There
are plenty of restaurants in San Miguel de Allende where you can get lunch for under $200
peosos/$10.00 USD but which restaurants use the best ingredients?
For
the next 30 days, we're here to let you know because we think high quality
ingredients define great food.
Buen
Provecho!
Day 1: Jacinto 1930
How
fantastic is Jacinto 1930, one of SMA's best Mexican restaurants, thanks to
award winning chef Israel Loyola Espinosa who uses only the best
ingredients in his dishes.
Our
favorite is the Cochinita Pibil Ahogada Sandwich with pickled onion and
habanero chili in a bean bolillo with avocado leaf and bean mayonnaise. This
signature sandwich of Guadalajara had delicious flavors and could easily become
a weekly habit. I'm just happy that I don't have to go all the way to
Guadalajara just to get one. $140 pesos.
Surprised
at the price? We were too, with many items on Jacinto's menu that are under
$200 pesos.
Jacinto 1930
Doce 18 at Relox 18.
Open Weekdays: 1:00
- 9:00 PM, Monday - Thursday.
Weekends: Friday 1:00 –10:00 PM, Saturday12 Noon–10:00 PM
Sunday12 Noon - 00
PM
Day 2: OCRE
Chef Xavier Piñero Moreno, the new chef at OCRE WOWED with a perfect
balance of flavors. OCRE selects the freshest ingredients, adding layers of
flavor and texture to every bite.
What
was in this salad that made it so amazing? Nothing you would find in a normal
salad: Charred endives, apple, caramelized peach, mustard seeds, goat cheese,
nasturtium, and peach dressing. Beautiful? Yes, and it tastes as good as it
looks. $120 pesos.
If
you crave good meat, order the Rib eye taco: a handmade corn tortilla,
chimichurri mayonaise, rib eye, and thin, sliced potatoes. $90 pesos each.
OCRE's
young chef team, Chef Xavier Piñero Moreno, Sous Chef Danny Duran and Pastry
Chef Fernando Arias Ruiz are going to
be the trio to beat this year.
High
quality ingredients are just part of the story. Everything at OCRE is just a
step above the rest.
Ocre
Hidalgo #5
Open:
Daily 2:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Day 3: La Parada
So
what do you do when you want to find out what the other end of town is up to?
You go to La Parada, where at least half of SMA is having lunch. It's 3:00 PM
on Thursday and it's packed.
La
Parada has consistently been in the top restaurants in SMA since they opened
their doors. Chef Alexandra Gutt has been buying her produce from the
same guy for years; he knows her quality standards and what she expects. Her
seafood is sourced from Mexico's coast and is always really fresh.
Lunch
today was a fabulous Shrimp Sandwich. The chef warned me it was big; so big in
fact, they served it in a bowl. It tasted exactly like the shrimp poorboys you
get in New Orleans. I ate the entire thing.
On
a very soft Ciabatta was fried shrimp, and lots of it, piled high with lettuce,
pickled onions, tomatoes, avocado and a tartar sauce. $150 pesos.
The
surprise announcement: Alexandra and her husband, Juan Leon de Vivero,
parterned with Julio Hernandez to open San Mezcal, a welcoming little Mezcal
bar just three doors down from La Prada. They have 73 different Mezcals and are
working on getting 120 in their inventory.
Alexandra
and Juan Leon have so many projects going on, all on the La Prada side of town.
Expect a lot more from these two; there are other plans in the works for 2018.
La
Parada
Recreo 94
Wed
- Saturday 12:00 Noon - 10:00 PM
Sunday - Monday 12:00 Noon - 9:00 PM
Tuesday – Closed
San
Mezcal, Recreo 88
Opens: 5:00 PM
Day 4: Nomada Cocina
de Interpretacion
A
US food writer recently came to SMA and claimed he couldn't find any good food.
Well, he obviously never ate at Nomada Cocina de Interpretacion.
At
Nomada Cocina de Interpretacion, good ingredients are a given. Chefs Marco Cruz and Sofía
Antillón think time spent on sourcing good ingredients is time
well spent; one of the many reasons their food tastes so great.
Chef
Marco Cruz is an artist, and like every artist, his visuals demand perfection,
down to the final, fresh ingredient on the plate. I love his Wednesday Tasting
Menu and the Sunday brunch, where everything is cooked on a wood fired grill.
Another
one of my addictions is their breakfast; it's one of the best kept secrets in
SMA. How many people know they make breakfast, much less one that's as good as
every other meal they serve?
