Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Cumpanio 14 Year Anniversary

Chef Ana Martinez of Cumpanio is Mexico’s Julia Child with her own set of passions for cooking FRENCH; my favorite food. Cumpanio’s 14 year anniversary meal last week was French and priced at just $600 pesos + service. Like most people, we think price is important but, truth be told, we value quality over price and at Cumpanio, you’ll always get the highest quality; it’s a given. The first course was Gugers and biting into these cheese puffs was like biting into a cloud. I never do this but I ate them all; not a single one for the 5 other people that were about to sit down at my table. The waiter brought several fresh bowls and flashed a smile, almost as if to say “I know; I just did the same thing.” Don’t get me near the Gugers again. I’m officially addicted to wine bread. I wasn’t too sure but it’s fabulous; both in a Foie gras dish and the salad with goat cheese. Foie gras is a popular, well-known delicacy in French cuisine with a flavor so rich and buttery it’s not like ordinary duck or goose liver. It was served with a butter and red wine reduction. The dressing on the salad was a chive and sherry vinaigrette and a perfect complement for the greens. Both dishes were C'est excellent. The Coq au Vin was cooked the old fashioned, French way and yes, I ate every single bite. You’re allowed to love more than one version of Coq au Vin; in fact, did you know it’s mandatory if you’re a lover of French food? Panio’s split-top French roll was just right for dunking and this bowl required two. There was also an oyster served as the second course and a beautiful French apple tart for dessert. The after dinner drink: the tastiest expresso with milk and Chocolate Truffles with Whiskey and Tequila; one of the best chocolates in SMA that I’ve loved since we first ate them on SMA day one. 4,745 days later, we’re still as passionate about them as the first day we ate them. Talk about living out one of your favorite pastimes, the following day we went back for breakfast to take in all of the smells that come with sitting in a bakery all morning. It was heavenly. The Coco, café and leche condensada is my favorite new coffee drink. I had it hot and never loved it but when they served it cold, all of the flavors came pouring out. It was worth the $75 peso price tag. Choripan Con Huevo or bread, poached egg, red salsa and chorizo was spicy but not too spicy at $180 pesos. This is on our best list of breakfast dishes in SMA. I first tasted the Kouign-Amann back when Panio started baking them in 2017 and credit this caramelized pastry with getting me through what seemed like a really long pandemic; priced at $42 pesos. If you haven’t had one yet you’ve missed 7 years of craving what my inveterate sweet tooth tells me is the best pastry in SMA. It’s even better with a scoop of homemade ice cream on top. Cumpanio is near the top of our list of the best places to eat in 2025. Cumpanio has more of our favorite everyday dishes on their menu than any other restaurant in SMA. In this post alone there are so many of them and every time we go back, we discover more. Cumpanio is also the place where we connect to be with the people we love - to enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing; a philosophy that has been embraced by many cultures, including the Mexicans and it’s what we do best on the back patio at Cumpanio every Saturday morning. Cumpanio at Correo #29 / Hours: 8 AM – 9 PM Monday – Thursday, Friday – Saturday 8 AM – 10 PM - Sunday 8 AM – 8 PM. There’s also a Cumpanio in the Antea Lifestyle Center in Querétaro. Panio Atelier at Salida a Celaya #67-69 / Hours: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PM. Closes 7:00 PM Sunday Panio at Relox #12 / Hours: 9 AM – 8 PM Panio Courier at Correo #29 / Hours: Daily 8 AM – 8 PM Panio Firefly at La Luciérnaga / Hours: 7:30 AM – 9 PM. Closes 7:00 PM Sunday. Hortus at Portal de Guadalupe #12 / Hours: 8 AM - 9 PM. Closes 10:00 PM on both Friday and Saturday. Closed Tuesday. WhatsApp order number: 415 101 3003