Mortadella. This ain’t no baloney!

My wife’s parents called it motor trailer. My parents called it dead secretary (Perry Mason was the most watched show in those days). I didn’t care what they called it. Mortadella was my favorite sandwich meat.

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.

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The best tasting tilapia anywhere. Right here in San Miguel de Allende.

The best tasting tilapia anywhere. Right here in San Miguel de Allende.

I’ve been enjoying fish at San Miguel’s Tuesday market for years. At first it was the fillets (still don’t know how many ells that word should have), fast fried in a light and very delicious batter. And these days it’s the whole fish so I can eat the crispy skin that I love even more than the batter.

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Solving two pozole mysteries.

Solving two pozole mysteries.

The ratio of corn to liquid in a cazuela of pozole should be about one-third to two-thirds. La Casa Vieja’s was. The chile taste in a red pozole should be from guajillo. It was. The pork that was added to the red should be shoulder and leg and generous. It was. 

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Knotty but nice. San Miguel’s new Asian restaurant.

Knotty but nice. San Miguel’s new Asian restaurant.

I thought I was back on Queen Street in Toronto last night. It wasn’t just that we were the only people over the age of 40. There was a buzz, a vibe, an energy, an atmosphere that you don’t see in San Miguel restaurants unless you go out at close to midnight which we never come close to doing.

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Fari. A tried and tested, traditional trattoria.

Fari. A tried and tested, traditional trattoria.

Fari’s linguine carbonara arrived at our table. There was lots of salty pecorino piled on top. Underneath the sheep cheese, the guanciale had just the right crisp. The fresh pasta was perfectly al dente. It was hard for me to believe that such a wonderful sauce had no cream.

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