Is it gauche to go to a restaurant and immediately rave about the bread?

Because the bread at Rosetta deserves to be raved about.

They brought us one basket with quite a few pieces of different kinds of bread, I think about six. They were warm and squishy and so good. We devoured it. Then came a second basket, which we also devoured. This one had the lightest focaccia, and it was particularly delicious. When they asked if we wanted a third, we politely declined, although we absolutely wanted it. With really good olive oil, it was more bread than I have eaten in a year, but well worth every bite. And all free, I hope that is not tacky to mention— while Rosetta is not a bargain, all that free bread definitely is. Sadly, I have no pictures of the bread basket, because we add them so quickly.

Apparently we aren't the only people who think Rosetta's bread is worth getting excited about. Elena Reygadas eventually opened Panadería Rosetta, her bakery, which has become a destination in its own right because people wanted to buy her bread. I can see why.

Rosetta is a very pretty restaurant in a beautiful old building with soaring ceilings. The dining room feels almost as though you're dining in a grand entranceway, which sounds as though it might be cold or cavernous, but somehow it isn't. It feels warm and inviting.

There are also simple tables on the street and a covered patio, and I love that Rosetta doesn't require you to make an entire production of going there. You could theoretically pop in for a plate of pasta, sit outside, have a basket of that bread and a glass of wine, and call it lunch.

Sometimes I like going to nice restaurants by myself, and Elena Reygadas has created spaces that make that feel entirely comfortable. Lardo, with its wonderful L-shaped bar, is another example. It is particularly welcoming for women dining alone.

We settled in for a long lunch.

We started with the Peach and radicchio salad with aged cheese and pistachios. The peaches were just on the edge of ripe but tasted delicious, and the combination of sweet fruit, bitter radicchio, cheese and pistachios was a lovely beginning.

Then came the dish that Noah and I really loved: the white mole with fermented carrots.

It sounds simple, but the mole was wonderfully unctuous and had so much depth. It would have been great to dip the bread in it if we hadn’t already eaten it all. Of the first three dishes, this was the one that blew us away. I immediately thought I would like to try making it at home.

The carrots came in several different colors, which made the dish especially beautiful, and I started thinking about whether pickled dried green grapes might make an interesting substitute. I love dishes that make you start thinking about what you could do with the idea yourself.

The Savoy cabbage tacos with pistachio pipián and romeritos were another favorite, partly because I loved the idea of using Savoy cabbage as the taco wrapper. Steam the cabbage, cut it into rounds and you've got a beautiful, vegetable-based little taco. It is clever without feeling gimmicky. And somehow, it felt like eating no calories.

Rosetta would be a particularly good place for vegetarians and vegans. There is so much imagination in the vegetable dishes that you don't feel as though you're eating around the meat.

Then came the pasta. There were lots of fresh morels in the potato and Parmesan pansotti with fresh morels, giving it a deep, earthy mushroom flavor. We also had the short-rib ravioli, which had a completely different but equally intense depth of flavor. Both had that wonderful quality of really concentrated flavor.

Somehow, despite the bread situation, we had ordered the perfect amount for two.

We finished with two desserts. The Mamey and pixtle tres leches wasn't really for me, which was a little disappointing after such a wonderful lunch. So we ordered another dessert as we wanted to end on a high note, and high we ended indeed.

We ordered the Hoja santa y cacao criollo blanco, and I loved it so much that I wrote an entire post about it. It was one of the most beautiful and delicious desserts I've eaten, and absolutely worth ordering.

[Second Time is the Charm: Finding the Most Stunning Dessert at Rosetta →]

What I like about Rosetta is that it can be whatever kind of meal you want it to be. You can settle into that beautiful old room and make an afternoon of it, or sit outside, order pasta, eat an entire basket of bread to yourself, and call it lunch. Both are wonderful, delicious options.

ROSETTA, MEXICO CITY

Colima 166, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México

Reservations: +52 55 5533 7804 (Make reservations for an inside table a couple of weeks in advance)

Chef: Elena Reygadas

Michelin: 1 Star, awarded 2024

World’s 50 Best: #49 in 2023

Cuisine: Mexican, with global influences

Rosetta is Reygadas’ flagship restaurant, housed in a beautiful old Roma mansion. Its menu changes with the seasons and focuses heavily on Mexican ingredients from small producers. Make reservations a couple of weeks in advance as they do book up.