Which wines go best with bagels?

Which wines go best with bagels?

I had a quandary. I wanted to feature the bagels created by San Miguel’s El Brillo and the wines distributed by Hédoné Experience SMA. And I wanted to do it at the same meal. Breakfast? Nah! Even I don’t drink wine at breakfast. Lunch? Bagels at lunch? Of course. Wine...
My romance with romeritos.

My romance with romeritos.

I’d only ever seen them in Mexico and, until recently, I thought they were gone from my diet forever, maybe even extinct. These tasty little plants called romeritos used to show up every winter in San Miguel de Allende. Then disappeared. But there they were, back in...
Ravin’ about ramen.

Ravin’ about ramen.

Gourmet food courts. They’re usually called Mercado This or Mercado That in Mexico. The concept originally sounded absolutely amazing to me. Take a few good chefs making a lot of the world’s best dishes and put them all in one place sharing tables and chairs, sharing...
A slice of Italian history arrives in San Miguel.

A slice of Italian history arrives in San Miguel.

Despite a couple of nasty tantrums and my screeching “but I don’t want to go”, in 1956, my family emigrated from Britain to Canada. I remember those first few days of school. Kids making fun of my accent, laughing at me because I pronounced it “larfing”. There was...
For perhaps my first time. Paella Valenciana.

For perhaps my first time. Paella Valenciana.

I tried to guess how many times I’d had paella in my life. My estimate was somewhere around 100. Then I tried to remember how many times the restaurant had called it Paella Valenciana. That was more difficult to remember but my guess was somewhere around half of the...
Affable guys. Affordable wines.

Affable guys. Affordable wines.

I’m not sure how long I’ve known Boris Olvera and Larry Le Mieux. Probably going on ten years. Over those years, Chef Boris has fed me fine barbacoa, taught me how to make a Veracruzana sauce, and chased after free range chickens with me. These days, he and his friend...
The day Don Day’s Wife went bottomless.

The day Don Day’s Wife went bottomless.

I’m mostly from Canada but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in Canada. In the U.S. though, it’s apparently a major marketing tool, the endless mimosas promised by restaurants for the pleasure of attending their Sunday brunch. I like Sunday brunch. I like mimosas. I...
Santiago y Macarena. Might soon be our place. Might soon be yours.

Santiago y Macarena. Might soon be our place. Might soon be yours.

I have a new date restaurant. “A date restaurant?”, you might be asking. Yes, a date restaurant, not just somewhere you go to eat interesting, well-prepared food but a very special place to visit. A place where you might even suffer a suit jacket and uncomfortable...
Birria and ramen. A marriage made in San Miguel.

Birria and ramen. A marriage made in San Miguel.

“What brought you in to the restaurant?”, said the well-dressed woman at the doorway to the kitchen. “Was it the sign? I hope it was the sign.” Aaah, the power of advertising. Some bold, all upper-case typography. Wrapped inside a sunshine-colored border. And those...
Getting juiced on Mexican fruit. At Ojo de Agua.

Getting juiced on Mexican fruit. At Ojo de Agua.

I’m a meat and potatoes guy. But I’m also a nosey guy. So even though I don’t eat a lot of fruit, there are some fruits I’ve always been dying to try. Simply because I’m an inquisitive foodie. You might have been there. Walking through a Mexican fruit and veg market...