House & Garden Tour
By Jennifer Hamilton
January 30, 2009 San Miguel de Allende

Carved doors, brilliant bougainvillea, In a Mexican Garden

House & Garden Tour
Sun, Feb 1, tour departs at noon
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
US$15 or 150 pesos
Breakfast at Café Santa Ana starts at 9am

1. This home commands a beautiful view of San Miguel and the distant mountains. Built in Spanish colonial style, the corridors, patio and fountain graciously extend the living and entertaining areas. Indirect natural lighting and extensive glass walls achieve a light, airy feeling in the rooms. Solar heating is used for both water and the cooking stove.

The house features beautiful hand-carved wooden doors, arched ceilings, artistic niches and lovely tile work, all of which contribute to strikingly display the owner’s collection of paintings, statuary and Mexican artifacts and handicrafts.

2. From the entranceway of this tasteful home, one looks down the stairs where a stunning painting hangs on the tall wall, fronted by a grand piano.

One can look down from the entrance balcony into the spacious living and dining rooms with carved cantera fireplace, wood beams, leather chairs and the living room separated into two areas by a black backless leather sofa. An impressive collection of Rembrandt etchings pays homage to the artist, all of which are individually lit by low-voltage lights.

Extraordinary views can be seen from the huge plate glass windows. The dining room with its glass-topped table and petit-point chairs (each with a different pattern with bees inconspicuously placed in diverse places) seats 10, with two glass cabinets containing a collection of precious curios.

The spacious patio contains a grassy area, a carved cantera fountain and many varieties of flowers, plants and trees, including bamboo. Stepping-stones lead across a charming lily pond to the sunning and pool area which is encircled by brilliantly hued bougainvillea.

The master suite is glorious, with its black and gold rounded wall, plants behind the bed and dazzling views overlooking Centro from its terrace. A majestic de Kooning oil painting also is upstairs.

3. This art-filled, Mexican contemporary house has been photographed for books such as Mexicolor, In a Mexican Garden and Mexican Style Exteriors. A commanding 85-foot vaulted ceiling greets visitors upon entering.

This special house radiates from two courtyards and spills into a large garden complete with a 30-foot fish pond. Notice how the owners have used the vibrant and exciting colors of Mexico.

This home overflows with beautiful objects from their collection of contemporary American craft, American modern paintings and an ever-expanding and fine collection of Mexican folk art.

This casa is a feast for the eyes and a lift for the spirit! A new garden and gallery was built two years ago on an empty lot next to the house.

Food & Wine

Three new ales
By Noren Caceres

Beer tasting & three-course meal
Sat, Feb 7, 5–8pm
El Burrito Bistro
Correo 45
220 pesos

Mark Taylor, a home brewer from California, has been making beer for 10 years. He teaches home brewing and beer tasting at Cabarillo College in Aptos, California. Taylor has been dreaming of someday moving to San Miguel and starting a microbrewery, and to that end he has hand-crafted three ales here and is eager to share them.

One thing I miss from home, after being a full-time resident of San Miguel for 15 years, is the microbrewery culture. When I first moved here, I wouldn’t touch anything except Negra Modelo. When you’re used to dark, amber and pale ales pumped out by the pint, other beers just don´t measure up. But I got used to the available selection, and soon enough I´d forgotten about the richness of flavors that can exist in beer. Last year, when Mark brought me a sample of his local beer it took me right back to Marin County, sitting in front of crowds of taps. 

Mark’s ales are intriguing and he has begun experimenting with some of our local ingredients. The Jamaica Ale, made with hibiscus flowers and tamarind, tingles the tongue, alive and tart, and goes down with a light sweetness. Agaveza, made with agave honey, comes on bitter but settles in sweet. The Tianguis Ale seduces with 100-percent pure honey and its 7.5-percent alcohol volume.

These three new ales will be on the menu during a three-course meal and beer tasting at El Burrito Bistro. The first course, served with the tangy Jamaica Ale, is a baked portabello mushroom stuffed with requesón cheese and herbs on a bed of greens with a balsamic and sun-dried tomato vinaigrette or a tomato and sweet pepper shrimp bisque.

The main course, served with the rich Agaveza Ale, is a vegetable couscous and choice of lamb, chicken or vegetarian tagine. Finally, the sweet Tianguis Ale will be served with a fruit and cheese platter. 

I invite you to take a night off from the six-pack in the fridge and taste Mark Taylor’s locally produced, hand-crafted beer. To find out more about the brewmaster, tap into Mark’s blog at www.backyardbrewer.blogspot.com.  For reservations, call El Burrito Bistro at 154-8956 or e-mail elburritobistro@yahoo.com.mx. 



 



  




 


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