Los Xitomates | | by
Anna Reisman - November 10, 2002. |
For the last couple of weeks, I don't know whether it was coincidence or not, everyone
I spoke to talked to me about Xitomates. Though this brand new restaurant, situated
in an ideal location right in the heart of town, has only been open for about
two months, it has already managed to earn itself a steady clientele. Personally,
I had been there for the inauguration, but I never had the chance (time) to try
their food - until last week. Wow! No wonder there were line-ups every night the
week after Kenna left our shores. Folks downtown obviously felt they needed to
lift up their spirits somehow, and they chose Xitomates. The
night of the inauguration in mid-September, one of the chef-owners, Italian-Venezuelan
Stefano Miotto, stated that he and his partner Luis Fitch have a common goal,
to "rescue and revive Mexico's culinary roots, to offer them to the local
population so that it may enjoy it …at reasonable prices." It
has often been said that there is no such thing as "Mexican Haute Cuisine".
Puerto Vallarta has disproved the statement. We now have a number of restaurants
that offer the fascinating dishes of Mexico at the "Haute Cuisine" level,
but Xitomates is the only one downtown and the only one to use ancient recipes,
enhanced with a touch of all the countries where Chef Luis has worked during his
stellar career (for example: Austria, Germany, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic,
Jamaica, etc. etc.) When my girlfriends and I went to
Xitomates for dinner, we agreed that we would each order something different and
then play "musical plates". The menu says, "Mexican Haute Cuisine
has evolved greatly from its origins, starting with elements brought over during
Mexico's Vice-Regal period, up to the most recent Mediterranean, Continental,
Caribbean and Oriental influences" so the five of us decided that we just
had to experience it all! It turned out to be a most delightful, wonderful experience,
filled with oohs and aahs, and plenty of giggles as we all tried to take more
than our share of each dish… I don't have enough
space to get into detailed descriptions of each and every delicious dish we had,
so I'll just give you enough to whet your appetite. We'll
start with the appetizers. Thin, tender, transparent slices of marinated scallops
with a julienne of jicama and cucumber in an aguachile dressing (my favorite),
large skewered shrimp rolled in coconut and fried, served with a sweet and sour
sauce of spicy tamarind, ginger and lemon grass (my other favorite), mushrooms
stuffed with huitlacoche (love that stuff!) and others stuffed with seasoned,
shredded shrimp. As examples of the main courses, I have
to tell you about all the ones we ordered, because we tried to vote on the best,
and we failed dismally so that should give you an idea of how much we enjoyed
each one of them. They were: the filet of salmon in a chile poblano sauce with
a stuffed squash blossom, tender corn and okra (first time I've had okra in Vallarta!),
the filet of tuna Veracruz-style cooked just right, served on a bed of perfectly-steamed
julienne vegetables, and the red snapper in a sauce of hearts of palm, orange
and güero chili. The two meat dishes were the rib eye, Chihuahua-style, medium-rare
(like we all like it), served with three different types of sautéed mushrooms,
with a touch of that unique, aromatic Mexican herb called epazote, and the loin
of pork served with tender vegetables and chile Serrano. Needless to say, every
one of the five plates was wiped clean, either with the fresh, warm bread or tortillas
that were constantly replenished at the table. Desserts?
Well, two of the ladies opted out, so we only ordered three. Big mistake. Everyone
ended up having some (I knew that would happen…) We had cheese crêpes
in a butterscotch and nut sauce, the specialty of the house called the "Ice
Cream Cake from Toluca", beautiful, sinfully rich, covered with nuts, and
the "Bienmesabe" of chocolate made of chocolate, with chocolate inside,
and chocolate all around it. Need I say more?
All right, I will. The portions
are generous, the service is attentive, unobtrusive and excellent, the décor
is casual, simple -even sober- yet elegant. (Even though there is a mezzanine,
there are only approximately 18 tables in all, so I recommend that you make reservations.)
There is a lovely, fully stocked bar for casual conversation, and on the night
we were there, the music was right up my alley - the romantic Roxy tunes of Brian
Ferry. We didn't want the evening to end, but we had to get back to work next
morning, so we'll just have to do it again soon. The generous
three-course meals I described ended up costing an average of $245. pesos each,
not including drinks, tax or tips. By the way, the wine list is stupendous. Los
Xitomates is located at 570 Morelos St. downtown, tel.: 222-1694 and if you're
wondering about the pronunciation, it's hee-to-mah-teys, from the ancient Aztec
word meaning tomatoes.
pvmomto3@hotmail.com |
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