We headed out for dinner on our second (and last) night in San Miguel. As with our previous dinner I had taken a recommendation and made reservations for the meal. It was a nice, short stroll to dinner, just a short distance from the main square.
Located in a restored mansion, The Restaurant apparently created quite a buzz when it opened in 2008, and has been credited with changing the food scene in San Miguel.
The dining room is situated in the lovely courtyard (so many beautiful courtyards in SME) and the menu is somewhat globally focused.
Since we had a late lunch we would stick to one of our favorite strategies and go with several appetizers and one main to make our meal.
We started with the Beef Carpaccio – $300/MX.
The beef was tenderloin and quite lean, the truffled ponzu was quite pronounced in flavor and to be perfectly frank served better as a dressing for the nice crisp veggies and potato strings. Loved the addition of mint and cilantro on this.
The Charred Octopus ($300/MX) was indeed quite charred and a bit more chewy than we prefer.
The overall bitterness of the charred Cephalopod marred the dish, though the tomatoes were sweet, with the perfect acidity, and the avocado puree helped balance out whatever heat that was provided by the habanero sauce.
I was intrigued by the Shrimp and Scallop dish ($510/MX), which featured curry dusted scallops and shrimp, and a cauliflower puree, with lentils.
This was pretty good as the shrimp and scallops were perfectly cooked, the curry flavor was tempered and really harmonized with the creamy, nutty-lightly sweet mashed cauliflower. Loved the lentils which added a nice earthy flavor and textural contrast to the dish.
The most interesting item we ordered was the Cheese Plate ($285/MX).
Yes, that's right, the cheese plate. Why? Well, it's all local/regional cheeses and except for the bleu cheese….I'm thinking that it's basically based on the type of edible mold from the area, all the others were pretty good.
The Missus enjoyed the wine selection and the service was professional and accommodating.
The Restaurant
Diez de Sollano y Dávalos 16
37700 San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico
After dinner we strolled on over to the heart of SME, the Jardín Allende. The Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel looked lovely as the sun slowly set.
And unlike when we visited earlier, the church was open and wasn't having any special event going on, so we went to take a peek inside.
After taking a quick look into the church, we crossed the street to the Jardin and had a seat and enjoyed the passage of time.
It was a nice evening for us.
The next morning we slept in for a bit. The owners of the B&B sent me a text and asked if we wanted them to make us breakfast. Since we were the only customers staying in the place we told them to not go thru the effort. Plus, the Missus wanted to try another pour over from Lavanda Café. So we headed on over a bit before they opened and were the first customers on this morning.
The Missus got Her pour over which She enjoyed.
And we shared a Salsa Verde con Chicharron which the Missus enjoyed.
The eggs were perfectly cooked, nice tanginess, a bit of heat, a nice, hearty breakfast.
Lavanda Café de Especialidad
Calle del Dr Ignacio Hernandez Macias 87, Zona Centro,
37700 San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Since we were the only folks staying at our accommodation, we were told to just take our time, and that we could check out at noon instead of eleven. This would make things work out better for us in terms of getting to our next stop Guanajuato, which would take around 2 hours via Uber.
It was a pretty quiet morning around the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel.
Since the clock was just striking ten, we decided to check out the Museo de San Miguel de Allende right across the street that opened at ten.
Most of this museum is dedicated to it's former resident; Ignacio Allende, who became a hero of the Mexican War on Independence. The Allende family was a wealthy family and the museum is housed in the family's former home.
Much of the family's living quarters have been restored and I especially like the replica of the original kitchen.
The first floor contains a history of the region as well.
It was a nice little diversion. And soon enough we had to head back to our room and finish packing; call our Uber, and then we were off…..
Next stop Guananjuato!
Thanks for stopping by!
Many customers are 'regulars'. 
The menu is served all day. 
My usual order is a ham and egg sandwich ($12) on rye, made with a good amount of juicy, non-salty ham steak. The plate comes with a choice of potato. The home fries are excellent, can be made with or without bell peppers and/or onion. Optional home made gravy on the potatoes ($2.50) is worth it- it is bacon gravy (not sausage); a wonderful version.
On another visit, The Mister ordered the corned beef hash and eggs ($12) substituting homemade corned beef ($1)- it's just corned beef! A wonderful, lighter carb breakfast. (The hash browns were nicely crisped, the over easy eggs were perfect and even the sourdough toast is a better/nice sour quality).
The Christmas tree is decorated seasonally and there are small gifts (one per child) underneath always. A fond, old fashioned memory.
This was quite lovely and came with bread and butter. The egg was nice and perfectly done; still oozing with goodness, the rustic bacon was also quite good. The roasted tomatoes adding acidity and tangy touches. The red chili based "sauce" was rich but not overly spicy and we enjoyed the earthy mushrooms in the dish.
This sprawling market is quite large with everything from jewelry to shawls to produce.
Recently, I had a craving for 
There is a chalkboard next to the cash register.
as well as a cup ($5) (vegetarian pea) were enjoyed on visits. The 'everyday' soups (tomato basil and chicken noodle) are priced $4 and $5.25.
Fresh roast turkey (as in roasted here, today), crispy thick quality bacon, shredded lettuce, house made Blue cheese dressing (excellent) served open faced on rye. This- THIS sandwich is fancy as well as wonderful. 
A similar item (in that there are crossover ingredients) is the California Cobb Salad ($12.95). Freshly roasted turkey (remarkably good), bacon, crumbled blue cheese, avocado, tomato and pickled egg.
There is quite an interest in eggs here; deviled egg dishes are used in the refrigerator and there is a collection on the wall above the kitchen. 
The Croque Madame ($13.95) is made with French ham, gruyere and a house made béchamel. Very tasty and filling. 
The Eggs Benedict ($12.95) served on an English muffin with ham and a very proper (unbroken) Hollandaise along with fruit and a hash brown patty is also filling and flavorful. 
