Hi friends! Welcome to the fifth issue of gleamed.
This Friday morning send is all about Mexico’s eponymous capital city, once named the Distrito Federal up until 2016. An incredibly vibrant hub of life, culture, art, food, design and more, CDMX is a city that has been hitting international travel radars for a good reason.
At the end of last year, my partner Tori surprised me with plane tickets there and to Oaxaca for my birthday, and we excitedly made our voyage the following February. Since then, I’ve been able to return for a recent bachelorette trip.
Both visits, I was struck by the hum of energy in the city. The valley in which Mexico City is located, regardless of its given name, has been honing that energy for thousands of years, giving the wider region an intensely rich history that is fascinating to learn about.
Many of its visitors carve out time to pay a visit to the ruins of Teotihuacán located outside of the city, to float the ancient aztec waterways of Xochimilco in southern Mexico City, or to step inside the Blue House of legendary artist Frida Kahlo.
Mexico City contains multitudes, which is exactly why it’s receiving a dedicated send today, thanks to some friends of gleamed who have been kind enough to provide our growing community with their expert knowledge. A huge thank you to Base Agency, Abena Anim-Somuah of The Eden Place, and Ricardo Gresati.
If you have any CDMX recommendations of your own, or specific requests for recommendations, feel free to sound off in the comments on my Substack page.
xx,
Austa
This week I’m feeling…Mexican design meets Shaker minimalism
When my partner and I travel, we tend to hotel hop. This is obviously because we want to make our lives harder, right? Mainly, it’s because we are enamored with hotel design. During our journey to Oaxaca and Mexico City, we stayed in no less than six hotels in the span of eight days.
Our favorite stay in CDMX was Círculo Mexicano—a boutique property in the heart of the historic downtown and just a stone’s throw from the oldest Cathedral in America. The building that the hotel is housed within also contains a number of boutique shops, ranging from local home goods to jewelry and more, but what we were drawn to was Círculo’s unique approach to design. The combination of Mexican handmade textiles and Shaker-style craftsmanship made for a clean, minimalist vibe that still felt warm.
Our room had a balcony that, when the doors were opened, brought in the light and sounds from the plaza below and really reflected the spirit of the city. When I returned to the city for the aforementioned bachelorette trip, I even returned to show the bride the view (and have brunch) on the rooftop.
A (not so) petite story…a guide to CDMX
Read on for three separate mini guides to the city, each from a different friend of the publication. First,
A Mexico City Fall Art Guide, by Ricardo Gresati
Gresati is currently living in NYC pursuing an MBA from Columbia University, but lived in Mexico City for over 10 years. During this period of his life, he spent his free time discovering the fascinating art scene as well as constantly enjoying the gastronomy that the city offers.
“Summer is coming to an end and we couldn’t be more excited for what the Fall holds, and I don’t just mean Chiles en Nogada or Pan de Muerto. I’m talking about Mexico City’s vibrant and unique art scene.
These upcoming exhibitions are a can’t miss for both locals and visitors:
(1) Sergei Eisenstein: Erotic Circus drawings at Kurimanzutto, many of which were drawn in Mexico in 1931-32 while he was filming “Viva Mexico.”
(2) Rodrigo Hernandez: El Espejo at Museo Jumex through October 30th, which presents the complex interactions of new sculptures with immersive murals to imply the encounter of two real characters: Verner Panton and Antonio Grass.
(3) Galeria OMR’s Upward Panic: Opening on September 22nd with participating artists such as Haris Epaminonda, Rodrigo Hernández, Jorge Mendez-Blake, Christodolous Panayiotu, Francesco Pedraglio and Tania Pérez Córdova.
(4) Renata Petersen: Teopolis at Pequod, who recently collaborated with CELINE and whose work was recently highlighted by Sothebys. Teopolis is her first solo show at the gallery and is a must-see, expect to see 89 architectural elements in artisan techniques from Guadalajara such as ceramics and blown glass refering to buildings from new religions and cults from the 19th century up to this date.
Finally, if you happen to be in Mexico City at this moment and haven’t yet had a chance, stop what you’re doing and go see the following exhibitions before they close:
Ugo Rondinone: Vocabulary of Soltitude at Museo Tamayo, an immersive and playful environment that invites visitors to merge into his artworks, that explore a single person’s everyday actions and moods throughout the day, ending on September 4th.
Urs Fischer: Lovers at Museo Jumex, the artist’s first exhibition in Mexico that features a 20-year retrospective of his works ending on September 18th.”
A Perfect Day of Gastronomy, by Abena Anim-Somuah
Anim-Somuah is the Founder of The Eden Place, a new community catering events to help people grow their relationship to food. Born in Ghana and primarily raised in Canada, she is passionate about all things food. She now splits her time between Mexico City and New York, where she revels in exploring what each city’s gastronomy scene has to offer.
“If you want to fall in love with food, come to Mexico City. Perhaps its the city’s location coupled with its history that has made for so many culinary institutions that delight and educate with each bite. Bite into a tlayuda and you can learn about the indigenous cuisine of Oaxaca, or dig into an alfajores to sample the Spanish influence on Mexican cuisine. After four trips to this gastronome heaven exploring the city through taste, here are a few spots that I’ve made a good habit of frequenting:
Breakfast at Molino El Pujol
Located in the bustling Condesa neighborhood, Molino El Pujol is an initiative founded by Enrique Olivera displaying artisanal tortilla making technique while serving up traditional Mexican fare. I personally enjoy digging into the tamal con mole or tamal con frijol for a vegetarian option.
