Condesa

Where’s the beef: Steak and rib tacos in Condesa

March 12, 2010 by Lesley Tellez

I tend to favor pork, chicken or veggie tacos over red meat. But on Tuesday, my friend Ruth and I were ambling about town, and she had a craving for steak.

Ruth knows a thing or two about food, and I don’t want to deny her cravings, ever. So we stopped at Las Costillas, a taco joint on Pachuca and Juan Escutia that she’d been wanting to try.

It was a comfy, neighborhoody spot, with maybe five small tables, a cook and a waitress who was peeling vegetables for that afternoon’s menu. (The menu comprised three tacos, soup, rice and a drink for about 60 pesos.)

We ordered rib tacos to start and an order of black beans. Ruth also got some soup, which the cook graciously served even though it wasn’t supposed to be offered until after 1 p.m.

The tacos — which arrived in about four minutes — were smoky and flavorful, and Ruth said they weren’t greasy like so many tacos de costilla are. They also came with a bone, in case you wanted to gnaw on that for a bit.

After that, we ordered cecina de res tacos with grilled spring onion bulbs. Cecina is a salty, cured, thinly sliced cut of meat, and it was juicy and glistening and just gorgeous. The grilled onions were the perfect extra touch. Do you see those burnt bits? Yum.

Las Costillas also had quesadillas with mushrooms and cheese, made with pita bread instead of corn tortillas; and tacos with poblano, bacon, cheese and onion. (Getting those next time. Can you imagine all the gooey goodness contained in there?)

I didn’t see nopal on the menu, but the cook threw several paddles on the comal while we were there.

There was also a mirror tacked high up against the ceiling, so you could watch TV even if your back was to it. Very nice customer-service touch.

Lastly, they have a Lenten menu, so there’s no reason you can’t go on Fridays. Next time I’m in the area, I’ll definitely be back. Only downside is that they offer sodas only — no aguas frescas.

INFO

Las Costillas
At the corner of Juan Escutia and Pachuca, in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City
Open daily except for Sunday; I believe hours are 10 a.m. to midnight
Prices: Around 30 pesos for an order of three tacos

A five-course lunch in Condesa

October 16, 2009 by Lesley Tellez

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.

From panic to cabin fever to… enjoying the quiet

May 3, 2009 by Lesley Tellez

With the shops and restaurants still closed, a friend organized a picnic today at Parque Mexico.

It was a beautiful day to be outdoors. Not too hot, breezy. We ate sandwiches and orange slices atop two sheets we’d unfolded in a shade patch. Dogs ran around leash-less. A toddler in a pink dress scrunched up her face and tried to blow bubbles. Vendors offered us empanadas, alfajores, straw tote bags, candy. (The candy guy won with his infomercial-style pitch: “I’ve got the Peanut Package, containing salted and japanese-style nuts. I’ve got the Gum Package, containing Sponge Bob gum and other known brands. I’ve got the…”) We sat around for hours and talked.

For the first time in awhile the city seemed… tranquilo. Not shut-down and panicked. Just relaxed. People enjoying their time with each other, enjoying being outdoors.

All of us never would have gotten together if it wasn’t for the flu.

And actually, I may not have gotten together with friends on Friday night either, when I was feeling so cooped up, a Condesa friend — also feeling cooped up — invited me over to her house for dinner. It was fabulous. Flor de jamaica quesadillas, wine, digestifs. A big spread on their rooftop terrace, with tiki torches burning. On Saturday we had a friend over our house and there was more beer, and more good conversation.

The restaurants and bars open on Tuesday, and I’m hoping to organize a “Back To Life/Back to Reality” party at a local bar. I’m dying for everything to open up again, but I gotta say, I’ve enjoyed the recent human-to-human contact. Maybe this is what things were like before the Internet.

(Dear God, that was not an invitation to take away the Internet. Love, Lesley.)

Fleeing the flu with a weekend in Condesa

April 30, 2009 by Lesley Tellez

About a month ago, Joy took pity on our water and Telmex situation (both of which seem so quaint now) asked if I wanted to house-sit for her this weekend. She lives in Condesa, which is pretty much the hippest neighborhood in the city.

“Wouldn’t it be fun?” she’d said. “You could go to all the Condesa bars and restaurants. And have water!”

Alas, after Influenza A(H1N1) hit — can I just call it “Ahini”? — almost all of the restaurants, and all the bars, are closed until next week. But it’s still nice to be out of my house. You can hear the birds chirp here. There’s lots of light. Half the furniture isn’t covered in plastic. (Ugh. Painting will be over soon.) And Joy’s place has some awesome Parque Mexico views:

She also has adorable dog named Charlie. And an unopened bottle of tequila and a fridge stocked with beer, all of which — she assured me — are at our disposal.

Already cracked open an Indio. It’s vacay time, y’all.

P.S. Flu panic seems to be dying down. El Universal is back to putting dead car-wreck victims on its home page, or at least they did this morning. They’re also reporting that Time magazine has named Mexican drug lord El Chapo as among the most influential people in the world. That seems to have as much importance/absurdity value as flu news, at this point.

P.P.S. If you didn’t make it to last night’s bacon party, you missed out.