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ComoComo

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

by Monica Hartlief

If you’ve had any conversation that involved restaurants in Playa over the last few months I’m sure you’ve been hearing the buzz as well …. ComoComo. The name kept popping up around me so I thought it was time to give it a try.

ComoComo is located on 5th Avenue between Calle 38 and 40, in the middle of the new and fashionable 38th street area. Everything that’s hip and hot at the moment seems to be there and I’m not talking about clubs or bars but I’m talking restaurants, small bars, a salon, nice furniture store, etc.

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ComoComo

ComoComo is a relatively small restaurant with comfortable seating inside and outside on a pretty wooden deck. It is nicely decorated, basic, not overdone with beautiful candles from Artevelas. I got the feeling that at ComoComo the focus is on the food rather than the interior.

I took only a few pictures and was planning on taking many more but got distracted and lost in the food pretty much as soon as my starter arrived (of which I did manage to take a picture). Mussels and clams prepared the traditional Italian way with white wine, tomato and lots of garlic. The menu is mostly Italian or Mediterranean cuisine with a lot of daily specials that are not on the menu. As a main course we had a special of meatballs and mashed potatoes and fettuccini with olive oil, tomato and lobster that we ordered off the menu. I was fully expecting pasta with a few pieces of lobster but no … it came with an entire (small) lobster, way to go ComoComo! Needless to say I loved it and my apologies for not taking any pictures. I’ll have to go back to take some (that’s my excuse). We weren’t very hungry after the 7 meatballs and a whole lobster so we shared a dessert of apfel strudel with vanilla ice cream and some good Italian coffee.

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mmm mussels and clams

With prices that are around 100 pesos for starters and desserts and no more than 200 pesos for a main course the bill was a pleasant surprise.  The service is also worth mentioning, very professional and friendly. I felt was eating at a place where people actually know what they’re doing and understand the restaurant business.

If you want to try it out for yourself don’t forget to make a reservation first: 9848591646. You can find more information on the restaurant’s facebook page or website.

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Posted in Playa del Carmen - general, restaurants and bars, what's happening in Playa | 3 Comments »

Season Bistro

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

by Monica Hartlief

As you might have noticed I did very few restaurant reviews the last couple of months, ok I did none, but yesterday evening we decided it was time to try out a new place. We choose Season Bistro on 8th street. The place has many wonderful reviews on Tripadvisor and were participants in Taste of Playa 2010 (but unfortunately never made it to the actual event) so we were eager to check it out.

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Season Bistro entrance

Season Bistro changes its menu with every season, hence the name, so it being January we were treated to the winter menu. Nothing is more wintery than soup in my opinion so we had the onion soup and the Dos Colores soup for starters. The soups came looking very pretty, smelling great (melted cheese will do that), and tasting even better. The onion soup was thick, sweet, well spiced and it could have been an entire meal that’s how filling it was.  The Dos Colores soup looked beautiful, poured into the cup like a yin and yang painting. It is 2 different soups together in a bowl, roasted poblano pepper and creamy corn soup and they tasted surprisingly really well together.

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Dos Colores soup

The main courses were a bit disappointing. We had shrimp and lobster lasagna that tasted good, but it was covered in, a bit too much, creamy sauce which also didn’t do much for the presentation . The venison we ordered was presented beautifully and tasted ok but could’ve been so much better. So on to the desserts we went.

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Venison in a chipotle sauce with masked potatoes and asparagus

If you’ve read some of my other reviews you know I’m a sucker for crème brûlée so when they mentioned the apricot crème brûlée I didn’t hesitate for a second. We also ordered a flourless chocolate – whisky cake with vanilla ice cream. Personally I don’t think you should mess with crème brûlée, it is hard enough to get it exactly right when making the classic version so I think you should just leave it as it is but in this case I was completely wrong! The apricot crème brûlée was fantastic, light and fluffy, possibly even better than when made with the classic vanilla flavored custard, the caramel on top was exactly right as well contrasting nicely with the creamy custard. An A+ on my crème brûlée list (yes, there’s a list). But not to forget about the chocolate cake which was absolutely wonderful too, rich dark sticky chocolate and plenty of whisky – cake with good vanilla ice cream on top, and a great presentation. After putting most of it away and gaining several pounds in the process we asked for the bill. The prices are not exactly “old Playa prices” but where do you get those these days and to be honest the meal wasn’t old Playa style either. Overall we were pretty happy with our dinner, the setting is wonderful, the wine and drink list original and pretty complete for a restaurant, the food creative, tasty and beautifully presented and the service is good and very friendly. Will we go back and try the next season? Absolutely!

