Thanks for this! The one meal I had at La Condesa (solo) was ruined for me by their inability to pour me glasses of wine (I had ordered the pairings) with my food. It was so jarring, and so unpleasant (literally could not get water either) that I could not really enjoy the food and have never been able to bring myself to go back, despite all the of the love I have read over the years for the restaurant. I was so prepared to love my meal there…
Some restaurants when they get a Michelin star seem to stop trying, and La Condesa, in my experience, is a good example of that. It was an excellent location prior to being awarded the star, but after two disappointments post-star, I stopped going.
Exactly, O. We visited La Condesa shortly after its opening and it was a joy. Adorable service, interesting Mexican flavor influences on several dishes, Carrillo’s infectious enthusiasm. On our next visit, and its star, everything seemed self-conscious, formulaic. There was little of the chef’s personality or heritage on the plate, and certainly not the soul of the original meal when it was a start-up.
Well, glad to know I am not alone! I looked up when I was there (early 2018), and my visit was almost a year before it was awarded its étoile in 2019. Still, I recall the evening I was there was definitely after it had received lots of buzzy reviews, the place was packed, and one of the chef’s children (really a 12 or 13 y.o.) was given the job of serving me (and me alone). The whole evening was uncomfortable.
I had a similar experience. We ordered the wine pairings, but no one poured for us when the food was served. So the experience was very offkilter.
I must rush to the defense of La Condesa. Having been 6 or 7 times over the years (the latest, last October), I have never had a less than fab experience at La Condesa and have never encountered any of the (perhaps too fussy) faults that other HungOn-ers complain about. Admittedly, I’m younger and more easy-going than many posters seem to be, not a wine geek, and I love good vibes/ sense of joy (that, for me, Chef Carillo with his sparkling personality and delightfully idiosyncratic French, his staff, and his cooking have unfailingly delivered over the years).
Mais chacun son truc. We all have different personalities and cultural backgrounds that inform our judgments and form our preferences.
Our recent experience was in between. For lunch, first time at the new location (they had literally moved in the week before) in Oct 2022. I like the new room. I had no issues with the service, nor with my single glass of wine, and still thought lunch there a very good value. But while the amuses and mignardises were great, overall the food wasn’t as impressive as prior times.
Of course, this could easily have been a one-off. But it did cause me to move La Condesa from near-must return to the middle bucket of “we’ll probably go back sometime, but no rush.”
YMMV.
