Tag Archives: Merida

The Casual Restaurant Critic at Eureka!

May 6, 2015Casual Restaurant Critic, Life in the Yucatanbella roma, Casual Restaurant Critic, comida en merida, comida italiana, due torri, elmaloso, eureka, food, italian, itzimna, Lawsons Yucatan, lawsonsyucatan.com, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, Merida, merida restaurants, oliva, restaurantes, restaurantes en merida, restaurants, William Lawson, Yucatan, yucatan restaurants, yucatan travel, yucatecan restaurantsWilliamLawson

Some finicky Lawson guests as well as many friends and acquaintances have all raved about Eureka and so, it is more than appropriate that the Critic take note and see what all the fuss is about.

Once again accompanied by the ever-present and charming Better Half, the Critic visited on a Sunday and experienced this latest Italian entry into the Merida restaurant scene first-hand. And what a great experience it was!

The Critic and BH we welcomed at the door by smiling faces that seemed genuinely pleased to receive new lunch guests. This is remarkable when you consider how many times your welcome at a restaurant seems less than cordial, or perhaps at some of these places they already know it’s the cranky Critic and are preparing for the worst.

Chef Fabrizio stopped by the table and said hello and told the Critic a little about where he had worked before and so on. Friendly chit chat that just seemed natural.

The menu is interesting in that all of the appetizers aka aperitivi, all priced the same, making it easy both for customers and wait staff to figure out the bill. Salads and soups too.

But you readers want to know what the Critic thought of the food, right? Well let’s just say it was/is sublime. Absolutely lip-smacking, finger-licking and palate-pleasing-ly scrumptious.

Mixed olive appetizer. And those garlic pieces.

To start, an appetizer of mixed olives with cured garlic (above) that sent Better Half to the moon and back, followed by an amazing mixed salad of the day and an asparagus/prosciutto/mozzarella appetizer that featured a fresh and creamy mozzarella cheese with a texture that straddled the line between fresh cream and soft cheese. You could have eaten it with a spoon and it was delicious!

Mozzarella, Prosciutto e Asparagi

Mesticanza del Giorno

Then, the main courses of salmon and pasta. The pasta is not the most photogenic of plates, but the Critic can assure you that this house specialty is an absolutely mouthwatering combination of flavors and textures. The pasta was a tiny bit inconsistent in texture, as in a few pieces a bit more al dente than others, but nothing to lose sleep over. The ragu sauce was so good!

The perfectly grilled salmon was dressed up with a fresh pea and leek puree sauce, and also outstanding. Even better, if that is possible, were the roasted potatoes served alongside the fish. These would be fantastic for breakfast with a little bacon a la German bratkartoffeln.

Riccioli Eureka

Salmone alla Flavia

And dessert? Well it had to be tried, although there was really no room whatsoever left at this point. The tiramisu is amazing.

Eureka is on Facebook and their address is there, as well as on the sign in the photo below.

If you are a fan of Oliva, Bella Roma or even Due Torri, you will definitely enjoy this new Italian restaurant that pushes the envelope yet again and raises the bar for anyone contemplating opening another Italian eatery in Merida. Grazie, Fabrizio e Vero!

Casual Restaurant Critic at Los Frailes, Comida Yucateca en Conkal UPDATE 2019-CLOSED

March 7, 2015Casual Restaurant CriticCasual Restaurant Critic, comida en merida, comida yucateca, Conkal, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, Los Frailes, Mani, Merida, merida restaurants, restaurantes en merida, Yucatan, yucatecan food, yucatecan restaurantsWilliamLawson

UPDATE – This restaurant has now been CLOSED for some time. Unfortunate, as the food and ambience were pretty decent and in a different sort of location, away from the city.

Many people have recommended the Critic visit Los Frailes, a pretty Yucatecan restaurant located in the village of Conkal, somewhat off the highway between Merida and Progreso.

With the always charming Better Half and on this occasion accompanied by members of the Vergara family (Sofia’s long lost Atlanta relatives) the Critic sampled the cuisine in the name of research and for the benefit of his 21 readers.

Upon arriving, an unsmiling, perhaps apprehensive, person of the male persuasion awaited to welcome the group with the question “Have you been here before?” said not as a welcoming comment but rather as a prelude to the next sentence which was “it’s that we don’t accept credit cards”.

OK, good to know and nice to see you as well.

