Amá transports guests to Mexico “de norte a sur”, he says. “At some point, everything came and went through Mexico: vanilla, cacao, tomatoes, African spices, Caribbean flavors, Asian influence. That’s why our diversity is so crazy.” Thus, Yucatan-style woodfire cooking is applied to dishes like a whole octopus served with two salsas (a smoked, dried jalapeño pepper and a green salsa macha) and charred greens enhance a Tijuana-inspired Caesar salad. Spicy swordfish tacos with labneh pay homage to tacos árabe, a dish inspired by Lebanese immigrants in central Mexico. A milpa salad includes ingredients commonly native to cornfields (beans, grasshoppers, cacti). And the salsa platter is a veritable map of Mexican chiles: güero, arbol, guajillo, fresno, red jalapenos, moritas, verde cruda, pasilla, and habaneros.
Chef Dionicio Jimenez of La Baja during his residency at Bok Bar in South Philadelphia.
Clay Williams
A 30-minute drive northwest of Philadelphia at La Baja is where two-time Beard Awards nominee Dionicio Jimenez traces immigration with every plate; chapulines (grasshoppers) represent pre-Hispanic roots; and the shared climates of northern Mexico, the Mediterranean, and Japan inspire a number of dishes. Acid shines in raw fish preparations like the tuna tiradito and ceviche verde, while traditional Sonoran and Sinaloan meat preparations are simplified and modernized in the pork chop (a riff on the Mexican pot roast-style chilorio) and asada (think deconstructed fajita, but with ribeye).
In South Philly at El Mictlán, chef-owner Chelo Manzanarez shines a light on his familial roots, past and present, in Guerrero on Mexico’s western coast. The small corner BYOB is meant to replicate the feeling of a “casa de abuelita” (grandma’s house), with an ofrenda that holds recent restaurant awards, and is overlooked by a colorful mural of Aztec underworld symbols: a Mictlantecuhtli skeleton (for which the restaurant is named), a Xoloitzcuintle hairless dog, and a hummingbird.
“My goal is to be different, showing not just Mexico, [but] showing me, my personality, my cuisine, my creativity, my family recipes, and the way I see Mexico right now: as more than just labor, [it’s] powerful,” says Manzanarez. His intention with ingredients, freshness, and technique is meant to show Philadelphia diners that “Mexico has different cuisines. It’s not just Mexico City.” For example, the folded and fried pescadilla tacos and piled-high crab tostadas are signature Acapulco dishes. His mother’s mole colorado with bread, peas, nuts, chiles, and chocolate, forms the base for antojitos including enchiladas. The tortolitas tostadas—with grilled steak, charro beans, and avocado-tomatillo salsa—honor his deceased grandfather’s hometown (Tortolita) in Guerrero, while the Toñita tacos with carne enchilada—a traditional pork marinade in chile guajillo recipe—was a staple of his aunt Toñita’s Sunday meals.
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