It all sounds so foolish now because we we’re use to getting what we want when we wanted it. Little prepared us to accept the fact that things change, as they always do, and somehow we adjust.
It’s important to check a restaurant’s social media pages now for updates, changes or cut backs they’re required to make, either by choice or necessity. LIKE their posts often because they need those virtual boosts from us right now.
Dining is currently defined
as ordering take out for delivery. Determining
just how to launch a food delivery service in a restaurant that hasn’t done
delivery before is not an easy task but SMA restaurants responded and most of
them had delivery service up and running at lightning speed. Good thing for me
because after just a few weeks, I’m also sick of my own cooking.
This goes
hand-in-hand with the restaurants main concern of helping their employees, many
who have families to feed and previously held down multiple jobs to do so. The
website tipjarsma.com is where
people can go to make donations to help their favorite wait staff get through
these difficult times. Be generous - we’re eating while they’re wondering where
their next meal is coming from.
Restaurant
owners have always been resilient; even now, when they can't see the finish
line. When was the last time you ordered out? Now is the time. You have over 60
locations to choose from and if you try them all, you wouldn’t have to eat at
the same place for at least two months.
Buen
Provecho!
Comfort food is one of the best ways to get through this pandemic, so order from your favorite restaurants often. This cheat sheet tells you which restaurants have delivery service and which ones are closed for now.
The
fastest way to reach a restaurant is to go to their FACEBOOK page and talk with
them directly by pressing the message button. They also have their latest delivery menus posted there.
SMA RESTAURANTS AND GROCERY – Status and Delivery Options
Antonia Bistro -
Closed Temporarily
Antigua Trattoria
Romano - Delivery
Aperi - Closed
Temporarily - Delivery service starting in May
Atrio - Closed
Temporarily
Bacco – Delivery
Bhaji Curry House –
Delivery
Bar Margaret - Closed
Temporarily
Bella Italia – Uber
Eats Delivery
Birdies Burgers – Uber
Eats Delivery
Berlin - Delivery
Bonanza Grocery-
Delivery
Bovine - Closed
Temporarily
Buenos Aires Bistro -
Delivery
Bui - Open to Otomi
residents- Delivery
Cafe Casa Blanca 7 -
Closed Temporarily- See The Restaurant listing
Cal’eh – Delivery
Café Monet - Delivery
Cafe Muro – Closed
Temporarily
Café Verintort –
Delivery
Canada de la Virgen -
Delivery
Casa Nostra - Closed Temporarily
Casa Secretos-
Delivery
Chef David Jahnke –
Offering online cooking classes soon
Chef Gabriel Ordonez –
Delivery
Chikatana - Closed
Temporarily Delivery service starting April 24th
Chiquita’s Food
Delivery – Delivery
Chocolates Johfrej -
Delivery area. Call
Cumpanio - Closed
Temporarily. Delivery service starting in May
Curry A Domicilio -
Delivery
DeliQ – Delivery
Denise
Rosenfeld@Postres Artesanales- Delivery
Denver’s Los Olivos -
Delivery
Dilas - Delivery
Don Lupe Grill -
Delivery
El Mantanial –
Delivery
El Pato –Piick up
El Pegaso - Closed
Temporarily
El Vergel – Delivery
Enamota – te – Uber
Eats Delivery
Fat Boys - Closed
Fatima 7 -Closed
Temporarily. See listing for The Restaurant
Firenze – Closed
through April 29
Greece on Wheels -
Delivery
Grille Torres- Closed
Hand to Hand Fresh
Market – Delivery
Hecho en Mexico –
Closed for the month of April
Inside Cafe - Delivery
KFC - Kenten’s Fried
Chicken - Delivery
La Azotea - Closed
Temporarily
La Choperia – Uber
Eats Delivery
La Cucina do Afrodita
- Delivery
La Comer Grocery Store
- Delivery
La Dona - Closed
Temporarily
La Frontera - Delivery
La Lonja Carnicería -
Delivery
La Mezcaleria – Open.
Delivery
La Pezcadeldia Fish
Market - Delivery
La Prada - Closed
Temporarily
La Sabina - Delivery
La Unica - Closed
Temporarily
Lavanda - Closed
Temporarily
Lima502- Delivery
Live Aqua - All
restaurants closed temporarily
Lolita Cocina Mexicana
-Delivery
Luna de Queso -
Delivery
Mama Mia Express -
Delivery
Marsala – Delivery
starts this Thursday
Mercado Sano –
Delivery
Merken Campestre -
Delivery
MiBistro 300 – Open.
