Tag Archives: seafood

The Casual Restaurant Critic – Quick Takes. Fall 2023

December 12, 2022Casual Restaurant Criticculinary, gastronomicos, gastropub, hop, patito, seafood, the beer experienceWilliamLawson

There is not enough time to go into great detail during this increasingly busy season (tourism-wise) and so the Critic will put up some of the most recent adventures in the Merida restaurant scene.

San Bravo -Paseo de Montejo

San Bravo was/is the Critic’s hangout during this World Cup, being held in the übercorrupt venue of Quatar. Or Catar as you will see it written in español on the posters here in sunny Merida.

The food is fine, the beer is cold and the screen is massive, in their smoking-allowed special room with massive air filters and extractor units. The Critic tried the burger which was fine, the fries were good too. The Caesar salad was a bit too creamy and massive as well, and the arrachera was tender and cooked just right. What the Critic enjoyed most was the carpaccio de salmon. All the portions are large so don’t go overboard.

The place rocks for dinner from Monday to Friday and on weekends there is a large crowd of yuonger folks who are there to drink and party. There is a DJ and the music is loud, so don’t go if you are wanting to converse with a large group of people around a table – you will need sign language to accomplish this goal.

Hermana Republica – Merida / Progreso highway

It’s on the way home for those of us who live in one of the many gated communities in northern Merida or on the beach but Hermana Republica also has other locations, one of which is near the new Centro de Congresos along with another one downtown if the Critic has his facts straight.

This is a brew-pub place, featuring their now well-known Patito brand beer, brewed right there on the premises (the Progreso highway location that is) and the service can be spotty, but the beer is frosty and for the one game of the World Cup that the Critic enjoyed there, the food was fine. The photo is of a dish called Chicharron de Rib Eye, which is chunks of what one hopes is ribeye steak fried up and becoming increasingly popular anywhere in Merida where meat is served. This version came on a bed of guacamole and was quite tasty, if not cheap.

This is the lager, brewed right there on the premises

Kraken – Caucel

Kraken is one of the Critic’s perrennial favorites in Merida and it continues to be worthy of a mention. Located in a nondescript shopping center and with a locale that is entirely not at all as pretentious as so many “fancy” restaurants in Merida can be, Kraken is a true gem. Service is family style but keeps getting better; ie. don’t expect Balthazar service but what you get is commensurate with the place and the prices.

The menu is massive, and really anything you order will be amazing. The Critic likes to stick to the tostadas, loaded up with different fishy selections, and also either one of the hearty and massive chilapachole or seafood soups.

Hop: The Beer Experience – Paseo 60 Food Court

For those of you who like their beer, and are not afraid to try one of the many and varied local beers now being made right here in Merida, the Crici recommends visiting Hop, in the food court of the fancy Paseo 60 complex on 60 street.

There are a gazillion beers, some on tap and others in bottles. The Critic recommends (strongly) you try the Schwarzbier on tap (photo below) if they have it (selections change from week to week) and anything made by a Merida company called Thodes brewery.

Food is available as well and the ribs are truly delicious.

The Casual Restaurant Critic at Scappata in Progreso

July 22, 2022Casual Restaurant Criticcalamari, Elio al Mare, italian, progreso, restaurants, Scappata Casa di mare, seafoodWilliamLawson

Progreso has a new restaurant, open for about a month as of this writing, owned by the fine folks that run Almadia, Parrilla, and La Recova among others and this one features comida italiana.

The menu features plenty of seafood-based specialties along with wood-fired oven-baked pizzas, pastas and steaks. The space feels well put together (no Coca Cola plastic chairs wooo) with a lot of over-the-top design features like the giant lamps and the view of the beach right out front is stunning. It is open, so the breeze that usually swings around in the early afternoon keeps things cool.

On this occasion, the Critic was joined by los dos amigos, and that was a good opportunity to sample a few menu items, all of which were tasty. The meal started with drinks and a bread basket with bread that was warm, dense and somewhat chewy. It is not the kind of bread that you will devour but it does come with its own prepared butter and there are breadsticks as well, all baked in-house apparently.

Among the items sampled were the mussels – fantastic in a tomato-based sauce – and some fried seafood crunchies consisting of calamari, scallops and shrimp with what the Critic would call a zesty dipping sauce.