The restaurant has an outdoor terrace and a small-ish interior which features air conditioned and enough hard surfaces to ensure a high level of noise which is always unpleasant and as the weather was conducive to outdoor dining, a table on the terrace was chosen.

Service was adequate and the ambiance pleasant. The food, which is traditional Yucatecan cuisine, is varied and offers all manner of classics as well as some the Critic hadn’t heard of before like the niños envueltos which are stuffed cabbage rolls that one can suppose look like children wrapped in green blankets, if those children were then covered with some sort of sauce.

The photos will show that each of the food items is very attractively and artfully presented but in the Critic’s never humble opinion the taste of these pretty morsels was somewhat lacking. Better-tasting Yucatecan food has been enjoyed at the Principe Tutul Xiu in Mani or Kinich in Izamal. Even the uneven Chaya Maya in downtown Merida has better-tasting food. Not to say it was awful – it wasn’t. It just wasn’t great.

Sikil Pak was a little on the sour side, and runnier than the Critic would like.

Brazo de Reina, artfully presented.

Empanadas

Tortitas: fried corn masa and chaya bits

Holoches. More fried masa covered in beans.

Hmm.

Niños envueltos aka cabbage rolls.

Queso napolitano or flan for dessert.

Hamachi Sushi. Yes, more Sushi.

February 7, 2015Casual Restaurant Criticcomida en merida, food, hamachi, Lawsons Yucatan, lawsonsyucatan.com, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, mariscos, Merida, merida restaurants, restaurantes, restaurantes en merida, restaurants, seafood, seafood restaurants, sushi, Yucatan, yucatan restaurantsWilliamLawson

The Critic is aware that for many people the thought of sushi in Merida is somewhat disconcerting. A lot of these people also think that Starbucks ruined the local coffee culture to which the Critic can only snort in derision at the mere idea of a coffee culture in Merida back in the days of melamine plastic cups served with hot water and a spoon alongside a jar of instant. Nescafé if you were lucky.

But the Critic digresses.

The newish sushi place Hamachi is Japanese owned and features a chef imported all the way from exotic Cancun for the express purpose of putting Miyabi on alert as they may soon be ousted from their premium spot on the list unless the latter becomes a little less complacent and makes an effort to be more professional when it comes to service.

The nigiri or sushi by the piece is scrumptious, with generous portions of fresh and cold fish on perfectly cooked rice. Cream cheese is notably less in your face in comparison with other Merida sushi restaurants and that is a relief. What little there is on the menu can be left out, at diners requests. The unagi is delectable, warmed and again, generous in portion size when ordered as a piece of sushi or as part of a sashimi platter.

The scallops (cooked) on the appetizer menu sound great but while the texture is fabulous, the flavor is to subtle and after a few pieces, it loses its appeal. Dip it in soya sauce for a little extra salt. An appetizer that consists of the cheeks of the robalo fish (fried, you basically get the head to pick at) was better than expected.

Service is superior to Miyabi (not hard to accomplish) and friendly. Prices are up there, but the quality of the fish and an interesting menu make Hamachi worth it.

Fish cheeks

Rolls

Salmon, tuna and hamachi (yellowtail) sashimi

Unagi

I’ll Pray for You

November 24, 2014Inspired, Nada que Verchristians, god, Merida, mexico, prayer, William Lawson, YucatanWilliamLawson

Finally it happened. The most condescending phrase that self-righteous Christians can lob at an unbeliever when they have no real argument, has been leveled at me.

Under a cloud photo on Facebook that someone shared where the cloud bears a resemblance to a flying something, the post raved about the glory of God and the sign that was this angel in the heavens over Buttville, USA.

I commented simply that it was, in fact, a cloud. The rebuttal was that some people have no faith which seemed silly since it was a photo of a cloud and it didn’t require faith to imagine it was a pterodactyl or an angel or whatever. When I replied that indeed, I did not enjoy that kind of ‘faith’, the patronizing phrase was thrown in my direction.

“I’ll pray for you.”

I looked it up as I was at a loss as to what to counter with and came across this fantastic little article. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.

http://atheistexperience.blogspot.mx/2008/09/ill-pray-for-you.html

Giant Burger and Best Service Ever.

October 29, 2014Casual Restaurant Criticangry angus, bella roma, better half, Casual Restaurant Critic, comida, donde comer, hamburgers, hamburguesas, Las Americas, Lawsons Yucatan, meat lovers, Merida, restaurants, where to eat, YucatanWilliamLawson

The Casual Restaurant Critic has one beef (complaint) and it is this: service at restaurants and almost anywhere in Merida generally sucks. Of course there are individual exceptions; persons that have an innate ability to be welcoming, warm and and genuinely kind and are capable of making one feel welcome and taken care of. But at the institutional level, from the owner on down, where everyone in the organization is on the same page, this is rare to non-existent.

