The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Mexico and the Sabores Autenticos de Mexico Foundation hosted an evening of Authentic Mexican Cuisine at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York.

There are 90,000 Mexican restaurants in the United States, and if you count the small taquerias, there are approximately 300,000. There is a new movement to clarify what is authentic Mexican cuisine, and celebrates traditional cuisine and the restaurants using authentic ingredients. Somewhere along the line, the term Mexican cuisine became blurred, and suddenly people thought of Tex-Mex, a blurring of Texas and Mexican cuisine, as Mexican cuisine.

It was an evening of many "firsts" on February 21, 2006, when Mr. Francisco Mayoroga, Former Minister of Agriculture of Mexico presented the First Official Authentic Mexican Restaurant Distinction to selected restaurants in New York. 

Ms. Blanca G. Villarello Landa, General Coordinator for Trade Promotion and Foreign Market, together with Mr. Alberto Cárdenas Jiménez, Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food of Mexico, and Mr. Alejandro Borja Márquez, President of Sabores Autenticos de Mexico, unveiled the First Guide of Authentic Mexican Restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. The guide lists 151 authentic Mexican restaurants in 12 states, and in Canada in Ontario and Quebec. It was also the launch of the new magazine, Sabores Autenticos de Mexico, and the first distribution of the Directory of Mexican Suppliers for Restaurants and Food Service.

Eleven restaurants participated to create a special evening of Sabores autenticos de Mexico, bringing a taste of traditional authentic Mexican cuisine to New York using typical ingredients.

The Restaurants and the Menu

Rosa Mexicano
Guacamole

Café Frida
Tacos de pato en salsa de guajillo y mezcal y tamales de eliote tierno
(Duck tacos in guajillo chile and mezcal sauce with tender corn tamales) 

La Palapa
Taquitos de papa en salsa de chile de árbol
(Potato taquitos in chile de arbol sauce) 

Maya
Tamales de hongos envueltos en hoja de platano con salsa de chile guajillo
y cebollita morada
(Mushroom tamales wrapped in banana leaf with chile guajillo sauce and purple onion)

Mi Cocina
Cochinita píbíl

Zarela
Arroz con crema y Espinacas con elotes
(Rice with Mexican sour cream and spinach with corn)

Café El Portal
Mole verde guisado de res al estílo Guerrero
(Beef stew in green mole Guerrero style)

Sol Azteca
Pastel de tres leches y flanes caseros
(Tres leches cake and homemade flan)

La Esquina
Tostadítas de cangréjo
(Crab tostadítas)

Zona Rosa
Cevíche de atun
(Tuna cevíche)

Arium
Pozole

Chef Jordy Lavenderos, Junior Merino, Debra C. Argen  

A Mexican fiesta would not be complete without tequila and mariachis. Junior Merino known to those "in the know" as the Liquid Chef is a talented Mexican mixologist, who mixed up creative cocktails using authentic flavors including tamarind and other ingredients along with Partida Tequila, to accompany each of the restaurant's recipes, and of course, the mariachis played all night.

© April 2007. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.