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Chocolate whisky cake and apricot crème brûlée

Season Bistro is located on Calle 8 between the beach and Fifth Avenue. They’re open daily from 4 – 11 PM, closed on Tuedays. For more info and the latest season menu you can check out the restaurant’s website http://www.seasonbistro.com

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Akumal Turtle Bay Cafe & Bakery

Monday, September 13th, 2010

by Monica Hartlief

As the restaurants’ chairperson for the Taste of Playa executive committee I feel it is my duty to get to know all of our participating restaurants. And I take my job very seriously. Which I why I asked my fellow Taste of Playa foodie Michele Kinnon to join me on a fact finding mission to Akumal. This year we have 2 participating restaurants from this beautiful resort village overlooking the Akumal Bay, Lol-ha Restaurant and Turtle Bay Cafe. Michele wrote a very nice post about Lol-ha Restaurant just yesterday so it is up to me to talk to you about the Turtle Bay Café and Bakery.

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Talking about The Turtle Bay Café and Bakery is something I do gladly because I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent at the café, the location, the decor but most of all the food! The menu is huge, we were talking to Bart, he owns the café with his wife Jennifer, and he told us he kept trying to take things off the menu but then repeat clients would come to visit and they would make him put it back on the menu, so he now just leaves it on.

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The Turtle Bay Café serves breakfast, lunch, dinner (from November) but since it is also a bakery they have lots of delicious looking fresh baked goods as well. I’m pretty sure there is something for everyone here. There was for us because Michele and I both had a salad, and they were huge and fresh and tasty and wonderful. I had a mandarin coconut shrimp salad with rice noodles, fresh mandarin, almonds and of course coconut shrimp. Not just one or 2 little shrimp but many large and delicious coconut shrimp. Oh my, when I think about the coconut shrimp now, I want to jump into my car a drive to Akumal for more.  Michele’s salad had the Arrachera and blue cheese piled on so high I thought she’s never get through it. But, thankfully I didn’t bring an amateur with me to have lunch in Akumal.

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Mandarin Coconut Shrimp Salad

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Black & Bleu Salad

I couldn’t be happier that the Turtle Bay Café and Bakery is part of Taste of Playa 2010 and will showing be off its culinary expertise on November 21st.

Turtle Bay Café and Bakery is located in Akumal (beach side) on the left side of the public parking area. It is slightly hidden behind the trees so just take the path and after a few steps you’ll see the café.

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Wine tasting at Off the Vine

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

by Monica Hartlief

If you thought you only could drink tequila and beer in Playa, think again! At the Off the Vine store and bar you can get wines (and liquors) from all over the world and if they don’t have it they can order it for you or even better, make a suggestion for a similar or comparable wine. I suggest you try a Mexican wine, you’re in Mexico after all, and they have some fantastic wines here. Both the owner and staff are knowledgeable (much more than me), friendly and have customer service on top of their list.

Off the Vine is not just a wine store with a great selection of wines, they also do home delivery, organize wine tastings, wine courses, and participate in food and drink related events like Taste of Playa. If that’s all too much or too complicated, you can also have a glass of wine on the lovely terrace in front of the store.

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Off the Vine - wine tasting - Thursday's 8 PM

Last week I participated in one of the wine tastings with some friends and we had a wonderful evening. We tasted several reds and one white from Spain (they highlight a different country every week) and it is a good thing dinner is part of the tasting because my idea of tasting includes drinking the wine, not spitting it out (and I wasn’t the only one). The dinner was lovely, 3 courses which included a starter of some very nice Spanish Serrano ham and a variety of cheeses. The ambiance is informal and casual, so you can dress up but you don’t have to. Ricardo, the owner, explained about the wines we drank, where they were from, and what made them special. It is great to listen to someone talk about what they love while sipping on a good glass of wine. There is limited seating so it is a good idea to make a reservation before you go. The wine tastings are every Thursday at 8 PM, the cost is 35 USD (what a deal) and a 3 course dinner is included.

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wines and liquors from all over the world

Off the Vine is located on 1st Avenue between Calle 26 and 28, for reservations or delivery call 984 803 5244 or send them an email through the Off the Vine website.

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Off the Vine wine & deli bar

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Fusion Beach Bar & Grill, not just another beach club

Friday, August 13th, 2010

by Ellen de Jonge

If you are looking for a great meal or a tropical day on the beach you should give Fusion a try. This colorful bar and grill is located right on the beach of Playa del Carmen and has lots to offer besides sun and fun.

You can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner right on the beach enjoying the great view with the sand between your toes.

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Fusion Beach Bar & Grill*

The menu has a great variety of fusion cuisine, of course. It is known for serving fresh fish, traditional Mexican specialties and great sandwiches. The cheeseburgers are possibly some of the best in Playa! All served directly on the beach or in the restaurant by friendly staff to help you make your day laid-back and comfortable.