Delivery
MiVida - Closed
Temporarily
Mío Bistrock -
Delivery
Mon Bistro - Delivery
Moxi - Closed
Temporarily
Nectar - Delivery
Nomada - Delivery
Ocre - Closed
Temporarily - Delivery service soon from Chef Xavier
Ojo de Agua – Uber
Eats Delivery
Ole Ole - Delivery
Orquidea Thai -
Delivery
Panaderia la Buena Vida
– Delivery
Panio - Delivery
Petit Four - Order 48
hours in advance
Polp - Closed
Temporarily
Querencia - Delivery
Quince - Closed
Temporarily
Rosewood - Closed
Temporarily
Ruby Joy - Delivery
Rustica - Delivery
starting 4/15
Soriana Grocery –
Delivery
Soul Kitchen Delivers
- Delivery
Starbucks – Delivery
The Restaurant –
Delivery, Produce Baskets and Holiday Meals
The Soup Lady -
Delivery
Tacos Don Felix -
Closed Temporarily
Taco Lab – Uber Eats
Delivery
Tostévere - Delivery
Trazo 1810 - Closed
Temporarily
Turk - Delivery
Zenteno – Coffee
Delivery
Zumo - Closed
Temporarily
How
we survived the week? Delivery from some of our favorite restaurants…
We’re mixing it up;
cooking and trying out delivery from different restaurants. Here are some of
the restaurants that got us through this past week:
I like getting my bag of fresh vegetables every Friday from Chef Donnie
Masterton at The Restaurant. I especially love
the surprise of what's in the bag every week; always a little different and
freshly picked. The Restaurant is offering this service in order to support its
workers and the local farms. I have a standing order every Friday. It's a great
way to start out planning your menu for the week when you find out what's in the bag.
Call 415.154.7877 to
order.
I
haven’t had a single sweet in my house since we started this quarantine so
Denise Rosenfeld at Postres Artesanales surprised me last week with a bag of
her sea salt and peanut butter cookies and brownies. I can do without a lot of
things right now but peanut butter cookies aren’t one of them. I’m not exactly
sure what Denise does to make them taste so good; I’m thinking less flour and
more peanut butter. Whatever the formula, they’re the best peanut butter
cookies I’ve ever eaten and with so much peanut butter in them, it’s the
perfect excuse to eat them for breakfast.
To
order, call Denise at 415-113-9679.
Fried
chicken deserves a bit of culinary reverence because people who agree on almost
nothing agree that fried chicken is pretty fabulous.
When I
first came to SMA almost eight years ago, the only really good fried chicken
was the one you made at home. But last year, Chef Kenten Marin of Bar Margaret,
changed all that when he started serving a fried chicken dinner every Sunday
until the restaurant closed last month due to COVID-19. Being a great Southern
cook, fried chicken is his specialty.
At
Chef Marin’s new business, Kenten’s Fried Chicken (KFC) you place an order 24
hours in advance; time for brining and marinating. I got my delivery last
Thursday; the first order out of the fryer. I savored every delightful flavor and
got my fix of fried chicken for the week. Many people ordered from KFC last week and we heard nothing but raves about Chef Marin's chicken.
Each meal
consists of: 2 pieces of free range chicken - choice of white or dark meat, coleslaw,
mashed potatoes and fresh baked bread. He's working on changing up the sides
shortly, which would include his famous Mac and Cheese.
KFC is
available for delivery 7 days a week, from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The cost is
$350 pesos + a $50 peso delivery charge. Tip generously. I got 2 meals from my order.
To
place an order: Private message him on Facebook; email him at Kenten.marin@gmail.com; or send a WhatsApp
message to +52(415)1517505. He will reply with a confirmation once he gets your
message.
Ruby Joy is the only delivery restaurant in SMA making any
of their dishes Gluten-Free, Vegan, or Vegetarian. They have their own
delivery service; usually Ruby’s partner, Derek Gerardo Ruiz. I’ve used them three
times and the service has been on time and the food is always hot.
Everything I’ve ordered from Ruby Joy has been really good.
We especially loved the chopped salad; something to order when you feel like
your body needs more vegetables. I’m getting my share of vegetables; make it a
priority right now.
Contact Ruby Joy to order at 415-690-7829, Monday – Friday,
from 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM or order online at http://www.rubyjoys.com.mx/
It’s one of the
easiest systems to order online.
Bridie’s Burgers: our Last Supper and Rustica:
one of the last restaurants to close is opening for delivery this week…
From
chefs feeding us to the bitter end to refusing to eat another can of tuna after
eating it twice last week, this is a test of our ability to survive.
Despite
the empty streets and many restaurants shuttering, SMA is a constant reminder
of how lucky we are to be sheltering in this magical place we call home. Don’t
forget to savor that, too!