For main courses, one of the amigos is on the Lion Diet and had himself a massive chunk of Porterhouse steak cooked to order and perfect that came with ignored grilled veggies. The Critic had himself a carbonara pasta which while good and of generous proportions, will not present an immediate challenge to Fabrizio over at perennial favorite Eureka. Our intrepid host amigo had the black ravioli stuffed with lobster which definitely looked delicious but before the Critic could stick his fork in that plate, the raviolis were all gone. Next time.

No desserts were had, but there is something chocolatey, a tiramisu of course and a few others. The bill? Not sure, as this was picked up by the host amigo on this occasion but judging from the menu, the prices are in line with what is being charged these days in this kind of setting.

Starting with zero clients when the Critic arrived at 1 PM, the place was packed by 3 PM and the best part is that there is a parking lot, owned by the restaurant, right next door and right on the beach. Easy!

The Casual Restaurant Critic at Maya de Asia

January 28, 2020Life in the YucatanCasual Restaurant Critic, comida en merida, comida yucateca, duck, fine dining, flashy, food, harbor, Lawsons Yucatan, mall, maya de asia, merida restaurants, restaurantes en merida, seafood, sikil pak, yucatan restaurantsWilliamLawson

The Casual Restaurant Critic was proud of the fact that he has been able to avoid entering the new Harbor mall, not being a fan of malls in general and malls in Merida to an even lesser degree. However, dinner at the relatively new (the mall did just open a short while ago after all) and quite spectacular Maya de Asia may mean that the Critic make his way into this labyrinth more often.

Try to forgive the planners the tiny, wormhole tunnel that is the confusing underground parking and find somewhere to park near an escalator. Maya de Asia is located on the first floor, near the Macaroons kiosk (these are amazing too by the way) and Forever 21. is it true that Forever 21 has closed stores and so is not as Forever as the name would imply? The Critic digresses.

Maya de Asia is a gorgeous room with an ample terrace overlooking the water feature and lit sign for The Harbor. You could imagine you were in Miami, which is the ultimate compliment for Yucatecan designers intent on re-creating exotic locales and discarding anything and everything that is from the Yucatan. However, and in an unexpected turn of events, in this restaurant Mayan and Yucatecan elements from the culinary world have been taken and slapped onto Asian food and the results, at least from a preliminary visit and in most cases, are quite spectacular. As in delicious.

The Critic, fan of all foods Asian, and his lovely Better Half had a Pad Thai, the Panang duck, a chaya humus and to make it complete, a Sikil Roll. The Pad Thai was fantastic, with surprising bits of what seemed like longaniza thrown in. The duck did not have anything Yucatecan in it that the Critic could immediately identify, but it is very possible and highly likely that there is a local ingredient mixed in there somewhere. The chaya mousse was excellent and the warm bread that accompanied the dip so very good. The Sikil Roll was a fat, cold, fresh roll with a solid fish, none of that awful cream cheese and a brown dollop of a rather liquid sikil pak (traditional local pumpkin seed dip) on each piece. This, to the Critic, seemed unnecessary and the flavor combination was nothing special. Fresh fish, rice and pumpkin seeds. It could also be that the Critic was absolutely stuffed by this point.

No room for desserts, coffees or other distractions. The place definitely warrants a second visit and there will be another post, very soon!

The ceiling decor. Can you tell what those wooden elements are?

Room, with a view of the kitchen to the left

The menu

Humus, featuring local superfood chaya

The absolutely spectacular duck

Pad Thai

Sikil Roll with its fish and its pumpkin seed dip on top

Los Tiburones – Telchac Puerto

August 31, 2019Casual Restaurant Criticcamarones, Casual Restaurant Critic, coast, coctel, Los Tiburones, mariscos, pescado frito, seafood, Telchac Puerto, YucatanWilliamLawson

An afternoon on the beach in Telchac and a rumbling stomach with a hankering for something fishy? Try Los Tiburones right in the main square of Telchac Puerto, a half block from the pier and the cheesy shark thing to take your selfie in or the giant wrought iron bench to sit on.

Food is excellent, prices are moderate, and the service, given that the hated temporada was over and done with and the hordes having returned to their places of origin, was great.

Recommended!

