Foodstuff: Gastronomica greatness

Eating my way through an international culinary capital, Part 2 of 2

Two weeks ago in Foodstuff, I took you along on my off-season adventures in Mexico City. It was the stuff of dreams — and it also left me stuffed. Today, we take a turn from taco tours to a more high-end take on this culinary capital.

If you want to find out what it’s like to eat at one of the top dining destinations on the planet, you’ve come to the right place. After casually considering CDMX back in June, on a lark, I checked out the website for the legendary Pujol, featured in an episode of “Chef’s Table” and frequently cracking the top 10 of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Luckily for me, they had one (literally, one) reservation left, so I booked it, and four months later, we feasted like kings. I’ve already talked about tacos and my wonderful walk through the Mexican markets. Today, it’s all about luxury.

Pujol was founded in 2000 by acclaimed Mexican chef Enrique Olvera and currently features two tasting menus highlighting “three key elements of Mexican culture – corn, seafood, and vegetables.” Each course is an historically classic Mexican dish, using traditional techniques or ingredients, and then presented in a contemporary lens. I signed up for the traditional tasting menu, and off we went.

Our first course, the “snacks” for the evening, included a sampling of two crisp tortilla chips sandwiching an avocado puree, a tomato consommé, and, as featured on “Chef’s Table” — and a real showstopper — a hollowed-out pumpkin with smoked wood sitting beneath two skewers of baby corn (cooked, not pickled, like I ate with my mom’s Chinese food as a kid) and presented as a twist on street corn, rolled in a rich, orange sauce, and dotted with pulverized ants. Stay with me here: It was fantastic, and if you didn’t know (or cared) they were ants, you’d think it was black pepper.

The hits kept coming, with a tuna crudo and pico de gallo over parsnip puree; an abalone tostada topped with quelites, which are edible, wild greens; a take on a chowder with whitefish, clams, and avocado leaves with Brazilian-style cheese bread for dipping; a “make-your-own-taco” situation with rare wagyu beef, roasted eggplant puree, and huitlacoche over a warm blue corn tortilla; a mole (more on that below); and a refreshing dessert of mango sake sorbet with two house-made chocolate concha to finish things off.

About the mole: Chef Olvera is known around the world for this dish. Pujol’s mole negro is treated almost like a sourdough starter, in that the kitchen has been working from the same batch for nearly 10 years (As noted on our menu, they were on day 3,536 when we sampled and savored). It’s served simply as a circle on the plate, with a dot of “mole of the day” on top, typically made of fresh fruit to brighten and combat the richness of the black mole. No meat, no adornments — just fresh, warm tortillas pressed with a hoja santa, or Mexican pepper leaf for dipping and eating. This revelatory dish alone was worth the price of admission.

Speaking of price, the seven-course tasting menu is $3,495 pesos per person and includes tax (or about $175 total before tip). The service was stupendous, and the restaurant design was divine. I can’t wait to go back someday and try the nine-course Taco Omakase, which is only available at the bar and includes that famous mole.

If you’re heading to CDMX and love food as much as I do, check it out. This is a meal worth traveling for.

Katherine Roberts is a mid-Valley based writer and marketing professional who can’t figure out how to get a handle on her abundant CSA produce, so if you have any suggestions, send them along. She can be reached via her marketing and communications firm, Carington Creative, at katherine@caringtoncreative.com