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Walking into La Corte is like stepping into the 1950s. At this no-frills fonda, located in downtown Mexico City by the Supreme Court (hence the name), customers perch on red vinyl seats at laminate tabletops or along the counter and read their newspapers, the tableware and lighting are utilitarian, and the décor is minimal: just a few televisions with fútbol on and the sound off. The color flat screens might be the only indication that this is, indeed, the 21st century.

“Young people now call this place retro,” says manager Marisol Gutierrez. “But the fact is that we haven’t changed in 60 years. This is a place with a lot of tradition. Even the staff has been with us for years. When we hire somebody new, they stay with us for a very long time. Some people don’t leave until they retire.” The recipes, too, have remained unchanged since La Corte opened in 1952.

The restaurant serves comida corrida – cheap, filling meals – throughout the day. In the morning, that means Mexican breakfasts such as scrambled eggs with chorizo or salchicha (hot dog) or a la mexicana (with onions, chiles and tomatoes). At midday, there are two set menus: the lunch personal, which costs only 86 pesos and includes the soup of the day or chicken soup, rice or salad, a main dish, a side of refried beans, dessert and coffee; and the cubierto compartido, which adds a second main dish to the formula for only 115 pesos. La Corte has no freezers and little refrigeration space, so the kitchen staff starts with fresh ingredients every day, and the quality is remarkable. Portions are generous, and the menu options change daily.

We started off lunch with clericot, or claret cup, a very popular and refreshing Argentinean drink made with white or red wine, club soda or seltzer water, sugar and diced fruit, and chose the soup of the day, a flavorful sopa de nopalitos (chopped cactus paddles fortified by a rich beef broth), followed by arroz canario, or canary rice, bright and redolent with saffron. Our favorite among the main dishes was the osobuco de ternera, a whole roasted veal shank served with creamy gravy and fluffy mashed potatoes. We also tried medallones de res al jerez (beef medallions cooked in a sherry sauce), costillitas de cerdo en chile pasilla (pork ribs in a spicy chili sauce), and codorniz al pastor, roast quail bathed in a meat broth and served with a side of fries.

As at many fondas, desserts at La Corte are uncomplicated. Ate de membrillo, a popular kind of quince paste, arrived with a scoop of ice cream (choose from chocolate, strawberry or mamey, a pumpkin-y Central American fruit), and we chased this with a cup of coffee – the perfect ending to a satisfying meal, and the perfect beginning to our sobremesa, that time spent talking at the table after a meal is over (which can sometimes last for hours).

With its honest food and simple pleasures, it’s no wonder that this place has been popular for decades, and we bet that it will continue to be for decades to come. All rise: La Corte is in session!

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Ben Herrera

Published on August 30, 2013

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