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 Travel & Outdoors | August 2005 
Grandiloquent Casino Español
 Greg Britt - The Herald Mexico
| | Casino Español was founded in 1863. In fact, this just might be Mexico's oldest restaurant. |
Don't be fooled by the name. You certainly won't find roulette wheels and blackjack tables at this casino. In fact, in Castillian, casino actually refers to a kind of social club, an appropriate name for this stately establishment which not only houses a fine restaurant but also grand ball rooms and exhibition halls for a variety of events, especially weddings and ultra formal banquets (illuminated by chandeliers that compare to those of the Versailles castle in France).
The building that houses Casino Español features neoclassical architecture. But the numerous patios and galleries are decorated in various styles. Islamic, Renaissance, and Baroque. Breathtaking stained glass windows and ceilings add to the eclectic effect. Original oil paintings line the walls, portraits of presidents and kings, many of whom have dined here (including President Porfirio Díaz and King Charles I).
Casino Español was founded in 1863. In fact, this just might be the oldest restaurant in Mexico. There is some debate over which is actually older the Hostería de Santo Domingo, also located in Mexico City's Historic Center, makes that claim to fame too. (By the way, now that the chile en nogada is back in season, it's a fine time to visit the Hostería, although it's actually one of the few restaurants that prepares the dish year round.)
I wondered how in the world I could have reviewed Mexican restaurants for so many years without finding this wonderful place. Well, the reason is twofold. I assumed it was just a fancy private club, perhaps with banquet service. If you didn't know there was a restaurant upstairs, there's very little downstairs to allude to that fact. Second, I usually do my dining at the dinner hour. And the Casino is more of a lunch place. It opens after noon and closes at 6 p.m. daily. It's no secret though. The place was packed with a few hundred diners by 3 p.m. on a recent Sunday afternoon.
This just might be the most beautiful restaurant in Mexico City. Depending on your taste, of course. Don't expect minimalism. Or over-sized orange plates on lime green table cloths. No bamboo growing in the corner. No 20-something waiters with radical hair styles. But if you like classical design, if your tastes lean toward regal and traditional, majestic and aristocratic, this is your place.
As its name would imply, the Casino Español menu leans heavily toward traditional Spanish cuisine (a trait that you will find in quite a few downtown restaurants). And while it's a bit pricey, with entrees averaging at over 150 pesos, they have an equitable prix fixe lunch menu. A killer deal at only around 125 pesos for a scrumptious fourcourse meal.
While the daily-changing chef's selections shouldn't be overlooked, the menu features an enormous variety of classic Spanish and Mexican dishes. Among the starters, I like the duck and crab tacos (priced separately at 60 pesos), a carpaccio of smoked salmon (98 pesos), and the classic serrano cured ham, a house specialty (94 pesos). Among the soups and salads, I recommend the seafood soup, chock full of fresh oceandwelling delights, ground parsley and served with a gelatin of Pernod-perfumed veggies (68 pesos). Also good is the pumpkin flower soup (45 pesos) and the spinach and mushroom salad with crunchy bacon, served with a honey mustard vinaigrette (45 pesos).
Casino entrees include a hard to beat paella (98 pesos), giant shrimp roasted in peppers (195 pesos), a platter of spicy seafood, with shrimp, oysters, squid, crab and crayfish (198 pesos), and a dish that would make Prince proud: the "Pato Purple Rain" (129 pesos), char-broiled duck with a guava sauce. Not quite sure why it's named as such, but frankly, you might need a dictionary when working through most of the Casino menu. Even my native-speaking, Mexican dining partners seemed to have trouble with the elegant, perhaps overly formal Castillian specifications. Don't worry, though. Everything I've tried was just as elegant and delicious as it sounded. Plus, the professional waiters (mostly 50-something with standard haircuts) are quite adept at translating into "local" Spanish.
So what's not to like about the Casino? Not much, really. I might rethink the hodgepodge of assorted art above the main bar and on a side wall. And the background music. One moment it was lovely a mixture of light classical with big band jazz. Then all of a sudden a disco tune (I recall hearing "Saturday Night Fever") would come blaring through. You can't please everyone, I guess, but I found that detracting from the formal decor and sheer splendor of the place.
Overall, the Casino Español is the perfect place for grand lunching in classic style.
Greg Britt is a free-lance restaurant critic based in Mexico City. gb@mexicodiningreview.com. |
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