Dinner with Desmond @ Hacienda de los Morales
Desmond is Desmond Mullarkey, president and CEO of SAP Mexico.
We arrived for our Social Sabbatical on the 26th of September, and we had a dinner reservation at the historical Hacienda De Los Morales. I am compelled to write this blog because of the extravagant array of food that was served that evening. It was also my first introduction to Mexican food in general. I haven’t been able to forget the experience since then.
The history of the restaurant itself goes back to the XVI century, when mulberry bushes, “moreras” were grown in this area of Mexico City, for the development of the silk worm industry. A century later, in 1647 the first manor house was built and named “San Juan de Dios de Los Morales”. Through the years it has been restored honoring the original architecture. For the next three centuries and until the first half of the 20th century the Hacienda was home of several Mexican families. Today, visitors can enjoy in Hacienda De Los Morales an excellent restaurant, offering international cuisine, private rooms and magnificent banquet halls.
We arrived with an open mind totally unaware of what’s in store for us. The place took our breath away! We had a small tour of the place and was taken to a private room with two big tables with beautiful blue and white plates and very aesthetic flower arrangements.
We started with a shot of Tequila. Surprise, surprise! What was interesting for me was that it was served with a sangrita, a chaser for a straight shot of tequila. Sangrita (meaning “little blood”), whose origin dates back to the 1920s, is a customary partner to a shot of straight tequila blanco; a non-alcoholic accompaniment that highlights tequila’s crisp acidity and cleanses the palate between each peppery sip.
Before I could gulp down my tequila shot, the waiters started serving Barbacoa, Mexican style lamb wrapped in tacos. Barbacoa traditionally refers to meat (typically lamb, goat, or beef) that is cooked in an underground oven. The oven is covered with a metal sheet and a layer of fresh earth, then left overnight for the meat to cook undisturbed.
Next came in the Consomé de barbacoa, Lamb’s Consommé. Although the picture looks very Indian — just like a lamb curry with a roti on the side — it tasted totally different.
Chapulines con guacamole: Traditional grasshoppers with guacamole. Perhaps one of the most famous snacks in Mexico. I have seen street vendors selling them all over Mexico .There was a general sense of excitement amongst the non-Mexicans at the table when this dish was served. At first I had turned the waiters away but when I heard that it’s grasshoppers, I called them back and tried a couple of them. Well, nothing to write home about.
Escamoles al gusto: And as if we we were not done with insects, the very next dish was ants’ eggs. A delicacy once again, and I nibbled at two eggs and could not decide what’s the hype was all about. Maybe it’s an acquired taste.
Then came in the prettiest looking dish: Tradicional chile en nogada, or traditional poblano pepper, stuffed with ground meat in walnut sauce. I jumped when I saw it because I was already full and just wanted to finish it off with dessert. To my dismay, it was not sweet although it looks so deceptively creamy. From far. But it was far from. The traditional season for making and eating this dish in Central Mexico is August and first half of September, when pomegranates appear in the markets of the region and the national independence festivities begin. The color of the dish — green chile, white sauce, red pomegranate — further the patriotic associations, as these are the main colors of the Mexican national flag.
What’s a Mexican meal without a mole? Even before we saw the dish, the Mexicans at our table went on and on and on about how great this particular dish is, and how it defines their tradition, and how we cannot leave Mexico without trying it. And as they were describing the dish, the servers got us the Pechuga de pollo en mole poblano hecho en casa o en mole negro de Oaxaca, chicken breast in homemade poblano mole or black mole from Oaxaca, served with rice. This is how it looks.
I am not sure how the locals are able to eat so many items during a single meal. It’s an acquired skill I guess. In the one month that I stayed, I would look in wistful envy when my friends would devour four/five/six items in every meal. And I would promise: next time, I will come prepared.
That time never came.