This
morning, I had the BLTA sandwich: their famous bread with Gouda cheese topped
with Arugula, Baby Lettuce, roasted Tomatoes, roasted Avocado, grilled Onion,
Asparagus on the grill, Radishes and Bacon.
So
how is it possible that one of the best breakfasts in SMA is only $90 pesos?
Nomada
Cocina de Interpretacion
Hernandez Macias #88
Hours
9 AM - 10 PM except Sunday closing 6:00 PM
Closed:
Tuesday
Day 5: Nicasio
Comedor Mexicano
Chef Pablo
Nicacio knows all about good ingredients; he was trained by the best. Ask
him to find the most beautiful microgreens in SMA and he will always point you
in the right direction. He knows quality food.
Chef Hugo
Tepichin said that a network of friends supply the restaurants with high
quality ingredients from all over Mexico, especially Oaxaca.
Take
Pablo's new breakfast dish: Huevo con Trufa. They cook the potatoes at two
different temperatures; it tastes somewhere between smashed potatoes and hash
browns. Cook an egg on top with bacon, Oaxaca cheese, avocado, parmesan cheese
and jalapeño and garnish with a few, crispy potato chips and truffle oil and
you have one perfect breakfast. $115
pesos.
Nicasio
Comedor Mexicano
Hidalgo #28
Monday,
Wednesday - Saturday from 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Sunday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Closed Tuesday
Day 6: Cafe Casa
Blanca
No
one in SMA has been more passionate about using good ingredients than
Chef Donnie Masterton, who cultivated
relationships with farmers and food artisans from the very beginning. He's
currently in the process of building an organic farm to supply all of his
restaurants and has a rooftop garden at The Restaurant
to fill the gap.
The
Restaurant, a SMA tradition for over 10 years, will close for the month of May
to do some remodeling. We can't wait to see the new look when it reopens in
June.
Bringing
a new style of food to SMA is exciting and his latest restaurant to open is
Cafe Casa Blanca in Hotel Casa Blanca 7. Fatima 7 will also open this summer,
promising the same Mediterranean flavors and some amazing views of SMA's
historic churches.
Today,
I was lucky enough to score some of the best breakfast food I've had: a
Mediterranean 'pizza': Mana'esh; Zaatar flatbread with labneh cheese, tomato
and mint with fried egg. $200 pesos. Labneh is made by straining yogurt past
the point of Greek yogurt; the texture is between mascarpone and fresh chevre.
It was excellent on this flatbread, which was amazingly light, so I can't
imagine how it will be with a simple drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a loaf
of crusty bread and a glass of vino blanco. Yes, this 'yogurt cheese' is
perfect for summer paired with a cold Mexican chardonnay. Chef
JJ Castaneda's cooking is unique; SMA has no other flavors quite like his.
One
of our favorite waiters, Gabriel Vazquez, is also at Cafe Casa Blanca. Don't
forget to ask for him; you're guaranteed to get VIP service.
Cafe
Casa Blanca
Juarez #7
Breakfast:
8:00 - 11:00 AM
Comida: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Day 7: Ask someone
who knows: Your Culinary Professor
It's
Tuesday and the restaurants are closed but I'm in class today where I'm
reminded about sourcing good ingredients every time I come here to cook.
Chef David
Jahnke teaches at the University of Celaya, where he heads the department
and also teaches a professional cooking course in SMA, where I am lucky enough
to be a student.
Ask
him where he sources most of his ingredients for his classes and he will tell
you La Comer. Students laugh but he says that, because of their size, La Comer
has resources other vendors don't. La Comer also owns City Market in Queretaro.
How
does he do it? Well, he's managed to develop a personal relationship with
everyone in the store including the butchers and the guys in produce
department. He asks for specific things and they get it or order it for him,
like all of the seafood and meat that went into this Paella Valencia and the
ingredients for this oxtail stew.
And
did I tell you that the best part of every class is the eating? Both dishes
were off-the-chart delicious.
Day 8: Cafe Oso Azul
I'm
a breakfast person. Give me a choice of breakfast, lunch or dinner and I will
always pick breakfast.
Maria
Guadalupe Ramirez Soria (Lupita) is the chef at Café Oso Azul and she prepares
a breakfast that only a hungry gringa could get on an early morning when everything
else is closed. She uses good ingredients; you can tell by the taste of the
food. The flavor of this sausage was delicious; I could have easily eaten
another helping or two. It's made by a local vendor; local always being better
because you know exactly what you're getting.
What
I love about this cafe is that everything is made fresh, down to the jams and
salsas. They always manage to make you feel like you're eating at home with
your family.
