Estoril

Estoril: Finally, SMA Gets the French Restaurant It Deserves

I’ve always eaten like I’m French; meals have always been the highlight of my day. I recently gave up the thought of flying back to Paris just to eat again when Estoril opened in SMA. The restaurant is French; one of my favorite places to eat in SMA. When you taste the food, you’ll know why; it’s in a class by itself. The original restaurant was founded in Mexico City in 1971 by Guillaume and Rosa Martin, gradually evolving into fusion cuisine at the request of its regular diners, compiling iconic dishes such as this delicious Fried Parsley Taco and a tableside presentation of the classic, Cesar salad. The amazing thing is that the restaurant has survived for over 50 years. We eat with our eyes and Chef Angel Pacheco’s presentations are always spot on and beautiful. We love that Estoril does the tableside presentation of the Cesar salad; a tribute to a dish that made culinary history when it was crowned ‘the greatest recipe to originate in the Americas in 50 years’ by the International Society of Epicures in Paris in 1953.

Sometimes, the performance is not so much a statement of refinement as it is a gesture of hospitality; a response to the pent-up demand for over-the-top experiences in 2022. From the Waygu beef at Alinea in Chicago, the Dover sole at the Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, the Bananas Foster Flambe at Commanders Palace in New Orleans and at Edith’s in Cabo San Lucas, the flaming Saganaki at the Parthenon Restaurant in Chicago, to the less flamboyant but always delightful guacamole by Chef Alejandro Ruiz at Casa Oaxaca and more, we remember every one of the tableside presentations we’ve seen; a culinary experience in itself. Chef Angel Pacheco, 32, is an amazing French trained chef. A 2006 graduate of CONALEP, he cooked at Champs Elysées, Arturo’s and Bistro Noisette in Mexico City, spending time in France with Chef Franck Mishler and is also trained in Oenology. Our feast consisted of five perfect courses: Cesar salad, Fried Parsley Taco, Escargots Estoril, Veal Sweetbreads, and Sea Bass. Que voulez-vous pour le petit-déjeuner? A Breakfast menu is now being offered on the weekends; everything priced under $200 pesos. American food writer, Alex Lobrano, moved to Paris in 1986 and recently wrote in his book “the best day to go out in France is Thursday. Chefs have already made all the bouillons, the kitchen is well-stocked, the whole thing is working well, they have everything they need to cook well and they are cooking for a local clientele, whether in Avignon, Paris, Strasbourg.” And Thursday it is that Chef Angel Pacheco will cook for the locals in SMA – a Prime Rib night. Remember, good Prime Rib disappeared when Hansen’s restaurant closed in December of 2015. The first Prime Rib night at Estoril will be July 7. Details are in the works. Estoril y Murasaki San Miguel de Allende Hidalgo 4, Zona Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende, Gto. Hours: Monday – Wednesday 1:00 PM – 9:00 PM Chef: Angel Pacheco