"If you’re passing through the Monterrey airport, be sure to make time for a meal at El Jonuco, just 10 minutes away in the industrial neighborhood of Apodaca. Banker-turned-chef Hugo Guajardo highlights the regional cuisine of Northeastern Mexico with modern twists. He combines recipes from his past, like his grandmother’s pear tart, with traditional local dishes, like wedding rice (popular throughout Nuevo Leon; in this case, a chicken-stock-fortified version from Zuazua, studded with raisins and poblanos). Go for the empalmes, sandwiches of atropellado (dried meat with tomato, chile, and onion) between crispy tortillas. Or try the criollo avocados, meant to be eaten peel and all, or the glorious grilled panela cheese with agave honey and chile piquin sauce. Be sure to stop by on Sunday to try the succulent, grilled cabrito (baby goat). The restaurant setting is entirely casual, and meals are accompanied by the accordion-embellished strains of Northern Mexican music. [$$-$$$]" - Liliana López Sorzano