So,
you’ve stocked up on food but how about recipes? Good news - some of the
cooking instructors will switch to online classes soon in order to keep us from
getting bored with our own cooking. One of them, Chef David Jahnke, is getting
ready to launch his online classes soon.
My recipe
contributions this week are all easy and good:
-
A mini pizza recipe – because you have no one to split a pizza
with.
-
A vegetable antipasto - because you have vegetables to use up
before your next basket arrives from The Restaurant on Friday.
-
No knead bread - because we guarantee this is the best bread
you’ll ever make.
-
Crepes; as easy as making pancakes and a celebration of what’s
sometimes, simple French cooking.
-
Marinara sauce – because 24 heads are better than one.
I first saw this recipe in the Tulsa Tribune years ago. It’s been
one of my standby recipes. If you’re living in Mexico right now, you’re certain
to have all the ingredients in your kitchen.
The trick is to crisp the tortilla BEFORE you place the
ingredients on top and put it under the broiler.
12” Flour Tortillas
Shredded Mexican cheese – Cheddar and/or Jack Cheese
Salsa Verde
Salt
Place tortilla in a fry pan – preferably cast iron - over medium heat and crisp on both sides.
Place tortilla in a fry pan – preferably cast iron - over medium heat and crisp on both sides.
Place the tortilla
on a cookie sheet and top with cheese.
Place under the
broiler and cook until the cheese melts and it is a little brown around the
edges.
You can also put other toppings on these little Pizzas but I like it just with cheese. Serve with salsa verde and a dash of salt.
You can also put other toppings on these little Pizzas but I like it just with cheese. Serve with salsa verde and a dash of salt.
Although there are many different vegetables you can use, these
are my favorites:
Put in a bowl:
8 Oz Sliced Mushrooms, Sliced
8 Oz Can Artichoke Hearts, Chopped
Small Jar Spanish Olives, Drained and Sliced
¼ cup Chopped Bell Pepper
½ cup Chopped Celery
8 Oz Sliced Mushrooms, Sliced
8 Oz Can Artichoke Hearts, Chopped
Small Jar Spanish Olives, Drained and Sliced
¼ cup Chopped Bell Pepper
½ cup Chopped Celery
Combine in a saucepan and boil:
1/3 Cup White Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/8 Cup Dry Onion
1 ¼ tsp Italian Spice
1/3 Cup White Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/8 Cup Dry Onion
1 ¼ tsp Italian Spice
add ½ teaspoon each of:
Salt
Garlic Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Pour the liquid over vegetables and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve with crusty bread rounds or crackers.
Salt
Garlic Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Pour the liquid over vegetables and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve with crusty bread rounds or crackers.
It
looks complicated but it isn’t. This crusty surface is something I have never
been able to achieve until I made this recipe. The trick is a cast iron covered
pot.
I’ve
looked at dozens of French and Sourdough bread recipes and even had a lesson or
two in my pastry classes but this one is the best. When you taste this bread you’ll
never buy a loaf of bread again and first time around, you’ll probably eat the
whole thing all by yourself. Go ahead; I did!
3 cups bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed
1 3/4 Cups water
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt.
Add water unless you dilute the yeast - then you can skip ¼ cup. Stir until blended. Dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 18 hours at warm room temperature.
Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot in the oven as it heats.
When dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from your oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Mine was perfect in 15.
Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.
3 cups bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed
1 3/4 Cups water
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt.
Add water unless you dilute the yeast - then you can skip ¼ cup. Stir until blended. Dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 18 hours at warm room temperature.
Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot in the oven as it heats.
When dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from your oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Mine was perfect in 15.
Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.
In the
blender:
1 cup milk (whole/organic)
1 cup water
4 eggs
Juice from half of a lime
1 cup milk (whole/organic)
1 cup water
4 eggs
Juice from half of a lime
Add:
2 cups flour (white - organic - Bob's Mill)
1/2 teaspoon salt (you can add a bit more if the butter is unsalted)
2 cups flour (white - organic - Bob's Mill)
1/2 teaspoon salt (you can add a bit more if the butter is unsalted)
Add :
1 Tablespoon melted butter (organic from Bove).
1 Tablespoon melted butter (organic from Bove).
Use
crepe size cast iron skillet (no Teflon)
Melt
about a teaspoon of butter in the skillet until it is bubbly (not burned).
Add
1/8 - 1/4 cup of the batter while twisting the skillet so the batter covers the
bottom of the pan.
Turn
over after about 30 seconds. Only turn once. Leave the second side down and
slowly count to 20.
Spread
thinly with your favorite jam. Here, we used apricot.
The recipe
makes 20 and I felt like I could eat all 20 after not having a hot breakfast
for a week.