Snack at Cafe Nin
Instagram | Maps
Juarez is without a doubt my favourite neighbourhood in Mexico City. My fashion, architecture, and food brains are in so much awe just soaking up the neighborhood. Once that midday snack craving hits, I head over to Cafe Nin, Elena Reygadas beautiful outpost. Any of pastries are worth it but especially dig into a guava pastry and wash it down with a carajillo
Lunch at Entremar
For a landlocked city, I’m beyond impressed by how incredible the seafood is. A good place to practice the art of the Mexican lunch is Entremar, a neighborhood eatery run by my personal hero Gabriela Cámara. Dig into the pescado a la talla, a devienned rockfish slathered with a herb-based on one side and a red chill sauce on the other. Also highly recommend the world-famous tuna tostadas (ask for the sea urchin if you’re feeling extra adventurous) and lean into sobremesa with the strawberry meringue cake and a frothy carajillo.
Drinks/Dinner at Choza
After heading back to your crib and refreshing up for a night on the town, start the night off at the lowkey rooftop Chozo. Run by former Llama San chef, Tyler Henry, this rooftop eatery is a cornucopia of exciting motifs. Maybe its sipping drinks in the indoor section heavily inspired by Murakami’s novel and his love of t-shirts or its lying in the hammock seating outdoors as you take in the sights and smells of the team cooking. The menu changes daily here, depending on what Henry and his team find at the nearby market, but do not expect to be disappointed by the medley of flavors paying homage to several cuisines.
Late Night Eats at Casa de Toño
After dancing the night away and belting out Spanish tunes of different genres, I just want to dig into something meaty and cheesy. A late night spot that has never disappointed me is Casa de Toño, a culinary institution serving simple antojitos, small appetiizers with big flavour. For the price of a medium latte from an NYC based coffee, you can load up on the vegetarian pozole, flautas, enfrijoladas, guacamole, and still have enough for one of their scrumptious desserts.
The Best Spots in Town to Grab a Drink, by Base Agency
Base Agency is culture first PR agency located in Mexico City. They focus on design-driven projects, and consistently have the coolest clients in town. Their expertise is in generating bespoke strategies designed to connect and unlock each project’s narrative with specific audiences across multiple channels and markets.
“This is our go to end of the work week spot to kick off the weekend with a glass of wine (or 2) and oysters at aperitivo hour. The bistro recently launched lunch in the plaza offers a pre-fixe menu (under $20) that changes daily Tuesday to Friday. In either case, make sure to snag a table outside for a view of the Plaza Rio de Janeiro.”
“Next door to Pigeon is a bar in a historic architectural building of the city -said to be haunted- where a menu of cocktails revolve around witches of the past, including their off the menu palo santo negroni.”
“A restaurant nestled in Roma Norte's LOOT, by LOVER LOVER, Salut is a multidisciplinary space that houses art expos, and interesting activations. Their occasional weekend boozy brunch and revolving market menu-fare brings together a creative and artsy crowd making for good fun so keep an eye out for the next one!”
“From the same group behind Pujol (CDMX), Carao (One&Only Mandarina) and Cosme (NY), just to mention a few. Ticcuchi describes itself as "the cave." This bar is a perfect date night spot for it's sultry and intimate ambiance. Our suggestion: explore the impressive mezcal selection.”
“This restaurant sits pretty on an unassuming alley. WARNING! The drinks are strong, especially the martinis. If you have a large group the best place to sit if you are lucky to get it is upstairs overlooking the minimal space. Be sure to visit the bathroom to confess your sins in the confessional. Yes, really.”
“Wine anyone? This is the place! Only having been open for less than a year there isn't a night they are not booming. The gorgeous goers are here for the well curated wine list and the homemade pasta & pizza: the spaghetti limón and caesar pie are musts. Period!
PS. They are slated to open their second restaurant, Sinonimo next week!”
“Consider it your new happiest place on earth. This local bar is on the divey side and we are here for it. The micheladas are the drink of choice while Thursdays are our favourite day to go and dance into the weekend.”
“There are only a few things that can get you out of bed after a night exploring the bars on this list. We assure you that one of them are the pastries from Bou (especially the berlinese and the cinnamon roll), as well as their savory dishes (the burger and cold beer duo will get you ready for the day). Tip: try to get here early to get a table on the terrace.”
A recipe…an Ilegal Mezcal x Mr. Black espresso martini
Mr. Black, the Australian cold brew liqueur that has become synonymous with the best espresso martinis, just launched a limited-edition Mezcal Cask Coffee Liqueur with the iconic Ilegal Mezcal.
They rested the spirit for three months in Ilegal’s American Oak barrels, then fortified it with fresh joven mezcal to bring aromatic agave notes to the final blend. It’s some seriously delicious stuff, and makes for an espresso martini with warm, roasty notes and a hint of rich smoke. Try one for yourself with the recipe below. I’ll be demonstrating on my TikTok this weekend if you’d like to see it made in real time.
The Mezcal Espresso Martini
2 oz Mr Black Mezcal Cask Coffee Liqueur
1 oz fresh espresso (or Cold Brew concentrate)
Glassware: Coupette
Garnish: 3 espresso beans
Method: Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Give it a hard shake, then strain into a coupette and garnish with three espresso beans.