“Mesona” is a Fine Dining Mexican Restaurant Coming to Philly and You Can Preview The Menu at Taco Heart
If you’re serious about food then chances are you’ve heard about the Mexican fine dining experiences that can be found in places such as Mexico City with establishments such as Pujol and Quintonil. Well, Chef Alejandro Martín Sánchez, who was most recently was the Executive Chef at Mission Taqueria is planning on bringing that same Mexican fine dining experience to Philly with his concept “Mesona.”
Chef Sánchez is currently shopping for a space and has his sights set on opening Mesona in the near future. When open Mesona which translate to large table will feature one single 12-seat table, along with a few seats at a chef’s counter overlooking the kitchen. The 27-year-old chef is currently shopping for a space. In the meantime, Sánchez is introducing his concept through an eight-week residency at Nano Wheedan’s Taco Heart, which will run from Thursday, February 29th through Saturday, April 20th at the Tex-Mex taco shop located at 1001 East Passyunk Avenue.
The dinner only residency will take place Thursday through Saturday nights, with just a 6:30 seating the first weekend, before moving to 6 and 8:30 p.m. seatings for the remainder of the preview. The six-course, $110 (tax included) BYOB experiences will feature upscale, elevated cuisine resembling the fine dining approach, plating, and style of some of the finest restaurants located in Mexico City and Oaxaca, Mexico. Tickets are available at exploretock.com/mesona-philadelphia.
“Mesona is a word that is used for one single table, and for me, it’s about having one table bringing the community together. It’s about making a space work that people can get together and share food with one another, which is so important. I want to do this while bringing something like Pujol to Philadelphia. Chef Enrique Olvera is an inspiration of mine, and I hope to bring a truly unique concept to this incredible food city.”
The menu will change after the first month, but the opening menu features squash chochoyote (masa dumplings) with uni, frijol, and blanco; tostada of mussels, adobados, tangerine chutney, roe; smoked eggplant with chichilo negro, and kefir; lobster with carrot tatemado, and turmeric; mole anisado with shiso, plantain, café; and a dessert of guava, hibiscus, au jus, rose.
When Mesona officially opens, it will operate as a BYOB, and Sánchez, being 18 months sober himself, will have an extensive non-alcoholic beverage program with pairing options. At both his residency and his restaurant, Sánchez will explain every course personally to diners each night, including ingredient descriptions as well as stories about the inspiration for the dishes. All produce for both will come from Riverwards Produce.
Sánchez left Tamaulipas, Mexico in 2017 out of his fear for his own life, with kidnapping being a serious issue for him personally. Growing up around food, and with an older brother who is a chef, Sánchez got his training in Texas working under Michelin star chef Graham Campbell and James Beard semifinalist Larry Delgado before arriving in Philadelphia in 2021 as part of the opening team at LMNO. From there, he took a job at Mission Taqueria, bringing his modern Mexican cuisine to the popular Rittenhouse restaurant. Growing up near the border of Mexico, and Brownsville, TX, Sánchez is a mix of Mexican and American cultures, which shaped his culinary style that he possesses today.
As for how the residency came about, Sánchez said: “I couldn’t believe when I heard someone was making Tex-Mex tacos in Philadelphia with their own flour tortillas. I went in with not-so-great expectations about it, but then I tried the tortillas and I got incredibly emotional because it reminded me of my childhood taco order that I ate with my father. It was refried beans with cheese and flour tortillas, and it made me want to talk to Nano. I left with love. That’s how we became friends.”
