Atrio: Mixology Lesson 101

Monday Mixology lesson ♥️ a few days late… The next time you’re at Atrio, ask for a Martha Esperanza; Baja’s version of the perfect Margarita compliments of Martha Hope; an incurable SMA visitor from Baja who likes them straight up, shaken not stirred and made with Don Julio Blanco Tequila, fresh squeezed lime juice and Grand Marnier; not Cointreau. The drink was named after Martha; an honor she talked her way through with the staff and the bar got it right the first time around. No surprise here with a bar staff who goes with the flow when they’re catering to a customer. Baja in a glass; this one is really really good. Even Luis put his blessing on this one! Atrio Cuna de Allende 3 Centro, 37700, San Miguel de Allende Hours: 1:30 PM - 11:00 PM Phone: 415 688 1405 Chef: Arturo Sandoval Manager: Luis Vela

Birdie’s Burgers Closing

In 2016, Chef Donnie Masterton redefined fast food when he opened Birdie’s Burgers and Taco Lab but it wasn’t just the burgers and tacos we loved. From weekly specials to loaded French fries, malts and soft serve ice cream, we loved everything about this restaurant most of our SMA life. When Chef Donnie Masterton broke the news to us early last night we were heartbroken. A lot of hard work, passion and imagination was poured into this project over the years, from its Covid departure to its reopening last year. But with big projects ahead for The Restaurant, his ranch and community commitments, Birdies is closing tomorrow. Thanks chef for all these great years with Birdies and Taco Lab: 2016 - 2024! Saturday is the last day to have one for now but the good news is, a Birdie’s pop up is in your future and I’ll be at the head of the line for round #3.

La Tequila Guadalajara

The one thing you have to ask for at La Tequila is a banana tortilla; they’re not on the menu and are one of Guadalajara’s best kept culinary secrets. A gift from the kitchen for regular customers in the know, I’ve never seen them in Mexico or read about them anywhere. Now I think about them every day, all the time. They don’t have an intense banana flavor; they’re just right and would make the perfect wrapper for a favorite dessert. I’m praying once I post this, they will show up on one of the menus in San Miguel de Allende; my hometown of adventurous chefs. Federico Díaz de León Marino, owner and founder of La Tequila is beloved, admired and respected; everyone who knows him sings his praises and more. When I met him last week he was just as I expected: the ultimate Guadalajara gentleman. To know him is to love him; I could see that in the eyes of every customer he spoke with. I didn’t take many pictures; I was gifted by his presence at our table. He’s friends with César Mascorro and Carlos Sunderland, my two luncheon partners who are both in the Tequila business and regular customers at La Tequila. The restaurant celebrates its 29th anniversary this year. It was an honor to meet him and feast at his table. When you walk in the floor is glass, showing a beautifully stocked wine cellar in the basement with labels of the best wines in Mexico. The tequila selection has over 200 labels and 25 options of Mezcales, Sotoles, Bacanoras and Raicillas to pick from. The menu is a sampling of authentic Mexican gastronomy. I’ll go to Leon, where they have another restaurant, to try some of their offerings. They also have another restaurant, The Landmark, in Zapopan. La Tequila is the first restaurant to be recognized with the “Treasures of Mexico” Award and the first in the world to receive the “T” Distinction from the Tequila Regulatory Council. He is personally involved in so many social and environmental projects we’ve lost count. An example is La Tertulia del Maguey, an annual discussion where academics, journalists, environmentalists, and producers of agave spirits discuss issues related to sustainability. Being a restaurateur is extremely demanding, which is why you have to love service,” says Don Federico. We gave the service 5 stars; one of the best in Guadalajara. Av. México 2830, Terranova, 44689 Guadalajara, Jal. Daily: 1:00 PM - 12:00 Midnight Sunday closes at 6:00 PM T: (33) 3640 3440 (33) 3640 3110 Main Square, Leon�Plaza Mayor ext. #113 �Leon, Mexico Daily 1:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sunday closes at 8:00 PM T: (47) 7331 0506

