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The Aids in
Culture Evening Tour on 12th December 2006: ContempoBar y Restauran-Tito
Punto y Aparte On the 12th of December 2006, the Conference Delegates for Aids in Culture III had the opportunity to participate in one of the classical traditions of the Community in Mexico: Los Martes de Enkidu - Enkidu Magazine's weekly Tuesday activity in ContempoCinema. The topic of the day was "HIV/Aids among men who have sex with other men in Latin America" and our invited speaker this evening was professor John Harold Estrada Montoya from the National University of Colombia in Bogotá. The abstract of Professor Estrada's presentation is available here (in Spanish). It was quite an interesting evening session in ContempoBar with engaged discussions and exchange between international scientists and representatives from Mexican organizations.
After Los Martes, many of the Delegates felt like having a beer and a snack so we left ContempoCinema in Plaza del Angel headed for the charming little restaurant Punto y Aparte in Amberes Street 62. Punto y Aparte is a unique place in Mexico City and is definitely a must for anyone interested in getting to know the LGBT scene of Mexico from the inside. The restaurant has an interesting selection of food and beverages and also has a little cabaret-scene with daily performances and shows of different kinds. The program for Punto y Aparte for the month of December is available here (in Spanish). This particular Tuesday, we were looking forward to a special performance by Mexican balad singer Hortencia, a frequent artist in Punto y Aparte, however, upon arriving Hortencia greeted us with a little kiss on the cheek in the stairway and we realized that it was already 22:00 and the show had finished...
Hortensia left, but we took a seat and continued our discussion about Aids and Activism. On this occasion Conference Delegates Fred Eggan (Former AIDS Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles), Derek Rushton (Program in Visual & Cultural Studies, University of Rochester), Pedro Soto & Walt Senterfitt (both: Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP)), Luis Olivares, our guardian angel and bartender in ContempoBar, Agustin Villalpando (Enkidu Magazine), Lars Ivar Owesen-Lein Borge (International Society for Cultural History and Cultural Studies) as well as John Harold Estrada Montoya from the National University of Colombia in Bogotá joined the Evening Tour. The partcipants were thrilled and excited to discover a place like this in Mexico City. Once
upon a time, the area that today is known as Zona Rosa was an elegant and
fashionable urban residential neighborhood for the Mexican upper middle
class. From the last decades of the 19th century until the
Revolution in 1917, this was the status address in town, and
surviving fragments of former glory can still be discovered in-between
glossy, over dimensioned and tacky examples of contemporary Mexican
concrete and cement architecture covered with screaming neon signs and
commercial ads. Several of the surviving Art Nouveau and neo-colonial
buildings are quite beautiful and one might often wish them a better neighborhood… In
a newly renovated Art Nouveau building, the restaurant Punto y Aparte
opened some years ago and is one of the area’s few examples of an
attempt of a relatively respectful renovation. The restaurant which is
located on the first floor, provides a nice environment and seems to be
frequented by Lesbians and Gays to an almost equal extent. This is a cosy
place for an intimate dinner for two or a perfect place to pop in for an
afternoon drink and a little tête-a-tête with a friend. The music volume
is not too high, and allows for an intelligent conversation across the
table. Punto y Aparte is actually one of the few gay places in Mexico City
that seems to have understood the true meaning of table music… Non
smoking visitors will appreciate that half of the tables are reserved for
them, although their smoking policy may seem somewhat ambivalent and
confusing… The
place is nicely furnished and decorated with matching colours. It was
noticed that the flowers on the table were natural… On the walls there
is a certain variation. Some of the standard kitsch and framed posters
that often are encountered in gay establishment, yet somewhat out of place
in this environment in combination
with some glossy reproductions of pop art. The
menu has a good selection. There should be something for every taste. We
have not nearly tried everything of course, but several dishes look quite
interesting, at least promising. In particular the variety of pasta is
good. During one of my first visits, I had a fettuccini in spinach and I
must say it was delicious, although the portion was not huge, but still
fair. We should also mention that pasta may be ordered in 2 person
portions too. In particular de Lasagna a la Bolognese is an excellent
choice ($80.00 Pesos). The
price level is high, also for Zona Rosa. Several dishes were priced at 150
Pesos and upwards, and it is not our impression that this is always
justified, despite the good variety. The quality of the served food does
not always meet our expectations, I am sorry to say because it is such a
wonderful place.
Restaurantito
“Punto y aparte” Amberes 62, Zona Rosa, Tel. 5533-5442 |
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