In addition to the street food stalls I shared about earlier in this series on Mexico City, there's no dearth of excellent, sit down restaurants. The food in CDMX was so good that I planned the entire trip around where we would eat. Site seeing, activities, museums, etc., all took a back seat to food. I hope I will be able to do our dining experiences justice in this post.
Máximo Bistrot
Máximo
Máximo Bistrot was the first, upscale, sit down restaurant we visited in CDMX and it was a great way to start. Máximo is a Michelin recommended French, farm to table restaurant in the Roma Norte neighborhood.
Bread with Eggplant Spread
We started with french bread that came with a charcoal roasted eggplant spread. The bread was fresh and delicious and the eggplant spread was creamy and smokey.
This was a great combination.
Baja Oysters
Next, we shared oysters. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, this should come as no surprise, because I love oysters.
As you can see, the presentation was beautiful. The oysters were drizzled with chive oil, yuzu and topped with a tiny dollop of citrus jelly and an edible flower.
White Truffle Tagliatelle
Our main course was a tagliatelle pasta with a buttery, creamy sauce flavored with white truffles. And if that wasn't decadent enough, the pasta was topped with a large bump of Osetra caviar, a variety that comes from white sturgeon.
Goat Cheese Ice Cream
We saved room for dessert because I was told this ice cream was a must-try. It was made with chaurand goat cheese and placed on top of layers of phyllo dough. In between the layers of crunchy pastry was a sweet and slightly sour guava puree. The ice cream was finished with a dose of olive oil and plated on some chantilly cream sprinkled with pistachio nuts.
Masala y Maiz
Masala y Maiz
The next restaurant we visited was Masala y Maiz, another Michelin recommended spot that was featured on the Netlix series, Chef's Table. Based on the name, I correctly assumed that the food was a blend of Indian and Mexican cuisines.
What I was surprised to find out is that the dishes also incorporated East African flavors. This made complete sense once I learned that Masala y Maiz is a collaboration by husband and wife team, Chef Norma Listman, who grew up in Mexico, and her husband, Chef Saqib Keval who grew up in the Bay Area, raised by immigrant Indian parents who lived in East Africa.
Boiled Peanuts
The meal began with peanuts boiled with salt and spices, a snack that is very common in India as well as many African countries.
Samosas
Next, we shared the samosas, a traditional Indian snack. The twist was that these samosas were filled with suadero, a Mexican meat prepared by slow cooking a fatty cut of beef. It is commonly used as fillings for tacos, tortas and gorditas. The suadero samosas were finished with drizzles of mint and tamarind chutneys.
Camarones Pa Pelar
Our second appetizer was the camarones pa pelar, a dish of shrimp marinated in spices, lime and vanilla and then seared. These peel-and-eat shrimp were absolutely delicious on their own or dipped in the ghee-based sauce that came alongside the dish.
Pesca del Dia
We ordered two main entrees. The first was the fish of the day which was a freshly caught halibut, marinated in masala and roasted whole. It was served with star fruit and topped with fresh herbs.
You could choose to enjoy the fish on its own, or scoop some of the flakey morsels into warm, corn tortillas and create a taco.
Kuku Poisson
The second entree we ordered was the chicken, a restaurant speciality, I was told. The dish originates with chef Saqib’s family. It is a classic, coastal Kenyan dish made with a young chicken that is first poached and then fried whole. It was served on a slather of roasted sweet potatoes with an Ethiopian berbere dipping sauce and a side of coconut milk.
Panacotta de té Limón
To complete the meal, the chefs sent out some complimentary dessert and wine. (First and foremost, this was due to their thoughtfulness and generosity. Additionally, there was a small earthquake that occurred while we dined, which (long story, short) resulted in a conversation with Chef Saqib, during which we discovered that because we both once resided in the Bay Area and worked in the restaurant industry, we knew close to ten people in common. Small world, isn't it?)
Now, back to the food. The panacotta we ordered was silky and flavorful and came with edible flowers and a rose gelée. Like everything we ate at Masala y Maiz, it was delicious.
Contramar
Contramar
Last, but not least, in this post is Contramar, another Michelin recommended restaurant. Contramar opened in 1998 and is headed by Chef Gabriela Cámara. The focus here is on seafood.
Tostada de Atún
The undisputed star of Contramar's seafood game is the tuna tostada. You will find one on just about everyone's table and after I took a bite, I understood why. The tuna is caught fresh daily and marinated just slightly. Additionally, the toppings, consisting of a small amount of chipotle mayonnaise, crispy leeks and avocado, are very minimal, so the flavor of the fish really shines.
Tostada de Callo
We also ordered the scallop tostada which was more heavily flavored, but equally good. It was seasoned with salsa matcha and mayonnaise.
Desserts
Contramar tried to tempt us with their desserts, but we were too full to partake. If you visit though, I suggest ordering the strawberry meringue, (the top most dessert in the center of the picture above). The strawberry meringue, Chef Camara's interpretation of a traditional pavlova, is the most requested dessert at Contramar. The dessert is so popular that it inspired Liz Prueitt, the co-founder of San Francisco's famous Tartine Bakery to develop her own version.
I still have more Mexico City restaurants to share with you, but I will save them for my next post. Until then, I hope the restaurants in this post inspire you to take a trip to CDMX. Happy eating!
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