You bet your sweet patootie they’re good.

You bet your sweet patootie they’re good.

I’d eaten sweet potatoes for a lot of years. Mostly smothered in butter and sprinkled with salt as the side to a roast of pork. Then I came to San Miguel de Allende and my tongue got all twisted around. In Mexico, the locals eat sweet potatoes as dessert. I thought...
Hoppin’ on down to Venencia. For chapulines.

Hoppin’ on down to Venencia. For chapulines.

It was my last night in San Miguel before heading up to Toronto for a few weeks. Don Day’s Wife was suffering some post-Covid blues so I asked a couple of my favorite guys to join me in my five o’clock ritual. “Venencia?”, said Jack, “never heard of it”. “It’s on...
Memories of Woolworth’s. At City Market. Really.

Memories of Woolworth’s. At City Market. Really.

A little over 60 years ago I entered the wonderful world of working. The most wonderful part…OK, maybe the only wonderful part…was the day that each and every week, Mr. O’Leary, aka Chief, would walk around with these little brown envelopes that were perfectly sized...
A feast for the eyes, the tongue and the wallet. At La Mar. 

A feast for the eyes, the tongue and the wallet. At La Mar. 

If you’re like me, you have grandkids. And if you’re like me, you’re constantly (and usually unsuccessfully) trying to lure them down to San Miguel de Allende. “But, Grampie, there’s no sand, no sea.” I’d been almost ready to try a somewhat shady tactic. “You come to...
Pilar Ortiz. And the power of personality.

Pilar Ortiz. And the power of personality.

I don’t remember their exact words. But it went something like this. “I don’t get Trip Advisor. A little hole in the wall like El Pato is constantly in the top ten and a gorgeous place like Bovine is down in the 200’s.” I could have taken it a step further. How can...
Different venue. Different cuisine. Same chef. Same great grub. 

Different venue. Different cuisine. Same chef. Same great grub. 

It’s been more than 30 years since JJ Casteñeda first walked into the California Culinary Academy and started a career in the restaurant biz. It’s been more than three years since he brought that career to San Miguel de Allende. JJ’s first stop in San Miguel was at...
Solving the mystery of Sal y Canto.

Solving the mystery of Sal y Canto.

Featuring the fine photography of Scott Allison. It was last January when the mystery began. There was a press release announcing the new edition of the Guía México Gastronómico, the guide to Mexico’s top restaurants, and I was scanning the list for the new and...
ODing on fresh truffles at Casa Nostra. And loving it.

ODing on fresh truffles at Casa Nostra. And loving it.

It’s always been a problem with Don Day’s Wife and I. I want to do it, she doesn’t. I’m talking, of course, about splurging on truffles. “They’ve got fresh ones at City Market, Honey. They’re only $12,000 a kilo. We could get a second mortgage.” Yes, they’re an...
Reuben a la Ruben. At Silveyra’s.

Reuben a la Ruben. At Silveyra’s.

Let me start by saying that, without any doubt at all, the reuben is one of the world’s ten best sandwiches. And, despite the fact that it contains Swiss cheese and German sauerkraut, a sandwich doesn’t get much more American than a reuben. In San Miguel de Allende, a...
Pass the bottle and praise the agave.

Pass the bottle and praise the agave.

It didn’t go quite as planned. The plan was just to be a spectator on the sidelines at the cathedral, the chapel, the temple, the tabernacle, where, on each and every Friday, the all-powerful of all spirits is raised and praised. I had come to watch not to worship....