There’s nothing better
than getting a great deal in SMA these days and MAEH Bakery and Restaurant is
the best find we’ve had in the decade we’ve been here.
You’ll never complain
about the price. MAEH offers a $350 pesos brunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
from 12:00 noon to 2:00 PM. Price aside, the food is so good and when we asked
to see the new chef, we were reminded why.
We went to Mexico City to eat with SMA chef, Marco Cruz, who owned Tres Tonola
in Roma, and also trained this chef, Andrea Rivera, who was in the kitchen at
the time. That credential is good enough for us because in the 10 years we’ve
been in SMA, Chef Marco Cruz was always one of the best chefs here. Chef Rivera
has been in MAEH’s kitchen for less than a month and is already creating a
buzz; using locally sourced ingredients and cooking all Mexican dishes. It’s
great to have another female chef at the helm of a SMA kitchen; especially a
Mexican one. The new GM was also familiar, Vizcaya Arellano Edgar, who was
trained at Grupo Levain and Co and worked or cooked at many of their best restaurants
- Dos Casas, Aperi, Los Olivos and Cumpanio. She’s one of the few women we know
in SMA who is responsible for multiple brands: Recinto, Huitzil and MAEH.
The brunch was simple and delicious. Take your choice of juice or a Mimosa,
Chilaquiles with red or green sauce or Mole Almendrado and a bowl of mixed
fruit: Pear, Cantaloupe, Papaya, Blueberries, Blackberries and Raspberries with
a Passion fruit honey; a homemade recipe from the chef which we suggested they
sell as the flavors were remarkable. We also loved the Chilaquiles. We ordered
half salsa verde and half mole; the mole was in the category of DIVINE.
The French Macarons
stuffed with Orange and White Chocolate are some of the only French Macarons we’ve
eaten that we really loved and the Pan de Muerto was filled with a Mandrin
cream and topped with fresh fruits. Both had marigold accents and were baked
in-house by Chef Jafet Flores, who hails from León and worked for Panio before
coming to run the MAEH Bakery. The bakery is open to the public and has some of
the most original and interesting baked goods; many changing with the seasons.
The service was fantastic. Our waitress, Izamar Lopez Gonzalez, knew the answer
to every question we asked. It was surprising considering that many of the
questions were quite complex.
Their hotel, El Recinto, won an architectural design award in Mexico. Hilda,
the owner, is charming, fun and totally down to earth. Her staff changes
started a few months back and both the food and service have taken a giant leap
forward. This past month, the new, young Mixologist, Johnathan Soto, who
doesn’t look old enough to drink himself, came over from two of the best
restaurants in SMA - Atrio and La Dona. Today he made a seasonal cocktail to
celebrate Day of the Dead with Casa Dragones, Mandrin and Aperol.
Interestingly, it’s the only drink we’ve ever liked made with Aperol.
Also look for new,
handmade pizzas which have recently been added to the lunch menu. At the more
formal restaurant downstairs, Huitzil, Chef Andrea Rivera will surprise you
with a menu of simple, classic Mexican specialties. In our book, simple cooking
is where it’s at.
We can’t say enough about the owner, who clearly hired some of the best trained
staff in SMA. The quality of the experience is one of the many reasons that
this is one of the top new restaurants in SMA. And the best news is you
can also afford to eat here!
Buen Provecho!
MAEH Bakery and
Restaurant
Huitzil Restaurant
El Recinto Luxury Hotel
Quebrada #113
Centro 37700
San Miguel de Allende, Gto
415 688 5246
Daily 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
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