Mexico City's new wave of chefs generates heat

Mexico City — Margaritas made with volcanic ash. Braised oysters with chipotle bearnaise. Foie gras with habanero-spiked guava. There's a revolution afoot in this city's restaurants.

The eyebrow reflexively shoots up. The first thought is globalization, that creeping sameness that threatens cultural individuality when tradition fades in favor of pop sensibilities.

But to understand what's happening with cutting-edge Mexico City cooking, it is important first to understand what's happening in the Condesa-Roma district, side-by-side Mexico City neighborhoods built at the turn of the last century. Located on the southern side of Chapultepec Park, the city's expansive green space just west of the old downtown, Condesa and Roma were all but abandoned after the 1985 earthquake sent wealthy Mexicans racing for the suburbs. The slide into decay was rapid in this crime-ridden city of about 19 million people.

Twenty years later, Condesa and Roma are among the city's most exciting neighborhoods as under-40 professionals embrace the city anew. These upper-class young Mexicans, better educated and more worldly than their parents, are tearing down rickety midcentury buildings to make room for edgy, modern architecture; they're diligently restoring historic homes and hotels. Bookstores and art galleries share the tree-lined streets with sidewalk cafes serving cuisines from around the globe -- and Mexican food that doesn't remind them of their mother's.

These professionals have a serious restaurant habit, says Guillermo Osorno, the editorial director of dF, the capital's city magazine. The restaurant scene is booming, with three times as many top-tier restaurants doing a brisk business today compared with five years ago.

Going out for serious Mexican food is in itself a change in the culture. "In Mexico City, we feel that the best Mexican food is what we have in our homes. Mexican food in restaurants has always been a step down," says Osorno. "Now we have a kind of Mexican food that you can only find in restaurants. That's new."

This generation also has been eager to redefine what it means to be Mexican, says Gabriela Camara, a 29-year-old entrepreneur whose Contramar seafood restaurant is one of the most vibrant spots in Condesa-Roma. "These days, Mexico is hot in the art world. We have our own fashion designers, architects, musicians. Our actors are hot in Hollywood. Everything Latin has enormous possibilities," she says.