FOOD BIZ | Are Your Restos Male or Female?

A typical tasting course (one of six, eight or
 twelve) at Lula Bistro in Guadalajara.

Guadalajara, Mexico, December 29, 2017 – What do you think?

Are there male and female, yang and yin, restaurants?

Caroline picked out several of the best restos in Guadalajara for us to visit during the interlude between Christmas and New Year's.

We started with Lula Bistro and El Hueso. We had different views about whether they could be identified by gender. Can you add to this discussion?

Lula Bistro – Yin?

The first place we went was Lula Bistro (lulabistro.com, +55-33-3647-6423). It is beautifully decorated with modern fixtures and indirect lighting. The atmosphere is hushed and respectful of the hard work going on in the kitchen to prepare its three tasting-menu options. We passed up the 12-tiempo (course) tasting menu and opted for the six- and eight-tiempo menus at MX$850 and MX$1,200 (US$40 and US$60).

We had one plate after another of delicate items in a subtle sauce. Every one was beautiful to look at and scrumptious. Here is a listing of the courses for the six-course tasting menu:

Pescado del Día, Ensalada de Betabel, Pulpo a las Brasas, Pescado Miso, Cheese Cake de Queso de Cabra Orgánico, Sinfonía.

Each of the items on the list is either a mélange of several other items as in the photo above, or is decorated with delicate sprigs or shavings or dollops or gorgeous edible flowers.

What was not to like? It was fascinating to examine, and not one bite was a disappointment. It was healthy, as well. Despite the number of courses, the total calories for the six-tiempo menu I estimate were well below 1,000. It well deserves its self-description, Alta Cocina (Haute Cuisine). We could all have handled the 12-course menu, though none of us went away hungry after the shorter repasts.

Caroline asks questions of the helpful waiter.
Steffi shows confidence in Caroline's
line of questioning.

El Hueso – Yang?

The next evening we went to El Hueso (huesorestaurant.com, +52-33-3615 3591). The name is Spanish for "The Bone".

The entire restaurant is decorated with animal bones that were found in the desert, whitened by the  sun. Those not used to decorate the walls are piled in boxes and under shelves all through the restaurant. You could say it's different!

Customers sit at long tables and the general atmosphere is conducive to talking with strangers, as at a club table. We were surrounded by non-English speakers, all of whom were friendly and communicative nonetheless. The atmosphere is that of a rural wedding feast, as the diners are not reluctant to express their high expectation for their coming food and drink.

Main course on the table.
 Caroline took a photo.

Instead of multiple courses per person, we were advised to consider each menu item as a portion to be shared by two people.

So the four of us (we were joined by Steffi) had two appetizers, two main courses and two desserts. In contrast with the day before, these shared portions were more than we could eat.

The two starters were Pulpo Adobado and Tomato Salad. The two main courses were Rack de Cordero (Lamb) and Cabreria (an unusual cut of beef close to the bone).

Despite sharing each of the three courses, we probably consumed 50 percent more calories than the evening before.

As Alice looked away for a moment,
Caroline caught her Dad taking a lustful
anticipatory look at the rack of lamb. 

Yin or Yang?

The Lula Bistro looks like a yin resto. Emphasis on the appearance and delicacy of the food. Many small items. Respectful atmosphere. Dignified serving. High class. A good place for a guy to take a woman he wants to impress.

El Hueso is more yang. Big portions, communal eating atmosphere, friendly – largely because of the outgoing, even festive, attitude of the well-trained waitstaff. Fun! A good place for a woman to suggest to a man she is interested in...

What do you think?

Oh, btw. Lula Bistro was sparsely attended. El Hueso was full.

Postscript: We all had dinner again tonight, this time at La Docena, which is rated one of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America. Caroline has dined at their Mexico City restaurant. Caroline read my post above and said that it is an over-simplification to call a restaurant yin or yang. She said the décor at Lula Bistro was yang (masculine) and many of the presentations at El Hueso were yin. Of course, she is a true expert on the food biz and she is right. As Carl Jung said, there is an image of a woman (anima) inside every man, and an image of a man (animus) inside every woman. When I say a restaurant is yin or yang, I should be more careful and put it all in terms of which gender predominates. Is the distinction between yin and yang in ambience and cuisine useful for you?

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