The other half of the story...

I know a few things about Don Day. Do you?

Don Day scores his paella by counting the number of ingredients? True or False?

Don Day has been coming to SMA since 2004 and has been blogging here since 2010. True or False?

Don Day loves beer and sings like Kenny Chesney. Or was it that he sings along with Kenny Chesney? Never mind. You know enough already.

Like most Canadian's in San Miguel, Don Day travels in a pack. What else would you call "The Gentlemen Who Do Lunch" or his "little sewing circle?"

If I were one of them - and I am not as it is clear that there are no women allowed - I would follow Don Day to lunch too. After all, he knows where to eat.

Did I mention however that sometimes you are required to consume "unmentionable cuisine" (remember the post on montalayo) just to feast at his table? You have to be an "Andrew Zimmerman type" just to keep pace.

Lord knows what you'll be eating next Thursday when he finds some obscure, out-of-the-way hole-in-the-wall. Pan fried worms and pig stomach tacos? I guarantee you one thing though...he'll surprise you. He's that kind of guy.

With 28 blog posts under his belt this year - everything from "In Praise of Redheads and Burritos" to "Who Has the Best Buns in San Miguel", I will admit that he's got a following. I am one of them.

I was first hooked by his post on "60 Scrumptious Things to Eat In San Miguel" which was sent to me by two of SMA’s true foodies: Pat Carter and Carol Jackson. I was new in town and didn't think anyone could come up with a list that long. There was everything on the list from Bavette with bottarga to Torchon de foie gras. Now it is a point of reference when I want something out-of-the-ordinary to eat.

Did you know he's tried just about everything here and if he hasn't found it, his wife cooks it for him? Here's a little secret though. Mrs. Don Day, who is one of the best cooks on the planet, like me could not get her Kitchen Aid in her suitcase when she came down to San Miguel. I would hate to think what she would be whipping up if it had fit.

So when Don Day sent me a note a few weeks back to join him at Tuesday Market, I could not resist. This is a guy who loves food as much as I do and blogs about it to anyone who will listen.

Besides, he's married. It's not like this was a "date"or anything. But it was... kind of sort of.

 

Don Day is a food blogger. A very funny one at that so I know he'll be a little less annoyed about me reaching over him to steal a piece of his lunch and wouldn't go crazy when I tell him that he can't order the same thing as I do...but he did anyway. The man is also a bit cheeky.

Speaking of cheeky, you got all the details on his blog about that day even down to the part about eating cheeks, brains and eyes. I could have done without the eyeballs but I didn't tell him that. You see, I'm a bit cheeky myself.

I got the bright idea that devouring a plate of brains would make me smarter. Little did I know the entire "date" would set me on the hunt for pork cheeks (this was another one of his challenges although he is now blessed with the mission of finding beef cheeks) that would place me in Comonfort at 8AM on a cold February morning for the second time in a week...this time via the Flecha Amarilla not having a clue where I was going.

Tell me now. Do you think they made me any smarter?

I wouldn't tell him that I agree with almost everything he writes or that just as I was making notes to go to Le Cochon qui Saute he did a post on them. You know how ad men are. Just crazy enough to invite a Mexican-French born chef over to his house to cook coq a vin for 11 of his rat pack friends.

In another 3 years talk to me again. Don Day will probably still be teaching me something about the food in SMA that I didn't know ... like Brain Tacos do make you smarter if you eat enough of them AND wash them down with a good bottle of tequila.

Salud and Bon Apetit! 

The Mutual Admiration Society has left the House.

Follow Don Day at http://dondayinsma.wordpress.com/

SMA Shorts

Always have: a Plan B

Clever use of: silverware

Thankful for:

A Fireplace and a sweater

A clear blue sky every day

Hansen's Specials:

I ordered Osso Bucco ( I ate the entire plate it was that good) which I thought was the only special I hadn't tried at Hansen's but as it turned out I had missed one - Fried Eggplant - the special for Thursday.

Happily coming back for another round next weekend.

Pork Butcher in the house?

What I couldn't find in San Miguel? Pork Cheek

Where I did find it: Comonfort

Loved this little butcher shop right in the town square.

Conclusion: Always give the treasured cheeks to the best cook in the bunch- Mrs. Don Day! Thanks Sharon. They were a work of art.

Fiber Feast

Candelaria: Week Two

Mexican healthy

The Restaurant's New Appetizer:

Yakitori grilled pork belly and duck livers skewers with scallions and organic greens.

Verdict. Delicious especially if you like duck livers. Two thumbs up for the grilled pork belly. A little too heavy on the dressing.

The Restaurant's New Dessert:

Pecan, bourbon and butterscotch bread pudding with vanilla ice cream.

Verdict: Really good but nothing better than the Burnt Caramel Ice Cream Sundae.

Market finds:

Chicken Gizzards/35 pesos a kilo/Tuesday Market

My Italian neighbor use to invite 6 of us over every Sunday for Chicken Gizzards.

She would slow cook them in a pot of water with lots of pepper.

Wishing now I had her recipe.

Missing:

Good Hash Browns

Mac and Lobster

Ultra- thin chocolate chip cookies

Favorite Civil List Post:

One of my favorite San Miguel eateries is now offering rides, to and from the restaurant! Yesterday, each table had a place card announcing transportation from your home to Milagros and return.