Cafe
Oso Azul
Calle Zacateros #17
Hours:
Sunday - Saturday 8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Day 9: Querencia
In
our recent post on the Best Food and Drink in San Miguel de Allende, Querencia
was our pick for the best hidden gem restaurant; they get plenty of support
from their Colonia Guadalupe neighborhood but would you go out of the way to
eat there?
Well,
we have, six times now, and we'll go back again next week. Why? Good
ingredients = Good food, it's as simple as that. With everything priced under
$100 pesos, it's also affordable. Our favorite dishes are the Eggs Benedict
Querencia and the Sauerkraut Sandwich.
Chef
Esmeralda Brinn Bolanos recently gave us her philosophy on sourcing. We like a
restaurant that's selective about the products they use but also has a higher
purpose than their own for buying from local vendors...be it a single mother or
a small, local supermarket.
"In
Querencia we source our ingredients from the most proximal provider possible.
For instance, our goat cheese comes from Senor Francisco, who has his goats at
home and makes from 1 to 10 pieces a week. Everything is seasonal and some
ingredients change according to that. Our blue tortillas are hand made by a
woman who has her own milpa at her ranch; she comes to sell them once a week.
Our eggs come from a friend, who is a single mom of two and brings them from an
organic ranch in Michoacan. The most commercialized ingredients that are
brought from Celaya, we get from our local small supermarket, Don Gil. The goal
with our ingredients is that they must be local, or from small producers or
with a story behind that gets to our hearts and has a bigger benefit than our
own. Like our mezcal, that comes from Oaxaca; it was sourced visiting lots of
producers until we met one that matched the quality, ethical and spiritual
standards that we set."
Querencia
Julian Carrillo #4B
Hours:
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Monday - Friday
Day 10: Marsala,
cocina con acentos
One
of our favorite restaurants in SMA, we not only love the food but also adore
the owners. Good ingredients? Well, that's a given from this chef, who was a
popular contestant on Top Chef Mexico and has managed to delight all of her
customers at Marsala, cocina con acentos as well.
Marcela Bolaño's food speaks for
itself. She doesn't have a long list of suppliers but the ones she does use are
top quality: Fish, seafood and russet potatoes all come from top quality
suppliers in Ensenada, Lamb from a private ranch in Guanajuato, meats
from XO Centro,
part of the Visa del Norte Group, headquartered in Chihuahua, Norma for
microgreens and Pascual and his son Leonardo of Fruteria la Huerta de Lupita on
Sterling Dickinson, who work with her daily to source her produce. You can
thank Marcella that Fruteria la Huerta de Lupita now carries limón amarillo.
She said for Oaxaca cheese, Pascual's is the best in town.
Don't
forget Marsala's for brunch on Sunday; one of the best in SMA including a
wake-up mimosa.
Marsala,
cocina con acentos
Calle del Dr Ignacio Hernandez Macias #48
Monday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 1:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Sunday Brunch: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Closed: Tuesday
Day 11: Marchanta
The
best pastry chef in SMA is getting her own bakery and we say it's about time!
Marchanta
is undergoing a bakery white face lift combined with an eat-in/take-out
restaurant focusing on casual dining. Sofía
Antillón's glass pastry case at the back of the restaurant will be
filled with just baked breads, cookies, cakes, rolls and other pastries.
A
simple breakfast, sandwich and salad menu will feature foods made with the best
organic products including the delicious Molletes I had this morning served
with a spicy but fabulous habanero peanut sauce. $110 pesos.
The
menu includes juices; just like the ones we got during our detox. The juices
are super healthy - they're made with all fruit and have no added sugar - and
have wonderful flavors that only a chef can dream up to fill a glass. $50
pesos. This one is the delicious Amarillo made with orange, pineapple, mango,
passion fruit, and turmeric; you have a choice of four different blends.
Marchanta
makes Licuados using almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk and wheat yogurt. $70
pesos. With more homemade Aguas and other bebidas, Nomada will offer a variety
of drinks including beers, wines, Chai and coffees.
Both
Marchanta and its sister restaurant, Nomada cocina de interpretacion, use only
the best organic ingredients. They have used a private vendor for the past year
and a half to source vegetables, greens and other items.
In
the back of Marchanta, a new deli market will feature high end cheeses, creams,
Noble vinegars, Cecina, marmalades, bakery, cakes and brownies to go and other
take-out items including organic vegetables, seeds and nuts. It is Sofia's
intent to make as much as possible in-house.
Even
their son, Leon, has his own space, selling candies, gourmet chips and other
edibles for little and grown up kids. There will also be a section in the store
that will feature plants and beautiful table fabrics.
