Before I first visited Hermosillo, I did a lot of digging for good restaurants to visit. Xochimilco was not one that was prominently hailed in Yelp or Tripadvisor so I tried many of the top rated, popular Gringo spots.

None of them come close to the outstanding Sonoran dining experience that Xochimilco delivers.

First, it's important to understand the nature of Sonoran beef. Sonora boast the best beef quality in Mexico and they are recognized as the best throughout the country. Free roaming cattle that live on natural diets (unlike the majority of U.S. beef) are naturally organic and the different in the quality of beef is stark. Sonoran beef is by far the juiciest (jugoso) beef I've ever had. Traditional preparation of Sonoran steaks (arrachera (skirt steak) or cabreria (rib eye)) is embodied in Xochimilco's perfectection of the art. The beef is cut thinner than most american's are accustomed to - giving it a more fajita like presence (not sliced into strips, but flat). It is cooked on an Asador - not a gas grill that restaurants in the U.S. typically used, but iron grates over Mesquite. The end result, is the best beef/steak experience I've ever had.

The steak is served on a hot iron skillet and you can get various combinations of steak and ribs (costillas). It is accompanied with grilled onions. Upon request, grilled Serrano chiles are served as well (hot hot hot and rico!). The veggies (lettuce, tomato slices, green chile, and radish) are served separately as are the beans. Along with that, massive tortillas - thin, uber fresh, and delicious are provided.

Then, the journey begins. It's not a plate really that you order - everything is sort of arranged in their spots in the center of the table and then you can explore and pair various veggies with the beans, chile, tortilla, and steak that is better than any of the high end establishments I've had over the decades in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, or many restaurants I worked in as a chef for many years. It's a little challenging at first - figuring out how to go about eating this meal, but once I got the hang of it, I discovered that the $15 Orden de Caberia at Xochimilcho may in fact be the greatest steak dinner of all time - at least my 43 years.

If you have the guts to step outside the gringo box, reward yourself with a visit to Xochimilco.