Around 5 pm the beach set-up changes from “lounging on your beach chair” to “lounging on a candle lit beach”. Your entertainment comes from the house band playing live music and fire dancers later in the evening.

Every time I spend a day or night at Fusion I come home feeling I just had a little holiday, well rested and happy. And if this blog post sounds like I copied it from a travel guide or an ad … well, I could’ve but I didn’t, I simply love the place!

You can find Fusion on 6th street and the beach. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks until late.

Fusion Beach Bar & Grill is also a participant in Taste of Playa, 2nd year in a row!

* picture taken from Fusion website: Fusion Beach Bar & Grill

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Posted in beach clubs, restaurants and bars, things to do | 4 Comments »

Dirty Martini Lounge – a favorite local hangout in Playa del Carmen

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

by Monica Hartlief

Why does one bar become a favorite local hangout and the other one never seems to make it? I don´t know of course, because if I did I would be selling this answer for a lot of money. What I do know is why I keep going back to the same place: location, atmosphere, music, service and people pretty much covers it.

The Dirty Martini Lounge in Playa is one of the places I keep going back to. You could call it my favorite local hangout, and I´m not the only one who thinks so because it is often packed with locals, local expats, semi-local expats, tourists, returning tourist, etc.

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Dirty Martini Lounge - Playa del Carmen

The Dirty Martini Lounge is not very big, it has a funky classy (yes, that sounds impossible) European style decor, and feels like a bar more than a cocktail lounge. You can comfortably sit at the bar or on the deck that looks out over the street while sipping your favorite drink. I suggest you try one of their signature martinis like the Cucumber Martini (all invented by Karen Lange, one of the owners). If martinis are not your thing, no problem, they have all the other stuff like beer, wine, spirits, tequilas, etc as well.

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Martinis, martinis. martinis

One of the best things about the Dirty Martini is the music. Greco, one of the owners, is a real music buff and he makes sure there are always great tunes playing in the bar, ranging from blues and jazz to country, pop and rock.

Service is of course very important as well and the Dirty Martini has a small group of staff that knows most people by name and drink, so don´t be surprised if your regular drink is standing on the bar as you´re walking in! Cynthia, Meyssi, Paloma, and Vale know their regulars and their cocktails.

Anyway, I can go on and on describing all the good things you´ll find at the Dirty Martini Lounge. I suggest you come on down and check it out yourself.

Dirty Martini Lounge – 1st Avenue between street 10 and 12, open daily from 1 PM to  2 AM, Fri and Sat until 3 AM.

You can also visit the Dirty Martini Lounge  on November 21st at Taste of Playa 2010.

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Tacos al Pastor

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

by Monica Hartlief

When I first moved to Mexico it was to Merida, the capital and the largest city of the state Yucatan. This is also where I had my first encounter with Tacos al Pastor, shepherd’s style tacos. I was initially attracted to it because the big slab of meat on a vertical rotisserie reminded me of Shoarma, something I use to love to eat in Amsterdam as an after-drinking-before-going-home-to-sleep snack. But that’s another story.

Tacos al Pastor is a version of Shoarma however, and was introduced to Mexico by Libanese immigrants in Puebla in the 1930’s. Shoarma is made with lamb but here Mexico pork is used and instead of marinating the meat in herbs it is of course marinated in … chiles, mainly guajillo.

The meat for the tacos al pastor is cooked on a vertical rotisserie in front of a flame. The rotisserie is called a Trompo, sometimes the tacos are called tacos al trompo, and there is a piece of pineapple on the top of the spit. Much to my surprise the piece of pineapple is not just there for decoration or taste but it’s there because the juice of the pineapple contains an enzyme (bromelain) that helps make the meat very tender, thank you Wikipedia.

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El Trompo - tacos al pastor

When the meat is ready it is thinly shaved off the spit with a large knife and put on small corn tacos. A “real” taquero (the guy that makes the tacos) will then cut a piece of pineapple off the top and will send it flying to catch it on the plate with a flourish. Next the tacos are sprinkled with onion and coriander and served. Then it’s your turn. I suggest you put some freshly squeezed lime juice on top and a hot salsa of your choice. Mmm, buen provecho.

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Tacos al Pastor

There are many Mexican restaurants Playa where they serve tacos al pastor. You won’t find them on Fifth Avenue however you will have to be more adventurous and venture out to 30th Avenue for example where you will find my favorite El Pastorcito (Avenida 30 x Calle 30) and don’t come too early either because they won’t serve a single taco al pastor before 7 PM!

