Prior to opening Huset in Mexico City, you spent formative years of your career running kitchens in New York. How did the energy of the city feel when you first arrived, and what are some of your favorite memories from that time in your career?
Well, I started in Jean-Georges, in his main restaurant. That was fun - I was a line cook, I did all the stations. Then he gave me the opportunity to be a Sous Chef… that was my first time stepping into a leadership position, which is a big step for any cook. We went on to open The Mark Hotel - that was many years ago but it turned out to become such an iconic hotel. Everybody still talks about it. That was my first time opening a restaurant - it was 100% adrenaline, we barely slept.
What I miss most about New York, though, is the energy of the city. Don’t get me wrong - I live in Mexico City and it’s a crazy town. But I think New York steps it up even higher, no? The level of professionalism in New York is extremely high - the energy is awesome, everybody is in competition there. That’s always fun, and that’s why I love it. I try to go back every year.
After cooking in nine countries, how did you land on La Roma as the home for your first restaurant? How has the neighborhood influenced your cooking?
My business partner and I are extremely good friends - he called me and said, “Mike - I found this house in La Roma.” The house is more than one hundred years old. And it was completely abandoned. Back in the day, the house belonged to a very wealthy family as their main residence and then they made it into a school, and later a sock factory. It was then abandoned but the house itself has a long history. When we got it, it was completely destroyed and we brought it back to life. That’s how it became Huset - it’s now a beautiful garden, but when we started, there wasn’t a single plant. Now you see pictures and all of the plants are beautiful, everything is natural. People ask me, “Mike, are those fake?” No, everything is alive.
Huset means “the house” in Danish. Right now, La Roma is the cool neighborhood to go to. The main up and coming restaurants are in La Roma - it’s a great neighborhood to experience awesome food, and it’s always packed, with tourists, and with locals. People are always searching for good food in Mexico City. And they go to La Roma.
The majority of your menu rotates daily with fresh ingredients from the farmer’s market but there are a few mainstays. Tell us a little bit about these favorites.
The concept of Huset is farm-to-table - we cook with seasonal ingredients and we make changes to the menu according to what I get from the market. There are some weeks that are very aggressive [with changes] and sometimes we don’t find as many new items and we just keep the menu for a little bit. But in generally, there’s always something new in Huset - not only with the food, but with the wine, the cocktails… that’s the philosophy and DNA of [the restaurant].
The brioche is a dish I haven't changed. And of course, the avocado pizza has always been a special. It’s not on the menu. Since we started the menu, we’ve also always had arroz con pollo. That’s a dish that I’ve tried to change a few times and people always complain. They just want their rice - it’s delicious and simple. I think those are the three dishes that haven’t changed since we opened.
You’re behind the bar at Hanky Panky—what’s the first drink you’d make for yourself?
We never thought it was going to be a successful as it is - we started small as a speakeasy nine years ago. It’s still the same size but now, you can go around the world and people recognize Hanky Panky. I’m always thankful for that.
I’m a fan of a negroni, that’s the first drink I ever made for myself. We’ve done variations, but I like the classic.
What is on your Huset playlist?
Hear for yourself here :)
And lastly, what’s your guilty pleasure NYC street food?
A hot dog on a crazy NYC day.
