A Trip Report, 9 nights of dining in Playa

[Jimontheriver]

I will start with the most important things, eating and drinking in Playa. I wanted to eat diner at places we had never been before. I will list them by what we liked best first. The first 3 or 4 are almost a tie. Sorry we did not remember to take the pictures before we started eating.



#1-- La Pesca (seafood across 30th Ave from Mega) Great everything we had and great service. Salads mixed & caesar, bread, shrimp cocktail, guac, fish and shrimp entrees. $30paso Margaritas, $16 Sols. Owner Antonio has worked at the Blue Lobser for 10 years and still does until his contract is up. No one else there when we got there about 7pm. They turned on the there waterfall for us. A few more couples did come in a little later. For now they close at 8 but Antonio said as long as you are there by 8 they will serve you. The only down side is the traffic on 30th.






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$718 pesos divided by 11 = $65.28 US divided by 4 people = $16.32 each.


#2-- Tango Taco, Great salad, beef and chicken + the Playa Card freebees. Leaving the peep meet we walked by Tango Taco looking for Los Burritos Gordo (found it several day later and they said they had been closed Saturday, seems to me it is on the corner of 15Ave and calle 12.


Those pickled onions are mighty hot.


Free wine and bruschetta here at Tango Taco with the Playa Card Deal

#3--HC Monterrey, need I say more.


#4-- Carboncitas, just like everyone said. Donna and I agree, this palce had the best Guac.

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Donna with her cheese crisp

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The famous Salsas

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Char with nahcos pastor

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and a fine dinner was had by all.


#5-- El Emporio an Uruguayan steak house (calle 38th between 5th Ave and 10th Ave) Very good cimmichurro chicken, ribeyes, I had the grilled beef shortribs, very tasty.

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El Emporio, Margaritas $40, Sodas $18, Chicken (Polla al Chimichurra) $90, Ribeyes (Churrasco Minuta) &105,
Beef ribs (Asado dr Tira) $184, desserts $55. Total for 4 was $688.


#6-- Pummarola at calle 42 & Calle Flamingos (east of 1st Ave), very good salad, piza and past.
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Salad, Pizza, & Pasta at Pummarola

#7-- La Caprichoza, very good caesar salad for 2 prepared table side by a great staff. good fish and coconut shrimp. High priced. I think the shrimp are $190p here compared to $90p at La Pesca.
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Making our Caesar Salad at La Caprichoza

#8-- Makkaroni, good Itl. in a cool part of town.
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Makkaroni Italiano



#9-- La Gusto Jarocho (seafood) on 30th Ave at 34th. We all thought that Le Pesca was much better for less money.
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Jimionthelake at La Gusto Jarocho


More report to follow. Came home to 10" of snow and 9 deg.

[Page]

I like a man who deals with the important stuff first!!

[cmsitaly]

Originally Posted by Jimontheriver

I don't know if I will ever get a full trip report done, so I will start with the most important things, eating and drinking in Playa. I wanted to eat diner at places we had never been before. I will list them by what we liked best first. The first 3 or 4 are almost a tie.


#1-- La Pesca (seafood across 30th Ave from Mega) Great everything we had and great service. Salads mixed & caesar, bread, shrimp cocktail, guac, fish and shrimp entrees. $30paso Margaritas, $16 Sols. Owner Antonio has worked at the Blue Lobser for 10 years and still does until his contrac is up. No one else there when we got there about 7pm. They turned on the there waterfall for us. A few more couples did come in a little later. For now they close at 8 but Antonio said as long as you are there by 8 they will serve you. The only down side is the traffic on 30th.

#2-- Tango Taco, Great salad, beef and chicken + the Playa Card freebees. Leaving the peep meet we walked by Tango Taco looking for Los Burritos Gordo (found it several day later and they said they had been closed Saturday, seems to me it is on the corner of 15Ave and calle 12.

#3--HC Monterrey, need I say more.


#4-- Carboncitas, just like everyone said. Donna and I agree, this palce had the best Guac.


#5-- El Emporio an Uruguayan steak house (calle 38th between 5th Ave and 10th Ave) Very good cimmichurro chicken, ribeyes, I had the grilled beef shortribs, very tasty.

#6-- Pummarola at calle 42 & Calle Flamingos (east of 1st Ave), very good salad, piza and past.

#7-- La Caprichoza, very good caesar salad for 2 prepared table side by a great staff. good fish and coconut shrimp. High priced. I think the shrimp are $190p here compared to $90p at La Pesca.

#8-- Makkaroni, good Itl. in a cool part of town.

#9-- La Gusto Jarocho (seafood) on 30th Ave at 34th. We all thought that Le Pesca was much better for less money.


More report to follow. Came home to 10" of snow and 9 deg.

I love a man with priorities...bravo I say BRAVO!!

I can't wait to try La Pesca...a new one this time

[BeachyKeen]

Great restaurant information. Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

[playadreamer]

Thanks for the info....Great to hear La Pesca is up and running. Can't wait to see Antonio and check out the place.
PLAYADREAMER

[julie in PA]

Thanks for the food report - I have pasted it into my "Places to eat in Playa" doc that I have started. Only problem is the list is getting long and 10 days is not going to be enough to try all the places that I want to!

[Doggiemom]

Love the food trip reports..but where's the pics??????

[Jimontheriver]

Originally Posted by Doggiemom

Love the food trip reports..but where's the pics??????

We have lots of food pics, I just need to figure how how to post them.

[Bluespicker]

http://photobucket.com/


I think La Pesca is going to be our first dinner in Playa.

[JimmyMN]

Hey Jim, thanks for the terrific food trip-report. Very concise useful information...

