A stunningly, beautiful, brand new boutique hotel called the Casablanca Hotel just opened the week we visited San Miguel. Centrally located in the middle of the historic center of the city, it will be a great choice for travelers. Opening soon in the hotel will be a restaurant called Fátima, by celebrity Chef Donnie Masterton, of The Restaurant, possibly the best place to eat in San Miguel. After all, Chef Donnie worked at Montrachet as well as Bouley in New York, two highly regarded restaurants. The Restaurant is upscale in a colonial setting, where the chef uses fresh, local ingredients to create his stunning world-class cuisine. It is one of the town’s “must go to” restaurants. It is a well-heeled establishment where chic expats dine along with fashionistas, movers and shakers, and tourists in the know.
We were lucky enough to be invited to a private dinner created by the chef of his upcoming restaurant, Fátima, which will be inside the new Casablanca Hotel. The restaurant will be Moroccan/Mediterranean themed, with much of the furniture, art, lighting and textiles imported from Morocco. The Mediterranean menu will have dishes from Greece, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, and of course Morocco.
We met his head chef, Jorge Flores, who created our dinner that night, and will be heading up the kitchen at Fátima.
We started our meal with freshly baked pita, served with baba ghanoush, hummus, and butternut squash with honey. This was followed by a Syrian fattoush salad with feta, tomato, mint, cilantro, and a lemon-oregano vinaigrette with lavosh crackers. Our next course was a chicken tagine, one with cauliflower, tomato and olives. It rivaled anything we had in Morocco. To end our meal, we had a coconut-orange marmalade cake, served with blackberries and lavender cream.
I believe that chef Donnie will have a hit on his hands. Although I loved the cuisine in San Miguel, it was a welcome break to eat something different after a week of Mexican food.
Not only is San Miguel a hub of art and culture, this colourful city can also boast some memorable, culinary delights, including the soon to be opened Fátima.
Recommend.
Happy dining,
Shanea