Connect
with both Marchanta and Nomada on Facebook for upcoming information on the 2nd
anniversary of Nomada and for the grand opening of Marchanta's new bakery. Both
will happen in late May; dates have yet to be set.
Marchanta
Nemesio Diez #2
Menu
served: 8 AM - 3 PM daily except closed on Sunday.
Casual
menu served until 10 PM
Day 12: Nuova
Spaghetteria La Cucina di Afrodita
If
one restaurant in SMA is all about great food, comfort food at that, it's Nuova
Spaghetteria La Cucina di Afrodita, Chef Laura Buccheri's second restaurant in
San Miguel de Allende.
Like
its sister restaurant, Trattoria da Laura a Los Mezquites by La Cucina di Afrodita,
in the countryside outside of SMA, this little spaghetteria, located in Centro
at Mercado del Carmen, uses the best ingredients available, many of them
handmade by Chef Buccheri and her husband Justin Mareno. Cheeses, breads, ice
creams, pastries, sausages, jams; they're all made in-house. They even make
their own Limoncello.
In
addition to growing many of their own vegetables, La Cucina di Afrodita sources
produce from Bodega Organica at Rancho Luna Escondida and also hand picks
ingredients from a small grocery store in Comonfort.
Nuova
Spaghetteria La Cucina di Afrodita
Pila Seca 19, Centro
Monday - Thursday 1 PM - 9 PM
Friday - Saturday 1 PM - 11PM
Sunday 1PM - 7 PM
Day 13: Mercado
Rural
It's
important to know where your food comes from. At the Mercado Rural, the first
Sunday of every month, you can depend on good food direct from the producers;
food free of chemicals and pesticides.
The market, one of the most authentic in SMA, was
created to support the producers of the communities surrounding San Miguel de
Allende. These quality vendors bring SMA some of the best handmade products;
clean products with fair trade pricing.
If
you want to connect with your food and get a dose of real Mexico, we'll see you
at Mercado Rural. Don't forget to bring your camera; this group of super
friendly vendors loves to have their picture taken.
Margarito
Ledesna #2 in front of Via Organica
Colonia Guadalupe
9 AM - 4 PM
Day 14: Culinarian
Expeditions
It's
not exactly a restaurant but it should be; so much great food comes out of
their kitchens.
The
one thing I discovered recently: I LOVE anchovies, but only the ones from
Italy.
I've
decided to adopt this group, claiming all of them as familia; all of us getting
an advanced sampling of the pizza that Fulvio Carbonaro will make in a pizza
class for chefs in SMA May 15th and May 22nd.
Gilda
Carbonaro runs Culinarian Expeditions, a culinary touring company that takes
small groups to Italy and Mexico and also teaches cooking classes in her homes
in Italy and SMA.
Gilda
told me recently that she sources all of her food locally. "We get Ciro or
Mutti tomatoes either at Bonanza or Mega. We get the flour from Bonanza and
sometimes a friend brings us a bag of excellent flour from Mexico City (I don’t
know the brand); Caputo flour is just too expensive to import. Mozzarella is
Remos’s at Mega. We get the anchovies here too at Bonanza or Mega; I often just
bring little jars of them back from Italy, because they’re so much better.
Capers and olives are from Bonanza. The fresh ingredients come from Mercado
Sano, like pomodorini, arugula, onions, zucchini. The herbs like oregano,
rosemary and basil are from my rooftop."
If
you want to get fed really well while you're in SMA, this is the place to start
by signing up for a cooking lesson.
Culinarian
Expeditions
www.culinarianexpeditions.com
Day 15: Belmond Casa
Sierra Nevada's Andanza
Belmond
Casa Sierra Nevada recently got a facelift and she's a beauty; elegance, fused
with a touch of home.
The
gorgeous paintings on the walls in the dining room were made by artist
in-house, Jose Luis Arias, taking up four aspects of Otomi culture.The first
one includes the four elements of the earth, represented by four seeds in the
tree of life. The second wall has a mural dedicated to the continuity of life,
represented by a spiral and evokes a belief that rituals guarantee the
continuity of life. Another wall has corn as an essential element of the Otomí
culture and Mezcal, an element dedicated to the festivities. In all of the
walls appear birds, animals and plants that represent the culture itself. They
are all white and stenciled; difficult to get a photograph that shows their
true beauty. Go there to see them yourself.
Belmond
Casa Sierra Nevada's restaurant Andanza opened Monday and to mark the occasion
three chefs - Mariel Beiza, Inez Paez (Chef Tita) and Aaron Mizrahi - cooked a
feast fit for any food lover with some of SMA chefs in attendance.
