Short report on dining out

cook4me · 07-21-2008

Just got back from a week in Playa. All we did was walk, read, nap, eat -- here is what I remember about the food:

La Pesca - my favorite meal of the week - grilled whole fish was cooked perfectly and served with a side of garlic sauce and veracruz sauce. The camarones casserole was absolutely delicious; we literally licked the bowl clean. Unfortunately this was our last night there and were not able to go back and have it again. Both dishes were around $100 pesos each.

Super Carnes CH - my second favorite meal of the week - arrachara national combo (w/potatoe, jalapeno, avocado). We split a plate. Meat was tender and delicious. I was a little disappointed in the red salsa (I wanted some heat). $100 pesos.

Playa Maya - Breakfast PM omelette ($55 pesos) was great but the chiliquillas ($45 p) were the best. Perfectly prepared w/red sauce and chicken. Tomato juice was fresh.

Fusion - stopped by here a couple of times for snacks. Can't beat the view; the food was mediocre. Calamari ($60p) was very tough, quesadillas were sent back because the cheese wasn't melted, quesadillas served with a tiny little mound of salsa and asked for more when we ran out - waiter told us we had to pay for more but ended up not charging us. Hamburger was nothing special. Fish soup ($80p) had great flavor but was very greasy. Beer $25p.

Carboncitas - Stopped by for a quick snack of tacos al pastor with poblano peppers and cheese. Excellent. Their green salsa is awesome. Wanted to go back for more but ran out of time.

Tacos los Acos - Tacos as pastor were good.

El Fogon - the one on Const. between 30th & 25th Ave. The aracharra was nasty (grisley and chewy). We also got a plate of tacos al pastor w/cheese and it was OK. A side note: we ran into some folks we met earlier in the week at the HC Monterrey next door. They had a steak of some sort and said it was terrible. Maybe just a bad night on that side of the street?

El Sarape - on Juarez near 25th ave. Always on our list of places to eat. Their tacos al pastor are delicious and only $6 pesos! They are sprinkled with fresh onion and cilantro, the red sauce is slightly spicy, and the green tomatillo sauce is very cold and refreshing. Beer $20p.

La Cueva Del Chango - Always our first stop for breakfast and it did not disappoint. Omelettes were perfect as usual. The beans are great and I can eat the red and green salsas by the spoonful. They have built a new bathroom behind the restaurant. Juice comes in one size only now.

Pinche Gringo - Just had appetizers here - stuffed jalapenos were good, fish and shrimp tacos great. Service was poor the night we were there due to the large crowd coming to see Grady.

Bad Boyz - didn't eat here - only beer. Saw Grady again!

Mamitas - Drank a few beers and split a burger. Don't go there for the burger!

Restaurant formerly known as El Tacolete - Beer 2/$35 p and it was cold.

Also had drinks at Tequila Barrel (great people watching) and End Zone (better people watching!)

HAWKEYE · 07-21-2008

Thank's for the nice concise report.
Craig.

**Jesus** · 07-21-2008

Very good report, thanks.

Buuuutttt........... Where are the pics?

cook4me · 07-21-2008

Sorry, no pics. We kept forgetting to bring the camera.

cmsitaly · 07-21-2008

Thanks for the feedback.

Sorry to hear no pics

LarryH · 12-10-2008

Thanks, a nice concise report - well done and very helpful

Dalle · 12-10-2008

Thanks for the report!

Quote:

Originally Posted by cook4me

Fusion - stopped by here a couple of times for snacks. Can't beat the view; the food was mediocre. Calamari ($60p) was very tough, quesadillas were sent back because the cheese wasn't melted, quesadillas served with a tiny little mound of salsa and asked for more when we ran out - waiter told us we had to pay for more but ended up not charging us. Hamburger was nothing special. Fish soup ($80p) had great flavor but was very greasy. Beer $25p.

It seems alot of people miss the Tacos de camaron there! They are, in my opinion, their best dish..

//Dalle

synestere · 12-10-2008

Quote from cook4me.

