Guilt. Extreme guilt. That was what we were feeling when we arrived at Mesa Marrakesh. It had been over four years since we had eaten any of Chef JJ Castañeda’s food. It had been five years since we had tasted his Mediterranean/North African/Middle Eastern cuisine. We had zero excuses as to why.

Our love affair with JJ’s food began about eight years ago when he was lured from the U.S. to San Miguel de Allende by highly respected restauranteur Donnie Masterton. The name of the restaurant was Casa Blanca. The following March, it won best new restaurant in San Miguel’s annual Smart Awards.

It’s been about two years now since JJ Castañeda opened his Mesa Marrakesh in Colonia San Antonio.

And how would I describe the location? Cramped but cozy. Dilapidated but delightful. And when the lights go down, it might have the best street presence of any San Miguel restaurant.

The street view from inside is a little different. OK, a lot different. The sights are tourists and traffic. The sounds are motorbikes and barking dogs. The smells are the smoke from JJ’s charcoal grill with a hint of car exhaust fumes. But I still enjoyed sitting there watching the world come and go on the streets of San Antonio. It’s a magical part of the town that I adore.

Chef JJ has had to sway and stray from his signature Mediterranean/North African/Middle Eastern (suggestions for a less wordy description are welcomed) cuisine a couple of times in the past but I’m very, very happy to say the recipes are now rock solid on the menu with hardly a nod to anywhere else in the world.

We started off with drinks. We discovered Mesa Marrakesh is not a place for Wine Spectator subscribers. There are a grand total of two choices: A cheap and cheerful Chilean Sauvignon Blanc or a cheap and cheerful Chilean Merlot. We decided the white would work best with our planned starters.

There are nine small plate choices. I decided to let Don Day’s Wife choose which three we’d share (knowing her well enough that I could predict her top three would be my top three). I was right. The order went in for watermelon salad, chicken wings and crispy eggplant.

The first thing we noticed about the salad was the size. More than enough for two. Perhaps enough for four. The watermelon could have been a bit riper but I know that, since the end of seasonality and the “only in August” rule, I have wasted many minutes shaking, color checking, and knock-knock-knocking on the end of melons without ever being close to knowing when they’re ready.

Accompanying the melon was an imaginative combination of feta, cucumber, verdolaga and pumpkin seeds. Don Day’s Wife said, for the first time, a few words that would be repeated at least twice more that evening, “Why did it take us so long to get here?”

Don Day’s Wife’s words were worth quoting again in regards to our next small plate. I have very often heard her say the word “good” when it comes to food. I have frequently heard her use the word “better”. But I really couldn’t remember her using the superlative. Out of her mouth came the words, “This is the best eggplant I’ve ever tasted. There’s no bitterness at all. I love that crispy outside. The flesh melts in my mouth.”

Again the chef stretched the boundaries with the accompaniments and again they worked so well. Figs, olives, raisins and mint. Again, the serving was huge and at this stage, we’d already ordered a couple of mains, so we made a decision. Half of the crispy eggplant was going home.

Next up were the Moroccan chicken wings, a dish that brought the word “awesome” to Don Day’s Wife’s lips. For me, they brought back memories of the Tuscan chicken wings from those early days of JJ manning the stoves at Casa Blanca.

I had one wing. I had two. And I heard the words, “Stop, the rest of the wings are going home with us.”

I used the word “cramped” earlier about Mesa Marrakesh. The space was a former one car garage. It seats 14 comfortably, 16 possibly. But the only complaint I ever heard about it was that it was almost impossible to get in. Those days may now be over.

The chef proudly led me up the stairs (with the warning to “watch the suicide step” on my way). JJ has recently rented the second floor above Mesa Marrakesh. It doubles the seating. His look of pride turned to joy when he showed me the handmade chef’s table for 10.

I like the mostly casual but a little bit classy look of the downstairs; the low level lighting enhances the ambience. There’s a similar look on the second level. The ornaments hanging from the ceiling seemed a little strange at first but then I took a second look and nodded my head.

“Christmas every single day of the year”, said JJ.

It was time for the mains and again we were sharing. The first was the “special of the day”.

It was a fish, a tilapia, usually a pretty ordinary fish but if you spice it well and let it swim in a creamy sauce, it quickly becomes extraordinary. What I called baby cucumbers and Don Day’s Wife called Persian cucumbers were the feature attraction in the accompaniment.

There was one more main to come. It was my fondest memory of JJ Castañeda’s time at Casa Blanca and the short stint he had with a stand in Mercado del Carmen. It was the seasoned ground lamb kebab called kefta.

I went to pry off an end but Don Day’s Wife took the fork from my hand.

“It’s going home with us”, she said.

I talked her into one little wedge but the rest went off to the styrofoam boxes.

It was time for the check and, when it arrived, I showed it to Don Day’s Wife. The three small plates were $495. The mains were $220 and $250. Five courses for less than a thousand pesos. Such a bargain and a very appropriate time for one final, “Why did it take us so long to get here?”

Mesa Marrakesh. The Sequel.

Cut to two nights later and the removal of those boxes from the fridge, the contents into a cazuela, the bowl into the oven, the contents then onto plates and another delightful dinner for two.

“Why did it take…” Well you know the rest.

Mesa Marrakesh is located at Refugio Norte #1 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 2:00 to 9:00 pm; closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations at 415 117 6322 are strongly recommended.