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Chamonix. Forgotten. But not gone.
I mentioned that Chamonix’ dishes are different. The pastas are a good example. Five very good new Italian restaurants have opened in San Miguel in the last year: Florios, Fari, Da Carmela, Ziracco and Serrano 82. And if you want Pomodoro, Puttanesca, Parmagiano or Pappardelle, you’re sure to find it at least one of them. But if you want your pasta with lemon and prawns; or mussels and baby scallops; or shrimp, pine nuts and raisins; or, what I had, the farfalle with figs and roquefort sauce, Chamonix might be the only place you’ll ever find them in this town.
Sunday may never be the same. At El Borrego Feliz.
The barbacoa melted in our mouths. The montalayo, miscellaneous organs cooked inside a sheep’s stomach, was superb. The machita, the one mostly made of intestines, was extraordinary.
San Miguel’s very, very best favorite restaurant.
Firenze’s owner Antonio Arrieta gave Casa Nostra’s Marco a giant bear hug when he saw him. They talked about being friends not competition. I did the slight delay, just like the actor stumbling to open the envelope at the Oscars and announced that in the number two position was Casa Nostra. San Miguel’s favorite restaurant, year after year, was still Firenze.
No more same old, same old Asian for me.
So, last week, I wandered. I tried a new place for Thai cuisine. The same place I had adopted as my new home for Chinese. With nine other guys, I went to feast on Thai at Asia Oriental Express.
You’re invited to the 2025 SMART Awards gala dinner.
To reserve, simply send an email to dondayinsma@yahoo.com and tell me how many there will be in your party.. I’ll confirm with an email if there’s still room. I’ll send regrets if we’re already full. And please note that no-shows and day-of cancellations are still expected to pay.
Tamales. And where to find them in San Miguel.
Let’s first talk about what a tamal (the correct singular spelling) is. The prime ingredient is masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn (no, I’m not exactly sure what nixtamalized means but I do like using the verb once or twice a year). The masa is then combined with…well…almost anything. I’ve seen meats, fish, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and, of course, chiles and seasonings. It is then stuffed inside either corn husks or banana leaves and steamed.
All ribbing aside. They don’t get any better in this town than Silveyra’s.
The back ribs had a richer, more robust, fattier flavor and a meatiness that I associated more with short ribs from the chest. The spiciness was light and there was just a hint of smoke so the pork flavor was always front and center. I just loved them.
There’s only one more day left to vote for your favorite San Miguel restaurants.
To vote is very simple. Just send an email to dondayinsma@yahoo.com with the word Smarts in the subject line and your top three choices in the body. Or, if you don’t have three that stand out, send me the names of two, or even just one.
San Miguel’s Very Best Favorite Restaurants.
To vote is very simple. Just send an email to dondayinsma@yahoo.com with the word Smarts in the subject line and your top three choices in the body. Or, if you don’t have three that stand out, send me the names of two, or even just one.
