuk-tuks will be our preferred method of transportation in SMA.
One of our favorite performers, Johnny
Favorite, is behind the project and we can’t wait for his new fleet of Tuk-tuks
to hit the streets. More information will surface as this project rolls in to
SMA this September.
Visit www.luckytuk.com
Raspados (pictured above)
Juan’s new street cart in the Jardin serves up Mexican shaved-ice slushies called
Raspados; a fruity ice drink that’s often hit with a sweet, salty, savory and spicy
condiment with gummies as a garnish.
You can beat the summer heat and buy the small one, which I mistook for a
large, for just $25 pesos or get one in a SMA commemorative cup for $95 pesos.
The cart is located just across the street from Bella Italia restaurant at Portal
de Guadalupe 12.
Cafe Casa Blanca 7 and Fatima 7
As you
enter the beautiful Hotel Casa Blanca 7, you get the best of two worlds – Café
Casa Blanca 7 downstairs and Fatima 7 on the rooftop.
Just last month, we listed 18
sandwiches that convinced us the best meal of the day can be found between two
slices of bread. Now we’ve discovered #19, thanks to a little help from Chef
Donnie Masterton. We can’t get enough of the smoky Pastrami, tasting
it for the first time on a burger that ran as a special at Birdie’s. Chef J.J. Castenada brines the
pastrami for a week, enhances it with an herbal rub for another five days, cooks
it on a smoker then puts the meat in a sous vide until it’s textbook perfect. The sauerkraut is also delicious and homemade. Selective
breads are now baked in-house at The Restaurant, like this rye bread that gives
the sandwich a magnificent and much needed crunch.
Any meal at Café Casa Blanca 7 must be finished with
this Budino of chocolate with hazelnut praline. The best dessert in SMA? It’s
got our vote.
Happy Hour Friday starts at 4:00 PM; enjoy two for
one with special prices on beers, wines, spirits, Mezcalitas and Margaritas. The
Margaritas are made with Don Julio Reposado, one of our favorite
tequilas. It was so smooth, we had to order a second.
At Fatima, you’ll want to try everything on the menu so the only
thing in doubt here is if the table is going to be big enough for all of the
food you order. The
menu is a mix of small plates, flatbreads, tagines, grilled meats and fish,
Moroccan style vegetables and delicious breads and spreads.
What’s your motivation, besides the great food, for making a
reservation right now? Early-birds get the best views, with so many temples in
your initial sighting. SMA’s
would-be historian, Jose Yanez, pointed out all TEN: Templo de Nuestra Senora
de la Salud; Templo del Oratorio de San Felipe Neri; San Columbano; Nuestra
Señora de Loreto; Iglesia de San Francisco; Tercera Orden; Parroquia de San
Miguel Arcangel; Church of the Immaculate Conception of Las Monjas; La Santa
Escuela de Cristo (San Raphael) and La Ermita.
Café Casa Blanca 7 (downstairs) Fatima Rooftop (upstairs)
Juares #8
Café Casa Blanca 7 Hours: Breakfast: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM/Comida: 11:00 AM –
10:00 PM
Fatima
Hours: Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday: 7:00 PM -10:00 PM. Thursday, Friday and
Saturday: 7:00 PM - 11:30 PM.
Closed:
Monday
Chefs: Donnie Masterton and J.J. Castaneda
Chefs: Donnie Masterton and J.J. Castaneda
Cervecería Dos Aves
It’s amazing that we have one of the best microbreweries
in Mexico right up the hill and I had never been there until today. Take advantage of the proximity and visit
the tap room, now open every Friday from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. You’ll love their
flight; ours was six beers: Pale Ale, IPA, Rye, Triple Belgian, Saison and
Stout. The Triple Belgian was the one that may make a beer drinker out of me; having more noticeable malt sweetness.
Also, once a month on a Saturday, they bring in a
restaurant around town to do food and beer pairings. The next one is August 10th
when Dos Aves pairs up with Taco Lab (Relox 18 at Doce 18), starting at 1:00
PM.
