As I have mentioned, this is the season for my favorite Mexican dish, "chiles en nogada". Throughout Mexico City, restaurants are advertising that "chiles" are on the menu. (Interestingly, we did not see any restaurants in Guadalajara offering this dish.) As I wrote earlier, Alejandro and I had absolutely exquisite "chiles en nogada" at Testal, our new favorite restaurant. Last month I also tried out the "chiles" at two restaurant chains that we like... El Bajío and El Cardenal.
One afternoon when I was in the "Centro Histórico", I stopped to eat at the downtown branch of El Bajío. El Bajío, like El Cardenal, is a chain of restaurants that specialize in traditional Mexican cuisine. Although I prefer El Cardenal, El Bajío generally has reliably good food. I had never been to the downtown location which is in the courtyard of an historic house. It was here that disgraced President / dictator Antonio Santa Ana (of "Remember the Alamo" fame) died, crippled and nearly blind from cataracts in 1876 at the age of 82.
As a starter, instead of soup, I ordered what is known as a "sopa seca" (dry soup), which is a rice or pasta dish. I ordered noodles in a spicy sauce garnished with cheese and avocado.
The waiters all asked me how I liked the "chile en nogada". I smiled and said that it was very good... rather than saying that it was not the best that I have had.
The taste was good, however the "chile" was served cold. It is supposed to be served at room temperature. (Some visitors who have "chile en nogada" for the first time complain that it is not served hot.) However, it seemed that the cream walnut sauce had just come out of the refrigerator.
On another occasion, I went to the location of "El Cardenal" just a couple of blocks from my apartment.
I have had the "chile" at one of the downtown locations of El Cardenal, and it was very good, but I had never ordered it here at my neighborhood branch.
To begin, I had the "sopa de habas" (lima bean soup) which was very good.
The "chile en nogada" was good and served at the correct temperature. One criticism is that when they placed the "chile" on the plate they also ladled some of the grease from the pork filling.
For dessert, I had one of my favorites at El Cardenal, crepes filled with cream cheese and covered in mango and blackberry sauces.
I also ordered something I had not had before... a cappuccino with "cajeta" (Mexican caramel). Usually, if I drink coffee, I have to put a ton of sugar in it, but this was sweet enough for my taste.
Both of my meals were good. However, Testal so far remains the champion for the best "chile en nogada".
Chiles en nogada is served cold but not served in San Miguel until September, the Month of Independence.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if they serve it in San Miguel. Oddly enough it is unknown in some parts of Mexico. I have a friend who grew up in Jalapa, Veracruz. She had never had it until recently when some of the restaurants started serving it.
DeleteHere in CDMX the dish is served at room temperature.