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 Entertainment | January 2007 
Add Mexico City to Chic List
 Mercury News
| | "Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler" ($13.95, iUniverse; photos by Nicholas Gilman) |
Jim Johnston, 56, who has lived in Mexico since 1994 and exclusively in Mexico City for the past 2 1/2 years as a printmaker and writer, believes that crime is exaggerated, pollution on the wane and nightlife on the rise.
Q. People ask two troubling questions about Mexico City. The first: Just how bad is the air pollution there?
Looking out the window now, I see a clear sky. Most of the time, that's what I see. The city has been improving air quality; it's not as bad as it was five or 10 years ago.
Q. The other ongoing concern is crime. How safe is it?
In my years here, I've never had a single problem. That's not to say there is no crime or crime problem, but what people read or hear makes it sound a lot worse than it actually is. Most places tourists go, you're not likely to have any problems.
Q. Celeb chef Rick Bayless recently pegged Mexico City as "North America's newest food capital." Your thoughts?
I totally agree. There's great food at all levels.
I actually eat from street stalls, which many Mexicans won't. I have my standards about which stalls I pick - ones that are clean and usually crowded. There's great food everywhere.
Upscale, there's a new awareness of Mexican cuisine within Mexico. Years ago, rich Mexicans going out to dinner would go to a French restaurant. They'd never think of going to a place with Mexican food. That's changing. There are several great high-end, chic and trendy places now.
Q. Examples?
A particularly good one is Aguila y Sol - which means "eagle and sun"; that's the equivalent of "heads or tails" on their coins. The restaurant is in Polanco, a fancier area where many of the best restaurants are located. The food is Mexican, but much more sophisticated than what you'd ordinarily find. They have, for instance, a duck with molé sauce. Their sauce is more refined and subtle than you'll find elsewhere.
Another place is Izote, also in Polanco. One thing that stands out is a smoked salmon appetizer that has a sauce flavored with vanilla bean. (The) chef uses traditional Mexican ingredients but makes untraditional combinations.
Q. The cost for a meal at one of these upscale places?
Expect to spend between $30 and $50, depending on how much you drink. You'd spend quite a bit more in an equivalent restaurant in the United States. Eating in Mexico City is still quite a bargain.
Q. What about regional Mexican dishes? Available in Mexico City?
One of my favorite cuisines is Yucatecan, for really good and inexpensive food in a simple, family kind of place, go to Coox Hanal, in the city's historic center. You can eat for $10.
Q. What's No. 1 on your list to see or do?
Walk around the city's historic center.
It was the Aztecs' center of the city, and there are still ruins there. It's also where the Spaniards had their center of government for hundreds of years. It's still the center of town. You're looking at 700 years of layers of history happening there.
The Palacio Nacional - "National Palace" - is Mexico's White House and Capitol rolled into one. Go see the wall murals by (famous painter) Diego Rivera. You can't miss them once you enter the front door.
Right next to the Zocalo - the main square in the historic center - are the ruins of Templo Mayor, the main temple of the Aztecs.
Q. Your top choice for the essential Mexico City nightlife experience?
Plaza Garibaldi. That's where mariachi bands gather outdoors every night. There are hundreds of musicians there. Mexican families and couples go to hear and see them. You pay them to play songs for you. You might hear 12 groups playing all at the same time - a cacophony of sound in an open space the size of a city block. The plaza is surrounded by bars, clubs and places that have shows. I stay outside, though; there's enough of a great show out there. |
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