Los Milagros Restaurant Bar

Relox 17

152 00 97 (call for a ride)

Between the Jardin and Mesones

Billionaires Bacon

1 lb. bacon

1½ cups light brown sugar

Separate strips of bacon and blot dry with paper towels. Put sugar into a wide dish. Coat both sides of bacon in sugar, firmly pressing sugar into each strip. Lay bacon out on sheet pans as coated. Cook bacon in a preheated 425° oven, turning once, until browned and lacquered, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled sheet pan to let cool.

Sorry… NOT SHARING!

MX/ Home of the 35 Peso Margarita?

Popped into MX, San Francisco 8, to check out the menu and the rooftop dining room.

Surprised to find a 35 peso Margarita on the menu only to realize after I ordered it that it had little or no tequila in it. I would much rather have a Margarita with legs (so you can crawl home) and pay a little more...especially if I'm going to take in all the calories.

Heard this restaurant has the most fabulous chef and the Mixiote MX with organic rabbit is amazing. Stay tuned.

Butter, Butter and More Butter...

PANNOS, a new bakery located at Stirling Dickinson, #52, in San Antonio is on to something.

It was not the beautiful Lebonese pita bread but the butter cookies that got my attention. Tasted a lot like the cookies my grandmother use to make. In fact, I had to eat 4 of them just to find that out.

It opens at 10 AM but go early. She is selling out of everything...especially the butter cookies. I plan to buy them all!

Real Japanese: Healthy, Fresh and $

Delica Mitsu

49 Calzada de la Luz

Colonia Guadalupe

Wednesday - Monday 12-7

Closed Tuesday

What's not to love about really good food at a great price? This is my new go-to spot. It's amazing what really fresh ingredients create.

I had the Bento - 2 Selections: 45 pesos

Asian Spinach Salad with carrot, jicama w Asian Sesame Dressing

Fresh Spring Roll w chili sauce

My friend Marcia had the Bento - 3 Selections: 65 pesos

Hijiki Japanese Seaweed Salad

Fried Curried Rice Ball

California Sushi Rolls

They also own Delica Mitsu in Guanajuato.

Stashing Sweets for My Sweet. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Buen Apetito!

Malicha's Grill

Colegio Militar #16, Colonia Guadalupe

This little restaurant opened in Colonia Guadalupe about 6 months back and although they are still evolving, they have hit a signature dish that would make most fans of the Chicago Dog cringe.

Traditionally a Chicago dog is topped with yellow mustard; chopped white onions; bright green sweet pickle relish; a dill pickle spear; tomato slices; pickled sport peppers; and a dash of celery salt.

This classic? BBQ sauce and asparagus.

Having eaten my fair share of hot dogs while living in Chicago the past 25 years, I say this Mexican version is the real deal. There is something about the combination of flavors that makes it the most ordered dish in the restaurant.

First off, they use quality ingredients. It's a Polish - like the Maxwell Street Polish which is called one of the classic foods synonymous with Chicago - on a bun (they are currently looking for a bread provider to improve the overall quality of the dish) with Rancho Viejo bacon. Add a little goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, grilled asparagus and what would be the secret sauce. They divulged the ingredients to me but I'll never tell what the magic is behind the dish. Now that I think about it, it's really Mexican basic and pretty ingenious.

The Polish is grilled so in Chicago we would call it a "char-dog."Can't tell you how good it was to be eating one of these again.

The French fries were fresh and flash fried so they were not greasy. They could have been a little more well done but a lot of that's me...I like mine extra crispy on the edge of being burnt.

The real treasure of the space is the cozy rooftop where Jesse Moore, the award-winning singer, songwriter, musician and actor was playing the night we went. Just an FYI, Jesse's in town and is bound to do a pop-up gig just about anywhere.

The owners, an unlikely band of brothers, cousins and friends, are young and just the creative ticket to make this little place work.

And for me, who takes her Hot Dogs seriously, I'm going back today for Round II.

Buen Apetito and hold the ketchup!

Cava Sautto Wine Fest

With over notes of Cotija Cheese...

These were the words that were whispered in my ear by the Mezcal salesman as I took a little sip. Turns out he was probably one of the best liquor salesmen I've run across in a long time.

He instructed first time tasters to pour a little in their hands and rub them together and savor the smell before they drank it. He also instructed them to hold it in their mouth for a few minutes before they actually swallowed it.

That's the Mezcal kiss that he talked about and I wrote about in my recent post on Mezcal.

This Mezcal was one of my favorites although I ultimately didn't taste any cheese notes...obviously the sign of a less than sophisticated Mezcal palate.

It was also 48% alcohol and Amores - another one of my favorites - is 37%. Did I realize the difference? Not really. Both are great Mezcal's according to my taste buds no matter what the percentage of alcohol.

There were a wide variety of other wine and liquor brands at the Cava Sautto Wine Fest on Saturday, February 8.

Like the new Jack Daniels Honey. For someone who does not like whiskey, I loved the taste.

This event is on my A List of festivals. The cost? A mere 50 pesos considering you got a 200 pesos credit in the liquor store redeemable for products.

The purple wrist band allowed us to enter, leave and then re-enter again at night. It was packed later on and there was a mad rush on the liquor store about 7:50 PM.

I also enjoyed going earlier when we had an opportunity to visit with all the vendors and sample their products.

Favorite of the show? What else but this Spanish Champagne. When it comes down to it, I always pick the bubbly.

Buen Apetito!