Pinche Gringo - Just had appetizers here - stuffed jalapenos were good, fish and shrimp tacos great. Service was poor the night we were there due to the large crowd coming to see Grady.

So Grady gets blamed for something else .... never heard this one before though .

Rissask · 12-10-2008

Great idea - can I add to this too?

We were in town two weeks and ate most meals out. Sorry- no food pics for me either.

BREAKFASTS

La Cueva del Chango- had two breakfasts here. The chicken crepes were VERY good. And I also had the special one day, which was eggs with chaya and ham, and their amazing pot beans- also very yummy.

Vagabundos- had a couple of breakfasts here, always very good, loved the fruit crepes but they are very sweet with that evaporated milk creamy topping they use there.

Best coffee we had was at Starbucks. Sorry.

La Hora Feliz (5th and 26th) has some decent Italian espresso too. The ground coffee we bought at Mega to make in the condo was weak and tasteless. From Veracruz. My fault, I should have looked for better quality coffee.

We tried to go to the Garden of Eating for breakfast our last day but they are closed Mondays. Very disappointing as we heard the breakfasts are great there.

Most of the time we only had two meals a day and ate fruit and granola and yoghurt in the condo, so that was pretty much it for breakfasts. One day near the end of the trip I did get some orange juice and and al pastor torta from the carts by the bus station- excellent.

LUNCHES

We got sushi about three times. I love the way they put cream cheese in so many of the rolls in Mexico (even though the true gourmands look down their noses at this practice.

) I usually got California or Dynamite rolls. Both Sushi Tan on Fifth between Callles 26 and 28 and the sushi at Kool was very good.

Also had a club sandwich at Kool one day that was good.

Lunch in Tulum at Mezzanine had the best view/atmosphere and the food was also wonderful. I had the Massanas curry bowl with jasmine rice with chicken. Steph had the vegetarian pad thai but she is a pretty finicky eater and didn't like it (but I tasted it and it was great IMO).

We had a turkey sandwich at Zenzi with fries and it was great! (I think it was called the 'Mexico sandwich on the menu?).

Had pizza from Pizza Pazza a couple of times, it was yummy. Better than I remembered from last trip!

I shared some shrimp tacos with tamarind sauce at PG's Sandbox and Grill (Pinche Gringos) one day, and they were really good- watch out for the habanero sauce, it's lethal!

This is a great place to go to get some comfort food from home.

In Paamul we ate at the main restaurant there, I had I think another club sandwich, very good.

In Akumal we ate at the Lol Ha right on the main beach, I had a jamon y queso panini. It was yummy, but not as good as the plain old ham and cheese torta from yesteryear that I wanted to order, and had been craving.

Had lunch at El Pirata but Amy/gingele had me so dazzled I can't recall for the life of me what I ate.

Had a very tasty (but way overpriced at 165 pesos) BBQ burger with fries at Bubba Gump in Terminal 3 on the way home. Yikes.

We often either had either/or brekkie or lunch out and then had the other meal in the condo. My favourite afternoon snacks were sliced canteloupe and sliced up cucumber with lime juice, sea salt and chili lime seasoning...mmmm.

SUPPERS (or should I say DINNERS??

)

Best meal- was the Kung Pao chicken (only 110 pesos) I had at Playa Asia on Fifth. Great ambiance and service, and the prices are decent, too.

Second Best meal was at Babes- I had the yellow curry with chicken and veggies and we shared an order of spring rolls. Awesome. Steph had the garlic shrimp (blackened??). She loved it too. I love babes and I make zero apologies for that.

We wanted to eat there our last night but BOTH locations were closed that Sunday!

Next was the porcini mushroom pasta dish Steph raved about at Ristorante da Bruno on Fifth. I had penne with chicken and mushrooms, it was good, but I felt overpriced, as well as my 100 peso glass of wine that was barely 1/4 full.

The conchinita pibil at Yaxche was good as ever- but it was a little too salty. I love Yaxche, the service is impeccable and the prices very reasonable for the experience.