Also very nice to meet you and your group down in Tulum. Wasn't that just the most beautiful day?
I'd like to replay that daily... especially considering this current cold wave.

Jimmy

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Jimontheriver

I don't know if I will ever get a full trip report done, so I will start with the most important things, eating and drinking in Playa. I wanted to eat diner at places we had never been before. I will list them by what we liked best first. The first 3 or 4 are almost a tie.


#1-- La Pesca (seafood across 30th Ave from Mega) Great everything we had and great service. Salads mixed & caesar, bread, shrimp cocktail, guac, fish and shrimp entrees. $30paso Margaritas, $16 Sols. Owner Antonio has worked at the Blue Lobser for 10 years and still does until his contrac is up. No one else there when we got there about 7pm. They turned on the there waterfall for us. A few more couples did come in a little later. For now they close at 8 but Antonio said as long as you are there by 8 they will serve you. The only down side is the traffic on 30th.

#2-- Tango Taco, Great salad, beef and chicken + the Playa Card freebees. Leaving the peep meet we walked by Tango Taco looking for Los Burritos Gordo (found it several day later and they said they had been closed Saturday, seems to me it is on the corner of 15Ave and calle 12.

#3--HC Monterrey, need I say more.


#4-- Carboncitas, just like everyone said. Donna and I agree, this palce had the best Guac.


#5-- El Emporio an Uruguayan steak house (calle 38th between 5th Ave and 10th Ave) Very good cimmichurro chicken, ribeyes, I had the grilled beef shortribs, very tasty.

#6-- Pummarola at calle 42 & Calle Flamingos (east of 1st Ave), very good salad, piza and past.

#7-- La Caprichoza, very good caesar salad for 2 prepared table side by a great staff. good fish and coconut shrimp. High priced. I think the shrimp are $190p here compared to $90p at La Pesca.

#8-- Makkaroni, good Itl. in a cool part of town.

#9-- La Gusto Jarocho (seafood) on 30th Ave at 34th. We all thought that Le Pesca was much better for less money.


More report to follow. Came home to 10" of snow and 9 deg.

I like this style of TR. I am going to have to try La Pesca. My favorite was El Gusto Jarocho for a couple of years.

[Jimontheriver]

#1 At Sol Food, I don't know what they called it other than there special dessert. I would call it a warm chocolate molten cake with a rich vanilla ice cream. Very good

#2 Ah Coco, there chocolate brownie (about 4 times). Last Wednesday at 8pm they had a free tasting of many of there desserts, my lucky day.

#3 El Emporio, I don't remember its name. It was a very rich ice cream with chunks of melted carmel on top of a piece of thin chocolate waffle with chocolate syrup.

#4 Don Carmelo's (by Doctor Tacos) Ice cream sundies.

#5 Ice cream wagon at Mammitas, One scoop each of coconut and chocolate in one bowl.

#6 Churros, the ones from the cart by the square seemed better than the cart on 30th Ave & 38th

We never made it to Rolandi's to try the coconut ice cream with Kulua, maybe next trip.

[Jimontheriver]

The best chiliquilas we had this trip were on Cozumel at Plameras right across from the ferry dock. Very much like the west coast chiliquiles, verda sauce with chicken, onions, cheese a mexican sour cream. The wife even ate some after being half sick (ok 3/4 sick) from the rock and rolling ferry ride. We never did make to Nativo to try there's.

Best Club Sandwich was at Mamitas, No bacon on the one at El Pirata, gotta have bacon.

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Club Sandwich and Caramari at Mamitas

Best place for the wife to find sea glass was Mescalito's to the north on naked beach on Cozumel.

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Naked Beach, Cozumel



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Mescalito's Beach Club, Cozumel



Donna said the best Mango Margaritas were at Viva Mararitas, Fusion ($4) and La Ruinas beach club.
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La Ruinas Beach Club.



Our favorite bartender and beach bar, Rueban at El Pirata (Ask him to play the play the "playa mix 06 CD" by jimontheriver, has everything from stuff from the new Buffett Cd to 1968 version of La Bamba/Twist & Shout by Johnny Rivers, it even has a Robert Earl Keen song on there for all you Texans).


Rueban at El Pirata,

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We were celibrating Donna's birthday, 29th I believe.


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Swinging at the bar,

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Even El Pirata drinks Sol.

Best shaken on the rocks margarita (my favorite way) for the money was to 2x1 for 4pm to 7pm at the little bar in Jacobi's Restaurant. $45 pesos for 2. Fusion had one of my favorites for $40 pesos each with a great view. Love there little beach bar set up.

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Drinks at Fusion

[beachreader]

Great reports, Jim! I'll start working on mine so I don't forget stuff, but I have to wait a bit to see what kind of pictures my friend took and figure out the photobucket thing so it might be a while.

Thanks for yours, you're reminding me of things I was already starting to forget, re-mired as I am now in my daily grind.

I wanna go back right now!

[Jimontheriver]

Originally Posted by JimmyMN

Hey Jim, thanks for the terrific food trip-report. Very concise useful information...

Also very nice to meet you and your group down in Tulum. Wasn't that just the most beautiful day?
I'd like to replay that daily... especially considering this current cold wave.

Jimmy

That was a great day. Cool meeting you the way we did. Sounds like we left to soon. We walked down to La Vita Bella and had a few, nice place also. I can see how a camera like yours could get me in a lot of trouble when the wife saw the pictures. We ended up taking a taxi back to Playa ($30) and got to listen to John Denvers greatest hits volume #17 (I think) all the way back at 110 kph. Did the van make back home?