Pork Belly's Mac and Cheese

We don’t consider Pork Belly’s Mac and Cheese a side dish; it’s one of the THE best dishes in SMA and we often eat it as a stand alone, especially since it’s made with Monterey and blue cheese and covered in this much bacon. And speaking of bacon, after eating every variety and thickness of bacon in SMA and Querétaro, we know Chef Erick Medina’s is another best; earning the top spot and selling at $300 pesos for 250 grams. Chef Medina brines a Pork belly in salt, brown sugar, Maple syrup, and cured salt for 7 days then dries and smokes it for 8 hours with Mesquite wood. A total labor of love, this dish tops our list of some of the best things to eat in SMA this year. Pork Belly Stirling Dickinson n. #10 Hours: 10 AM – 7:30 PM Closed Monday Delivery Chef: Erick Medina All safety protocols followed Health First certified by the city of SMA

Chef David Jahnke Cooking Classes Lab

Chef David Jahnke Cooking Classes Lab was created in March of 2018.

It’s pretty amazing that this super achiever, Chef David Jahnke, has accomplished so much in just 3 years when he was contemplating leaving his position as the head of the Gastronomy department at the University of University of Celaya to start his own business. Chef David Jahnke’s classes now rank 3rd out of over 700 cooking classes in Mexico and #1 in Guanajuato state.

His school never really changed during the Covid pandemic. The classes were held online instead of in person and a YouTube channel supplements Chef Jahnke’s learning program with additional free education for all of his students. With over 160 Virtual Classes under his belt, the chef has it down, using some pretty advanced technology and a Huawei cellphone with a Leica camera as it’s primary instrument.

Chef David Jahnke has developed over 500 recipes during the pandemic; more than enough to fill a cookbook and there are plenty of people in SMA who wish that he would. He teaches every type of ethnic cooking and conducts tours like the recent two day mushroom foraging classes with SMA mushroom authority, Arif Towns Alonso, at Rancho Calixto in Amealco, Mexico.

In person classes are filling up quickly although a change in the number of Covid cases may put classes back online again. Check with him for updates as he can easily shift from in-person to online classes. Either way, you’ll get one of the best culinary educations with Chef David Jahnke. There’s a reason why it’s one of the top cooking school in Mexico.

Best news: there will be a new, little sister in the kitchen with Itzayana soon and the Jahnke’s are excited to welcome her home. Chef David Jahnke Cooking Classes Lab Calle Del Tesoro 23, San Antonio, 37750 Phone: +52 744 136 3963 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Daily except Sunday Email:david.jahnke@gmail.com

Rustica - The #1 Breakfast Restaurant in San Miguel de Allende

Here’s over a dozen reasons why we think Rustica is one of the best restaurants in the city; the #1 breakfast restaurant in SMA. We’ve learned one thing over the years - the next best thing to great food and service is one of Eduardo Perez Calvo’s hugs. You’ll find them all at Rustica! Rustica Salida a Celeya #34 Daily 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Phone: 415 121 1406 Owner: Eduardo Perez Calvo Manager: Ram Ramirez

The Tuesday Market

One business that’s survived all the ongoing changes at the Tuesday Market: Don Santos Tacos.

Don Santos earned its accolades with authentic Mexican food and you’ll get a bonus these days because it seems like the Tacos de Costillo are double stuffed with an overly generous amount of rib. The meat is cooked in a pile of intestines and chorizo and is so well flavored and tender that you can’t stop at just one. The peppery salsas have a kick that adds a whole other layer of flavor to the tacos. Don Santos Taco de Res is the best beef taco in San Miguel. Bring a $100 peso note and you’ll go home with a pocketful of change.

Although there are a lot of delicious, new tacos in SMA, this is one that’s always worth waiting in line for. It’s still reigns as one of the top tacos in town and another good reason to visit SMA’s most popular Tuesday market, which is slowly making a comeback. The market is also open on Sunday. Located in an unmarked, cobblestone alley in Centro, the other Don Santos is in San Antonio, at Clavel #8 off Refugio Sur. Opens at 6:00 PM – mas o menos.

PANIO

We can’t get enough of Panio’s croissants and brioche; they’re the best this side of Paris. And just when we thought there was nothing better than this would-be-croissant, the Cruffin de Limon (they now make it sugared not plain), we discovered another favorite: a Kouign-Amann with homemade, vanilla ice cream. This Breton cake was described by the New York Times as the fattiest pastry in all of Europe. We’ve eaten it at least a hundred times since we discovered it; our favorite home dessert. Packed in tins for a ready-to-go meal, there are way too many dishes that look too good to eat.

The absolute best when it comes to home delivery, just-baked breads, right out of the oven, make it to your door in under an hour. We can think of a dozen reasons why Panio has made San Miguel de Allende a much sweeter place to live. Here are just a few of them. PANIO ATELIER Exit to Celaya #69, Centro, CP 37700 San Miguel de Allende, Gto Phone: 415 185 8750 PANIO Calle Correo #29 at the corner of Recreo, Centro San Miguel de Allende, Gto Phone: 415 154 7187 PANIO RELOX Calle Relox # 12, Centro San Miguel de Allende,Gto Phone: 415 152 1645