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From Dorito rolls to eel tempura: Mexico City's newest culinary gem

From Dorito rolls to eel tempura: Mexico City's newest culinary gem

Boston Globe15-07-2025
I admit it can be dizzying. It's like arriving in a country where you expect one type of meal and are transported to another land entirely. For example, Dorito sushi. How could I not order such a thing? It sounds like a gimmick until you take a bite, and then it isn't. The shrimp and cream cheese roll, coated with crushed Doritos and gooey shrimp topping, is a perfect balance of creamy, salty, and crunchy with lingering spice on the lips.
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According to Chavez, the inspiration for this and other rolls comes from Culiacan, a colorful town where everything is brightly painted — cars, tombstones, houses — and you'll find anything and everything in their sushi. Thus, the menu's Dorito roll, and the genre-bending Yapa roll with platanos, cream cheese, pork belly, carrot and jicama salad, flambeed bacon, and caramelized onion.
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Not all cross-cultural dishes are rolls. Crispy tostadas are topped with yellowfin tuna, avocado, and ponzu sauce, and edamame are tossed in Sriracha and garlicky sesame oil.
'We make things our own way,' said chef Chavez. 'It's not a gimmick, it's real food. The base ingredients and technique are the most important, plus a pinch of salt and heat. If it's right, you don't need to fix it.'
At Suchi in Mexico City, decorative plates sport mask-wearing Japanese super heroes.
Necee Regis
Sushi traditionalists won't be disappointed by a wide choice of familiar dishes such as hand rolls, spring rolls, tempura, fried rice, sashimi and nigiri selections, and California and spicy tuna rolls. One favorite, Himitzu maki, is a variation of a classic eel roll with eel tempura wrapped in silky avocado, topped with an eel sauce and crunchy
arare
— tiny, crunchy soy-flavored rice crackers.
Simple wood tables are enlivened with decorative plates sporting mask-wearing Japanese superheroes, and red cloth napkins embroidered with more masked heads. The vibe is casual and celebratory, not stuffy, and creatively attired patrons seemed to be more Mexican than gringo. We played a game: Is he a famous Mexican film director? Is she a doyenne of the city's fashion world? We'd never know, but it was fun to observe our fellow diners in such a festive mood.
The restaurant is located in the Roma Norte, on the border of Condesa, two neighborhoods touted for their bohemian vibes and vibrant culinary offerings. Tucked inside the Hotel Casona Norte, in a restored, 1920s mansion, Suchi is accessible from the hotel's lobby or directly from the street.
'I'm so happy to be at La Casona,' said Chavez, who has several different types of restaurants in other cities in Mexico. But his heart right now is all in Mexico City.
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'I love Mexico City. They have all the flavors of the
cocinas
of Mexico in one place. It is
the
place to be. When you are there, you are everywhere.'
Agreed.
Suchi, Durango 280, Roma Norte. Open for lunch and dinner.
Necee Regis can be reached at neceeregis@gmail.com
Necee Regis can be reached at
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Campillo kept the restaurant's kitchen staff, paying them even during the three-month transition and the buildout. With such a small back-of-house footprint, it was essential to have a team that was already familiar with working in it. Patio after dark. Sean Davidson Campillo approached Cafe Tondo with the intention of it being for the Chinatown community, including keeping prices relatively accessible as the cost of living in the area continues to rise. All the dishes on the breakfast menu are under $20, with the steak frites being the most expensive at $30. Glasses of wine range between $15 and $17, while cans of Tecate are only $5. He also views local businesses — both old and new — as part of the community, rather than competition, emphasizing that there is room for all types of spaces in the neighborhood. Campillo also plans to program regular performances at Cafe Tondo, including weekly Sunday jazz, DJ residencies, bolero, and salsa, which he hopes will lead to some dancing. 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Emily Ferretti Emily Ferretti Passageway to the secondary dining room. Sean Davidson Cafe Tondo operates as a cafe during the day, and a bar at night. Sean Davidson Milanesa. Emily Ferretti Gildas. Emily Ferretti Milanesa torta. Emily Ferretti Vermouth spritz. Emily Ferretti Chelada. Emily Ferretti Cafe Tondo after dark. Sean Davidson

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