Pummarola- the meatball appetizers and the limoncello were very good. The Caesar salad- not so much. (I really should learn- I have yet to have a decent Caesar salad anywhere in Mexico, but I keep trying.

)
And my main dish of penne ariabiatta was cool when I got it, but it was tasty. Service was good, prices on the steep side.

Carboncitos - I ate here twice. Very tasty!

I had the al pastor tacos and then the al pastor mixed with cheese and poblano peppers. YUM! And that Russell dude is pretty charming too.

Good service and prices. We had the peep meet on December 1st here on the rooftop and it is lovely up here- and you have to check out the open air bathroom.

Casa de Mediterranea- not overly impressed after hearing so many raves about this place. The bruschetta appetizer was VERY tasty- but oddly, we hadn't ordered it, yet still it was on the bill at 60 pesos. We didnt say anything so we can't complain, it might have honestly been a screwup. I had the spaghettie carbonara and it was very good- but again, too salty! What is with all the salt??

HC Monterrey's- I had the arrachera nacional. Liked the grilled onion a lot. But my arrachera was sinewy and should have had it well done, it was too pink for me. Not a big fan. I had arrachera in Oaxaca that was far better, it was meatier and had a better flavour.

La Destilieria- Stewart G treated a group of us here! This is new to Playa but has ten locations across Mexico including PV and Cancun- a Mexican chain restaurant with a tequila theme in a gorgeous two story building on Fifth (around Calle 22? 24?) It is upstairs and one side is more of a formal restuarant and the other is more of a restaurant/lounge. You can eat on either side, we sat on the more formal side. VERY attentive service, in part because they were almost empty. Extensive menu, fairly pricey, average entree about 200 pesos. I had the fajitas mixtos, it was very good. We shared some appies too, I liked the grilled cheese- manchego maybe?
Watch out for the Mariachi Mafia, here.

Also watch for the HOTTEST man I think I have ever seen IRL.

Wow.

I think he is the manager perhaps, or maybe the maitre d. He alone is worth checking this place out (although Steph and I dragged Susie in there our last night to see if we could see him and he was not there, so hopefully he is a regular!)

Gorgeous blue-green eyes. Yummiest thing in there.

Stewart says I am boy crazy but just because I am on a diet I can still look in the bakery window-right? right?

anyway....I think that was about it....

lolabella · 12-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rissask

We had a turkey sandwich at Zenzi with fries and it was great! (I think it was called the 'Mexico sandwich on the menu?).

You're cute!! It was the Spanish Sandwich. There you go..getting your Mexican and Spanish mixed up again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rissask

Also watch for the HOTTEST man I think I have ever seen IRL.

Wow.

I think he is the manager perhaps, or maybe the maitre d. He alone is worth checking this place out (although Steph and I dragged Susie in there our last night to see if we could see him and he was not there, so hopefully he is a regular!)

Gorgeous blue-green eyes. Yummiest thing in there.

Stewart says I am boy crazy but just because I am on a diet I can still look in the bakery window-right? right?

I have to agree wholeheartedly on this!! He is damned hot!! I already told Anna (Tortuga) that we will have to have drinks here at least once a week!!

Rissask · 12-10-2008

That was it! Spanish sandwich, of course.

To be 100% honest .....we were craning our heads in looking for him every time we passed and never saw him at all again. So sad!

vieve · 12-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by lolabella

"Also watch for the HOTTEST man I think I have ever seen IRL.

Wow.

I think he is the manager perhaps, or maybe the maitre d. He alone is worth checking this place out (although Steph and I dragged Susie in there our last night to see if we could see him and he was not there, so hopefully he is a regular!)

Gorgeous blue-green eyes. Yummiest thing in there.

Stewart says I am boy crazy but just because I am on a diet I can still look in the bakery window-right? right?

"

I have to agree wholeheartedly on this!! He is damned hot!! I already told Anna (Tortuga) that we will have to have drinks here at least once a week!!