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Taste of Playa 2010

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

by Monica Hartlief

Believe it or not but planning for Taste of Playa 2010 has already begun. After last year’s success the organizers have decided to involve a few more people in the planning of the event. The Taste of Playa committee meets weekly to plan for the event in 2010.

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The Taste of Playa organizers are planning for an even bigger and better event in 2010 with more restaurants, entertainment, and of course more visitors. The event’s location will remain the same: Parque Fundadores next to the ferry pier to Cozumel. Hopefully many of last year’s participants will return to the event in 2010 because we’re looking forward to more of their wonderful food and drinks.

The date for this year’s Taste of Playa annual food sampling event has been set for November 21st so make sure you save the date, book your travel and invite your friends.

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Chefs at work

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Dirty Martini Lounge table

The pictures were taken from the Taste of Playa website and Facebook fanpage, and were taken by Stuart and www.judylongphotos.com.

For more information about the event keep an eye on this Latido de Mexico blog and our facebook.com/latidodemexico.com as well as the event’s website: www.tasteofplaya.com and facebook fanpage.

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Fresh at the Gym

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

by Monica Hartlief

Are you looking for a place in Playa del Carmen where you can get a fresh, healthy, and balanced breakfast or lunch? Look no further! Fresh at the Gym is where you can find all of this and more.

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Fresh at the Gym

On December 21st 2009, Jennifer and Cesar opened the doors of this new breakfast and lunch place located right next door to The Gym on 1st Avenue between Avenida Constituyentes and Calle 16 bis. Fresh has an extensive menu that includes all-day breakfast, a variety of sandwiches, and signature salads. My favorite is the “create you own salad” option. For 60 pesos you have a beautiful fresh salad that includes salad greens + 5 extra items (think nuts and seeds, bacon bits, cucumber, peppers, onion, olives, celery, anchovies, etc) and a salad dressing (the house cilantro is really good). All of this is served take out style (in a plastic bowl with cover) but they have plenty of nice space to sit and eat your salad on the spot as well. You can even opt to sit so you have a view of the gym .. it might make you want to sign up right away!

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create your own salad - here with a salmon and a vegetable pattie

Other great items on the menu are smoothies (add protein if you want), fresh fruit juices, and fruit waters. According to owner Jennifer they’re very flexible as well: if what you’re looking for is not on the menu, just ask. If you want a healthy and balanced meal while in Playa del Carmen you can’t go wrong at Fresh at the Gym!

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Fresh at the Gym smoothies

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Fresh at the Gym - drinks and home made goodies for sale

Fresh at the Gym opening hours are: Mon – Fri 8 AM – 9 PM, Sat 9 AM – 5 PM, closed on Sunday’s

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Fresh at the Gym - next to The Gym on 1st Avenue

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“Canibal Royal”, a new beach club in Playa del Carmen

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

by Monica Hartlief

Canibal Royal´s official grand opening was on Saturday the 14th of November. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in town that day so we went there for lunch a few days later. It is located on the beach, duh, right next to the Grand Coco Bay, in front of the luxury condominium complex The Elements. Canibal Royal has 3 levels, downstairs there is a funky beach bar with a variety of different chairs and beds you can relax on. The next level has more of a restaurant feel to it, with a large bar, tables and chairs, and a really spectacular ocean view. The top level isn’t completely finished yet, the plan is to make it into a solarium, the Jacuzzi has already been built and it is very impressive.

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Canibal Royal beach club entrance

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Canibal Royal beach bar

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Canibal Royal solarium with jacuzzi and spectacular views

According to their blog Canibal Royal is a restaurant, bar, lounge, where you can live the Caribbean life style on the beach, during the day. The nightly Caribbean lifestyle can be experienced in the Santanera, the downtown nightclub owned by the same group. Thankfully the beach club is quite different from the nightclub. Canibal Royal is a very relaxed, laid back, funky, retro style place with nice lounge tunes playing in the back ground. The food is eclectic, you could call it fusion I guess, and the lunch menu has a large variety of salads, sandwiches, home-made French pizza that isn´t pizza (I forgot the name), shrimp and salmon dishes, truffle fries, and much more. It reminded me of the food at Diablito Cha Cha Cha and Aguachiles, which is not surprising because these places are also part of the same group.

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Canibal Royal restaurant with amazing ocean view

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lunch at Canibal Royal, spicy shrimp, truffle fries, and French pizza like bread with fresh tuna, coriander, avocado, mmm very nice

I really like this new beach club and I hope they will be very successful. Looking at the owner´s track record in Playa del Carmen I don’t doubt this is exactly what is going to happen.

If you have any comments about Canibal Royal, please let me know, thanks!

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Posted in beach clubs, restaurants and bars, what's happening in Playa | 17 Comments »

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