Mark Taylor and Francisco Kameko have
established Dos Aves as one of the premier craft beers in the world; taking it
International when they won a gold medal for their Stout Imperial at the 2018 International Beer
Cup in Yokohama Japan. In fact, they’ve won so many awards since they started in
2012, we quit counting.
Ceveceria
Dos Aves
Relampago 4 La Lejona, Second Section, 37765
Tap Room Hours: Friday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Food Tours
When I first came
to SMA back in June, 2013, the food scene was owned by a few chefs and a
handful of restaurants. 2016 changed all that with new restaurants opening
almost every week. Every day, someone is discovering what we already know: San
Miguel is one incredible place to eat!
SMA has many great
food tours, but for those of us that like to find things on our own, the thrill
of the hunt is often half the fun.
If you’re craving an
authentic, SMA food experience, we’ll make it easy for you. We’re posting a
self-guided food tour next month that highlights all of the best food to eat in
SMA. What you find on your own is the other half of the magic.
Art Leap Adventures
Happy Art owner, Marti McGinnis, conducts ongoing paper mache classes
with Meagan Burns through Art Leap Adventures. Here, Sarah Martin shows off the
spirit mask she created in Marti’s “Spirit Mask Paper Mache” workshop. Marti’s
classes are some of the most popular in SMA so sign up early as they frequently
sell out.
Go
to https://www.artleapadventures.com/papermachelevel1.html for a list of all
the classes that Meagan Burns offers through Art Leap Adventures.
Also connect with Marti on her website http://www.happyart.com/. You’ll see our
favorite project; the Less is More Comic Project, documenting her commitment to consuming less in 2019.
Café Sombra
We loved
this cozy, new coffee bar in Colonia Guadalupe where meeting your neighbor is
easy; there are only 7 stools and most of them are occupied by devoted regulars.
Café
Sombra serves some of the best coffee in the city, along with a carrot cake
that’s made by the owners’ mother. Order Patricio’s signature drink, a Pinguica,
made with Tonic water, Pinguica and Expresso. We’re told it cures everything,
including too much tequila the night before.
Café
Sombra
Esquina
con, Calzada de la Aurora, Mario Talavera 8, Guadalupe
9:00
AM – 5:00 PM – Closed Wednesdays
Mariachi
Music
Mariachi music is the soundtrack of the rich
life here in Mexico so we couldn’t resist catching some of SMA's best musicians
offering their rendition of the songs we’ve been in love with for over 50
years.
Besides, we can think of at least a million and
one reasons to give you a midnight serenade.
La Unica
On the advice of Chef Lucy Noriega,
we went to La Unica to taste the
Chamorro. It was superb; a split for
two+ that’s mixed with an Adobo chili mole sauce. This is the best main courses
we’ve eaten at La Unica so it has got us wondering about all the other meat cut
options on the menu, like Rib Eye and Arrachera. We also fell in love with the
lava cheesecake; not your standard cheesecake by any means.
Make a reservation for the rooftop.
The view from our favorite table, #5, is the most spectacular. It puts you on
the “other side” of the Parroquia and it’s exquisite. Go at 5:00 PM to avoid
the crowds.
La
Unica
Sollano
#14
Sunday - Wednesday: 1 PM - 11 PM
Thursday - Saturday: 1 PM - 2 AM
Sunday - Wednesday: 1 PM - 11 PM
Thursday - Saturday: 1 PM - 2 AM
Lamb and Mezcal Festival
This past year, the 9th
Annual Lamb and Mezcal festival was the best year for food; every chef pushed
it over the top. It was exciting to have new chefs in the competition. Participants
included Chef Armando Pratz; Birdie’s Burgers; Mio Bistrock; Mama Mia; Los Milagros; La Única; Mama Mia Campestre; Mezcal-Art; Live
Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende; San Miguel Gourmet and Tupinamba. Congrats
to Lorelai Cordova of Mio Bistrock food truck, who took home the FIRST prize, preparing a delicious dish of Lamb
Kafta with a Greek Salad that was served with three sauces: Greek Tsatziki,
Harissa and Morita with Mezcal.