OK Chicas, you need to post a picture before I go with you on this(and I want to hear from Susie too

)

Until I have pictoral evidence, my favorite blue-green eyed man is still....Tarkan!

Rissask · 12-10-2008

Hi vieve!

he sorta looked like him. But even BETTER.

He was seriously gorgeous. I so wanted to take his picture but how do ask someone that? He was very charming too.

Susie never got to see him! But Vanessa and Heather and Stewart and A'ndrea and Larry did. We should send Anna and Heather over there to get a photo!

vieve · 12-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rissask

Hi vieve!

he sorta looked like him. But even BETTER.

He was seriously gorgeous. I so wanted to take his picture but how do ask someone that? He was very charming too.

Susie never got to see him! But Vanessa and Heather and Stewart and A'ndrea and Larry did. We should send Anna and Heather over there to get a photo!

I bet they could be persuaded for the sake of us hardworking women in cold climates (and I'm sure the picture taking would make a really funny story

)

Sorry I missed you in Playa, but glad to hear you had such a good time!

Rissask · 12-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by vieve

I bet they could be persuaded for the sake of us hardworking women in cold climates (and I'm sure the picture taking would make a really funny story

)

Sorry I missed you in Playa, but glad to hear you had such a good time!

I was sad to have to miss you down there too, but yes, we had a great time!

And I do think they really should go take a pic, or Susie....maybe Shammy would oblige, she is there right now?

07-21-2008	#1 (permalink)
cook4me ruined Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: texas Posts: 97	Short report on dining out Just got back from a week in Playa. All we did was walk, read, nap, eat -- here is what I remember about the food: La Pesca - my favorite meal of the week - grilled whole fish was cooked perfectly and served with a side of garlic sauce and veracruz sauce. The camarones casserole was absolutely delicious; we literally licked the bowl clean. Unfortunately this was our last night there and were not able to go back and have it again. Both dishes were around $100 pesos each. Super Carnes CH - my second favorite meal of the week - arrachara national combo (w/potatoe, jalapeno, avocado). We split a plate. Meat was tender and delicious. I was a little disappointed in the red salsa (I wanted some heat). $100 pesos. Playa Maya - Breakfast PM omelette ($55 pesos) was great but the chiliquillas ($45 p) were the best. Perfectly prepared w/red sauce and chicken. Tomato juice was fresh. Fusion - stopped by here a couple of times for snacks. Can't beat the view; the food was mediocre. Calamari ($60p) was very tough, quesadillas were sent back because the cheese wasn't melted, quesadillas served with a tiny little mound of salsa and asked for more when we ran out - waiter told us we had to pay for more but ended up not charging us. Hamburger was nothing special. Fish soup ($80p) had great flavor but was very greasy. Beer $25p. Carboncitas - Stopped by for a quick snack of tacos al pastor with poblano peppers and cheese. Excellent. Their green salsa is awesome. Wanted to go back for more but ran out of time. Tacos los Acos - Tacos as pastor were good. El Fogon - the one on Const. between 30th & 25th Ave. The aracharra was nasty (grisley and chewy). We also got a plate of tacos al pastor w/cheese and it was OK. A side note: we ran into some folks we met earlier in the week at the HC Monterrey next door. They had a steak of some sort and said it was terrible. Maybe just a bad night on that side of the street? El Sarape - on Juarez near 25th ave. Always on our list of places to eat. Their tacos al pastor are delicious and only $6 pesos! They are sprinkled with fresh onion and cilantro, the red sauce is slightly spicy, and the green tomatillo sauce is very cold and refreshing. Beer $20p. La Cueva Del Chango - Always our first stop for breakfast and it did not disappoint. Omelettes were perfect as usual. The beans are great and I can eat the red and green salsas by the spoonful. They have built a new bathroom behind the restaurant. Juice comes in one size only now. Pinche Gringo - Just had appetizers here - stuffed jalapenos were good, fish and shrimp tacos great. Service was poor the night we were there due to the large crowd coming to see Grady. Bad Boyz - didn't eat here - only beer. Saw Grady again! Mamitas - Drank a few beers and split a burger. Don't go there for the burger! Restaurant formerly known as El Tacolete - Beer 2/$35 p and it was cold. Also had drinks at Tequila Barrel (great people watching) and End Zone (better people watching!)