Bruna Guadalajara

Chef Oscar Garza of Bruna said that part of the experience at Bruna is that when people come, they always find something different. And different it was with a unique tasting of 10 different types of moles. We were taken by each of them at a slow and thoughtful savoring yesterday. These were distinctive and wonderful flavors. Chefs from all over the world come here to taste this dish. There was: Mole Poblano mixing mulato, ancho/pasilla, and guajillo chiles with warm spices, and sweet Mexican chocolate. Mole Rosa where its hue comes from the hibiscus flower and rose colored chiles and calls for ingredients such as almonds, peanuts, Habanero and güero chiles. Mole with fresh rather than dried chiles and is thickened with green pumpkin seeds. Mole Amarillo made with dried chili peppers and a whole lot of spices, garlic, onions, yellow tomatillos, hoja santa leaves and chicken stock with masa harina. Every household in Oaxaca has their own version of this mole. Mole Negro made of chocolate with dried mulato chiles, pasilla and chilhuacle negro chiles and literally dozens of other ingredients. Mole Blanco is one of the rarest moles from the Mixteca region of Oaxaca where it’s prepared for holidays: Easter, Christmas and weddings. Mole de Rosas is characterized by beetroot, which gives it its pink color which is also obtained by other ingredients such as pink pine nuts, pomegranates and rose petals. Mole de Trufa Negra is Chef Garza’s own creation of black mole with truffles and was my favorite sauce on the plate. Mole Norteno is made with ingredients from Nuevo León and finally Pipian Verde that hails from the chef’s home state of Jalisco. Chef Garza draws inspiration from the street-foods in Guadalajara and many of his dishes are cooked on a wood-fired grill. We’re always in when a dish is cooked over wood. “Bruna sounds very similar in 24 languages. It means 'dark-haired', that's why everything here is black and white” he said. The tables on Bruna’s magnificent black-and-white floors were in high demand, set off by the lush green gardens surrounding its beautiful terrace. Almost every table at Bruna is in the great outdoors. The other courses included Chamorro covered in black mole with banana puree; one of the sought after dishes that appeared to be as big as the plate. We’d love to see a cook-off between chefs Juan Manuel Galvan Lopez of La Dona in SMA and Oscar Garza, both who have mastered Chamorro. The Ludic cocktail was made with playful, iced Lego’s and Tequila Patron Silver infused with pineapple, mango, apple, kiwi, with a touch of orange peel colored with safflower. The technique listed is Maceration, which in food preparation is soaking or steeping raw agricultural ingredients in liquid, which softens them and draws out their natural juices. Bruna’s entire Mixology menu is both complex and fascinating. We know our favorite Mixologist in SMA, Mike Espinoza, would give this menu high marks for its creativity. Our pictures on the Nikon will be published in our final article on Guadalajara; these photos were done on an iPhone. I passed on desert, a first, but promised the restaurant I would be back. If I could eat here every day I’d be happy because everything on the menu looked like the chefs signature dish but with over 3,448+ restaurants, my schedule in Guadalajara for the next 10 years appears to be booked. Yes, I will be back. Bruna was my daily dose of restaurant inspiration today. Tomorrow the market in Tonala; street food at its best. Bruna Lerdo de Tejada no. 2418, Col. Lafayette Guadalajara, Jal. CP. 44150 T. +52 (33) 20 03 09 04 | wApp 33 18 04 80 51 Sunday, Monday: 2:00 PM - 11:00 PM Tuesday, Wednesday: 2:00 PM - 12:00 Midnight Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 2:00 PM - 1:00 AM Chef Oscar Garza

Expect the unexpected at Atrio…

It takes a true love of food to find the best of it and Chef Arturo Sandoval has done it again. Spain has definitely brought out the best in him. There are two new dishes that are going on the menu as we speak: Ensalada de King Crab and Cheescake; but not just any cheesecake; it’s made with all fresh cheeses: Queso crema, Queso parmesano, Queso fresco, Aged Sheep Cheese and one egg. The King Crab salad is Mizuna, King Crab, Masago, Avocado, Parmesan and Sesame dressing. We think it has the best combination of flavors that Chef Arturo Sandoval has ever created and it’s so healthy. We’re pretty sure we could eat these two dishes every day and never get tired of them. When was the last time you saw King Crab on a menu and the cheesecake…well it’s nothing like we’ve ever tasted before; the best dessert in SMA this year! The next time he travels; brace yourself for what’s coming next. We just can’t imagine anything better than these two dishes. He really surprised us this time; it was not what we were expecting at all. But then, that’s the part of the magic that always brings us back to Atrio in the first place. Atrio Cuna de Allende 3 Centro, 37700, San Miguel de Allende Hours: 1:30 PM - 11:00 PM Phone: 415 688 1405 Chef: Arturo Sandoval

