A Mexico City Weekend Part 1

Seven months had passed since we'd last visited Mexico City. While we enjoy the quiet and natural beauty of our home on the rancho, from time to time I need  the stimulation of the vibrant megalopolis of Mexico, D.F.

We especially enjoy the greater variety of restaurants available in the City. So, with our friend, Ron Granich, we planned an extended weekend for the end of January. We traveled the sensible and economical way, on the AutoVías buses, at 50% discounted senior fares, thanks to the generosity of the Mexican government's INAPAM program.

Friday, January 28. 2011

Once again, we stayed at the Hotel Milán, in the heart of the cultural corridor of Colonia Roma Norte. It's located within reasonable walking distance of most attractions, with the exception of the Mercado San Juan district and the Centro Histórico.

I spent much of the preceding week researching and comparing restaurants, mercados and shopping locales, using Google's Street View to great advantage. A highlight was a walking and noshing tour map of nearby Colonia Condesa, that would form the backbone of our Sunday perambulations.

After checking into the hotel, we went to El Diez, the Colonia Roma branch of a popular Argentine steakhouse, located less than a block away. We had a good meal although two of our steaks weren't as tender as I'd had in late June last year. But, it was fun to eat there. We waited 15 minutes so we could be seated at a sidewalk table. The servers are energetic and the street scene lively.

Ron and I both had Bife de Chorizo, accompanied by a salad, and I got a side of Papas Francesas. Our steaks, weighing in at more than 300 grams, were juicy and tasty but were less tender than one I'd had in June. The Papas were fine, crisp, brown and hot.

Bife de Chorizo

The obligatory green, herbal chimichurrí and muy picante red salsas were brought early, to apply al gusto, plus decent, crisp crusted rolls. We ordered a couple of glasses of pleasant wines, Trivento Syrah, at $58 pesos each, and 3 mineral waters.

Doña Cuevas had a tender Arrachera, plus an Ensalada Argentina, not realizing the salad to the side of the arrachera was sufficient. The Ensalada Argentina is a bowl of insipid iceberg lettuce shreds, pale sliced tomatoes, and slices of raw onion. The dressings were good.

We shared a generous platter of Verduras a la Parrilla, which were simply grilled without much seasoning. I enjoyed all but the eggplant, which was characteristically bitter.

Verduras a la Parrilla

Although we skipped dessert, an ambulant dulces vendor came by, and we bought a few traditional Mexican sweets. The Meringues de Fresas were pleasantly soft and tasty.

Streetside sweetside

El Diez Sucursal Roma
Álvaro Obregón # 112
Esquina Calle Orizaba
Colonia Roma Norte.
México, D.F

Ratings


Food: ***

Service: ****

Price: $$-$$$ Our total cuenta, before tip, was $939 pesos.

Ambience: Sports bar, very casual.

Restrooms: tiny but reasonably clean.

To be continued. Next: "The Rosetta Enigma"