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.

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.

wines and liquors from all over the world

Off the Vine is located on 1^st 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.

Off the Vine wine & deli bar

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.

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 6^th 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

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.

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.

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 – 1^st 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.

Tequila and the Carribean

Every year Playa del Carmen hosts a tequila festival. Even better it is completely free! What could be more fun than that? So eat a hearty meal and head on over to 16th street and 5th avenue where you will find a block of booths of different tequilas for you to sample. I have loved tequila even before I moved to Mexico and was thrilled when I experienced my first festival. Most people are aware of Don Julio, Petron and Jose Cuevo as tequilas but the festival features many new tequilas that you can buy on site. I sampled many new tequilas that I may not have bought because I did not know them. I was convinced to try a cream tequila (and I don’t like creamy drinks) which has inspired me to make a dessert out of it! It is called the Berry White…not after the musician but may inspire you to listen to him if you drink enough! We have hosted many a tequila tasting paired with foods and have many menu items that are tequila inspired such as one of my favorites, tequila lime shrimp.

Check out the festival which starts today, July 23rd to July 25th. See you there!
Stay tuned for some of my tequila inspired recipes. I may even get some ideas tonight!

By: Susan de Lima

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.

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.

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 30^th 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!

As you know Latido de Mexico offers property management and vacation rentals in Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya. But did you know that we also offer catering and concierge services and that we can organize your tours and transportation as well? Susan de Lima is in charge of the vacation services side of the business and she is an amazing event organizer and hostess.

What started out as catering services only has grown into Latido de Mexico event and wedding planning services. Recently Susan organized the wedding dinner for a group of 80 people on the roof top of the Illusion Hotel on 8^th street. The dinner decorations were beautiful, the food wonderful and the atmosphere festive. Most impressive is that Susan and the staff managed to prepare and serve a 4-course dinner in a location that, believe it or not, doesn’t have a kitchen!

Susan is also part of the organization of the annual Taste of Playa event that will be held for the second time this year on the 21^st of November. She is in charge of the operations committee of the event so we can look forward to a well laid out and tasteful setup of this year’s Taste of Playa. Don’t miss it!

If you have an event that needs planning or you want to book any of the other vacation services that Latido de Mexico has to offer please contact Susan de Lima through our website.

Wedding dinner on roof top with ocean view

Wine, wine, and more wine...

Beautiful wedding dinner decorations

Queso Fundido

by Susan de Lima

Queso fundido is a traditional Mexican antojito or snack that consists mostly of melted cheese. Can’t get much more delicious than that! Served with tortillas or tortilla chips for dipping. You can usually order it with chorizo or other ingredients like mushrooms for extra flavoring!
Now, I love melted cheese as much as anyone else but what I do not like was the fact that when the lovely cheese comes out it is warm and stringy then turns to a more solid form as it cools. So I came up with my own version that remains spreadable longer and is a hit everywhere I serve it! In fact I have had so many requests for this recipe by my wonderful clients I decided to share it with you all…

1 package cream cheese
1 cup grated cheese *I like using Manchego
1/4 cup extra grated cheese for topping
1/4 cup mayonaise or sour cream
1/2 glove garlic finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeno or a few dashes of hot sauce
Salt to taste

Mix together and place in oven proof baking dish and top with remainder grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve with tortilla chips or for a healthier version chop fresh veggies in sticks for delicious dipping!

Suggestions:
Add other ingredients such as chopped de-seeded fresh chopped tomato, chorizo, mushrooms or beans.
Substitute light versions of cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise to make it healthier.

Be sure to make enough as it always disappears fast!

Coco’s Cat Rescue Playa del Carmen

If you’ve ever spend time online searching and reading forums, blogs, fan pages, articles etc. about Playa del Carmen there is a good chance you’ve run into something about Coco’s Cat Rescue.

Coco’s Cat Rescue is a Playa del Carmen rescue charity focusing on the spay and neuter of feral cats and the care and re-homing of kittens in need of rescue. Coco’s Cat Rescue was founded by Laura Raikes in 2009. In fact the charity just celebrated its first anniversary in the Blue Parrot Bar Sunday March 21^st . Needless to say it was a great success. I’m sure Laura will tell you it was a group effort and that she “couldn’t have done it without all the help she got from many volunteers that love cats and kittens as much as she does”, but any one of those volunteers will also tell you it is Laura that is the one that makes it all happen. She’s the brains of the organization, or better said “the heart” of the organization.

The focus of the charity is the spay and neutering of feral cats in Playa del Carmen but the second part of their mission is the one that gets the most attention of the public. And that’s no wonder if you see the pictures of all the kittens posted on Coco’s Facebook fan page. Just looking at the pictures makes me want to get another cat myself, which is exactly what I did in December of 2009. Pumpkin is now an integral part of our family, we’ve all fallen in love with the little orange cat, especially Jack, our other cat that can’t get enough of Pumpkin. Or is it vice versa?

Jack and Pumpkin

Laura must have thought that just posting pictures of kittens looking for a home wasn’t enough to get people’s attention because she has come up with a new way to convince us of the need to adopt a kitten. Kitten cuddling! Every Friday afternoon you have the chance to hold, play, and cuddle with the kittens. Me and my friend Ellen went yesterday and guess what? This little guy will soon be adopted by Ellen.

Kitten Cuddling at Coco’s Cat Rescue is Friday’s from 2 -4, it’s entirely possible it happens more often, I really don’t know, but just become a fan of Coco’s Cat rescue on Facebook and they’ll keep you up to date. But, if you come home with a new kitten … don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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.

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.

Chefs at work

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.

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.

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!

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!

Fresh at the Gym smoothies

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

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