We did not want a hotel party or a mediocre dining experience for New
Year's Eve, so we chose Dulce Patria, the elegant dining destination of
Mexico's top female chef, and indeed on of Mexico's most famous chefs..Martha
Ortiz. We arrived early as we expected tons of traffic on the holiday, so we had
to wait about 15 minutes before they even opened the doors at 8pm. Our table was
a sigh to behold, with leatherette and feathered masks, beautiful flowers and
elegant Riedel crystal and china. I was happy already. The menus were printed
and Samuel chose to have the children's tasting menu which was just as good as
ours, but cost 1/4 the price!
Our server Gonzalo was a gem and asked exactly when each should be served
during our 3-3/4 hour extravaganza. Istarted with a cocktail made from
Pubela apples with tequila and wild lavender that was yummy, while Sam had a
Mandarin soda that lit up (catch the photo on FB) for the holiday. Will was not
drinking so he had a hibiscus water with cucumber. We all enjoyed the Smoked
jalapeno chiles with ranch cheese and sweet tomato which were actually covered
with a crunchy crust. The spice here was milder and indeed the cuisine was
Mexican with a refined French flair of sorts. Breads arrived and we wanted to
try them all but could not. Each different roll had a filling such as
chipotle-cheese, mole, beans, or nogada....they were all amazing.
A sextet of string musicians and Mexican guitar-like instruments played,
often the same music and especially Vivaldi's Four Seasons, but it was very nice
and again quite elegant and classy.
I think our favorite course for all was the Cream of Young Corn Soup with
Poblano chile strings and corn...it was not spicy at all and truly a divine corn
soup.
I started with a Pionero 2014 Merlot-Tempranillo-Cab blend from Baja that I
liked. My second wine was Casa Madero 2013 3V with the same grape blends and I
didn't even finish it. Tops was the Hemisferio 2011 blending Petite Sirah &
Merlot with yummy jammy notes, another wine perfect for mole.
The main course for Sam was Chicken breast breaded and baked (Milanese)
with maize and cheese and rice with vegetable stars which was a huge portion for
any person, let alone a child, but he adored it. We had the Beef Ribs with
strokes of talavera(it means workshop) and old-style mole, which was explained
as the Baroque style of cuisine from olden days. It came with tortillas which we
did not even touch as we were so full. The dish had yummy plantanos with queso
fresco, but alas the meat had some gristle making it not the best option. The
accompaniments were corn gnocchi, mini grilled corn cobs, zucchini circles and
so much more that it did not matter.
The first dessert was Red Pipian Ice Cream with caramelized fruits and
seeds. The ice cream sat on a bed of spices and salt and these changed the
flavor of the ice cream itself into an almost love-hate relationship as some
spices were yummy and others not so much. It was a novel treat for sure.
Next came Baroque Almond Cake with Three Rompopes and roses of Castilla
which was a divine egg, alcohol and peanut cake with pistachio nut sauce that I
oohed and aahed over as I so rarely like cake.
We had heard that Chef Martha was amazing at desserts and yet more arrived
with sugared grapes and a glass of Mumm's from France. We toasted the New Year
as it was now just 11pm (midnight at home).
Adorable Mexican mini-wooden chairs on a platform came with even more
treats of cahela(milk cream), apricots, chocolate and amaranthe, tamarind-nut
and chile jellies. We took these home and are still munching them 2 days
later.
The excitement did not end as we had the pleasure of meeting Chef Martha
Ortiz on the way out and having our photos taken with her.
What a night!
--
