Italian in Mexico

The street on which my hotel was located was pretty-near perfect. On one side, there was a beautifully manicured park with a giant fountain; on the other, cafes (like the one above), lined the wide sidewalk. Roma Sur, the district of which this street is part, is an area similar to Silverlake or Los Feliz in Los Angeles; its known for the artists, musicians and all-around hipster types that inhabit the artsy apartments here.

Just steps away from the hotel was La Piazza, an Italian restaurant and bar. My first encounter with the place proved the progressive nature of this district; my bartender was a transvestite (or transsexual - couldn't tell). She was clearly running the place - she barked instructions to the waiters and juggled pouring wine, wiping down counter tops and taking orders like a pro.

We returned on our last night for a proper meal, as we had witnessed dish after fabulous dish come out of the kitchen that night at the bar. Not to sound naive, but I never imagined finding great Italian food in Mexico. I was also misinformed that there was no good wine coming out of this country, where tequila is pretty much king. Wrong again. Rebecca was delighted to find her favorite Mexican wine, the Santo Tomas Cab Sav, on the list here and I was utterly blown away by how good it was. It could easily stand up to a California cab any day.

Happy with our wine, we hunkered down for a fantastic Italian meal. We started with the caprese salad, made with fresh mozzarella, tomato and what looked like Thai basil. It was drizzled with good olive oil and a sprinkling of dried basil. It was fresh, flavorful and lovely.

The pasta here is offered in the authentic Italian style: Choose a pasta from several options (fettuccine, ravioli, etc.) then choose a sauce (bolognese, carbornara, etc.). I chose the fettuccine with bolognese. The sauce was rich with a slight hint of creaminess from the Parmesan cheese, and the meat was a combination of veal and beef - delicious.

For dessert, we shared this wonderful chocolate mousse cake with three different chocolates (dark, milk, white). Even though Pablo insisted he would only take one bite, but in the end he was fighting forks with the rest of us to get as much as possible, it was that good!

If it wasn't for the Spanish being spoken all around the dining room, I'd have thought I was back in Chianti, Italy. Even the entertainment, in the form of a television playing a lively soccer match, was the same. The only difference was the price; this meal would have cost twice as much in Italy!