Misión Guadalupe – The Patron Saint of Culinary Juarez
By Bob Skolnick Photography by Joseph Burgess

Just a short ride across the Cordova Street International Bridge is the Pronaf section of Juarez, home to many trendy restaurants and clubs. Misión Guadalupe Restaurant and Bar is among those, founded by Benjamin Beltran Ascencio and his father. Together, they enjoyed fine dining while living and traveling throughout Mexico, and wanted to bring restaurant excellence to Juarez.

Benjamin and his father engaged Hugo Amparan, a well-known designer and architect to assist with the interior design. The restaurant has a very crisp, “bistro”look with a unique water feature in the center of the dining room. Traditional materials were used with a modern application creating a casual but elegant ambiance that features quarry stone, woods and clear colors. There is also a private room that can accommodate up to twenty-five guests for private functions.

Benjamin knew that culinary excellence begins in the kitchen, and was quick to encourage Chefs Alejandro Dimakis and Sergio Remolina to relocate to Juarez and assist in developing Misión Guadalupe, which was nine months in the planning. Alejandro and Sergio first met at Ambrosia, a world-renowned Culinary School in Mexico City. Chef Sergio Remolina has served as an instructor at Ambrosia Culinary Arts Academy in Mexico City, as Executive Chef at Rosa Mexicana in Lincoln Center in New York City, and worked in France as Chef at the Mexican Embassy. His resume also includes a tour of culinary duty in Paris, where he worked at La Mansion, a high-end restaurant chain based in Mexico City. Chef Dimakis, an Ambrosia alumnus, has worked in the Carlos Anderson’s restaurant group with stops in Cuernavaca, Mazatlan, and Tijuana. In the United States he worked at La Campena in New York City and Café Central in El Paso.

The cuisine of Misión Guadalupe can be described as a fusion of Old Mexico cuisine, utilizing the techniques of the past but revitalizing dishes with new ideas and different proteins, such as Muscovy duck breast and Ahi tuna.

Upon arriving, my photographer and I were served a full selection of menu items for our first hand review. The food was beautifully presented, and all tastes were well balanced and subtle. I had the pleasure of trying a few items for the first time. We started the Mexican culinary adventure with a traditional appetizer from the Yucatan, called Panucho. This dish is originally made with pork, but their version replaces pork with fresh gulf shrimp. The shrimp is then marinated in achiote, and added to a combination of stewed black beans and a slice of habanero chile. The complete dish is layered on top of a mini corn tostada.

The first course was a mini chimichanga, stuffed with shrimp and mushroom picadillo with epazote and covered with a green sauce, a slice of avocado and a sprig of fresh cilantro. There was a great mouth adventure of textures and flavors that both contrasted and complimented.

One of three main courses presented to us was a sesame seed crusted tuna, served on a bed of julienne beets, cabbage and jicama salad marinated in olive oil and lime juice. The sauce for the Ahi is a combination of soy sauce and jalapeno reduction sauce. The Ahi was matched with roasted garlic mashed potatoes. The tuna was cooked rare, which was to my preference.

Next we were treated to Mole Negro. The center of the dish was grilled tenderloin smothered with Chile Negro, which is a traditional mole from Oaxaca. Chile Negro is one of seven different styles of mole. According to Chef Dimakis, “The secret to this mole is to burn all of the ingredients and mix it with chiluacle, a very expensive dried chile found in Mexico.” The tenderloin was accompanied by two small masa dumplings, called chochoyotes, with mole inside. The presentation included steamed chayote squash and haricot verts. The tenderloin was topped with cured onion marinated in lime juice and oregano. This was truly a magnificent dish with the mole captivating the tenderloin.

The third entrée we tried was a breaded breast of chicken stuffed with a corn fungus, called huitlacoche and served with a three-cheese sauce. The chicken breast was prepared by marinating the chicken breast in milk, then moved to heavy cream and egg wash and finally covered in Panko crumbs and pan sautéed. The huitlacoche had a wonderful flavor and really complimented the three-cheese sauce. The chicken breast was served with steamed vegetables and white rice with cream and Chihuahua cheese.

The dessert course was a chocolate cake lemontate from Oaxaca, monticado ice cream, a crown of butter cookie with guava syrup, papaya candy and acuyo custard from southern Mexico. To finish off their impressive dessert menu, Misión Guadalupe serves some of the best coffee on the border.

If you’re looking for great food and an elegant but comfortable dining experience try Misión Guadalupe, which you will not soon forget.

Reservations recommended (by phone, 011-52–656–611–2220 or online reservaciones@misionguadalupe.com)

CONTACT INFO
Misión Guadalupe
445-4 Av. Reyes Estrada, Juarez
www.misionguadalupe.com