The name of the restaurant at Mexico City's Colegio Superior de Gastronomía translates to "Matterhorn". We're lucky to be able to walk over for comida (Mexico's main meal of the day), with no mountain climbing involved.
A few days ago, our young downstairs neighbor stopped in for her first visit with us. Although we'd greeted her in the elevator and outside the building, we didn't know much about her other than that she has an adorable puppy called Diego Rivera. Now we know that she is studying for a four-year licenciatura (similar to a bachelor's degree) at Mexico City's Colegio Superior de Gastronomía. She has only a year left before she's finished with the degree program. She invited us to go and enjoy the offerings at the school's student-operated restaurant. We'd walked past it many times and were aware of the school, but we had never known about the restaurant.
Orli Horta Shvarzblat, student at the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía and our delightful neighbor. The school is the very first university dedicated to gastronomy in Latin America, founded as the Tecnológico Hotelero in 1977 and transformed into the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía in 1992. Because of Orli, we are now privy to one of our neighborhood's best-kept-secrets for comida and cena (supper).
Although the restaurant wasn't overflowing, the turnout was respectable for a Monday mid-afternoon. Six or seven of the ten tables were filled while we were there.
After their first four semesters of study, the students run the restaurant, from the back of the house to the front. Every three months, their roles change: this quarter behind the bar, next quarter as a line cook, next quarter as a server, next quarter...you get it. Each time the students change places, the restaurant menu changes, too. By the time a student graduates, he or she has full knowledge of restaurant operation. Take a look at the school's elaborate academic and hands-on curriculum: Colegio Superior de Gastronomía.
The beautiful and delicious amuse bouche, an opening gift from the chef to excite the mouth and open the appetite. This amuse, one spoon for each of us, was a single bite of chilled fresh tuna sashimi, served with peppery arugula and drizzled with parsley oil.
Service is attentive without being intrusive and the food is alta cocina--haute cuisine, with a big pinch of Europe, a big pinch of Asia, a big pinch of Mexico, a big pinch of creativity, and a tiny pinch of oops, I forgot to bring your drink order! We were quite impressed and we will definitely go back. Comida includes six courses (amuse through dessert) plus four alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks. It's quite the bargain at 220 pesos (about $19.00USD, at today's exchange rate) per person.
Judy's entrada (appetizer): wafer-thin slices of jícama hiding a portion of aguachile de camarón. Those beautiful red tangles are amazingly beet-y beet sprouts!
My entrada, and don't even think about snitching a bite! A three-inch triangular wedge of watermelon, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, dotted with a few tiny cubes of bacon, and surrounded by wee bites of goat cheese plus a sprinkling of sweetened dried fruits and nuts. The combination is tantalizing. And that crowning mint leaf? Think crystallized: it crackles in the mouth and gives just a hint of mint.
The selection of sopas (normally a course of either wet or dry soups) did not offer anything like the usual sopa de fideo (very thin pasta in an equally thin tomato sauce called caldillo de jitomate) or consomé de pollo (chicken consommé). Judy chose the sopa pictured above: mousse de foie. The white foam is made of guanábana (soursop), the golden brown puff is an Iberian ham croquet, and the almost-brown creamy ruffle is mousse of paté de foie gras. On top, a slice of red grape.
My sopa was indeed soup, but wow--a chilled fresh strawberry soup with a touch of malamado (a Malbec wine)! On the bamboo skewer, a perfect half strawberry and a chunk of kiwi fruit.
Judy's entremés (between-courses plate): roast duck, fried in a crunchy wrapper and served with spicy chutney, mezcal honey and threads of crispy potato.
My mid-course dish was a serving of mixed seafood (smoked oyster, shrimp, and squid), topped with melted cheese and a dollop of caviar. Although the seafood flavors were good (and I loved the touch of caviar), in my opinion, this combination was not as successful as the previous courses.
Judy's main course was a serving of mahi mahi in adobo, wrapped in banana leaf to cook and plated with pickled red onions and polenta. A sauce of chile habanero was the excellent flavor complement.
My main course: black risotto cooked in squid ink and accompanied on the plate by a langostino, served with a seafood reduction. The rice needed a bit longer cooking time and the langostino needed a bit less.
Judy asked our waiter, "Which is the dessert with the most chocolate?" From left, a dark and white chocolate mousse flavored with rosemary, a slice of dark chocolate cake flavored with thyme, a pretty squiggle of delicious chocolate, and a bolita (miniature scoop) of nopal ice cream.
And my dessert: a bolita of queso de cabra (goat cheese) covered with port wine jelly and backed with a poof of algodón de azúcar (cotton candy), plated with a really delicious fig compote. The strongly flavored goat cheese was, in my opinion, a less-than perfect accompaniment to the sweet of the compote. I'd try preparing the same presentation with a bolita of flavored mascarpone instead of the queso de cabra.
The students are giving it their all as they work toward a restaurant career. What they are learning is very different from standard food preparation in Mexico. Today, top-end restaurants of alta cocina are totalmente de la moda (very much in style); in this kind of restaurant, plating and presentation are as crucial to success as the food itself. Nevertheless, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. In my first experience of comida at the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía, the plating and presentation get a 10 (Mexico's 'A' grade in school). The food gets a seven. There's room for improvement, yes, but we'll definitely go back.
Monte Cervino
Cocina de Alta Escuela
Av. Sonora #189 Esq. Av. México
Col. Hipódromo Condesa
Del. Cuahutémoc
México Distrito Federal 06100
Hours:
(comida): Monday through Thursday 1.30PM - 3.45PM
(cena): Monday through Thursday 6.30PM - 9:45PM
Reservations: 5584.3800 ext. 103 (calling from Mexico City)
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Called today as we wanted to visit tomorrow for dinner, but was told they're currently not doing dinner (cena) at the moment.
Also the price for lunch (comida) has gone up to 250 pesos.
Posted by: Brad | September 26, 2011 at 06:34 PM
oh, I had no idea about the restaurant, thank you for this post! On the other hand I 've already met these guys, as they also catter for events (and it was a posh one, so they are appreciated)
Posted by: Account Deleted | July 03, 2011 at 06:16 AM
Lovely post. I had a long history of bringing a training restaurant to Mexico similar to the one at the Univ. of Houston, Hilton College. Working with Pres Salinas and CANIRAC, I was able to, at the time, get the kitchen equipment and front of the house furnishings donated by suppliers in the USA. Back then a lot of things were not available in Mx.
Now, that was quite a while ago - late 80's so who knows if anything in the original project is still there.
The presentation of the food in your post is exquisite. The fusion of flavors sound very interesting. A great way for students to get ready to be in the largest industry in the world - food.
Posted by: Barbara Eckrote | July 02, 2011 at 10:50 AM