Two Restaurants

After our visit to the amusement park, it was time for dinner.  We were thinking about dining at a very nice restaurant in Chapultepec Park, but it was going to close soon.  So, we walked to a place near the entrance of the park called "Mirador de Chapultepec".  It is a cantina / restaurant that is over 100 years old.  It had been quite a while since we had eaten there.  We had found it a bit pricey, but the food was good.

We both began with a noodle soup in a spicy broth.

Alejandro had fish in the "al pastor" style for making tacos.

I had a fish filet with an almond coating.

For dessert I had apple strudel.  It was OK, but Germany certainly does not have to worry about any competition.

Our meal was good, but definitely not spectacular.  The bill (and keep in mind that we did not have any wine or alcoholic beverages) was over 1300 pesos... just a tad over 70 U.S. dollars.  I know, that is not exorbitant by U.S. standards, but in Mexico, even with inflation, we would expect a more memorable dining experience for that price.

The next day we were downtown and went to Testal, a place that is becoming our favorite restaurant in Mexico City.  I already wrote about the superb "chile en nogada" that we enjoyed the last time we were there.  There was something else on their seasonal menu that we really wanted to try.  After beginning with soup, our main course was something they call "enchiladas agustinas".  The enchiladas were filled with the traditional stuffing of "chiles en nogada"... chopped meat with fruits and nuts.  They were then covered with an excellent "mole poblano" and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

(Notice that we were given bibs so that we did not get any "mole" on our shirts.)

These enchiladas were heavenly... the best enchiladas that I have ever had.  If we return to Testal before the season is over, it will be a hard decision to make... "chiles en nogada" or "enchiladas agustinas"???

We finished with dessert...  Alejandro had a fruit tart, and I ordered something called a "volcán de cajeta" (a caramel volcano).  The presentation was lovely, and, more importantly, the desserts were yummy.

In my opinion, this was a truly memorable dining experience.  Yet our bill here was less than at Mirador de Chapultepec.  We paid a little over 1100 pesos, which came to about 30 U.S. dollars per person.  Not cheap by Mexican standards, but this was a meal that was worth every "centavo".  Testal has cemented its place as our favorite restaurant in Mexico City.