"Where to Go on a Saturday Night?"

You would think that in a world-class culinary capital like Mexico City, a city with every kind of restaurant imaginable, finding a place to eat would be a snap.  But last Saturday night it was an odyssey to find a place to eat.

We had a very big breakfast that morning, so we weren't getting hungry until around 7:30 that evening.  Surprisingly, in this vibrant metropolis, there are many restaurants that close early, even on a Saturday night.  I realize that the main meal of the day is served in the mid-afternoon, but, come on, it's Saturday night!  El Cardenal, one of our favorites, closes at 6:30, a nearby Yucatecan restaurant that we like closes at 8:00, as does an Argentinian restaurant that we have been meaning to try.

I was on Google Maps looking for someplace new.  I found a burger place a few blocks away that had recently opened.  All of the reviews were excellent.  So we decided to give it a try.  We got there only to find a big "Suspensión de Actividades" sign posted at the entrance.  It had been closed down temporarily by the city for some infraction.  We went around the corner to a pizzeria that we like, and it was already closed!  We walked over to Insurgentes Avenue where there was a recently-opened rooftop steakhouse.  At the street level entrance, we asked to look at the menu.  The prices were high, but what really put us off was that the music was so loud that we could hear it blaring from where we were.

At the next corner there is a hotel, Hotel Novit.  We have had the breakfast buffet there a couple of times, and it was quite good.  So we went inside and asked at the desk if the restaurant, which is called Aktuel, was still open.  The receptionist said it was open until 11:00.  We went in, and we were the only ones there.  Hmm, not a good sign, but we looked over the menu and ordered.

We started with soup.  I had French onion soup which was good.  For a main course, we both ordered salmon in "maracuyá" (passion fruit) sauce.  That was excellent.

Our bill was a bit on the pricey side... the equivalent of 70 U.S. dollars... but we were happy with our meal.