Just back from Playa, and I wanted to thank everyone involved in allowing us to enjoy some really good food. I used the Updated (1/1/08) Restaurant list quite a bit, and here is a run down on the places we went to (keep in mind we were with some non-meat eaters, so I didn’t get to go to every place I wanted):
La Tarraya – GREAT location. Good whole fish, especially Xni-Pec. Interesting sangria (carbonated soda with wine?). My brother liked the seafood soup quite a bit.
The place formally known as H & C Butcher Shop – Amazing grilled meat. We took it to go, and 3 kilos was enough to feed 6 people for lunch for 2 days. I did not see any sign at all for the restaurant (I had to ask where it was), not even the Super Carnes sign some people have mentioned. Perhaps they are about to get a new sign?
Pizza Pazza – Had a couple of slices in Tulum. Really liked the shrimp pizza, and thought the blue cheese and spinach slice was pretty good (a little too salty, though, and I really like salty things).
El Sarape – Good tacos, very good mole enchilada. Did not think the posole was very good at all.
Asadero el Pollo Estillo Sinoloa – The flavor of the chicken was excellent, and I loved the hot sauce they provided with it, but our chicken was a little dried out (probably just sat too long on the grill).
Los Burritos Del Gordo - I think that this restaurant no longer exists.
Food Carts at the Zocalo – I ate breakfast there about 3 times. One of my favorite places we ate at. Every taco I had there was excellent, especially the chicharones!
100% Natural - My brother and his wife ate here. They thought it was pretty good, but I don’t know anymore than that.
Yaxche – Honestly, the only place I was disappointed with. Seemed over-priced, and probably the least flavorful of all the places we went. It did say something about a “special chef” last week in the front of the restaurant, and someone behind us said that the menu was different, so maybe that had something to do with the food being unexciting. I would definitely try one of the other places that may have a few dishes of local Mayan food before coming here again.
El Asador de Manolo – Another one of my favorites. Simply amazing grilled meats and empanadas. The grilled sweet breads were perfect, all of the condiment sauces were excellent (my sister-n-law couldn’t stop eating the chipotle butter) and unlike what you would typically get in an Argentinian place, and the short ribs were extremely moist and flavorful. I would come back in a heart beat.
El Oasis - I do not know what the former green sauce tasted like, but the present one certainly has tons of zip by my taste! The shrimp tacos were very good (as long as you like them battered and fried, and who doesn’t), and the octopus with garlic was one of the most tender preparations of octopus I have ever had. I would NOT get the seafood soup (tasted like water with some fish in it), but the coconut sauced fish was quite good, although very sweet.
Carboncitas - Another place that I am afraid may no longer exist.
Pesca – My wife’s favorite place. Really good shrimp tacos and shrimp empanadas. The shrimp “casserole” was good, although certainly not a casserole in the American sense of the word. The conch was also nice.
Place just east of Asadero el Pollo Estillo Sinoloa (with red awning and poster mentioning huaraches) – I wanted to eat at El Jurado, but since we were staying at the far south end of Playa, we never had the chance. So I picked this random place for a huaraches, and I thought it had just the right amount of fried masa texture to set it off from the coolness of the crema and lettuce and the meatiness of the chicken.
We had an excellent time in Playa, and thanks again to everyone on this board for helping to make it that much more enjoyable.
