397930 Thu May 03 07:35:04 -0700 2007 8 55 Mexico 0 2537485 My wife and I just returned from spending five days in San Miguel de Allende visiting family who live there. One of the most memorable and delicious dinners I have had in a long, long time was at an Italian restaurant called Ristorante Da Andrea which is just outside San Miguel at a place called Hacineda de Landeta. There were four people in our party and because we had neglected to make a reservation we were not able to sit outside on the patio but the staff was very accomodating and quickly set up a very nice table inside the restaurant for us. In typical Italian style there is no menu. When the waiter arrived he recited everything they were offering that day from appetisers to pastas to entrees. For appetisers we selected an octopus salad and a calamari salad that we all shared. I haven't had such wondedrful seafood salads since travelling to Italy. Each salad included a very generous amount of octopus and calamari in just the right amount of olive oil and a bit of lemon juice. They salad was mixed with finely diced carrots and very fresh baby arugala. For main courses I selected a fresh Sea Bass prepared with white wine and lemon. My wife had the grilled giant shrimp and the others in our party had a duck breast with mushrooms and a grilled Sea Bass. My fish was served on a bed of sauteed cubed potatos and diced carrot in a wonderful and light wine and lemon sauce. The fish was impecably fresh and cooked perfectly. Everyone else felt the same way about their selections and raved about the taste and quality of the food. The waiter also convinced us to try one of their pastas so we opted to share an order of one of the daily specials which was hand made ravioli stuffed with spinach and a bit of ricotta cheese in wonderful butter and Parmsan cheese sauce. The ravioli had been freshly made and some were made with spinach pasta and others were plain egg pasta. They were absoutely delicious. We noticed at the rear of the restaurant that there was a woman rolling out the freshly made pasta while another woman took the sheets and stuffed and cut the ravioli. No wonder they tasted so good! For dessert we tried the panna cotta and the chocolate mousse both of which were equally good. We started with Margaritas and then each of us had a glass of wine with dinner. We finished with espresso and two grappas. The check for all of this including a generous tip was slightly less than US$200. Although this is certainly high-end dining for San Miguel you could never have a comprable meal for four people in the USA for that amount. If anyone is travelling to San Miguel make sure you try Ristorante Da Andrea. In my opinion it is a "destination" restaurant and one that should not be missed. The restaurant is located about 2.5KM from the traffic circle as you enter San Miguel on the road leading out to Carretara. The telephone number is (415) 120-3481. Thu May 03 07:35:04 -0700 2007 17193 RoyRon 1 2545191 Thanks for your post. I've never been to the city but have heard great things about it. Nice to have a restaurant recommendation just in case we ever go. Sat May 05 19:56:13 -0700 2007 2537485 40486 Cinnamon 2 2652139 Hello I just got back from another short visit to SMA and had to put in another recommendation for Ristorante Da Andrea. I had lunch there on Sunday ( June 10th) afternoon with three friends and it was as good as it was the on my first try. The four of were seated outside on the patio. With a warm, sunny day the atmosphere couldn't have been better. We started with several appetizers whic we all shared. They included very fresh, grilled sardines,(excellent), octopus salad, (very good but could have use a bit more lemon) and a fantastic beef carpaccio. We all shared and order of their freshly made ravioli which were stuffes with ricotta and spinach and served with a very butter and gorgonzola cheese sauce. For the main courses two of us had the grilled veal chop. These were beautifully prepared with a wonderful rosemary flavor. Another one of us had the veal scallopine which served with a lemon butter sauce with freshly made mashed potato. Our other friend had the grilled Red Snapper which was perfectly cooked and impeccably fresh. Each dish included a selection of fresh vegetables For dessert we shared orders of their chocolate mousse and panna cotta with a mango sauce followed by espresso and grappa. Overall another wonderful dining experience and once again a place that no one should miss when visiting SMA Tue Jun 12 08:42:11 -0700 2007 2545191 17193 RoyRon 3 2665209 Hi... I think you'll like l'Invito's new weekend, country retreat. The owners, Silvia and Carlos are cooking at their ranch on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. It's wonderfu!!! Beautiful views from their patio, nice friendly groups of people, and of course, great food. Enjoy... but here is a big CAUTION for everyone going to San Miguel! The owner of Viajes San Miguel, Herr D., is well-known for over working his employees. Recently, one of the chauffers of his parent company, Viajes San Miguel, fell asleep at the wheel of a van carrying passengers from the airport in Leon. The van slammed into a mountain and rolled. The chauffer left the scene. The unlucky passengers barely escaped death, but ended up with lengthy hospital stays and surgery that Herr D. didn't have insurance for, wrote bad checks to pay for, and refused to pay for the surgeon's bill! Not the first sign of trouble for Viajes San Miguel OR Herr D. He is the owner of a local restaurant/bar in San Miguel, Berlin. Berlin is well-known with the tourist crowd, but be very careful if you go there. Herr D. has been put in jail several times for credit card fraud. Your bill might get padded after you've had several drinks and you aren't paying very close attention. So many other reputable taxi services and wonderful places to eat!! Have fun and enjoy the good Mexican people of San Miguel de Allende. Fri Jun 15 19:42:58 -0700 2007 2652139 105675 thelmalou 4 2673617 I second that and they are lovely people. Tue Jun 19 09:02:24 -0700 2007 2665209 52212 Lori SF 3 3026526 RoyRon, I'm heading to SM for a wedding next week and we're using Viajes San Miguel for a lot of in/out transportation btw both Mex City and Leon. Is there anything reputable about this company? Luis sounds fantastic -- the person we're in touch with there. And I hate to put a wrench in my friend's wedding planning but I'd like to think we'll be safe... Any more insight or advice? Thu Oct 11 15:23:52 -0700 2007 2652139 133990 bpowers67 1 2667548 Sounds wonderful. I always have to eat the Chiles en Nogada at Bugambilia's when I'm in San Miguel, but the next time I'm there for more than one day, I'll have to try Da Andrea. Sat Jun 16 22:54:58 -0700 2007 2537485 105882 Gypsyfish 1 2674050 I couldn't agree more. I took my parents to Da Andrea when they were visiting me 2 weeks ago, and we all agreed that the seafood (especially the fresh sardines and grilled sea bass) and pasta (the same fresh spinash ravioli you had) were as good as any we have had Italy. I would say, though, that sitting on the patio is essential since the interior is a little gloomy. Tue Jun 19 10:47:36 -0700 2007 2537485 80034 Miss En Place 2 2674964 Hi I agree with your comments about the interior of the restaurant being a bit gloomy but I would overlook this aspect of the place just to be able to enjoy their food again. There are a lot of very good restaurants in SMA and I certainly haven't tried more than a few other of them but Restorante Da Andrea would be a stand out place regardless of where it was located. Tue Jun 19 14:17:14 -0700 2007 2674050 17193 RoyRon