It was the numbers that, initially, led us to the restaurant.
First, I’d been desperate for a new “local” and the place was only two blocks from mi casa. Second, they had not one but two oyster dishes on their website menu and, as much as I love the oysters at Hank’s and Mario’s, there was lots of room for a third place to go “aw shucks” in this town. Third, I liked the look of the prices; I want my dishes at a max of in-and-around 300 pesos and that’s what I saw on the menu.
The restaurant is in a hotel called Casa Arum that Google Maps shared was at the top of the street leading to the Churro steps, one block up from the Mirador. Now being a guy with green thumbs and, to Don Day’s Wife’s dismay, almost constantly dirty fingernails, I know that arums are the plants that I call calla lilies, most Mexicans call cuna de Moises and most expats call peace lilies.
The restaurant is called Sombra de Arum but, despite my Spanish being good enough to know sombra means shade or shadow, I had no idea what a sombra de arum was. But I was definitely intrigued.
We were very pleasantly greeted at the door by a guy called Jose Luis who I later learned likes the handle Pepe. He showed us a cocktail bar on the left, a bar seating area on the right, then led us to the dining room.
It gave a little more meaning to the word sombra. Very dark. Very intimate. Cavelike. Almost mystical. Classy and comfy looking chairs. But the tables were tiny, with hardly enough room for a couple of plates and glasses. We chose to sit at the bar.
Pepe presented us with a cocktail menu. There were many with fanciful names. Night Orchid. Holbox Dreams. Amaro Noir. Last Whisper. Many of the contents were also intriguing. But we’re not adventurous drinkers. We’re boring wine drinkers.
Sombra de Arum, unfortunately, doesn’t have a wine list. We think it’s important that restaurants do have wine lists no matter how small that list is. And we like to know what things cost.
Pepe suggested a Spanish Verdejo. We liked the $850 price. We liked the glassware it was served in. We liked the temperature of the wine. We like Verdejos with shellfish.
We hummed and hawed between the two oyster dishes. The first, what we presumed was the raw, was called Ichitti, a word meaningless not only to a foodie but Wikipedia. The second was a gratin done with garlic butter and truffled manchego. Six or a dozen? The raw? The cooked? Both?
Alas, the restaurant was out of oysters.
We slid back into the menu and decided to stay on land not sea. We decided to share orders of croquettes, sliders and pork belly.
The barbacoa croquettes looked wonderful on the plate and tasted wonderful on the tongue.
“The meat has oxtail as well as lamb”, Pepe told us as we slid our oxtail-laden forks through the cauliflower purée and the half moon of au jus.
The meat on the mini burgers had a nice fat content and was perfectly cooked. The primary secondary (think those words make sense?) taste on the sliders was a rich blue cheese. Perhaps not perfect for everyone but perfect for Don Day’s Wife and I.
We stayed with the same winery, Bodegas Alcardet, but switched to a Merlot to match the meats. I thought the aerator used for the pour was a bit gimmicky but was impressed that the wine wasn’t served at room but chilled to a perfect 15 C or so temperature.
Accolades continued with the crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside pork belly, this time accompanied by a sweet potato smear and, even though it was very repetitious, another side of the au jus was welcomed.
There wasn’t really room for dessert but one of Don Day’s very best favorites was on the menu. Delight turned to dismay, however, when we were told the restaurant was out of the Basque cheesecake. The only other dessert was vanilla ice cream. We asked for la cuenta.
So, yes, there are problems at Sombra de Arum but the food was exceptional as was the service. And if you think of the place as a bar rather than a restaurant, that cavern of a dining room and those tiny tables might even work.
Don Day’s Wife and I are going back. Not at the beginning of the week but on a Thursday because that’s when Pepe told us the oysters arrive. And perhaps that will also be the day that they bake a Basque cake.
Sombra de Arum is located at Salida Real a Queretaro 101A in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The restaurant is open Monday to Wednesday, 2:00 to 10:00 pm; Thursday to Saturday, 2:00 pm to Midnight; Sunday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Reservations may be made at Open Table.
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