Amber Alcocer Tonalá 133 in Roma Norte was the home for many years of my favorite restaurant in Mexico City, Máximo Bistrot. If I'm honest, I had mixed emotions when they moved into their beautiful new location in nearby Álvaro Obregón in 2020. While I was happy that they had more space and Eduardo finally had a fully equipped kitchen, I was a little sad to say goodbye to that little one. room on the corner of Tonalá and Zacatecas where I had so many happy memories.
Normally, when a new restaurant opens in where I live in the Roma Norte neighborhood, I am eager to try it. However, on this occasion I ignored the newcomer because surely any meal there would be haunted by the ghost of Máximo Bistrot. What would be the point of trying this new food if you would spend the entire afternoon remembering the good times in Máximo? The chances of lightning striking twice in this small corner of Rome were slim, so I decided to ignore it until one day I received a message from my friend Liz recommending a new restaurant called Em.
Even though Liz lives in Tulum, she usually knows more about what's happening in Mexico City, so I was immediately curious. A quick search revealed that the chef, Lucho Martínez, had not only spent time in the kitchen at Máximo Bistrot, but also worked at the iconic CDMX restaurant, Quintonil. Now I was very curious.
It turns out that the first iteration of Em (named Emilia after her daughter) opened in Colonia Cuauhtémoc in 2018 and had been receiving rave reviews for a couple of years until they moved to their new location in Roma Norte. When we arrived for our lunch, we were relieved to find that the space hadn't changed too much. The room had been renovated and the music was a little louder, but it was still that nice room where I had spent many happy afternoons. It felt good to be back.
Lucho's food is described as modern Mexican with a Japanese touch. Diners can choose between an Omakase tasting menu or go “a la carte.” We decided on the latter and with a little help from our waiter, we chose a selection of dishes and waited to see if the food could live up to the high standards of its predecessor.
We didn't have to worry. The first dish to arrive was a “nopal dashi” made with fish bones, it was absolutely delicious. Then came the escamole croquettes and the huitlacoche tartlets, both divine. We relaxed as we were obviously in good hands.
The main courses were equally impressive and came with an interesting selection of sides. I had never eaten a piece of kale and liked it, but somehow Lucho managed to produce that bowl of kale that I ate like it was a bag of my favorite chips.
My mother is from Belize and growing up my favorite food was always her Belizean fried chicken. As a result, every time I see fried chicken on a menu, I have to order it. Unfortunately, it rarely lives up to my mother's version, so I'm usually a little disappointed. That was not the case of “Lucho's Hot Chicken”. It was juicy inside and had a delicious crunchy coating that made us both go “WOW WOW WOW”. This was the best chicken I had ever eaten other than what my mother cooks. We wondered how a chef from Veracruz could be so expert at fried chicken until we later read that Lucho had spent several years growing up in Nashville, one of the world's meccas for fried chicken lovers.
For dessert there were 3 options. A mango sorbet, a mamey tartlet and a chocolate fudge. We opted for the sorbet, which was light, full of flavor and a great way to end an amazing meal.
In restaurants it's usually easy to tell when I love a dish because I'm not even talking because I'm so focused on enjoying it. However, Lucho's cooking is the kind that really makes me say “WOW”. In my opinion, he is the most exciting “new” chef in CDMX and I can't think of a better person to take over at Máximo Bistrot on Tonalá 133. It seems that lightning sometimes does strike twice.
Tips for Eating at Em
- Follow them to Em and Fought on Instagram because they are very active and it's a great way to learn about what's on the menu. You can even suggest songs to add to your playlist.
- Start with the passion fruit cocktail, it's really delicious.
- Em is normally closed on Sundays, but Lucho regularly runs “Lucho's Hot Chicken” pop-ups around Rome. A basket of chicken with fixings is a great way to get rid of a Sunday hangover.
EM RESTAURANT
Website: https://www.itsemilia.rest
Location: Tonalá 133, Roma Norte 06700, CDMX
Phone: 55 3543 3275
Reservations: Email – reservations@emilia.rest / Whatsapp – 55 3951 4649
