A while back I posted aboutthe joys of the local fonda that serves a forty-peso comida corrida around the corner from my apartment. While I eat there fairly frequently, the truth about most fondas is that their comidas corridas tend to be heavy on carbohydrates and, depending on what you order for your main course, often on the greasy side.

On Calle Parras between Avenida Nuevo León and Avenida Amsterdam in the Colonia Condesa, however, there are two sidewalk fondas that serve what I have come to think of as gourmet comida corrida. They are not as cheap as ordinary fondas but, at eighty-five or ninety pesos, they are nevertheless a bargain, especially considering the quality of their ingredients.

At both the Gastrofonda Quim Jardi -- named after its chef, who is either a Mexican Catalan or a Catalan Mexican, depending on your point of view -- and the fonda Kousmine next door, run by a Frenchman who posts certificates with his culinary credentials on the outside tarp, you can get meals that are easier on the belly and the blood sugar than at ordinary fondas.

The first course are soups that tend to be made with fresh herbs and vegetables, and the second course -- instead of the rice or soggy spaghetti served at ordinary fondas -- is salad made with fresh dressings. For the main courses, at each place, you have your choice of chicken, beef, fish or something vegetarian, again, all prepared with fresh ingredients and sometimes extraordinary sauces. Quim, for instance, has a fish in a delectably spice mole, while the Frenchman makes a lovely arrachera with soy sauce and crunchy vegetables. Desserts are homemade and served with bracing espresso.

Menu at Kousmine. Lady, would you please get your head out of the way?