The Place: Nico's
Chile en Nogada: A Mexico City Food Legend!
The Experience: Gringo G had never been to Nico's before he went in search of its famed Chile en Nogada for his Mexico Tradition Series! He thought that taking into account the massive accolades ranging from Food & Wine all the way to Marco Beteta (the famous Mexican celebrity chef/food guide), that Nico´s would be all glitz and glamor. The Gringo was immensely surprised by the austere setting Nico's maintains; they do not even have a sign outside the restaurant. If you were walking by and had not been to Nico’s before, you would not notice that a very renowned restaurant was inside.
In the end this austerity did not matter one bit, because Nico's
simply lets its exquisite Slow Mexican Food do the talking. Once you get past
the austere entrance you enter a restaurant with minimal decoration that seems
like it is straight out of the 1970's. This restaurant is PACKED, like up to
the gills packed. Gringo G went at 10 in the morning and Nico's had a line out
the door.
If a restaurant over 50 years old with prices, at least for Mexico
City dining, that are high-end and there is a line out the door then something
unique is going on in the kitchen. Chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo was kind enough to
show the Gringo G around the kitchen after his meal and as you stroll through
the folkloric kitchen you can see elderly Mexican ladies and men that have been
preparing the famed Mexican delicacies that have made Nico´s a Mexico City Food
legend for decade after decade. An experienced touch can make all the
difference when making a dish as delicate and complex as the September classic,
the Chile en Nogada and it showed at Nico’s.
The Gringo started off with some fresh, warm bread and his
companions had delicious Mexican sweet breads along with the Mexican classic of
café con leche ... a nice home-style way to start off the meal. Since it was a
breakfast occasion the Gringo G had an Aporreado Guerrerense, a dish with
scrambled eggs, slow-slow cooked tomatillo-chile cuarasmeño sauce along with tasty
strips of cecina (salted beef ... with the variety from Yecapixtla, Morelos the
most famous).
Then we had the house specialty: the Chile en Nogada. Before
talking about the experience at Nico’s, this dish deserves an explanation
because of its great importance in Mexico Culinary Food Tradition. The traditional Chile en Nogada is purported to be from
Puebla; it is tied to the independence of Mexico since it is said they were
prepared for the first time to entertain the emperor Agustín
de Iturbide when he came to the
city after his naming as Agustín I. The legend says that it took months of
experiments to finally invent a dish with the country’s three colors (green,
white and red) for the banquet of Agustín I and the Chile en Nogada was the
result. This dish is a source of pride for the inhabitants of the state of Puebla (as is the famed mole poblano). This dish is
traditionally served in August and September when the pomegranate fruit is in
season in Central Mexico and can complete the legendary dish (Source: Wikipedia).
Back to Nico’s, as any decent Chile en Nogada should be the Chile at Nico’s was
presented with the strong patriotic colors of Mexico with the dark green chile
poblano on the bottom (with filling), the bright red pomegranate fruit on top
of the flowing white "nogada", a rich cream sauce with two or three
types of nuts (usually a mix of walnut, almond and pecan). Once we cut open a
piece of the Chile en Nogada it was apparent that the filling was just as rich
in flavor and texture as the nogada. The luxurious "picadillo"
filling was excellent; composed of a voluminous mix of ground pork and beef
with pine nuts, apples, and peach all slow cooked together with the addition of
the sweetened biznaga fruit (acitrón de biznaga) which is added to create a
contrasting flavor to the salty meat. This picadillo filling was very carefully
done and quite complex in its flavoring.
In the end it was a pleasure to try one of Mexico's most famous
dishes at one of its most traditional gourmet, slow food restaurants!
The Location: Av. Cuitlauac 3102, intersection with Clavería, Colonia Clavería, Azcapotzalco, DF.
GOOGLE MAP LOCATION LINK
Nico's Chile en Nogada
Chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo in his Legendary Kitchen
The Dining Room
VIDEO: Café con Leche
CHECK GRINGO G FOOD TV ON YOUTUBE FOR VIDEOS
The Specials: During the month of September the Chile
en Nogada is the specialty of the house. Nico’s only serves a limited amount of
chiles per day and you almost have to reserve the chiles when making the
reservation.
As part of the Slow Food movement in Mexico Nico’s openly tries
to buy most of its ingredients at fair prices from providers that do not use
preservatives or chemical processes while producing the ingredients that
eventually grace the plates of Nico’s customers. They are famous for using
special, unprocessed corn for their tortillas and for making their bread
in-house.
According to reviews from other websites and many user reviews
online, the Sopa Seca de Nata (a soup created with layers of semi-solid skim of
cream with chile flavors mixed in) which was purportedly taken from a recipe of
nuns in Guadalajara, is the most famous year-round house specialty. In addition
there are several Mexican seafood classics from crab to shrimp that are popular
among patrons … Gringo G simply did not have enough room for all of these
plates since the Chile en Nogada was immense.
The "Picadillo" Filling of Nico's Chile en Nogada
Aporreado Guerrerense
Taco of Aporreado Guerrerense
Nice little Tri-Color Salsa with Sea Salt
Tips: Gringo G must underline that you really, really need a
reservation to get in the door at Nico’s or you will most likely wait a very
long time if you arrive without one. A reservation can be made by phone using
the contact below or using OpenTable.com.
If you want a Chile en Nogada
make sure to make an early lunch reservation BY PHONE and specify that you will
be going for the Chile that way they will prepare them ahead of time.
Even in Gringo G's House the tradition of Chile en Nogada is celebrated!
Gabo & BB's Chile en Nogada
Viva México!
Gabo & BB's Chile en Nogada
Viva México!
Price Point: $$$
$: Takeout or fast food $$: Casual sit-down $$$: Formal sit-down $$$$: La Crème de La Crème
Contact: Telephone - +52-55-5396-7090
Coming Next: Mexican Tradition Series Part III:
A sweet Mexican tradition lives on!
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