Mexico to Florida: Dining Haute to Casual

LAST DAY IN MEXICO CITY

We crammed a fair bit into our last full day in Mexico City.  It was all built around our reservation for a 1:30 lunch at Pujol, considered the best restaurant in the city. Our exquisite meal lasted nearly three hours.  Pujol changes the menu daily, and we had our choice between two seven course tasting menus, one built around corn and the other, the sea.  We chose, “Mar,” the sea, and were delighted and intrigued by the range of tastes, textures and presentation.  

Everything from street foods including two tender ears of corn that had been smoked in incense and coated with a caramel covered sauce, to a wreath of diced scallops in a lime pico, to a beautiful piece of grilled octopus with a dollop of pureed carrot that looked like egg yolk (I was never a fan of octopus, but this trip has expanded my palate), to a square of sea bass on tomato marmalade under a brittle green leaf, a puddle of two kinds of mole, plus more. It was the height of culinary talent, but also very tasty. 

Chayote squash and scallop pico

Octopus and pickled carrot
Mole madre 1,847 days, mole neuvo

BIRDS

Before going to lunch, we visited the aviary in Abraham Lincoln Park in the Polanco neighborhood.  We got there just after it opened and the birds, parrots, parakeets, songbirds, and one lone peacock, were noisy and screechy, but oh, so colorful.  With an assist from the Chief Penguin, I made some camera setting adjustments that enabled me to get some satisfactory photos.  And it was fun!  The other visitors were mostly mothers or nannies with young children plus one young couple. Not crowded and you could get up close to some of the parrots and to the peacock.

ART

After lunch, we made brief tours of two museums.   Museo Jumex is a relatively new museum, opened in 2013, which focuses on contemporary art and aims to “become a laboratory for experimentation and innovation in the arts.”  There wasn’t a lot on exhibit, so we didn’t stay too long.  Across the street is another museum which in some ways is more noted for the building’s architecture than the collection.    

Museo Soumaya

Museo Soumaya is a large private museum and is the collection of founder Carlos Slim, one extremely wealthy man who named the museum for his late wife.  Its distinctive building, narrow at the base and widening like a vase as it rises to a rooftop space, make it stand out from the more linear buildings surrounding it.  This collection of 66,000 pieces covers a wide range of time periods from European art to Mexican artifacts and articles to the largest collection of Rodin sculptures anywhere.  We were there very late in the day and the museum had been invaded by several big groups of what appeared to be middle school students all in like garb, each group with a different colored stripe on their black pants.  I’m not sure if they had a specific assignment, but there was an adult or two herding the separate groups.  They made for a noisy visit so we somewhat quickly wound our way up several levels and then in a more leisurely way surveyed the art and wound our way down. 

FLORIDA RECOVERY

We returned home several days ago.  What better way to recover from a gastronomically challenging trip than to go to a prized Irish sports bar?  Several of our male friends have enthused about going to Clancy’s after golf for a leisurely lunch. Bill, marketeer supreme, has suggested for the past year that several couples should go with him and Alice for the experience.  It finally happened!  We four, along with Cathy, Dean, Jane and Mark, gathered for a relaxed lunch.  Clancy’s outside is very pleasant.  There is a now a sunshade over the tables, new pristine restrooms, and an owner and waitress who know our crew well.  

The menu has all those good items you probably shouldn’t eat but will willingly indulge in on the right occasion.  This was the right occasion.  Between us all, we ordered a tuna melt, chicken quesadillas, a burger, wings, a Clancy roll (fried and very special) and scoops of tuna salad on greens.  The latter proving that if you want to be healthy, it’s possible to find a salad or two!  Oh, almost forgot to mention the Clancy’s chips with blue cheese dip that Mark ordered to share.  These orders went along with an IPA or two or three just to wash it all down.  A good time was had by all; and as my sister Sal might add, we laughed a lot!  We will return.

Good times at Clancy’s!

Note: Mexico City photos by JWFarrington; Clancy’s photos by Bill & Mark. Header photo is a ceviche served at Pujol.

Tidy Tidbits: Eating Around

FORMAL DINING

Back in the day, as they say, both my grandmothers set a formal table.  Particularly for dinner.  Starched white linen tablecloths were the norm along with starched napkins and a napkin ring.  Using the ring meant that the napkin could be identified as yours and re-used several times.  Flatware was real silver and there were silver salt and pepper shakers, or, in the case of my maternal grandmother’s setting, little salt cellars with tiny spoons.  They were such fun to toy with—despite my mother disapproving look.  

When I was growing up, my mother had standards for her dinner table as well.  We ate in the dining room together, all six of us, almost every night. The highly polished blonde wood table wore a tablecloth (a color or patterned) or placemats, and we used my parents’ wedding silverware.  In a concession to modern times and four kids, the napkins were usually paper except on holidays and special occasions.  One cardinal rule was that you never cleared the table (and we kids took turns doing this) until everyone had finished eating.  This was drilled into us, probably more than any other dictum—except “get your elbows off the table, just as fast as you are able.”

Today’s restaurant staff seem never to have learned to wait until everyone is finished—or have conveniently forgotten.  Is a shortage of clean dishes in the kitchen prompting this snatching of plates before everyone is done?  It is rude and makes the lone eaters feel rushed and singled out.  In my recent dining experiences, even better restaurants aspiring to fine dining are guilty.  Whenever possible, I put a halt to the early removal of plates, but more restaurants should slow down their wait staff and let the meal play out in a more leisurely fashion.

ELEGANT ITALIAN DINING IN SARASOTA

Friends introduced us to CasAntica in downtown Sarasota which we had probably passed many times, but never really noticed.  The restaurant is in an historic house with an outside patio, small dining rooms throughout, and a rooftop garden.  We ate in a quiet alcove near the bar which happened to be unoccupied except for the bartender.  The menu includes homemade pasta dishes, veal, chicken and fish entrees, and a selection of salads and other appetizers.  The salads are large so sharing a tricolore (arugula, cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan) was the right move.  The Chief Penguin and I ordered veal preparations, veal piccata and veal saltimbocca, and both were luscious. The best veal we’ve had in this area.  Our friends ordered the salmon and were equally pleased with their choice. Definitely a place to return!!

Salmon Piccata at A Casa Tua

ITALIAN FARE IN OUR BACKYARD

Since its move farther up Cortez Road, A Casa Tua, is practically next door.  This unprepossessing Italian restaurant is family owned and has just seven tables, so reservations are recommended.  The menu offers a nice selection of pastas, chicken and salmon entrees as well as a rack of lamb, along with appetizers and salads.  The Chief Penguin and I snagged a table the other evening and really enjoyed the salmon piccata and the ravioli of the day stuffed with broccoli and sausage in a thick tomato sauce.  The C.P. also sampled and was wowed by the special appetizer of three long plump sardines baked with lemon Mediterranean style.  And the Caesar salad was a most generous portion with plenty of shaved Parmesan.  Overall, a welcome addition to the local dining scene!

SARASOTA FAVORITE

Burrata Salad

We have dined at Bijou Cafe in downtown Sarasota near the opera house several times recently. It’s always excellent and is one of our longtime favorites. I usually order the chicken cutlet with sautéed spinach or the Carolina trout with almonds and veggies. This time I tried a new salad of burrata, heirloom tomatoes and strawberries which was colorful and delicious!

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo is the ravioli of the day at A Casa Tua.