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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

An Elegant Supper

Last Sunday, our friend Kim, the author of the "Gringo Suelto" blog, joined Alejandro and me for supper.  We took the metro to the Zócalo, the main plaza of Mexico City's historic center.  Fortunately, the plaza was free of the exhibitions that frequently clutter the city's majestic heart.

 The Cathedral

The City Hall

Our destination was the elegant Gran Hotel, located at one corner of the Zócalo.  The building, constructed in 1899 in Art Nouveau style, was originally a fashionable French-owned department store.  Today it is one of the city's most beautiful hotels, with gilded open elevators, and a gorgeous stained glass ceiling.


On the top floor of the hotel is a terrace restaurant with superb views of the Zócalo.



 
The restaurant's evening menu is limited grilled meats and fish.  I don't eat a lot of beef... and I have found that the quality of steaks in Mexico is often not that good.  However, the beef tenderloin that I had was excellent... probably the best steak that I have ever had in Mexico.

We all enjoyed our meals.  The service was great, and, of course, the view was wonderful.


The meal included soup, salad bar, and a dessert bar.  The bill for the three of us, including drinks and tip, came to $80 US... or about $27 per person.  A true bargain!

 Another great evening in Mexico City!

6 comments:

  1. Want to know a bizarre coincidence? Remember the young couple seated next to us? The ones with the fancy camera?

    Well last night, I went out to dinner in the Centro Historico at "Azul Historico," a place I'd definitely recommend as a splurge. Guess who was sitting next to me? The same couple!

    They are Australian and doing a year's world tour for their honeymoon. I wished them well.

    Saludos,

    Kim G
    DF, México
    Where the unusual is commonplace.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cool! I wonder if the two ladies from California on the other side of us have looked at our blogs?
      We had a less fancy dinner last night at el Bajío at Reforma 222.
      Saludos,
      Bill

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    2. I ended up spending more than I really wanted to (about 600 MXN), but I set out from my hotel at about 6:00 to take some photos, wandered up to the Reloj Chino on Bucarelli, and then ended up in the Centro Histórico, exhausted and hungry. And the place is one of the loveliest restaurants you can imagine, in the courtyard of an old, colonial mansion, filled with trees, with baskets of lit candles hanging from them. And the food was as good as the environment.

      So I splurged. And it was worth it.

      Saludos,

      Kim

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    3. If the food was truly gourmet quality (and the portions weren't skimpy) that would still be quite a bargain. 600 pesos comes out to about $33 US. Even in Cleveland, which is probably considerably cheaper than Boston, you could not eat at a deluxe restaurant at that price!
      Saludos!

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  2. Have either of you watched Spectre yet? Or at least the opening sequence?

    The Gran Hotel is most definitely not three doors down from the MUNAL. Tsk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I haven't seen Spectre. But I would definitely be chuckling if they portrayed the Gran Hotel as down the street from the MUNAL. Oh well, artistic license, I suppose.
      ¡Saludos!

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