The
new chef at Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada is Mariel Beiza. She previously cooked
in Riviera Maya with Chef Alan Carias, the chef at Trazo
1810. She is the first female to head up a kitchen at a Belmond hotel; kudos to
GM, John Freudenthaler, for bringing her to SMA. Chef Inez Paez (Chef Tita) is
the Ambassador of new Dominican Cuisine to the world; she owns the restaurant
Travesías in Santo Domingo. Chef/Grillmaster Aaron Mizrahi is from Mexico City,
is an expert on beef and the Ambassador Chef for Creekstone Farms.
All
of the food for the Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada's restaurants is locally
sourced. Much of the produce comes from organic growers in Guanajuato.
Belmond
Casa Sierra Nevada only buys the best ingredients to serve to their guests; I
got a taste on Monday when these three chefs dished up a union of wonderful
Caribbean and Mexican flavors.
The
new menu will be ready in a few weeks; go to savor all the new flavors created
by Chef Mariel Beiza.
Andanza
Calle Hospicio 35
Sunday - Saturday 7:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Day 16: Santo Mar
Queretaro
We
don't often like chain restaurants but Santo Mar is an exception. Close to SMA,
located in the Antea LifeStyle Center in Queretaro, it's known for its seafood.
Freshness in seafood is as important as the seasoning and preparation that is
given to them and this seafood is always fresh. Look for the raw oyster bar at the back of the restaurant.
Two
lobster soups in breadbowls and Oriental salad with Arrachera or shrimp were
the perfect Mother's Day treat. Oh, and can't forget the Casa Madero Chardonnay
from Valle de Parras; the perfect pairing for this delicious soup with lots of
chunky meat.
With
restaurants in San Luis Potosí and Guadalajara, this chain measures up because
it's seafood is so fresh; much of it sourced direct from Ensenada.
Santo
Mar at Antea LifeStyle Center
Carretera Querétaro – San Luis Potosí #12401
Ejido El Salitre
Delegación Félix Osores Sotomayor
Querétaro, Querétaro 76127, México
Monday
- Wednesday 1PM - 11 PM
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 1PM–12AM
Day 17: Luna de
Queso
I
just found out the other night that Chef Alan Carias of Trazo 1810
loves this place; so do I.
Luna
de Queso selects the best products that are made by hand, with natural
ingredients by local producers and farmers. Their food is made fresh
daily. Most of their dishes are under $100 pesos
Luna
de Queso says that the selection of their products reflects the character of
their origin. The specific knowledge of production methods, from whom, where
and how their product are made, reaffirms their direct connection to each item
they offer and its impeccable quality.
Take
their butter. I'm obsessed with the butter; homemade incorporating orange and
honey into the mix. No, they don't sell it but you can sit down and eat a
little loaf of their multigrain bread with the butter as the star ingredient
before you have your meal; it's on the house.
You'll
love everything on the menu, especially their selection of great sandwiches,
breakfasts and smoothies. And, you'll never have to wonder where their products
come from; they've already done that work for you. All you have to do is sit
back and enjoy.
Luna
de Queso
Jesus #2
Salida a Celaya #79
Monday - Saturday 9 AM - 6 PM
Closed Sunday
Day 18: Atrio Restaurant
and Lounge
Atrio
owners, José María Calvo (Chema) and Jesús Manuel Calvo (Chus), celebrated
another successful restaurant opening this past year with Atrio Restaurant and
Lounge.
Chef Arturo
Sandoval of Atrio fuses cuisines; mainly Mexican, Peruvian, and Spanish.
Fourteen dishes into his menu, we’re already smitten. Atrio continues to amaze
us with impressive additions to an already outstanding menu.
Take
these Duck dumplings served with a delicious Ahi amarillo sauce made from
Peruvian peppers. This sauce was so good, a real surprise for me because we
never had an Ahi pepper the entire month we were in Lima.
The
dumplings will be on the menu soon along with nine other new dishes. We love a
restaurant that changes up their menu often, offering us another excuse to eat
out.
Atrio
sources the best ingredients, buying from Arif Towns Alonso at
Simbiosi and other vendors in Mercado Sano, piglets from a farm in Celaya, duck
imported from Canada, meat from Sonora; Rancho La Cieneguita, and the fish and
shellfish come from Ensenada. The rices, for dishes like the mouth-watering Rib
Rice that was our favorite dish in SMA last year, are imported from Calasparra,
Spain. Friends send Chef Arturo Sandoval the peppers from Peru; the advantage
for a chef who has cooked in some of the world's best kitchens.