This
recipe started out in the test kitchens at Byerlys, a high-end grocery store in
Minneapolis, who was known for their chandeliers
in the frozen food section.
The original recipe was passed around between 24
people who love to cook and ultimately came up with this list of ingredients to
simmer all day on top of the stove. Add plenty of wine while cooking and serve
over spaghetti or Penne with grated Parmesan Romano. Every time, it turns out a little different, depending on the wine I use but it's always so good because the
flavor is amazing.
4 cups chopped Roma tomatoes
1 ½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup
lemon juice
½
medium size banana pepper
1 TBSP
Sugar
½ Tsp
Salt
1 Tsp
pepper
1 TBSP
Italian Seasoning
1 Tsp
Oregano
2 TBSP
crushed Garlic
1
chicken bouillon cube
1 TBSP
Olive Oil
1 – 6
ounce can tomato paste
2 cups
red wine
Note:
The key, for me, is to use nearly a bottle of good, red wine; adding it
throughout the cooking process.
What
time does happy hour start? These days, anytime you’d like it to. There are no
rules anymore so if you want a shot of tequila at noon, we say happy hour
starts at noon.
When it’s all over,
do you suppose we can get these guys to lead an online, city wide toast? I know
we’ll all be ready.
6 Oz Orange Juice
4 Oz Pineapple Juice
1 Oz Grapefruit Juice
Dash Grenadine
Blend and serve over
ice.
Guess who’s coming to dinner?
Getting tired of
eating alone? Organize an online dinner party through a new site, recently
created by SMA food lover, Carol Jackson and a few of her friends, called The
San Miguel Virtual Table.
Wouldn’t it be fun
to organize a dinner party and have surprise guests pop in for the feast?
With
so much bad news out there lately, we figured you needed a positive take on
things and a whole lot of pictures to drool over.
Call
them SMA moments; a love letter to all the chefs and restaurants who fed us in
2019. If your favorite restaurant isn’t listed here, that’s OK. This is a heartfelt
tribute to all of the chefs and restaurants in SMA.
The
next community cap was scheduled for Monday, April 6th at 6 PM but was postponed
until we work through the process to bring the full community of SMA on board. Although a number of expats did their part to make the first clap
happen, this round of applause cannot be executed or have true meaning without
our friends and neighbors in the Mexican community. A very
important voice in the Mexican community was excited about the project and it’s
now in the planning stages so our work is done.
When
it does happen, it will be a true celebration of all the doctors, nurses, healthcare
workers, grocery store workers, restaurant workers, truck drivers, sanitation
workers, personal shoppers and delivery people, airline workers, friends,
neighbors, colleagues, and whoever else deserves a round of applause for
keeping us safe through these tough times and the saying “we’re all in this
together” has true meaning. Stay tuned.
The View from the Top…
The New Accessory: Face Masks…
The
CDC recommends that all Americans wear face masks in public to help prevent the
spread of COVID-19.
Because the N95 face masks
are in short supply, Patrice Wynne of Abrazos and SMA Fashion Designer, Jose
Yanez stepped in to create face masks that are actually stylish. Originally, I
bought mine from Abrazos back in January, when I had topical, chemotherapy on
my face and wanted to cover it up so I had already been wearing it for awhile before the CDC recommendation came out.
In a matter of months, face masks have also become a form of self-expression. I now have a
wardrobe of six; each with a different design. One
complaint that I’ve heard people say about wearing face masks is that no one
can tell if you’re smiling. Just check out the eyes; it’s a dead giveaway.
For the Abrazos masks, reference the contact information above. Jose’s
are available at Calle
Alonso Esparza Oteo # 5. Col. Guadalupe, between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
Reading
Cookbooks…
You read novels and thrillers, we
read cookbooks; we even read cookbooks in bed. To get a sense of the history of
Mexican cooking, the University of Texas at San Antonio’s has a collection
of Mexican Cookbooks; 2,000 of them dating back from 1789 to the
present, many that are starting to be digitized and are available free online, including
manuscript cookbooks from the collection.
https://digital.utsa.edu/digital/custom/mexicancookbooks
https://digital.utsa.edu/digital/custom/mexicancookbooks
Staying current on COVID-19 in SMA…
Early on, I was in overload with information and reading far too much on the virus; much of which was just bad information. Now, I look at two pages to get
my updates:
The Covid-19 SMA page
on Facebook.
This page is put out by medical professionals in SMA so you can count on the information to be accurate and up-to-date.
This page is put out by medical professionals in SMA so you can count on the information to be accurate and up-to-date.
Also, the San Miguel de
Allende Covid- 19 Community
Comunidad page on Facebook has the latest community discussion along with
up-to-date articles and general information.