Don’t open a restaurant with a bakery inside. Its double trouble and in the case of TENE Latin Cuisine (the restaurant) and Dulce 1810 (the bakery), we’ve decided it might be easier just to move in. They’ve got you covered when it comes to breakfast, lunch and dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Housed in the new Casa 1810 Parque Hotel, the complex is one of the most beautiful structures in SMA, taking four years to complete. The old house was almost in ruins when the owners bought it. Their main goal was to rescue as much of the original construction as possible, then blend the old with the new. It required a lot of architecture and engineering design. They tried to recycle all the original cantera stone, wood beams, old doors and other materials. A lot of these pieces can be found in chimneys, wood steps and inside the hotel rooms. They got rid of what didn’t convey their message; the hotel design is nearly flawless.
The name TENÉ comes from the abbreviation of “Tannery” or “Teneria” in Spanish. They have found that this property was part of a stable and tannery. Casa 1810 Parque is only a small part of the original building.
At first, your attention is drawn to the stunning details of the building and the artwork, all created by Oaxaca artist, Irving Herrera, but then, the food comes streaming out to your table and all you can do is eat with your eyes; the presentation is the first thing to catch your attention and nobody does it better than Chef Irving Cano. The mastermind behind so many different types of fabulous cuisines in SMA, we’re thinking about petitioning him to open a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant next. The Executive Chef at Trazo 1810 on Hidalgo is about to change the menu there too; putting more French accents on the food. We’ve always loved his cooking and with TENE Latin Cuisine, he’s taken his kitchen to the next level. One of the best chefs in SMA, he has that ''sixth sense” that elevates any food he prepares into a sublime experience. We know; we eat with him every chance we get. We know his learning is by no means over; we’ve never seen a chef more enthusiastic about cooking than he is.
Behind those perfect croissants, cruffins and other pastries at Dulce 1810 is Gustavo Mendoza; a transplant from Mexico City who use to work at Bakers in Roma – a bakery we waltzed by a hundred times but were always in such a hurry we never went in. Boy, did we miss out. We savored his chocolate croissant like it was our last; covered with soft chocolate and Pistachios. One thing we know for sure - the croissant challenge is on again in San Miguel de Allende.
The delights at Dulce 1810 are endless and soon, healthy juices, sandwiches and salads will also pepper the menu; available to eat in or take out. Get comfortable for a longer than usual stay because Claudia is there to wait on you and the service happens to be almost as good as the food.
Our tasting menu at TENE Latin Cuisine included the following items and if you can’t pronounce the name, just show them the picture:
XIQUILPAC.- Prehispanic pumpkin seed paste with Tomatoes, Habanero and Sour Orange. A delightful way to kick off any meal, this dish was served with chips including the classic blue corn.
BONE MARROW
Grilled bone marrow accompanied with smoked tuna, tatemado avocado & handmade corn tortillas. The flavors of the tuna are magnificent; another best in SMA and we’ve tried them all.
AGUACHILE DE CAMARON/ Aguachile of smoked shrimp
Smoked shrimp on a corn sheet on a pork rind and cheese quesadilla alongside aguachile sauce made with Guajillo chile, black sauce, lemon and macha sauce. This dish had interesting flavors with an exquisite combination of ingredients.
ALITAS DE PESCADO.
Fish wings.- Jurel (mackerel) neck on grilled black garlic, Kombu Salad and Tatemado Habanero mayonnaise. This was a favorite of dinner partner, Claudia Bo.
MEXTLAPIQUE
Totoaba smoked with totomoxtle (corn sheet) alongside esquites with White Recado, coriander sprouts and Habanero Mayonnaise. The dish was beautifully complimented by the esquites and Habanero.
COSTILLAS BBQ
Huitlacoche BBQ Ribs on a Cacahuazintle corn bed. When you first see the ribs, you’ll be convinced that the sauce is a mole but it’s not. The best we’ve eaten in SMA, bravo to the chef for creating a Huitlacoche BBQ sauce for the finish. Cooked in their wood fire oven, we’d come back just for the ribs.
MAJARETE.- Crunchy corn Foam accompanied with Mascarpone Gelato; a simple dessert to clean your palate. After this, various croissants and rolls were served from the bakery. Amazingly, I was still eating.
Many of the accents in this meal were prehispanic; something we haven’t seen from other chefs in SMA.
These days, we recognize that opening a restaurant is an impressive task worthy of a celebration. We guarantee you that TENE Latin Cuisine will be your best celebration this year!
Buen Provecho!
TENE Latin Cuisine
Dulce 1810
Codo #3, Centro
Breakfast: 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Dinner: 2:00 PM – 10:30 PM
All safety protocols followed.
Masks required/removed for photographs and consumption
Health First certified by the city of SMA
