San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

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Hi,

I wasn't quite sure where to post this -Beyond Chicagoland or Site Chat. I'm just so darned excited that I finally figured out how to post a photo! Granted, I hadn't put a ton of effort into it, but my first few attempts were no-go's and I was starting to feel a little lame. "Thanks" to EatChicago and JimInLoganSquare - your collective tips in Site Chat were a big help.

Anyway, two years ago, we took a trip to San Miguel that I never got around to posting about. Unfortunately, I didn't take too many "food" pictures. Above shot was taken at the large market on the edge of town. Not an ice cube in sight.

We took a class at a cooking school not far from the main square, called Sazon. It's a beautiful space with a very modern kitchen/classroom in the back. They also have a small retail shop in the front. Of course, I didn't take any pictures during the class (doh!,) but below there's a shot of the courtyard separating the shop from the classroom.

Our chef/instructor came from years of working at a large chain hotel in Mexico City. He and his sister moved to San Miguel and opened their own French-style pastry shop. A day after the class, husband and I sat down with him in his place (Petit Four,) for a latte and some chocolate. Despite the difficulties and financial struggles of running a from-scratch bakery, he and his sister love San Miguel and have carved out a nice niche for themselves. The shop is largely patronized by tourists and the American and Canadian retirees that have moved there, but he also does huge business with local families providing specialty cakes for weddings, holidays, etc... The last photo is a shot of a table in his cafe.


We found San Miguel quite charming and it's people truly warm and hospitable. If only I had taken more pictures of the food!

In September, we are going to Merida in the Yucatan for a week. Now that I know how to post a photo, I will be sure to focus on some food shots!

Petit Four
Mesones #99-1
Centro, 37700

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I was recently in San Miguel de Allende, and would certainly recommend Bugambilia for the tasty chiles en nogada fria. We also liked Ten Ten Pie for low key tacos. There is a nice little cafe called San Augustin which has at least 3 different kinds of chocolate (in beverage, not bar form) and fresh churros.

I am heading to San Miguel de Allende next month and would love as many recommendations as possible from LTH'ers! Thanks in advance.

Darren72,

Lucky you! We loved San Miguel - hope you have a great trip! If you are prepared to spend a little money (even by U.S. standards,) we had a fabulous meal at Azafran. Sorry, no address in my notes, but I can tell you what I had - Tender Cactus Soup w/ Baby Shrimp, Spicy Black Bean Cakes w/ Mango-Black Bean Salsa & Fresh Salmon in Anchovy Butter w/ Basmati Rice. Service was top-notch & they had an excellent wine list. We also had breakfast at San Agustin and the churros and fresh fruit were very good, however it was the one place that we found the service to be a bit unfriendly. I can recommend Pegaso. We had lunch there twice. Really good scallop ceviche. Tio Lucas is a totally touristy "steak house," but also really fun - crowded, lively, live jazz every night, and the guy who owns it is a hoot (he really works the room.) Another touristy place that we found fun for a drink and appetizer was Harry's New Orleans Cafe, run by an ex-pat. Be sure to stop by Petit Four for a dessert, pastry, or even just a truffle. Lastly, there is an Italian place, a bit hidden, in the language school called L'Invito. The chef is from, I think, Milan. Service was slow, but OMG, good food. She personally took care of us family-style and sent to the table a tomato salad w/ goat cheese and baby greens, sauteed spinach w/ garlic, spaghetti aglio olio, penne bolognese, and an amazing salmon risotto. All simple dishes, but perfectly executed. Not what I'd expect to find in a Mexican language school, but it was really wonderful.

Again, sorry I don't have addresses. but all of these places are well known in San Miguel - just ask at your hotel. Lynn

Lynn - thanks so much!

I thought I'd refresh this post as figjustin and I are heading down to San Miguel for Thanksgiving. If anyone has any updates from recent trips, fill me in. Darren72?

Unfortunately I can't find any notes about the restaurants we visited!

We ate very well, but many of the higher-end places served more international cuisines, or Mexican-influenced continental cuisine. We didn't find many places that do truly excellent traditional Mexican cuisine.

One highlight of our trip was a private cooking class - we had a blast and the Mole we made was wonderful. Here's the link:
http://www.traditionalmexicancooking.com.mx/index.html

Well, we're in Mexico. Taking pictures and blogging as we go...

Today we played caterer and made dinner for figjustin's whole family. I'll write more about that in Shopping and Cooking. Our most memorable meal outside of the home was today's lunch of gorditas. Prepared before our eyes, the gorditas were fresh and chewy, and we got to choose from about 10 different fillings. We had one with champinones y rajas (mushrooms and poblanos in a creamy green sauce) and mole (a very sweet deep red mole). The gorditas were prepared at El Comal de Dona Meche, just two blocks off The Jardin (the main square). Delish. Will post pictures soon, I promise.

Our Blog - to read more about our eating adventures