Friday, November 8, 2013

Pigs Pearls: Gourmet burgers to die for



A couple of years ago we reviewed Pig's Pearls, a 5-table upscale hamburger hole-in-the-wall at Morelos 1349 . Things have changed. Last year, due to pent-up demand for their product, restaurateur cousins Carlos Barba Martin and Oscar Martin Gutierrez moved into a large storefront two blocks away on the same street (which changes names to General Coronado) just a half block north of Avenida Hidalgo where they can seat 70 people.  The menu is deceivingly simple when you first see it, but the food is really amazing.

“We never wanted to be an 'in' place to go. We just want to serve good quality food,” says Carlos, who after years in the restaurant and hotel business, decided to join with his cousin to open the burger emporium.
And quality is what you get.  All their meat is cooked over a mesquite wood fired grill. The ingredients are locally grown for the most part and some organically produced. The fresh, light buns are hand made from wheat and rye. I tried a scrumptious lamb burger topped with portobello slices, goat cheese, black olives, a marmalade of red onions and arugula leaves. Served with a gourmet salad with a light vinaigrette or hand cut fries, seasoned with salt, pepper and minuscule cilantro seeds. Side dressings of a curry mustard, a spicy mexican twist on a Moroccan harisa with a touch of mint and a greek tzatziki yogurt sauce made with fennel, balsamic vinegar and rosemary were also served.


All the burgers are 160 grams and the meat is from quality ranches.  In fact, they are working with family on fattening their own cattle with a special diet so that in about two years, they hope to have enough quality controlled beef on the hoof for their needs. The menu also has kebabs, and appetizers including a fried panela cheese with chimichurri made from sun dried tomatoes, a pita bread pizza and a top notch salad.
It seems eight burgers on the menu (lamb, double cheese, pesto, chimichurri, maple, pork, portobello, and panela) aren't enough and they are going to start having a “burger of the month.” Next month look for the BLT burger served with organic tomatoes and a Bourbon sauce.

Accompanying these delightful meals is a large selection of Mexican artisanal beers made in San Luis Potosi, Michocan, Jalisco, Mexico City, and Baja California. They don not stock the more commercial beers. Some local soft drink favorites not seen in many places are Boing in many fruit flavors and Tonicol. French pressed coffee and two wine selections are also available.


The place has a bit of an industrial look to it, painted black and grey with some exposed brick, an assortment of hard backed wooden chairs, stuffed office chairs and even metal folding chairs. Tables are sturdy wooden jobs. The kitchen is open to view behind floor to ceiling glass a few feet above the dining area. The music is geared toward a young crowd, but not overly loud. There are no TV screens or live music.

On the way

At their former address at Morelos 1349, the cousins have recently opened a wine and tapas bar, “Romero” — named after a theater in Barcelona, with some 30 Mexican vintages and Jalisco cheeses. The offer bottles to go at a 30 percent discount. Look for more good food.

The address is General Coronad0 79. Open Monday to Saturday, 1 p.m. To midnight. Off-street parking is around the block on Avenida Justo Sierra. Credit cards will be accepted as of January 2014. No reservations necessary. Tel. 3825-5933. facebook: Pigspearls Resto

Friday, November 1, 2013

Le Bistro keeps European flavors true to form




Cedric Defayes got out of banking business in 2009 and returned to Guadalajara to eventually open a bistro with friends he made 10 years before during a stint here as a student.  The steely blued-eyed native of the Alps region of Switzerland serves up European cuisine in his Le Bistro, Le Cava & Le Jardin, just half a block off Avenida Chapultepec.

Le Bistro’s menu is a mixture of French, German, Italian and Spanish recipes, many culled from his childhood cooking with his great aunt and mother, others from Swiss friends with whom he met frequently to cook and drink wine.

Fondues are a house speciality and the base is a mixture of gouda, gruyere and cream cheeses. One variety is tomato centric, others include one loaded with basil pesto, another with mushrooms,  and one with curry, garlic and cumin. A best seller is the fondue with a mixture of gruyere, brie and blue cheeses.

Menu options include vegetarian or meat lasagna, quiche Loraine, spinach quiche, rib eye topped with Cafe de Paris butter (anchovies, spices, curry and garlic) and au gratin potatoes and a plate of tapas-like small flakey pastry served with brie, smoked salmon, serano ham. Daily specials on the board the day we went included  a German-style pork shank or saurkraut with white veal sausage. Other sausages include Polish, schübling and wiener.

Defayes declines to Mexicanize his food and doesn’t serve any chile unless it is asked for. His one deviation from this is a delicious pan de elote dessert. All the desserts are made in house, although the croissants and bread are purchased from a bakery that is up to European standards and tastes. Those with a sweet tooth can enjoy carmelized apple pie, chocolate volcano cake and coconut paradise among other options with a rich, dark Chiapas coffee.

Defayes has a decent wine cellar with more than 30 vintages from around Europe, South America and Mexico. He personally likes Cabernet from Santo Tomas, Baja California’s oldest winery. He also carries a variety of Mexican craft beers and considers many of the Wiess (wheat) brews made here as superior to those found in Germany. During the colder months Glühwein, a spiced hot wine with a cabernet base is available. Monday to Thursday a 3 x 2 offer on almost all beverages is in force from 5 to 9 p.m.

Once a month, Le Bistro hosts guest chefs to cook up special dishes from a specific European Country. Russia’s cuisine will be featured November 12 and 13. A four course meal will be enhanced by traditional and modern Russian music. Special dishes will be offered during the yuletide season and they can host your Christmas party or Posada there as well.

The restaurant has three different areas to choose from: the main Bistro with a view of bustling Avenida Lopez Cotilla, a patio with lots of greenery called El Jardin, and La Cava which is where many couples enjoy a romantic dinner. Hours are Monday to Friday, 5:30 p.m. to midnight and Saturday 1:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday a brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for only 79 pesos including one coffee.


Lopez Cotilla 1480, Tel. 3615-1800, e-mail: lebistrogdl@hotmail.com