There’s a bar where, rumor had it, they served a mean bone marrow. Its name you have to ask twice to get it right. I really was not prepared for the magnitude of what was awaiting on Sinaloa Street in the Roma neighborhood.
The dining room on the ground floor had my senses instantly stimulated by the vibrant décor. Everything here is elegant and simulates a patio complete with a green floor with circular patterns that extend up the walls to the celling. I was seated next to a private room with a gleaming mahogany table surrounded by turquoise bookcases and using the wall as a projector screen for a Hayao Miyazaki film.
The kitchen is Iraq Roaro’s and I tip my hat to him for his work on the bone marrow with short ribs. They bake the bone with panko breadcrumbs and dried chili peppers, they top it with caramelized pieces of short ribs and onions topped with a tomato salsa; finally served with tortillas. I’ve had a lot of bone marrow in 2016 and this one tops them all. I paired it with an aggi-doggi cocktail made with rum, Campari, plum compote, spicy chili, and grapefruit juice which, when combined, give it a marvelous balance of bitter and spicy.
Upon arriving at the terrace bar, nicknamed Tigre, everything came together for me since Ramón Tovar (Gin Gin) is the head mixologist here. Their cocktail names are all tiger-themed, from historical to mythological. I ordered the Mezcal, matcha, and vermouth, Thigra; a refreshing smooth concoction served in an artisanal container that I would describe as a mirrored hexagonal prism.
I left feeling as though I was awakening from a lucid dream of cocktails, delicious snacks, and aesthetic overload. I was left with a sense of duty to recommend Hotel Casa Awolly’s harmonious balance mixology, gastronomy and architecture to anyone who will listen.