Adrián Herrera

I met Chef Adrián Herrera over a Christmas dinner last year. He runs a small place here in Monterrey that could practically be called a Joint (because of the physical space, not the food). Tucked in the downtown area of San Pedro, the Fonda San Francisco is undoubtedly one of the restaurant jewels of the city.

Adrián has dedicated part of his life to researching about Mexican food. He's gathered a wealth of recipes from the diferent regions of the country. When creating plates for the Fonda, he'll usually take the original recipe then give it a twist. A fine example would be his Smoked corn soup. It's basically, as the name suggests smoked corn broth into which cured cacahuazintle corn is added for garnish. The result is a surprising flavor that still manages to be familiar.

The rest of his dishes complete the range for appetizers, antojitos, and main courses. As an added bonus, he features a weekly menu to keep things fresh.

Something else that sets Chef Herrera apart from others in the city, is according to his own words: "I don't only sell food, I sell stories". Adrián is frequently seen in the dining room entertaining his patrons. A word of caution though, sometimes his stories might be a bit far from the truth, but incredibly fun nonetheless.

If you're ever in town, don't miss the Fonda de San Francisco. Or in case someone looking for a talented Mexican cuisine specialist is reading: Invest in this guy!