That is why it was such a surprise to find three different people at the same burger joint, called Angus in Las Americas, all acting in unison, one nicer than the other, and probably providing the Critic and BH with the best service had anywhere recently, including all the pretentious gringo franchises whose owners think that their fancy location and name will be enough and the higher end places that are slacking off in general. Not to mention all the others in the middle to lower end of the gastronomic spectrum.

One or more of the loyal readers of this column will ask about the location of this place, so here is a link to their Facebook page complete with photos, menu, phone number and address. Go try it for yourself and see if the service is as good as it was on this visit. In any case, the hamburger was amazingly good.

https://www.facebook.com/angryangus.lasmejoreshamburguesasangus?fref=ts

And too bad for Bella Roma as they open too late for the late afternoon “I’m starving feed me NOW” crowd.

Casual Restaurant Critic at Mi Gusto Es…

October 24, 2014Casual Restaurant Criticbetter half, camarones, Casual Restaurant Critic, food, mariscos, Merida, merida restaurants, mi gusto es, pez gordo, plaza mangus, restaurantes, tony roma's, William Lawson, YucatanWilliamLawson

Quick review this time of the Casual Restaurant Critic and Better Half’s visit to the new seafood restaurant Mi Gusto Es, located in the same new ‘luxury’ plaza as the previously reviewed Tony Roma’s, where the waiter did his best Mr. Bean impersonation and cemented in the Critic’s mind why he should never return to this ridiculous ribs restaurant.

Feeling like seafood, Critic and BH ascended to the second level (of the shopping center that only features eateries, which will promptly be reviewed and either praised or destroyed, según) and a smiling hostess took them to their table or rather, accompanied them to a table of their choosing that was on the sunny side of the restaurant as the initial table offered was between the bathroom and the entryway to the centrally placed island cold kitchen.

The waiter, not a Yucatecan (just sayin’) was very professional, prompt and suggested several great options. The Critic ordered the seafood soup, always hopeful that ONE day a soup will arrive at the table that rivals even remotely the soup made by his brother in law, who, for the purposes of this review will remain nameless. BH ordered several tacos. For starters, cucarachas. That’s right, cockroaches. Brown, fried to crisp shrimp, marinated in something that turned them dark brown and by golly, they really do look like giant bugs. They are to be eaten, eyes, feet, tails and all and are delicious. Highly recommended. Have your friend take a photo of you with one sticking out of your mouth, with its black beady eyes staring out from between your lips.

When the busboy or waiter in training came out with BH’s tacos, the waiter actually discreetly sent him back to the kitchen to keep them warm and not bring them out until the soup was ready also. DID YOU READ THAT? This was an absolute FIRST in Merida and impressed both the Critic and Better Half to the point of mentioning it to the waiter and later inflating his tip.

The verdict? The food was great. Marlin taco (middle one) not too special, but the cheesy Sinaloa taco was scrumptious. The soup was absolutely filled to the brim with all manner of detritus from the sea, and worth every penny of its $133 peso price. It’s all about the broth, and this soup has a delicious, rich and flavorful broth that will surely to make your taste buds dance.

Service was, dare I say it, very good. The only fly in the ointment was the pair of servers who surreptitiously had someone’s (a diner’s) leftovers on a tray and were eating them in a secretive fashion with their backs turned to the restaurant. Unfortunately they were only a few feet away from the Critic so he couldn’t help but notice. Um… GROSS? But then, why waste some premium seafood, right? Just do it in the kitchen. Out of sight, out of mind.

Definitely worth trying if you are looking for some Pacific style fish tacos and cocktails (along the lines of Pez Gordo whose owners have split up (how rarely does THAT happen) and the Pez Gordo is now El Pez something else).

Enjoy the photos.

Cucarachas

Cucarachas, again

Tacos

Seafood soup

Inside that taco I

Inside that taco II

In the soup

Casual Restaurant Critic at Osteria Piccoli Cucina Italiana

October 14, 2014Casual Restaurant CriticCasual Restaurant Critic, chef Luca, comida en merida, food, italian food, Lawsons Yucatan, Merida, merida restaurants, Osteria, restaurantes en merida, restaurants, yucatan restaurantsWilliamLawson

It seems that whenever you turn around, there is a new ‘authentic’ Italian restaurant in Merida.

