Bart D.
Yelp
I think this might have been one of my best dining experiences.
I'm from San Francisco Bay Area so I've been exposed/spoiled by venues that try, often with food-beauty and pretense...but I like hearty, well-intended food on the plate...this place delivers both.
But wait, you eat facing a beautiful garden...airy, not packed. What they intend to show you on the plate is implied to you before you sit down and take your first bite...the place is beautiful, really well-intended, before you eat.
The attending staff is both well-trained and bilingual (I'm neither). The drink menu was so evocative I strayed from my give-me-your-best reposada (neat) and their delivery was nearly a show....someone was thinking deep and those fancy-schmancy drinks/and presentation was spot-on, well-thought, and well-trained...and tasted amazing. Our table of seven, 3.5 gringos/3.5 jaliscos, (you figure it out) all agreed the liquids were amazing...and again, I usually skip fancy drinks.
The plates: nothing failed. Excuse the NorCal slang: killer. Mussels, sea bass, scallops, octopus, cow calf (WTF? I'm looking at cow's legs differently now, amazing). Viva Guadalajara, Viva Tapatios! These people took care of me and my belly.
Why? They cared more about food than pretense. Granted, their was was some side-show new-age (TopChef, season2?) science-dry ice bubbles (I clapped) drinks, but that kitchen delivered. Somebody back in the cucina cared about me for two hours, and we got out of there for ~$70 a head....it would have been 3x-4x that sum back in good old San Francisco....without the garden that made me not want to leave.
Disneyland has Space Mountain, Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Gaza has those triangular big-things....and GDJ has this magic...I'd be so proud to own this place, and all I know how to do is eat and drive a car...the experience is almost humbling.
So well done, thank you Bruna; you set the bar for me....and in a sense ruined many of my future meals, anywhere....dammit!
I'll travel miles out of my way to be back....can't wait, keep up your art, because that's what it is.