My friend Hugh moved to New York this week, and we went out to lunch as a last hurrah. He found the place: The Colegio Superior de Gastronomía, a Condesa culinary school that offered a five-course meal for 250 pesos (about $19 USD). The price also included four drinks.
I’ve never eaten at a culinary school restaurant before, but I’ve been intrigued by the idea. Two culinary-school restaurants sit just a 10-minute cab ride from my house, and I’ve been reading a lot about another cooking school restaurant in the south, Alkimia, which is supposed to be one of the top restaurants in the city.
I hadn’t heard anything about this Condesa place, but you can’t beat five courses for $20. Hugh made reservations and arrived before me, so I met him in the open, airy dining room. A flat screen TV played a slideshow of the menu items, including beef wellington with fig compote (pictured above), and slices of duck stuffed with pistachios and spices.
A young waiter (who I think was sweating from nervousness, poor guy) arrived and took our order, announcing that day’s drink special as “green beer.” It was a mix of beer, curacao and lime juice.
Oh hell, why not. The drinks are included!
It was actually kinda good, if you ignored the color.
I was surprised not to see more traditional Mexican dishes on the menu. A lot of the menu items leaned toward molecular gastronomy, which I thought the restaurant world had moved on from — meat topped with airs and foams, deconstructed soups, a chemical-reaction take (picture an oozy puddle of chicken broth, surrounded by dollops of corn) on Mexico’s famous corn-in-the-cup.
I would have loved to see simple dishes, oomphed up with high-quality ingredients. But the “plain food, done well” movement hasn’t really hit here yet. People still really love foams and beef wellingtons.
I ended up ordering the sliced duck, fideos en adobo, tuna with risotto (my only dish that was truly bad; it’d been saturated with wine), and a chocolate tart with beer ice cream.
My favorite dish was the fideos, which were served with a big ol’ scallop that wasn’t mentioned on the menu. Good thing I’m not allergic to shellfish.
Overall: The food was average, but worth the price. I’d go back with a girlfriend or two, because it’s a different experience, and the menu makes you feel like you’re dining somewhere elegant. I don’t think I’d recommend it to visitors, though. Unless they were looking for a deal.
I plan to visit Alkimia in a few weeks — they have a Mexican wine dinner on the last Wednesday of each month, and Crayton and I are going for my birthday. Will let you know how that turns out!
Colegio Superior de Gastronomía
Av. Sonora no. 189
Col. Hipódromo Condesa
México D.F. 06100
To reserve a table: 55 84 38 00 Ext. 103
A five-course meal, including four drinks, is 250 pesos. It’s cash-only.
Les, you know I live right around the corner from the restaurant and in the 6 years I’ve been in Condesa I was invited twice for breakfast. As an ex-restaurant owner and restaurant consultant I was aghast at the truly terrible service and even worse food. Its not worth the price, Alkimia is another matter.
Alkimia is part of the Centro Culinario Ambrosia located in San Angel and next door to the Chinese embassy. A little difficult to get there but well worth the effort. I haven’t been to the wine dinner but their lunch service is exceptional with well trained staff and equally well prepared food, and not too much on the wild “El Bulli” side.
The prix fixe lunch was $225 last time which included beverages, with a glass of fine Mexican wines on offer and good beer, forget the coloring, 3 courses with a choice from among 4/5 dishes in each category. Mexican cuisine was highlighted on the menu and only presentation was given a modern tweak.
NO TIPPING is allowed, comment cards were presented for your opinions and pleasant farewells.
Only the Casa Francia on Harve in the Zona Rosa, a Cordon Bleu student staffed restaurant, can get my attention. Good eating, but watch out for those STUDENTS!
Plain food done well: MP bistro (Taberna del León is more Beef-Wellingtony)… maybe Bellinghausen or Casa Bell. But true, still hard to find places where the materia prima shines through in DF.
These are great pictures; culinary adventures are great, thanks for sharing.