The Critic and Better Half visited yet another one last night; this one located on the prolongacion Paseo de Montejo between 23 and 25 streets, in the Colonia Mexico, in a tiny plaza called by some ‘Plaza Blockbuster’ in allusion to the store that once dominated that square. For those into fish, you may remember this plaza as the one where mariscos.com was before that whole operation went south.

The restaurant was empty, as can be expected on a Monday night at 8 PM – too late for lunch and too early for dinner in Merida, but people were arriving as the Critic and BH were leaving, around 9 – 9:30 PM.

The service was pleasant, and surprisingly quick, but again your mileage might vary. The food however, was quite good. The little parmesan cheese basket with a salad in it was not at all little; it was a rather large salad in a rather large crisp parmigiano cheese basket. The caprese was fresh and there was lots of it as well. These salads, along with the bread basket (try the fried bread with the balsamic vinegar and olive mayo – delish) would be perfect as a meal in and of themselves but of course, in the interest of research for the 17 readers of these reviews, the Critic and Better Half ordered a main course as well.

The pasta – fettucini with panna and prosciutto – tasted fine, but was light on the prosciutto and heavy on the cream. The Critic was unable to finish the dish. Better Half did much better with the melanzana, the classic Italian eggplant dish, a la parmigiana. The tomato sauce was quite tasty.

Sangrias were drunk and no desserts were had and the bill came to $685 MXP before tips. Would the Critic go back? Yes, probably, but there are a number of other Italian restaurants to sample first.

More info on the restaurant at Yucatan Today: click here.

Caprese Salad

Fettucini Panna & Prosciutto

Eggplant

Bread Basket

Salad w Parmesan Basket

English for Newbies – Helpful Hint #96

September 21, 2014Life in the Yucatanagents, bienes raices, buying property, casas, casas coloniales, fixer-uppers, heitke, legal, Merida, mexico, mexico international, real estate, terrenos, William Lawson, YucatanWilliamLawson

When you are putting up a sign for readers in English, make sure the English is good enough that there will not be any understanding.

In Merida, there are many people who speak good. And by that I mean exactly that. They can get their point across perfectly well but if they want and are to project professionalism they must not be able to speak English good, they must be able to speak English well.

So, if you are translating your real estate advert for consumption by those who speak English, make sure your terminology is right. In the amusing case before us today, we notice that everything seems to be fine until we come to the word ‘date’.

The English word ‘date’ means fecha, in Spanish. Also, a ‘date’ can technically be seen as an appointment but more along the lines of a romantic get together. If you want to get together with your real estate agent, you make an appointment, not a date.

Unless you are dating your real estate agent of course. Then that opens up a whole new lata of gusanos.

Casual Restaurant Critic at AOKI – Yet Another Entry in the Sushi Category

September 15, 2014Casual Restaurant Criticaoki, campay, Casual Restaurant Critic, comida en merida, hamachi, Lawsons Yucatan, lawsonsyucatan.com, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, make, mariscos, masago, Merida, merida restaurants, Miyabi, nigiri, nori, sake, seafood, sushi, teppan, toro, William Lawson, yucatan restaurants, yucatecan food, yucatecan restaurantsWilliamLawson

Just when the Critic thought that is was not possible to find yet another sushi restaurant in Merida, another one popped up on the radar thanks to Better Half’s socializing and lunching ways.

This one is AOKI and if you have been to the great Beer Box store you will know exactly where it is; if not, you won’t. It’s right next door. Maybe it helps that there is a glorieta with five avenues emanating from it, and in the area is the the Chevrolet Monte Cristo dealership, the Super Deli store which is more super than deli and the Jarochita fruteria where you can get the best, freshest fruit in the area.

But who cares about all that.

The fact that the hostess (who turned out to be our waitress as well) told us to just go ahead and sit wherever we wanted seemed like a rough start. The Critic has become accustomed to having someone show him to his table and maybe that’s just ridiculous, but if you are coming to someone’s house, wouldn’t you want to make them feel welcome? If you’re already at the door and have nothing else to do, take your guest to a table, make her or him feel like you’re glad they’re there.

A look from the back towards the front. Soy soaked serranos on the table.