12-10-2008	#9 (permalink)
Rissask Canada Dry Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 49,560	Great idea - can I add to this too? We were in town two weeks and ate most meals out. Sorry- no food pics for me either. BREAKFASTS La Cueva del Chango- had two breakfasts here. The chicken crepes were VERY good. And I also had the special one day, which was eggs with chaya and ham, and their amazing pot beans- also very yummy. Vagabundos- had a couple of breakfasts here, always very good, loved the fruit crepes but they are very sweet with that evaporated milk creamy topping they use there. Best coffee we had was at Starbucks. Sorry. La Hora Feliz (5th and 26th) has some decent Italian espresso too. The ground coffee we bought at Mega to make in the condo was weak and tasteless. From Veracruz. My fault, I should have looked for better quality coffee. We tried to go to the Garden of Eating for breakfast our last day but they are closed Mondays. Very disappointing as we heard the breakfasts are great there. Most of the time we only had two meals a day and ate fruit and granola and yoghurt in the condo, so that was pretty much it for breakfasts. One day near the end of the trip I did get some orange juice and and al pastor torta from the carts by the bus station- excellent. LUNCHES We got sushi about three times. I love the way they put cream cheese in so many of the rolls in Mexico (even though the true gourmands look down their noses at this practice. ) I usually got California or Dynamite rolls. Both Sushi Tan on Fifth between Callles 26 and 28 and the sushi at Kool was very good. Also had a club sandwich at Kool one day that was good. Lunch in Tulum at Mezzanine had the best view/atmosphere and the food was also wonderful. I had the Massanas curry bowl with jasmine rice with chicken. Steph had the vegetarian pad thai but she is a pretty finicky eater and didn't like it (but I tasted it and it was great IMO). We had a turkey sandwich at Zenzi with fries and it was great! (I think it was called the 'Mexico sandwich on the menu?). Had pizza from Pizza Pazza a couple of times, it was yummy. Better than I remembered from last trip! I shared some shrimp tacos with tamarind sauce at PG's Sandbox and Grill (Pinche Gringos) one day, and they were really good- watch out for the habanero sauce, it's lethal! This is a great place to go to get some comfort food from home. In Paamul we ate at the main restaurant there, I had I think another club sandwich, very good. In Akumal we ate at the Lol Ha right on the main beach, I had a jamon y queso panini. It was yummy, but not as good as the plain old ham and cheese torta from yesteryear that I wanted to order, and had been craving. Had lunch at El Pirata but Amy/gingele had me so dazzled I can't recall for the life of me what I ate. Had a very tasty (but way overpriced at 165 pesos) BBQ burger with fries at Bubba Gump in Terminal 3 on the way home. Yikes. We often either had either/or brekkie or lunch out and then had the other meal in the condo. My favourite afternoon snacks were sliced canteloupe and sliced up cucumber with lime juice, sea salt and chili lime seasoning...mmmm. SUPPERS (or should I say DINNERS?? ) Best meal- was the Kung Pao chicken (only 110 pesos) I had at Playa Asia on Fifth. Great ambiance and service, and the prices are decent, too. Second Best meal was at Babes- I had the yellow curry with chicken and veggies and we shared an order of spring rolls. Awesome. Steph had the garlic shrimp (blackened??). She loved it too. I love babes and I make zero apologies for that. We wanted to eat there our last night but BOTH locations were closed that Sunday! Next was the porcini mushroom pasta dish Steph raved about at Ristorante da Bruno on Fifth. I had penne with chicken and mushrooms, it was good, but I felt overpriced, as well as my 100 peso glass of wine that was barely 1/4 full. The conchinita pibil at Yaxche was good as ever- but it was a little too salty. I love Yaxche, the service is impeccable and the prices very reasonable for the experience. Pummarola- the meatball appetizers and the limoncello were very good. The Caesar salad- not so much. (I really should learn- I have yet to have a decent Caesar salad anywhere in Mexico, but I keep trying.) And my main dish of penne ariabiatta was cool when I got it, but it was tasty. Service was good, prices on the steep side. Carboncitos - I ate here twice. Very tasty! I had the al pastor tacos and then the al pastor mixed with cheese and poblano peppers. YUM! And that Russell dude is pretty charming too. Good service and prices. We had the peep meet on December 1st here on the rooftop and it is lovely up here- and you have to check out the open air bathroom. Casa de Mediterranea- not overly impressed after hearing so many raves about this place. The bruschetta appetizer was VERY tasty- but oddly, we hadn't ordered it, yet still it was on the bill at 60 pesos. We didnt say anything so we can't complain, it might have honestly been a screwup. I had the spaghettie carbonara and it was very good- but again, too salty! What is with all the salt?? HC Monterrey's- I had the arrachera nacional. Liked the grilled onion a lot. But my arrachera was sinewy and should have had it well done, it was too pink for me. Not a big fan. I had arrachera in Oaxaca that was far better, it was meatier and had a better flavour. La Destilieria- Stewart G treated a group of us here! This is new to Playa but has ten locations across Mexico including PV and Cancun- a Mexican chain restaurant with a tequila theme in a gorgeous two story building on Fifth (around Calle 22? 24?) It is upstairs and one side is more of a formal restuarant and the other is more of a restaurant/lounge. You can eat on either side, we sat on the more formal side. VERY attentive service, in part because they were almost empty. Extensive menu, fairly pricey, average entree about 200 pesos. I had the fajitas mixtos, it was very good. We shared some appies too, I liked the grilled cheese- manchego maybe? Watch out for the Mariachi Mafia, here. Also watch for the HOTTEST man I think I have ever seen IRL. Wow. I think he is the manager perhaps, or maybe the maitre d. He alone is worth checking this place out (although Steph and I dragged Susie in there our last night to see if we could see him and he was not there, so hopefully he is a regular!) Gorgeous blue-green eyes. Yummiest thing in there. Stewart says I am boy crazy but just because I am on a diet I can still look in the bakery window-right? right? anyway....I think that was about it.... __________________ *The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little. Mark Twain*