Birdie’s Burgers offered a Lamb burger with a Mezcal and
Tamarind sauce. We thought the flavors were superb. Lucky for us, it was
featured at Birdie’s in Doce 18 as a special the following week.
In all
the years we’ve known Chef Armando Pratz, we don’t think he’s used the same
grill or recipe twice. This year, he made an amazing Lamb Seekh Kabab with
roasted green, white and red cabbage and a magical mix of peppercorn, allspice,
anis, cinnamon and other spices. A sauce of hierba santa was added when the
lamb was cooked in the sous vide. We loved the variety of textures in this
dish.
Mama Mia Campestre scored points when Chef Cecy introduced their
entry; Lamb with camote amarillo y gremolata. A trip to their organic garden
and restaurant in Atotonilco is on our calendar for this
Thursday. Adal,
one of our favorite bartenders in SMA, was also part of the Mama Mia staff.
La Única, Mezcal-Art and the other restaurants did an amazing job creating dishes that were both original and flavorful. Los Milagros took second place with a traditional barbecue taco cooked with guajillo, onion and garlic and Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende was third with a Lamb BBQ bun with reduction sauce; much like the Bao buns, now in many of the restaurants around SMA.
One of
the highlights of the festival was a round table discussion featuring four Mezcal
experts including one of our favorite personalities and the Queen of Mezcal,
Lala Noguera. We were delighted to see Chef Lucy Noriega, Karla Fernandez from
Living and Travel and Chef Marcela Bolano of Marsala, cocina con acentos at the
festival. SMA’s Martin Lopez, of Mezcal Buen Vieje, was one of the experts on
the panel. We know the discussion will continue as the Mezcal culture is experiencing
rapid growth in both Mexico and around the world.
Hats off to organizer, Billy Mervin, for preserving the
festival’s status as one of the best food festivals in SMA; it’s also the
longest running.
We think the best thing about food festivals is that they
introduce you to so many new chefs and restaurants. Most everyone we know ate
more than the required six entrées to
vote. The Mezcal? Well, the festival was on a Saturday and you know what we do
on our day off! See you next year.
Globo San Miguel
To commemorate our 50 years
in Mexico, we took a hot air balloon ride over the Pyramid of the Sun. In fact,
we can’t think of a better way to celebrate a town than to get a birds-eye view
of the magnificent landscape that made you fall in love with the city in the
first place.
Globo San Miguel Tours
San Antonio 14, San Antonio, 37750
Daily flights over San Miguel de
Allende and the surrounding countryside
Phone: 415 114 2174
Email:
reserva@globosanmiguel.com
Casa Parque
Casa
Parque is a place that we recommend to out- of -town visitors looking for that
authentic taste of Mexico. Owned by Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada, the setting is
such that you feel like you’re eating outdoors. We love its casual atmosphere
almost as much as the food, created and prepared by Chef Mariel Beiza and
Pastry Chef Ruben Yanez Hernandez, who also teaches cooking classes at Belmond
Casa Sierra Nevada’s Sazon Cooking School. The chefs introduce new recipes
often and the flavors always surprise us, like the Amuse-bouche, an Esquites (corn)
with mayonnaise, lime, and seasonings; Chicken broth with squash blossom,
Poblano chile, Panela cheese and fresh corn; a local tomato salad with grilled
panela cheese, cactus leaf and guajillo vinaigrette; Soft shell crab taco with
purple cabbage, pico de gallo and chipotle sauce; Banana crust empanada stuffed
with chocolate ganache, vanilla cream and local chocolate ice cream and Bunuelos
“de viento” covered with sugar, cinnamon on peppermint sauce with ice cream.
Belmond Casa de
Sierra Nevada Casa Parque
Santa Elena #2, Centro San Miguel de Allende
Daily 7:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Chef: Mariel Beiza
Pastry Chef: Ruben Yanez Hernandez
Santa Elena #2, Centro San Miguel de Allende
Daily 7:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Chef: Mariel Beiza
Pastry Chef: Ruben Yanez Hernandez
Atrio
Our
list of great food goes on and on and the only thing better than the Boa Bun is
two of them, not to mention the Rib Rice and Red Snapper.