Atrio
Restaurant and Lounge
Cuna de Allende #3
Daily: 1 PM - 11 PM
Day 19: TOSMA, The
Saturday Organic Market at Mercado Sano
Attracting
locals and tourists alike, the Saturday organic market is the place to be; to shop,
to eat and to socialize. I love the fact that I see all of my friends and
neighbors there. Take your pick because all of the produce is organic and
fresh, along with many other products.
One
of my very favorite spots in Mercado Sano is Simbiosi. Owner Arif Towns
Alonso leads mushroom foraging tours. With the rains, he
expects to start the tours and run them June, July and into August but check
with him at Simbiosi on the lower level of Mercado Sano. This year, he will be
going to four different locations.
With
organic produce, great food in-house like delicious gluten-free desserts
from Denise Rosenfeld's Postres
Artesanale, fish from Miguel at La Isla, a delicious Caramel Chocolate Tart
from Isabelle Ortega at Pâtissier,
Madame la lune, Panaderia La Buena Vida, and other interesting options to
choose from, Mercado Sano is one of our favorite spots to hang out on Saturday
mornings. And, you even get music to go with the mix.
TOSMA
at Mercado Sano
Ancha de San Antonio #123
From 9 AM
Day 20: Petit Four
Since
Petit Four opened, Chefs Norma Guerrero and Paco Cárdenas have
shared their passion for the cakes and pastries with locals and visitors from
all over Mexico and abroad. They celebrated their 20 year anniversary earlier
this year.
Everything
at Petit Four is handcrafted from the finest and most fresh ingredients but
love and dedication are the secret ingredients. Baked in small quantities
several times a day to ensure freshness and flavor, many of the things that are
served at Petit Four are made in-house.
Butter
is a primary ingredient at any bakery and Chef Paco Cárdenas told me that
they've used New Zealand butter since they opened; they baked with it at the
Marriott Hotel in Mexico City before they opened Petit Four. They've tried
other butters but none have performed to the consistency of the New Zealand
butter they get delivered in large blocks at the bakery every week.
When
I arrived in SMA, my first cooking class was with Chef Paco Cardenas; it’s one
of the best in SMA. An all day session, you shop for ingredients at Mercado
Ignacio Ramirez and wrap up with a sit down feast, complete with wine from
Valle de Guadalupe. In between, Chef Paco’s expert knowledge of Mexican food
will get your cooking skills ready for some serious entertaining.
We
got this deliciously fresh, Italian sandwich today, stuffed with tomatoes,
basil and Mozzarella for $60 pesos. The Florentines? Well that's an indulgence
on a whole different level.
Petit
Four
Mesones No. 99-1 Centro, CP 37700
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico
9 AM - 8 PM except Sunday 9 AM - 5 PM
Closed: Monday
Day 21: Cafe Muro
Café
Muro delivers the same great taste every time you go. You see multi-generations
of hungry eaters packing the house every day, especially on Sunday for
breakfast. Owners Gerardo Arteaga and Carlos Muro know how to make their
customers feel at home. Their long list of regulars pays tribute to the
terrific food and service. They use good
ingredients; you can taste them.
No
one tells you about Cafe Muro's sourcing program better than Gerardo:
"Cafe
MuRo success can be defined in one word: Consistency! Consistency in the
professional and attentive service which has become a tradition from Cafe Muro.
Consistency in buying only fresh, quality and local products which allow us to
create and prepare tasty, simple and delicious food for our customers. Buying
at the local markets with our marchantes, or small stores and shops, or with a
long tradition of a family butcher or bakery shop, makes us happy to take care
of our customers and treat them like our family. We want them not only to taste
our food but to savor a little of our San Miguel food suppliers that try every
day to show us that their products are the real soul of San Miguel de Allende's
food tradition."
Cafe
Muro
Cerrada de San Gabriel 1, El Obraje, 37725 San Miguel de Allende, Gto.
9
AM - 4 PM
Closed Wednesday
Day 22: Marchanta Comedor:The Juice
Leave
it to a chef, Chef Sofía
Antillón, to know how to make simple juice taste so good. Four
juices, all made from fruits and herbs, will fill you up. At $50 pesos each,
they're a part of Marchanta's new breakfast menu. We drank them as a meal
replacement during our detox so why are we back again? The taste; you wouldn't believe the taste and they
are made without any sugar or sweetners.
We
love them all but the Amarillo is our favorite. Amarillo:orange, pineapple,
mango, passion fruit, and turmeric. That's it! Our new favorite drink.
Verde:
spinach, ginger, celery, spearmint, nopales and apple.