07-21-2008	#2 (permalink)
HAWKEYE reposado Join Date: May 2007 Location: Windsor Hts. Iowa Posts: 1,362	Thank's for the nice concise report. Craig.

07-21-2008	#3 (permalink)
Jesus Nutty Peep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mexico City, Mexico Posts: 6,017	Very good report, thanks. Buuuutttt........... Where are the pics?

07-21-2008	#4 (permalink)
cook4me ruined Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: texas Posts: 97	Sorry, no pics. We kept forgetting to bring the camera.

07-21-2008	#5 (permalink)
cmsitaly añejo Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 4,729	Thanks for the feedback. Sorry to hear no pics

12-10-2008	#6 (permalink)
LarryH way into it Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 205	Thanks, a nice concise report - well done and very helpful

12-10-2008	#8 (permalink)
synestere añejo Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Cuernavaca Posts: 2,562	Quote from cook4me. Pinche Gringo - Just had appetizers here - stuffed jalapenos were good, fish and shrimp tacos great. Service was poor the night we were there due to the large crowd coming to see Grady. So Grady gets blamed for something else .... never heard this one before though .

12-10-2008	#11 (permalink)
Rissask Canada Dry Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 49,560	That was it! Spanish sandwich, of course. To be 100% honest .....we were craning our heads in looking for him every time we passed and never saw him at all again. So sad!

12-10-2008	#13 (permalink)
Rissask Canada Dry Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 49,560	Hi vieve! he sorta looked like him. But even BETTER. He was seriously gorgeous. I so wanted to take his picture but how do ask someone that? He was very charming too. Susie never got to see him! But Vanessa and Heather and Stewart and A'ndrea and Larry did. We should send Anna and Heather over there to get a photo!

register to remove these adverts