REX en MEX -- An American in México
As an American living in México, one of my favorite eateries is simply called the legend, the restaurant Prendes (Palacio de Hierro, Polanco, opening originally on the Avenida 16 de Septiembre next to Bellas Artes downtown in 1892 and moving to this new location at the turn of the century). As usual with the anticipation of entering Prendes my senses are so excited, overwhelmed, and yet so intimate, as we followed the waiter to our outdoor table at Christmas time on a frenetic Friday afternoon in the crowded garden filled with energetic tables of businessmen and women dressed in ample emblems of Italian fashion, families with children and strollers, couples clinging together in hushed breaths and secret whisperings, and one large table of ten women friends chatting and laughing together at the latest phrases of double entendres and gossip next to a melodic waterfall. Wafting through the air was the aroma of several famous platillos like Los Sesos a la Mantequilla Negra, Los Gusanos de Maguey y los Escamoles a la Hidalguense intermingling with several wine bouquets, along with the faint and sweet aroma of a Cohiba. The clinking together of stemware in a toast celebrating an undisclosed event and soft orchestral background music provided a background chatter. Well rehearsed throughout was an army of captains, waiters and sommeliers forever incubating every request, never taking a misstep. We were seated next to a wall of vibrant smelling ivy and other clinging vines in an atmosphere of holiday cheer and greenery. Earlier that week we had been seated in the center of the main dining room between two large Christmas trees believing that we were indeed the king and queen of the ball. Being an American with a degree in Spanish literature, and understanding the history of the restaurant, I always imagine the conversations of some of the original patrons of the restaurant throughout the past century: personages from a bygone era like Pancho Villa who entered the restaurant from his horse, Frida Kahlo, doña María Félix, Venustiano Carranza, y Octavio Paz. Gabriel García Márquez visited here many many times over the years and I always easily imagine here at Prendes the themes and feelings present in his books -- themes of happiness, love, loneliness, death, despair and power, coming together throughout his masterpieces in this very restaurant on this Friday afternoon ... "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967), "The Autumn of the Patriarch" (1975) and "Love in the Time of Cholera" (1985) -- these themes so prevalently on display today on all of the faces of these grateful patrons on this incandescent Friday afternoon. Yes, my senses are indeed overwhelmed as I look up at my friend and companion, Isabel, and I tell the waiter that I would like a Rib eye sandwich au jus with fries with a cous cous salad and a bottle of Merlot from the vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina. Isabel and I are smiling broadly, deep in conversation as we both know that the next two hours will be another wonderful and memorable comida and conversation in one of my favorite places in the world. read more