Rojo:
Watermelon, strawberries, fig, raspberries and pink peppercorns.
Blanco:
Coconut, lemon, litchi and guava.
Marchanta
Nemesio Diez #2
Menu served: 8 AM - 3 PM daily except closed on Sunday. Casual menu served
until 10 PM
Day 23: Ki'bok
Coffee
Ki'bok
means good aromas in Mayan and good aromas are everywhere in Ki'bok Coffee SMA.
We
enjoyed a delicious stuffed Avocado for 90 pesos and a fresh-made limonada for
20 pesos. Two other drinks you'll love: the coffee, all organic; Chipas for the
cold brew and Veracruz for the hot drinks and Canada de la Virgen's Bone Broth.
There
are plenty of other interesting things on the menu, like Quinoa Bowls. Much of
their produce comes from organic farms in Queretaro.
Grab
the coziest seat in the house: this little nook, where Canada de la
Virgen's Meagan Burns sips a hot cup
of healthy bone broth or climb the stairs to the rooftop where Jose Yañez enjoys the
view of SMA.
Greeting
you are a super friendly pair of young sisters from Tulum: Dess Quintero Rocha and
Jaimdi Quintero Rocha. Ki'bok's original location is in Tulum.
Ki'bok
Diez de Sollano y Dávalos #25
Daily 8 AM - 6 PM
Closed 12/25
Day 24: Lavanda Cafe
Back
in February, 2014, we wrote: " Lavanda Cafe is #51 on Trip Advisor. It
should be in the top 10." 543 Trip Advisor reviews later it's right up
there; the #1 listing in the coffee restaurants in SMA.
Breakfast
at Lavanda is as good as it gets. The long lines down the block every single
day but Tuesday are a testimony to Chef Karla Becerra Martinez's cooking and
her use of good ingredients in every dish she makes. She buys all her produce
at Fruiteria Saragosa because she says they have the best quality in town;
she's been buying from them for years.They also get select items from vendors
in the countryside outside of SMA.
Karla
loves cheese and she's especially picky when she buys it. She purchases all of
her cheese from a small provider in Celaya who buys all of the milk to make it
from local farmers.
Tortillas,
which they also use a lot of, are made in the old traditional process by a
husband and wife team who craft all of them by hand.
There's
no middleman between Karla and most of her producers so quality control is
tight. They know what she expects and only deliver the best. It's one of the
many reasons why people call Lavanda Cafe one of the best breakfast, lunch and
coffee restaurants in SMA. We think it is too!
Lavanda
Cafe
Calle del Dr Ignacio Hernandez Macias # 87
Monday,
Wednesday - Saturday: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Sunday: 8:30 - 2 PM . Closed Tuesday.
Day 25: Naa Na
cocina fresca
Sally Azar-Serur's nutritious
restaurant, Naa Na cocina fresca, recently opened and only uses the freshest
ingredients to put on their Toasts and in their Bowls, Salads and Smoothies.
I
tried a Chicken stir fry with vegetables and peanut sauce; a healthy fill up,
served over a delicious rice blend quinoa and topped with nuts and green beans.
We
think it's fantastic that Doce 18 finally has a healthy restaurant. In fact,
going healthy at least once a week is a great way to keep those kilos in check
after successive days of overeating, not to mention the drinking.
Some
of their produce is local organic but most of it comes from Celaya, Guanajuato,
Queretaro and Mexico City.
Stop
in and chat with Erik Hans, their new chef from Mexico City. He's full of ideas
that he wants to implement once the restaurant is up and running; they've only
been open for a few days.
We
like his take on healthy eating. We know you will too.
Naa
Na cocina fresca
Doce 18 at Relox 18
Hours: 10 AM - 10 PM
Day 26: MiVida
My
Italian indulgence: Pizza and Paleta.
Tell
me where your ingredients come from and I can tell you, without even tasting,
if I'm going to love your food.
Pizza:
Flour for the dough: Italian, imported from Italy, especially for pizzas
Sausage: made in-house
Cheese: Pecorino Romano - Imported
Arugula: Rancho de Trinidad
Tomato Sauce - San Mariano, from Italy
Organic Basil - From Luc at Mercado Sano
Extra Virgin Olive Oil imported from Italy
Paleta:
In Italy, chocoholics are known as ciocco-dipendenti. I'm definately one after
this dessert.
Chocolate
- Callebaut, the best Belgian Chocolate using the finest, high-grade cocoa
beans from West Africa
Ice Cream - made in-house with an Italian ice-cream machine.
On
a scale of 1-10, it's a 12! Best Restaurant Pizza in town? Not even a question
with all of the great ingredients that go into making it.
