Return to an Old Favorite

If you have been reading this blog for years, you may remember that for a long time our favorite restaurant in Mexico City was Angelopolitano, a place specializing in the cuisine of the state of Puebla.  They had excellent dishes featuring a variety of "moles" as well the traditional "mole poblano".  Their "chile en nogada" was also superb, and, unlike most restaurants, they served the dish all year long.

At some point, it seemed to us that the quality of the food had declined... still good, but no longer outstanding.  Then the restaurant, located in the neighborhood of Roma Norte, closed down.  Months later it reopened at a different location, also in Roma Norte.  For some time, we have been talking about giving the place another try to see if it is once again as good as it used to be.

The new location is easier to get from the apartment, just a short walk from one of the Metrobus stops on Insurgentes Avenue.  Last Saturday night we headed out, and just before reaching our bus stop, it started pouring rain.  (Thank goodness, we had brought umbrellas.)  For the entire bus ride it was coming down in sheets. Fortunately, by the time we got off the bus, it had diminished to a sprinkle, and we reached the restaurant without getting soaked.

The new location is smaller, but a very cute place.  The staff seems to be completely different.  We did not recognize the hostess or our waiter.

We began our meal with cream of poblano soup.  It was excellent, just as good as we remember.  The spicy peanut salsa that they serve with the bread is still very good.  So far so good.

For our main course we ordered the "chile en nogada".  They still serve it all year long, but since this is the season for that very special dish, they had a separate menu with different variations of the traditional recipe.  There is one with a vegetarian filling and another with seafood.  We chose two of the traditional versions... I ordered one in which the poblano pepper is coated in an egg batter, and Alejandro chose the "chile" without batter.

The stuffing, a complex mixture of meat, fruits and nuts was exquisite.  However, the cream walnut sauce was disappointing.  It was very bland.  Alejandro thinks they thickened the sauce with flour, and skimped on the nuts.

For dessert, we ordered the Mexican tiramisu, made with Mexican coffee extract and chocolate.  It was very good.

The meal overall was good.  I would give it a grade of B+.  However, judging from the "chile en nogada", the restaurant is still not as good as it used to be.  It has not regained its spot as our favorite place to eat.  We will probably return sometime to see if their "mole" dishes are still as good as we remember.