CRC and BH chose a table along the wall, you know, the kind that have one long bench along the entire wall that serves various tables. The Critic only brings it up because when you sit down on this vinyl stuffed bench, you feel the wood and uneven filling under your butt. This is common in Merida restaurants and one day the Critic will dedicate a whole article to it. Is is possible that the owner or designer has never parked his butt on these uncomfortable homemade booth seats? If you’ve been to Brians and plopped yourself on one of those comfortable looking booth seats and felt your tailbone crush on the hardness of it all, you know what this gripe is about.

Bitch, bitch, bitch.

Well, guess what, dear Reader! Things got better after that, and the food was ordered from the initially shy waitress (note to self: another article on shy and intimidated acting wait staff in Merida restaurants) who opened up, cracked a smile or three and brought all the goodies to the table.

If you are ordering rolls, make sure to notice that all of them contain cream cheese, as seems to be the custom in Merida. If this is the custom in other parts of Mexico, please can a reader enlighten the Critic on the origins of this practice and the reasons behind it? Thank you.

Niguiri pieces are rice-heavy but the fish is cold, delicious and the portion is a welcome fat chunk, not a thin excuse carefully applied on top of the rice. The stuffed squid is delectable and beautiful and for the amount of work involved in preparing this dish and the presentation, the price was ridiculous on the cheaper end of the spectrum. The tempura entree with the funny black noodles sprinkled with nori was just alright. The rolls were excellent.

Would the Critic return? Yes! Better than Miyabi? Food-wise, AOKI is a noodle below but at least they don’t have the Valium Crew waiting on tables, so big plus there.

Felices comidas!

See how fat those slices are on top of the rice. Excellent.

Tempura Noodle Combo. Those noodles are cold.

Stuffed little Squid

Aguacate and Cuke Roll with Spicy de Atun and some masago for fun

Tuna on the outside. It comes w cream cheese but you can ask to have it left out

The Coliseo Experience – Part II – Ana Gabriel from the Palco POV

September 13, 2014Life in the Yucatanana gabriel, coliseo, concerts, conciertos, Lawson's, Lawsons Yucatan, lawsonsyucatan.com, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, life in yucatan, marc anthony, Merida, mexico, palco, William Lawson, YucatanWilliamLawson

For those of you who read my last review of the Coliseo Experience which was based on the Marc Anthony concert (click here to read it) it might come as a surprise to find out that I again attended a concert at the Coliseo, this time to see Ana Gabriel in concert.

Ana Gabriel is a singer with a distinctively strained-sounding voice that is both captivating and irritating at the same time, depending on your mood and how long you listen to her music.

In any case, Better Half, through her multiple connections, got unexpectedly invited to attend the concert as a guest and brought along my curmudgeonly self to enjoy the show, this time from a palco, which is a private box, at stage level (one level above the floor) and so this is how that experience went down, as compared with the previous, sweaty encounter in the Xmatkuil-like ambience of the Marc Anthony concert.

First of all, there were far less people attending this concert than the Marc Anthony show. Ana Gabriel has been around for some time and while she is still popular, she no longer enjoys the ‘pull’ that first-draw stars can rely on to fill seats. Still, as the night progressed, terminally late Meridanos arrived and about an hour into the show, the Coliseo was almost at 75% capacity.

just before the show

When you have a palco, which you can purchase for a year, you have a 13 seat box with a half kitchen (fridge, sink, etc), a lounge area (couch, coffee table) seats facing the stage and a bar to stand behind and watch from as well. Arriving at the Coliseo, there is no parking in Celestun as is the case if you have a regular seat. Palco owners have their parking spot right near the door and your walk is on concrete, not dusty rocks, and so your chance of having your clothing still dust-free when you enter the Coliseo is exponentially increased.

You have your own access areas and an elevator if you so desire. The box is small, has its own air conditioning and private bathroom. No sweating or standing in lines to make a wish! You can show up before the show (a few hours, before the doors open) and stock your fridge with drinks, snacks and so on so that when you and your guests arrive, you can eat and drink without leaving your private space.

While I would probably not buy one of these palcos for myself as it is beyond my budgets capabilities, it is a great thing to know someone who has bought one, and is willing to generously share it with you from time to time. Kind of like having a friend with a boat.

If you must attend a show at the Coliseo, find a friend who has a palco and ingratiate yourself into receiving an invitation. It’s definitely the way to go.

BTW: the air conditioning has not been fixed, as evidenced by the audience members in the regular seats and on the so-called VIP floor level, fanning themselves throughout the evening.

side view of the stage