Atrio’s
one restaurant where we’ve eaten the entire menu and turned around and did it all
over again. Now, there are many new things to try, including all of the Spring,
2019 specials. That’s one thing we love about this restaurant – they change the
menu often.
With
Chef Arturo Sandoval in the kitchen, Atrio captures a top spot among the best
restaurants in SMA.
Snag a reservation for this rooftop because those
in-your-face views of the Parroquia will render you speechless. It’s
unquestionably the best view of SMA’s most iconic church.
Atrio
Cuna de Allende #3
Daily 1:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Chef: Arturo
Sandoval
Mercado Rural
Because nothing is better than
having breakfast the first Sunday of every month with this pint-sized entrepreneur
and my two, want-to-be grandmothers.
This small but intimate mercado is a
real Mexican market experience. Don’t try to bargain; you’re getting incredible
prices to begin with.
Mercado Rural
In front of Via Organica
Calle Margarito Ledesma # 2 | Col. Guadalupe, San Miguel de
Allende 37710
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
We Love A Parade…
If there’s one thing SMA knows how
to do, it’s to throw a parade, complete with elaborate costumes, bands and
plenty of dancing. We love the mini- parades and practices held in the neighborhoods
that lead up to the big day in June, Dia de los Locos, where this year, 15,000
people were in the procession and another 100,000+ were watching.
Our favorite time for annual
celebrations are: The Processions during Semana Santa (Easter); El Senor de la
Conquista (the first Friday in March); Las Fiestas Patrias (September 16th
– Mexico’s Independence Day); Dia de los Muertos (November 1st – November 2nd) and Las Posadas –
celebrated the nine days before Navidad (Christmas). There are many festivities
surrounding these holidays. Above, Rogelio Bautista, the captain of the
Voladores de Papantla, marches in the parade on Mexico’s Independence Day,
September 16th. The ritual of the Voladores is a astonishing
dance; the participants climb a 30-meter pole. Tied to rope, they launch
themselves to descend to the ground. It’s one of our favorite holiday rituals.
If you want to throw a street parade like we did last November, call Maeirza Gonzalez Celaya at the Mojiganga
office at San Francisco #62 and they will plan everything for you: the city
permit, the tequila donkey, waiters, mariachis, and you can even have a
Mojiganga made to look exactly like someone you love. Call 415 152
4566/cell 415 117 1863 or email hermesa012@yahoo.com.mx
Birdie's Burgers and Taco Lab
We hit up Birdie’s
Burgers for a quick lunch and the special of the week was a burger with smoked
pastrami and sauerkraut. The smoky, thick cut pastrami made this burger one our
favorites and the best special that Birdie’s has done this year. On a scale of
one to ten, we can’t give you a number because this one was off the charts. If
you love homemade pastrami like I do, you’ll not be forgetting this burger any
time soon.
And while we were
there, we had to make sure that Birdie’s legendary hamburger, made of Canada de
la Virgen beef and colossal chicken sandwich, along with Taco Lab’s Crispy Taco
Trio and Marina Girl Salad didn’t feel neglected. We want to write home about
these four favorites as well.
There’s nothing we
loved more than having an excuse to eat French fries in the morning. You can
now go for a two-for-one breakfast on Friday using your VIP card. Besides,
where else can you fill up for $50 pesos?
Birdie’s Burgers and
Taco Lab changed the culinary landscape in SMA with their arrival back in 2016.
In the land of upscale fast food, these are two of the best.
Birdies Burgers/
Taco Lab
Doce 18 Concept House at Relox 18
Daily: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Chef: Donnie Masterton
Doce 18 Concept House at Relox 18
Daily: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Chef: Donnie Masterton
Panio
Just
when we thought there was nothing more heavenly than this would-be-croissant,
the Cruffin de Limon, we discovered a new favorite: a Kouign- amann. This Breton
cake was described by the New York Times
as the fattiest pastry in all of Europe; all the more reason to order it. And you
haven’t lived large until you’ve devoured a Kouign-amann piled high with
homemade, vanilla ice cream.
We’ll be posting a
list of the best pastries in SMA this fall; these are two of our favorites.
