For our blowout meal while visiting Valle de Guadalupe, I made reservations at Fauna which for several years had been touted among the "best" (in lower case and strong quotes) restaurants in Latin America. Of course…those lists…..Fauna was chosen as the "best" in Mexico in 2023 according to Eater. Of course, I kind of temper my expectations at bit. We've dined at Maido, which has claimed the title of Best Restaurant in the World in 2025 and Osteria Francescana when it held that title back in 2018. Both meals were good and innovative; but each with short comings for us. Still, what I had read and seen regarding Fauna was interesting, so I made those reservations.
Of course our driver, Ivan was super punctual, and off we went! We were dropped right at the entrance of Fauna which is located in the huge and sprawling Bruma Wine Resort.
We were greeted and seated. The Missus wasn't too fond of the communal seating arrangement, but I kind of enjoyed the social aspect.
I had a cocktail and the Missus wine while we looked over the menu.
We started with some wonderful shellfish. I think the Missus's favorite was the super sweet abalone, which came with a nutty pepito flavored aspic. The blood clams were so sweet and an umami bomb.
The Baja Oysters were mildly briny and refreshing, with a clean finish.
The Tuna Fin Sopes where a bit salty and the sopes were on drier-chewier side. For some reason, it also lacked a nice "maize" flavor as well.
The Octopus with Tomato was interesting as it was quite herbal. The octopus was cooked perfectly and quite tender.
The scallops in the Scallops in Eggplant Puree was so sweet and tender.
But the eggplant puree was thinner than I anticipated and really lacked the smoky-savory flavor we enjoy. It was also a bit on the salty side.
The Rabbit and Celeriac was an interesting dish as the rabbit was compressed.
Surprisingly mild in flavor, the rabbit was super moist and tender. The celeriac added some nice sweet tones as well. This was served with some blue corn tortillas, which, unlike the sopes were mildly sweet and "maizey".
Seeing Sweetbreads on the menu; you know I just had to order it, right?
Served on a savory, lovely potato puree, and with crispy fried kale to add an interesting bitter-sweet flavor and also textural contrast to the nutty-buttery, mildly offaly sweetbreads, this was an delici-yoso dish!
The Striped Bass with a Pasilla Adobo was very good.
The fish was perfectly pan fried, crisp exterior, moist and flaky, while a bit on the salty side. The adobo was wonderful, smoky, slightly sweet, mild spice, quite rich in texture.
There were two dishes we were advised to order by folks we know. The first being the Charred Cabbage.
Which lay in a large dollop of a sauce made of Chilhuacle Chiles, which was the sweeter side. The cabbage was fine….and we've been ordering charred cabbage this when we see it on menus since we had it at Senia. The cabbage was quite mild in flavor, even though it was charred and should have really developed a sweet smokiness.
And then there was the Wagyu which was served with a Pasilla Chile Stuffed with Cheese which was kinda overkill.
The steak was toothsome and quite beefy, though cooked past our preferred doneness.
The Missus did enjoy the desserts.
While the Missus was not particularly fond of the communal seating and definitely not in same league as Pujol; I think we'd return if we had a chance.
We felt sorry for the young man who was part of the Asian couple across from us. He was so excited to be dining at Fauna; but the young lady accompanying him was having none of it. She made many rude comments…sometimes not even touching what was on her plate! She just didn't want to be there it seems, making the meal as unpleasant for her date as possible, and was totally unable to just "suck it up" for the sake of the young man. Sigh….
Fauna
México 3 Km #73
Francisco Zarco, B.C., Mexico
After dinner we strolled around the area a bit.
Thinking that perhaps we might want to stay around here should we return to Valle.
Man, look at the langostas! The beans were bland and watery and the rice on the harder side and also very mild in flavor, but those lobsters! There was a time when the Missus just didn't care for lobster; having had quite a few bland versions of them . But time and visit to places on the east coast and Canada, She has come around. And these were delicately, sweet-oceany, with a firm, yet pliable texture. 
Since I've 
My favorite of the two I ordered was the Cabeza. It was tender, beefy, with a side of "funk". Nicely seasoned and cooked, so very juicy. A squirt of lime to cut the richness, cilantro and onion to add pungency, and it was darn good. The tortillas were fine; they were doubled with some queso in between to hold it together.
The piece of battered and fried fish was quite large. But the batter was soggy and the flesh of the pescado was slimy-fishy-muddy, not my favorite flavors and textures when it comes to fish. Not even the lime and the salsas….I preferred the verde (green), which had a bit more acidity and herbaceousness, but I really didn't enjoy this.
This delivered as usual. The tortillas were still warm when we got home; such very nice corn flavor, pliable, yet hearty.
It is so hearty and comforting. It really has that "aaah" appeal. Nothing like rich, beefy, soup dripping out of a maize-y tortilla down your arm and then your throat on a chilly day, right?
The Bun Rieu is now $13.99, but is totally worth the price. A generous amount of very fresh herbs and veggies. And look they still provide a good amount of shredded morning glory, though there's a bit less banana blossom these days. 
So savory, with nice porky-seafood tones. The tomatoes added a perfect amount of acidity. The pork ribs were quite swiney, though a bit more chewy than usual. And the Missus enjoys the tofu a lot. The broth just seemed so good, perhaps it's because we hadn't been back here 
The bone had been really roasted, which was different form what we'd had in Old Town. The marrow was oh-so-buttery. The birria was beefy, with nice pungent-smoky-earthy tones. It's still not quite what I recall from the San Ysidro days, but a bit better than 
