San Miguel’s first choice for favorite restaurant is…

San Miguel’s first choice for favorite restaurant is…

With a big thank you to photographer Richard Smerdon for capturing the spirit of the SMART Awards dinner. When I was 12 years old, a routine began that lasted right through my teens. It was called the Top 50 Countdown. And it happened every Saturday morning at 9:00...
La Virundela. Rising from the mesquite ashes.

La Virundela. Rising from the mesquite ashes.

Love is lovelier, the second time around. I always liked La Virundela. I always liked the owners. I always wanted the restaurant to be successful. But I always knew it wouldn’t. Because it was always missing the most important ingredient. As good as the place...
Fairy tales do come true. At Firenze.

Fairy tales do come true. At Firenze.

Once upon a time, there was a handsome man named Antonio. He went for a walk in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and soon came upon a building. He said this might make a good restaurant. But the space turned out to be too awkward and too small. So Antonio went for a...
Gaby Green is back. In greener pastures.

Gaby Green is back. In greener pastures.

Gaby Green has been cooking in San Miguel de Allende longer than I’ve been eating. She’s had restaurants in at least three locations. La Fonda and La Fonda Rosa are two names I remember. She’s had a catering biz. At least one cooking school. And most...
Wagging my tongue about tacos de lengua.

Wagging my tongue about tacos de lengua.

It’s a shame really. That some people don’t eat tongue. That they become tongue-tied when someone asks if they’d like some. In countries like the United States, in fact, it’s better to lead a dog’s life. Because a lot of beef tongue ends...
Tackling the prickly subject of nopales.

Tackling the prickly subject of nopales.

It was one of the first big words I learned. Other people called it glue. But that’s not what it said on the bottle. On the bottle it said mucilage. So that’s what I called it. I remember smart-assing my mother. Even giving it the French pronunciation so...