A Catch Up Article - Vacation

Nostalgia… Off we go! July 9, 2024 - first to Mexico City then to see my family at Lake Minnetonka, to Olivia and Parker, Tommy and Jessica and finally to Guadalajara in August where my love affair with Mexico began 58 years ago; the second leg of my culinary tour. I was in school in Guadalajara in the late 60’s and early 70’s when there were 1.2 million people in the city; now there’s over 6 million. We use to drive the road to Puerto Vallarta on the weekends before it was ever completed when only 2 hotels were on the beach: the Real and Posada Vallarta. I went back to Guadalajara for another round in the 90’s when I was running seminars in multiple cities in Mexico. I was one of the first to ride the Tequila train back in 1997 when Ferromex hosted a group of customers on what would become a very long, tequila tradition. I’ll take a repeat trip with Tequila Sauza in August. We’ll also be going to the agave fields in Tequila to visit Codigo 1530, who has a tasting room in SMA. We didn’t take many pictures; there were no cell phones or social media. Life was good. I was certain that living in Chapalita was better than anything because all you had to do is look out the window; if it was happening in Guadalajara, it happened at Minerva it still does today. I’m sure I wouldn’t recognize Guadalajara at all when I go back in August but I’m so happy to have the chance to take it all in again some 58 years later. Mexico is magic indeed. See you in September.

Lolita

We think restaurant owner Lizette Angel hit the jackpot when it comes to satisfying her customers with the new Cenaduria menu at Lolita. Those fabulous Matador Tacos from San Miguel y Sus Sabores went on the new menu, which is served on the terrace every night at Lolita’s between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM through the month of July. Preston Engebretson, one of our favorite food lovers in SMA, said these tacos were the best dish at the food festival. Many of the dishes on the menu are from Mexico City where Lizette and her chef, Fernando Guarnero, are from. Also on the menu is a shredded chicken and mole sandwich called Hojaldra de Mole. We loved the sandwich, made in this super soft bread. The mole is divine; a recipe of the chef, Fernando Guarnero, who happens to have one of the best smiles in SMA. Rumor has it that Lolita’s Bartender, Rodrigo Muñoz, makes a superb Margarita; the perfect pairing for anything offered on this very Mexican menu. Lizette named the Matador tacos after her partner, Roberto Quitos, who was a matador for 15 years and now represents a number of them. Story has it that a famous taco stand next to the Plaza de Toros bullring in Mexico City called Villamelon, has a taco that’s made of cecina, chorizo and chicharron and Lolita’s chef recreated that exact same taco as Roberto described them to him. How’s that for teamwork? And the chef got them right the first time around. As a novillero, Roberto’s son, César Fernández, will become a Matador; following in his father’s footsteps. César lives in France and his next fight is at Plaza Mexico, the largest bullfighting arena in the world, in Mexico City on August 4, 2024. Many people have been asking where you can get authentic, Mexican food in SMA and with all of the Mexican dishes that Chef Guarnero put on the menu, this is the place to go! The smaller version of the new Hojaldra de Mole sandwiches are 40 pesos each or 3 for 100 pesos. In fact, the good news is that everything on this special menu is priced just right; nothing is over $140 pesos. How's that for an affordable SMA? Celaya Exit 52, Centro 37760 San Miguel de Allende,Gto Phone: 415 185 8009 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM, Closes at 6:00 PM Sunday Chef: Fernando Guarnero

The Flavors of Mexican Convents

The fourth in a series of five on What's New in SMA... Chef Victor Rivadeneyra is now teaching a new series called The Flavors of Mexican Convents at the kitchen of Chef Lolita Ramon and her husband Ramon, in La Cocina. I hadn’t been to La Cocina for 11 years, when a local food tour guide, Vail Kristina Smerlinder Suarez, who was also in the class today, took me there to taste the chef’s mole. I remembered the mole and the chef, who also remembered me, so it was a sweet reunion as she prepared to cook for a sold out class. The menu: Café de Olla, Atole and Orange Juice, Tlacoyo with Zucchini and corn, Divorced Chilaquiles, Steak in Pasilla Chili with Black Beans and Pork Butt, Cheese Tamale with Rajas and Black Mole and Mexican sweets. How did I end up here? A product of 12 years of Catholic schools growing up, my sister Mary and I cleaned the altar every Saturday, which happened to be the only day of the week I didn’t have to go to mass. Chef Victor Rivadeneyra, who does food tours at The Taste of SMA, surprised many of us. His mother was a novice at a convent in Mexico City so he acquired a lot of inside knowledge from her about life in the convents in Mexico. He’s been studying the subject for years. Victor is the type of teacher you’ll love with a finely- tuned sense of humor and loads of eye-opening revelations. You don’t want to miss this series so watch for a post announcing his next class which will also sell out quickly. Apparently the cloistered nuns are really good at keeping the best secret in SMA. Another surprising fact came from a member of our class, Sheila Oberst. Did you know that you’ve been eating second day baked goods all these years from Las Monjas? Don’t buy perishables in the book store. Go into the church and ring the bell on the cord over the wooden door on the right. There you can order everything fresh