Pujol

Background:

Enrique Olvera opened Pujol back in 2000. 20 years later, it is considered by many as the best restaurant in Mexico, and it consistently makes an appearance on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List (currently #12). He also has a sister concept, Cosme, in NYC, which is always on the top 50 list as well. Some credit Olvera and Pujol with putting Mexican food on the world map, where today it is hotter than the hottest chili pepper out of Oaxaca. Chefs from all over the world flock to Mexico, Rene Redzepi of Noma being the most famous, to get inspired, find themselves, learn more about God, and maybe to adopt a chihuahua. Speaking of Redzepi, Olvera is definitely part of the Noma gang – a cult of like minded chefs who see the the world of food as an expression of culture, modernism, and anarchy from the traditional, white table clothing fine dining establishment. Scallionpancake definitely follows this train of food thought as well, and will happily drink Kool Aid and wear Nikes with the rest of the Noma-ites.

Growing up in the US, but in the part of the US that is not close to Mexico (South Carolina), I’ve always thought of Mexico in the stereotypical ways that most white Americans think of Mexico – either a dangerous and drug lord infested or a place where teenagers go on spring break to lose their virginities. Obviously, this is borderline racist, wrong of me, and couldn’t be further from the truth. Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City couldn’t have been more fascinating and beautiful, and it’s filled with the nicest people, the most delicious food, and rich history. And even better, Mexico is so close to us – a quick three-hour non-stop flight from Charlotte to Mexico City and you’re a 20 minute Uber ride from eating delicious tacos. What this trip to Mexico taught me was even seasoned travelers like Yvonne and myself have stereotypes of places that are untrue and embarrassingly ignorant. That’s what makes travel so magical and so important, because as more people travel to places where people don’t look like us, or share our same culture backgrounds or heritage, we realize that we’re got way more in common then we have differences.

Now that I’m off my high horse, let’s talk food.

Eat This:

There are two dining options at Pujol. You can either make a reservation in the dining room where a seven course tasting menu is offered (a choice either of either sea (2554 pesos) or corn (2227 pesos), or you can eat at the taco bar and indulge in a 10 course taco menu. We chose the main dining section, and we were each allowed to pick a different tasting menu, so Yvonne went with the corn, and I went with the sea.

Earlier in the day, we had eaten at Quintonil for lunch, which was amazing, but was also a three-hour tasting menu. So, we were still pretty full from that experience; however, we are not quitters…we are Pancakes. And as a Pancake, sometimes you book two tasting menus in a day. Last time we did this was in Lima, where we did Maido and Astrid & Gaston in the same day. We vowed after that to never do that again, but that was two years ago, and how bad could it really be? Plus, we really only had one day in Mexico City, so we had to squeeze both of them in, no matter how uncomfortable our stomachs might feel at night.

Street Snacks

Both tastings started with street snacks, which consisted of this crunchy, fried tortilla with salsa. I believe this little bite changes frequently based on the season, unlike the elotito below.

Elotito

with ant mayonnaise

This is Pujol’s play on the traditional elote, which is a staple Mexican snack traditionally made with grilled corn, chiles, peppers, cotija cheese, sour cream, and lime. Pujol’s twist is taking the topping and making a spicy, tangy mayonnaise from ants. This dish was served warm, and it was so good I could have eaten 4,000.

Chayote Squash

with scallop pico

When you look at this dish, you’d think the bottom layer was the scallop, but it’s actually the opposite. The chayaote squash is flown in directly from Oaxaca, where it cooks in low temperature water for a few hours. Then they are “laminated” and covered in lime juice.

Tlayuda

with black beans, cheese, tomato, grasshopper

Tlayuda is a traditional Oaxacan dish. You can tell that Pujol really cares about highlighting traditional Mexican dishes and cooking, as well as showcasing the amazing diversity of ingredients that make Mexico so special. This dish is simple, yet so tasty.

Kampachi Ceviche

cacahuazintle juice, celery, yuzu

Cacahuazintle is an old variety of corn prized in Mexico. You don’t normally think of a ceviche made from corn, but we are in the land of corn so why not? The Kampachi was, as you’d expect, lightly cooked and served to perfection.

Huitlachoche

with black truffle

Huitlachoche is fungus that grows on corn, and to me has the deep, umami flavor of a blue cheese. Put some black truffle on that and you’ve got the makings of a delicious little taco, or two, or three.

This is the time in the meal when the tortillas start flowing to the table, and they are so good it’s hard not to keep eating them, but if you want to survive the meal – pace yourself, as there is a lot more to come. The easy way we’ve found to do this is just stick the tortillas in your purse for a late night snack down the road (always carry a special tortilla purse for these occasions).

Octopus

The octopus is marinated in a paste made from chilis and grasshoppers that is then grilled. This was the best dish (other than the mole) of the night to me. The chili paste added a unique outer texture to the octopus that made this dish complex and delicious.

Plantain Tamal

hoja santa, mushroom barbacoa

The plantain is made from roasted bananas and served with a side of barbecued mushrooms. The mushrooms are mixed with an adobo and left to sit overnight. Then the tamale is wrapped in a “holy leaf” and served together.

