Un Rincón de Chile, in Del Valle, is an authentic gastronomic journey 7,000 kilometers away. Sopaipillas, pastel de choclo and mote con huesillos are some of the specialties of the place and which we tell about in this installment.
Comedor Internacional is a story about people from all over the world who came to live in Mexico City and about the flavors they miss most from their country. It is also a meeting point between global gastronomy and the restaurants that prepare it in its most authentic version.
When Eduardo Guerrero moved to Mexico City three years ago, one of the first things he had to adapt was the way he spoke. There were times, he recalls, when before asking for directions or buying something, he had to prepare himself: take a deep breath and rehearse in his mind what he was about to say, although not always with good results. "They didn't understand me. They always answered me with '¿mande?', and I started talking like a robot," he says with a smile. Chileans, it is known, speak very fast. "Today I speak more slowly and pronounced," he says.
Eduardo is originally from Curicó, a town of 100,000 inhabitants in southern Chile. He studied Psychology in Talca and, upon finishing, moved to the capital, Santiago, where he worked for seven years as a "Godinez" (he says in full command of Mexican slang ) and where he also met his wife, with whom he moved to our country. Here he dedicates himself to his passion: the programming of educational videogames. In fact, one of them received an international award.
A Corner of Chile
This is what he tells us at Un Rincón de Chile, a Chilean gastronomy restaurant in Del Valle, near Marie Callenders. Everywhere you turn, the decoration refers to the South American country: on the walls there are pictures with Chilean handicrafts, a map of its regions and flags; in the background music by Chilean artists plays: Mon Laferte, Javiera Mena and Los Bunkers, among others. The menu includes the most emblematic dishes of its gastronomy, which Eduardo studies carefully and then chooses.
corn pie
Menu
As a starter, at Un Rincón de Chile we tried the baked empanada and sopaipillas, something like gorditas de zapallo (a kind of pumpkin), which is traditionally eaten during the rainy season and accompanied with mustard. He tells us that this dish is sold in street stalls (generally of Peruvians) and in stadiums. "It used to be a tradition to take sopaipilla to the stadium, one for me and one to throw at the referee," he jokes.
Baked Empanada
sopapilla
For the main course we ordered porotos granados, a stew of white beans, corn, green beans and Castilla squash, and the traditional pastel de choclo, which at first glance looks like a pie of tender ground corn, beef and chicken. And, although the consistency changes a lot because of the ingredients and the altitude, it did take Eduardo back to his time in Chile. Everything is delicious and the restaurant's service is exceptional.
corn pie
While we eat, Eduardo, laughing throughout the conversation, tells us about the food in the different regions of the country, national holidays, earthquakes -which are so common there that they even take them with a sense of humor-, Colo Colo (Chilean soccer team), La Católica de Chile, extreme weather in summer and winter, but above all, about how his arrival in Mexico helped him to understand several jokes from television programs, such as the dubbing of The Simpsons, which he watched as a child. He learned, for example, that when they referred to the migra, it was not a demon or a witchcraft thing, but the migration patrols, or that when Krusty the clown talked about combing his hair like quesillo Oaxaca, it was a real reference and not an invented phrase as he always thought.
Since moving, Eduardo has returned to Chile three times. He was planning to visit in February next year, but due to the strong social mobilizations and repressive attacks by the Chilean government during the last few weeks, he cancelled. For him, it is about the consequences of accumulated anger and weariness. "Being Chilean was always living with debts: the school, the house", he says. Faced with the current panorama, he says he is optimistic because perhaps the marches could put an end to the reminiscences of the Chilean dictatorship (1973 to 1989) that were still in force in several control practices. From our part, all our support to the Chilean people.
What did you know or what had you heard about Mexico before coming here?
The food. That Mexico City was too big. El Chavo del Ocho. Music, certain groups, singers. Ranchera music, for example, was very popular in Chile. Jorge Negrete toured the countryside and people fell in love with him. There are Chilean groups that play ranchera music. The bad things about Mexico also reach there, such as the narco issue. I wasn't afraid because Mexico is very big, it would be bad luck if it touched me.
What was the first taco you ate here?
[The first taco I ate here was at Los Pericos. The arrachera ones are good. I like the fact that here with the food they go out on a limb. They have the tamale, they think about it, they look at it, they say: "if I put it in a bolillo, if I use that bolillo, we bread it, we drown it", they are very creative.
Has your family come to visit you?
Yes, my dad. He fell in love with the food, the kindness of the people, but he was also dizzy because of the altitude.
Which wines do you recommend to buy?
El Reservado, costs 116 pesos at Sumesa. Casillero del Diablo, there is a 666 version, which is interesting to try. In Chile, a bottle of wine costs as much as a subway ticket.
MENÚ EN UN RINCÓN DE CHILE,
SUGERIDO POR EDUARDO EN UN RINCÓN DE CHILE
Sopaipillas.
Empanada del horno.
Porotos granados.
Pastel de choclo.
Mote con huesillos.
Vino tinto.
COST PER PERSON
196 pesos, on average.
EXPERT TYPE
Mote con huesillos
At Un Rincón de Chile, the mote con huesillos, a mixture of caramelized juice, wheat mote and dehydrated peaches (huesillos), is not to be missed as a dessert. And of course, for the other dishes, it must be accompanied with wine.
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