MiVida
Calle del Dr Ignacio Hernandez Macias 97
Sunday 3PM - 11 PM
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 1 PM - 11 PM
Closed Tuesday
Day 27: Taco Lab and
Birdie's Burgers
When Taco Lab and Birdies Burgers came to SMA, I
was elated. Finally, restaurants that redefine fast food.
The king of good ingredients, Chef Donnie
Masterton, either grows his own or buys from local producers like Luc Monzies
of Bodega Organica at Rancho Luna Escondida, who is helping Chef Masterton with
his organic farm, which will ultimately supply all of his restaurants: The
Restaurant, El Vergel, Birdies Burgers, Taco Lab, Fatima 7, and Café Casa
Blanca.
I love the menu here, in particular two items
that really define his use of good ingredients: the Marine Girl Salad and this
Hardshell taco trio - which I get filled with short rib, carnita and
fish. Don't forget to try the Taco of the Week; a special that may
ultimately end up on the Tacolicious menu back in the states. We're feeling
special because we get to try all the new recipes here in SMA first.
Canada de la Virgin beef and a Panaderia La
Buena Vida bun; Burger love just doesn't get any better than this at Birdies.
Taco Lab and Birdies Burgers
Doce 18 at Relox 18
Daily: 10 AM to 10 PM
Day 28: Panio Atelier du Pain
I love the new Panio Atelier du Pain, not just for the high quality bakery
goods but also the restaurant, where I frequently enjoy breakfast. The eggs
benedict is a favorite, topped with a perfect, classic French hollandaise sauce
with the slight flavor of vinegar.
Panio is trying to go 100% organic, with much of
their produce being purchased from local, organic producers like Luc Monzies of
Bodega Organica at Rancho Luna Escondida.
"Que bonito es lo bonito" was a recent
Facebook post from Operations Director, Sebastian Acosta Quiroz, who is all about home grown food. I caught a picture
of him seated next to Luc at the Outstanding in the Field dinner back in
January, engaged in a passionate discussion on the subject of organic
food.
We like a restaurant that has a respect for the
quality of ingredients they serve their customers. And yes, we can taste the
difference too.
Panio Atelier du Pain
Salida a Celaya 69
Daily: 8 AM - 10 PM
Day 29: Trazo 1810
This is a restaurant we truly love. Great food and good ingredients have always
been #1 on Chef Alan’s priority list.
Chef Alan Carias has a simple method of sourcing
his ingredients: "In the restaurant, we have the philosophy of
working in the position depending on what the local producers give us, we work
with Via Organica, Olio FIno, El Capricho, Luna de Queso and local suppliers of
La Placita on Tuesdays, so we can adapt our menu to the fresh and accessible
seasonal products."
Fish: well most of us know they they fly it in
and pick it up in Queretaro so we can enjoy it fresh that night.
I recently popped in for something light and
true to the Thai flavors that Chef Alan Carias is an expert at creating, we
were surprised when the waiter delivered this beautiful presentation, fresh
flowers and all. The eggrolls were dusted with celery powder, adding an
interesting flavor to the dish. Too
pretty to eat? We thought so too... but only for a minute, after which we
drifted off, dreaming of our next trip to Thailand.
Trazo 1810
Hidalgo #8
Daily 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM except Friday and Saturday
to 11:00 PM
Day 30: El Vergel Bistro and Market
We had a great experience with Chef Magda Elisa
Pablos staff in her absence this past week. Ivan is one of the best waiters we
know; in fact, everyone on the floor that day could not do enough for the
guests. I was impressed with the fabulous service.
The food, well that's always
remarkable; a given because Chef Magda Elisa Pablos sources ingredients from
the same providers used by one of the partners in the restaurant, Chef Donnie
Masterton. Either they grow it or buy it from local producers like Luc Monzies
of Bodega Organica at Rancho Luna Escondida, who is helping Chef Masterton with
the organic farm which will ultimately supply all of his restaurants: The
Restaurant, El Vergel, Birdies Burgers, Taco Lab, Fatima 7, and Café Casa
Blanca.
No matter what you choose off the menu, you know
it's going to be delicious, partly because of all the good ingredients that go
into preparing it. And when you want to take some of that goodness home with
you, stop by the market for a wide selection of gourmet items.
El Vergel Bistro and Market is the
final restaurant in our 30 day series on good ingredients and like the old
saying goes: we saved one of the best for last.
El Vergel Bistro and Market
Camino la Alborada #17, Predio la Alborada,
37880
Tuesday - Thursday and Sunday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday - Saturday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Closed Monday