Panio Atelier du
Pain
Salida a Celaya 69
Doce 18 at Relox 18
Daily: 8 AM - 10 PM
Salida a Celaya 69
Doce 18 at Relox 18
Daily: 8 AM - 10 PM
Nicasio comedor mexicano
Chef Pablo Nicacio has always owned it when it comes
to authentic Mexican cooking. Both the Hot Cakes and the French toast are like
eating your favorite dessert for breakfast, only better. The Hot Cakes come with
generous slices of the most flavorful pancetta. It’s so
good in fact, we’re usually back the very next day to do it all over again.
We’ve had so many fabulous, Mexican dishes at Nicasio, you’ll
not be disappointed in anything you order.
Nicasio comedor mexicano
Hidalgo 28
Sunday 9AM–5PM
Monday - Saturday 9AM–7:30PM except Tuesday closed
Hidalgo 28
Sunday 9AM–5PM
Monday - Saturday 9AM–7:30PM except Tuesday closed
Chefs:
Pablo Nicacio and Hugo Tepichin
You’ve taken so many people to Luna
Rooftop, don’t you think there should at least be a chair with your name on it?
Try the Parroquia seats, and savor the 360 view of Centro. We guarantee that you’ll never want to go home.
Make reservations as there is
frequently a wait now, especially on the weekends.
Luna Rooftop Tapas Bar at The
Rosewood Hotel
Nemesio Diez #11, Centro, San
Miguel de Allende 37700
Monday – Saturday: 2:00
PM – 11:00 PM
Photo: Ki'bok
Ki'bok Movie
Night
Every Wednesday night at 7:30 PM, Ki’bok coffee
offers a movie night,
that comes with a glass of red or white wine, popcorn
and chips for a token $100 pesos. They announce the movie the Monday or Tuesday
before on their social media pages. https://www.facebook.com/Kiboksma/
This past week,The Last of the
Mohicans, a 1992 American epic historical film set in 1757 during the
French and Indian War was shown. In the series, they have also shown Molly’s Game and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Ki'bok
Diez de Sollano y Dávalos #25
Daily 8 AM - 6 PM
Diez de Sollano y Dávalos #25
Daily 8 AM - 6 PM
Mama Mia
Adal Garcia, the
head bartender at Mama Mia in San Miguel de Allende, will tell you that Mama
Mia makes the best Margaritas in town. We know it’s the strongest and the
hundreds of visitors who walk through the door every day will agree.
Don't forget to
bring your posse, although with Adal, you never need an excuse, a holiday or a
companion to have that perfect SMA fiesta.
Mama Mia
Umaran #8
Daily: 8:00 AM – 12:00 Midnight except Friday – Sunday closes at 3:00 AM
Umaran #8
Daily: 8:00 AM – 12:00 Midnight except Friday – Sunday closes at 3:00 AM
La Sacristia Café and Café Zenteno at Bellas Artes
This
café is in a small, garden setting, with most of its seating outside. Despite a
limited breakfast menu, there are plenty of good juice blends and smoothies to
keep you healthy. Our morning spread included a delicious green juice blend with
pepino, spinach, pineapple, parsley, ginger, coconut water and orange for $45
pesos and Huevos a la Flamenca; their signature breakfast casserole with eggs, chorizo
and ham for $120 pesos. For anyone who likes a more lightly spiced tomato
sauce, this is your dish.
With 4
locations, including a spot inside Bellas Artes, where they make the most
divine smoothie called a Armonia, Zenteno’s take
a nod for some of the best breakfast smoothies in town…not to mention the
coffee.
Canal
#36 Corner Zacateros
Hours:
Sunday – Tuesday and Thursday – Friday 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday:
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday:
8:30 AM – 7:30 PM
Café Zenteno at Bellas Artes
Hernández Macías Street # 75
Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Fat Boys
So, who took this burger off the backyard BBQ? Seriously good
USA meat; grilled and smoked, then served on a fresh bun with a pile of ultra-thin
French fries.
Manager, Ulises, is doing the cooking until they find a new
chef. We say don’t bother because Ulises cooked this one to perfection.
