Mexican wine at 1826 (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

San Miguel de Allende has long been one my favorite places. It’s where the Mexican revolution began, a beautiful colonial city in the mountains of Guanajuato. And it’s one of the places I return to again and again for vacation. Until recently, the rather sleepy town didn’t have a true 5-star hotel or restaurant, but that changed in February with the opening of the new Rosewood resort and its signature dining room, 1826.

Scenes and food from 1826 (photos by Brad A. Johnson)

The food is modern, farm-to-table Mexican cuisine based on ingredients that, for the most part, come from within 30 miles of San Miguel—local goat cheese, amazing vegetables from organic farms, wine from local vineyards, local pigs, locally roasted coffee from Chiapas, etc. Those ingredients translate to an incredible salad of organic arugula, strawberries and artisanal goat cheese, Mexican squash blossom ravioli, mesquite-smoked tuna with pigweed and cara
melized onion, sous-vide suckling pig with local sage and red wine, and a perfect chocolate cube with praline and sea salt. I’m fairly confident that this new restauranteasily ranks among the Top 5 restaurants in all of Mexico.