Striped bass

mole verde, fava bean, kosho

Look at that piece of fish! The skin was so crispy and delicious, yet the meat was almost rare beneath. Delicate, tasty, magical.

Wild herb open Papadzul

quail egg, chiltomate

The papadzul is an ancient Mayan dish that is said to be the precursor to the enchilada. This dish is made by dipping a tortilla in sauce made from pumpkin seeds and then serving it with hardboiled eggs.

Mole

Mole madre 2,057 days, mole nuevo

This the THE dish of Pujol, and boy did it live up the hype. On the day we were there, it was the 2,057 day of the mother mole (black), which had the richest, most savory taste. Mixed with the new, fresher mole, this dish was complex and just out right delicious. You could eat this all day, every day, and never get tired of it.

At this point in the meal we are brought outside to their extensive patio, where we were told we would be served our desserts. It’s important to note that we are so full at this point, that we literally wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, not because the meal was bad, in fact it was amazing, but because we thought we would embarrass ourselves by throwing up on another patron. But we stomached through, because we’re not quitters, and because we love dessert.

Corn Cake

rum, vanilla, cacao

You’ve got to finish the corn menu with a corn cake. I ended up liking this dessert more than my matcha, because this is a classic, sweet, delicious dessert. Nothing super fancy, but something you want to eat over and over again.

Matcha Nicolatole

soursop, shiso, basil

This was a dessert made for Yvonne. Not too sweet. Contains soursop. Green.

Congrats!

almond cake, passion fruit, raspberry sorbet, gold powder.

Pro tip: always say it’s your birthday/anniversary at a Michelin-starred restaurant, because they almost always have a special dish waiting for you. When we went to Pujol, it was legitimately a week before our anniversary, so we didn’t feel like we were cheating, but we may also celebrate our half-year anniversary and also maybe our dogs’ birthdays. This cake was worth it – who doesn’t love an almond cake with raspberry sorbet and gold dust on top? Happy third anniversary, big tuna!

Churro

We were DEAD at this point, literally couldn’t put anything else in our mouths, but then they bring out this churro and dear lord how could we say no? It was so good, I kept eating and literally thought i was going to have to call an ambulance. The outside was on the edge of crunchiness, and the inside was soft and moist like a baby’s bottom. It’s the best churro I’ve ever had, hands down.

Drink:

We are in the land of mezcal, tequila, and all varieties in between. You really haven’t had proper tequila or mezcal until you’ve been to Mexico, as there are hundred of varieties based on the type of agave plant, distillation process, and area of the country that the liquor is being produced. Probably the most interesting thing we learned was that you eat oranges with tequila, not lime. Lime is too acid and takes away all the flavor of the tequila, while oranges provide a more proper balance. It’s also traditional to dip the orange in salt, normally made with grasshoppers.

At Pujol we each got some mezcal to sip on during our meal, and I ordered a tamarind cocktail. Tamarind is one of my favorite tropical flavors, as it’s sweet and sour at the same time. Pujol had a variety of cocktails and liquors to choose from. All of which sounded and looked amazing.

Tamarind cocktail

Oranges served with our mezcal

Atmosphere:

Pujol feels like a place in one of those Dos Equis commercials, where you’ve got the Sultan of Brunei playing darts with Matthew Damon and the most mysterious man the world juggling balls of fire in front of women in long dresses. It’s got that kinetic, cool energy that makes you want just hang out and be a part of the action. The decor is pretty spartan – wood and concrete with simple, bold art on the wall, yet the vibe feels cozy and lively. That’s a hard combo to pull off, and I think it works because of the density of people and the movement of the waiters and staff. It’s got that “buzz” that only a few of the top notch restaurants in the world pull off.

The taco bar

Entrance

A portrait of a modern Mexican man (also the reception area)

The outdoor patio

Mexican Hospitality:

The staff great and attentive as one would expect at a high-caliber establishment like this. If your tortillas were running low, or you needed a drink, there was always someone there for you. It was the type of service that looking back six months later, you don’t really remember too much, which is normally a good thing. You want to remember the food and atmosphere, and normally if you remember the service it’s either really good or really bad. This one was on the good side, and went off without a hitch.

Frankie’s Notes:

Seriously kill us again if we try to do two tastings in one day. Don’t do it people. It’s not worth it; We pooped weird for a month after our Mexico trip, probably because we ate everything possible from street markets. Was it worth it? Yes - we’d do it again; Don’t be scared of the markets, this is where the magic happens, and it’s worth a little weird pooping for a bit; We saw one pug our whole trip to Mexico, but a ton of chihuahuas, go figure.

Rating:

Pujol lived up the hype and was definitely worth a visit. It’s clear that Pujol is trying to deliver the modern take on the traditional Mexican dishes, and they pull it off with a fervent intensity that even your Mexican grandma would appreciate. Next time we will try the taco bar, as it looked like there was a lot of cool stuff going on there, but we’d definitely do the tasting again too. If you’re in Mexico City, get yourself a reservation.

5 out of 5 with 2 Michigan Pugs