Make your own party; bikers and tango dancers take center
stage.
Fat Boys
Calle Cinco de Mayo #5, San Miguel de Allende
Hours: Thursday 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Friday – Saturday 1:00 PM – 2:00 AM
Sunday 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Galeria
Puerta Abierta
Can
you think of places in SMA where you can buy a small gift? We don’t know of
many. Here at Galeria Puerta Abierta,
you’ll always find well-priced, unusual items that you don’t see at other stores in
SMA. We love the many painting techniques used by the owner, Juan Luis Flores. There
are works by various Mexican artists including one-of-a-kind designs by the mother
and daughter team of Rochelle Rodea and
Maylen Pirsch.
Inside La Sacristia Café
Zacateros
and Canal
Owner:
Juan Luis Flores
Opens: 11:00 AM
Lima502
After staying in Lima, Peru for a
month and falling for those Peruvian-Japanese fusions, who knew there would be
a restaurant in our own back yard that would offer a parallel fix.
We tried a fried rice dish, Arroz
Chaufa, that combines chicken, steak, egg and vegetables with soy sauce, sesame
oil, ostion and other flavors fast fired in a wok.
Many of the dishes, including the
ceviches, Linguini, Nikkei and other favorites, are between $100 - $220 pesos. Wash
them down with another Peruvian choice - a potent, slightly
mind-altering, Pisco Sour.
Lima 502
Mercado Del Carmen
Pila Seca #19
Delivery: 415 566 4782
Monday - Thursday 1:00
PM - 9:00 PM
Friday - Saturday 1:00
PM - 11:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 Noon -
7:00 PM
$150 peso Lunch
Special with drink of the day
12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Monday - Friday
Street Art Mural Walks
If you thought that SMA was perfect just wait; these murals make the city even more attractive and
colorful. The street art, painted by local, national and
international artists, runs the gamut and are
all part of a project, Muros en Blanco, started by local, mixed media artist, Colleen
Sorenson.
Every Monday, Thursday and Friday morning, Colleen conducts a
walk to highlight the history of all the frescos in the Guadalupe neighborhood.
Meet on the street in front of Via Organica at Calle Margarito Ledesma 2, Colonia Guadalupe. No
advanced reservations are required; you just show up. The tour is from 10:00
AM-12:30 PM. The cost is $300 pesos. The money goes to fund the Muros en Blanco
project.
If the photos from our last post weren’t convincing enough, try these on from Chef Kenten
Marin’s Fourth of July feast, complete with slow-smoked ribs, grilled chicken
thighs with white sauce, potato salad, Texas toast, cole slaw and fruit
cobbler. I’ve always looked forward to meaty,
smoked ribs on the Fourth of July but it was the chicken with white BBQ sauce that
won me over this year. It’s my favorite dish in
2019 so far.
There’s some pretty remarkable
French toast and a selection of fruit for breakfast. You’re also on with some of the best coffee in town; it’s the
only place with a La Marzocco machine that serves Buna coffee.
Don’t forget to stop by Bar
Margaret, where bartender, Gabriel Avila, builds his magical, liquid remedies. We
can’t think of any better way to end our week.
Hotel Amparo Bar and Restaurant
Margaret
Mesones #3
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 5:00 PM
to 9:30 PM
Breakfast and coffee: Daily starting
at 7:30 AM
Sunday Comida and Chicken Dinner:
starting at 1:00 PM
Chef: Kenten Marin
Vinedos
San Lucas
Paradise found! We were here just
four years ago for the grape harvest and it’s amazing how much Vinedos San
Lucas has grown up, including the lush grape vines that pepper this stunning
property. With magnificent restaurants and invincible, natural beauty, this is
the place to fall in love with SMA all over again.
Mark your calendar for Vinedos San
Lucas’s Beer Festival on October 12th and the annual grape harvest -
the Fiesta de la Vendimia - on October 19th.
Vinedos
San Lucas
Km 26 Carr. Querétaro -San Miguel de Allende, Pie de Gallo,
Gto.
Remember to look for the rest of the list - thirty more - in September.
All photographs ©Susan Knight
York unless noted.