Almadia which quickly turned into Crabster

August 11, 2019Casual Restaurant Criticalmadia, best friend fish in Progreso, camarones, Casual Restaurant Critic, chef christian bravo, crabster, fish, grouper, Lawsons Yucatan, lawsonsyucatan.com, life in Merida, Merida, mero, pescado frito, progreso, restaurants, seafood, seafood restaurants, shrimp, top places in Progreso, William Lawson, Yucatan, yucatan restaurantsWilliamLawson

Late Seafood Lunch /Early Dinner in Progreso Part I

Better Half and the Critic were in the mood for fish and since a new restaurant had been announced, it was decided that they should go and try it out.

Almadia is a beautiful beach-front restaurant that looks like something from an architectural magazine, a stunning new addition to the restaurant scene at least in looks. For one thing, it sits diagonally on the malecon, just a few houses from the famous Casa del Pastel, and not aligned with the street out front, which sets it apart immediately from all its competitors, as do its modern columns and glass.

Almadia is a stunning addition to the Progreso waterfront

If only they had spent the tiniest fraction of what that architect charged on training staff! BH and CC went in, met no one at the door, had several wait staff pass right in front without so much as an hola and finally a hostess appeared in 4-inch heels and showed the Critic to a table. There, the Critic and Better Half sat and sat for the longest time, waiting for someone – anyone – to return to the table to offer a drink, at least. The hostess returned to her duties of doing Something Important on a clipboard with one or more of the staff members in another part of the restaurant.

Still hungry and bemoaning the tremendous waste it was to spend this much money and effort in creating a new restaurant and then not have anyone trained to run it, the Critic decided that enough is enough, and got up, took Better Half by the arm and left. There was no effort made by anyone to stop the Critic from leaving or even to say hasta luego.

Still, knowing the owners, there will be another attempt at this beautiful restaurant!

Late Seafood Lunch /Early Dinner in Progreso Part II

Crabster is, even when busy and everyone is running around like headless chickens, pretty much a guaranteed thing and after the disappointing experience down the street, the hustle and bustle of Christan Bravo’s seafront restaurant was a welcome sight.

Here, Better Half and the Critic enjoyed what they came for. A view of the beach, the smell of salt air and some good seafood washed down with some frosty micheladas. The awful street entertainment out front and the garbage trucks picking up trash from bins was a distraction, but not anything that Crabster could do something about.

Fresh guacamole, a deep fried grouper, some shrimp. Delicious. Gracias Christian!

Crabster in Progreso was reviewed previously in February of 2017 here.

Michelada!

Guacamole

Shrimp

Pescado frito – deep-fried grouper

The Casual Restaurant Critic at Tatemar, Cabo Norte

January 22, 2019Casual Restaurant Criticapoala, atun, camarones, Casual Restaurant Critic, comida en merida, food, Lawsons Yucatan, lawsonsyucatan.com, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, mariscos, Merida, merida restaurants, mexico, pescado, restaurantes en merida, seafood, shrimp, Tatemar, tostadas, tuna, volta cafe, William LawsonWilliamLawson

Tatemar, the latest restaurant from the masters that created the uber-popular Apoala, is in the new La Isla Mall, inside another upscale area known as Cabo Norte. There is a dearth of marine references lately that was only hinted at with the arrival of wind-themed Altabrisa . You have La Isla (the island) and now The Harbour or Via Montejo. All with artificial lakes and a definite Miami look. Very aspirational, to put it nicely.

But the Critic, as he so often does, digresses and spouts commentary on things not related to the restaurant in question.

When you arrive at Tatemar you may recognize a few faces from Apoala among the wait-staff, which will indicate to you that you’re in the right place, and not accidentally in the Brazilian rodizio next door which is always packed by the way.

The restaurant is of course, beautiful and situated in front of the ‘lake’ with what will soon be a condominium background, the setting is very pretty. One thing the developers of this mall and it’s water feature perhaps didn’t contemplate was that water attracts flies. There were some fruit flies buzzing around inside the restaurant to remind one that one was in the tropics – something to think about for both future water-themed mega projects and present-day restaurants where the last thing you want is for your diners to have to be swatting insects away from their pricey entree.

The Critic and his always charming Better Half arrived as a staff meeting was taking place so there was a momentary lull during which no one arrived at the table for any reason, least of all to take drink orders. No one minds sitting out a staff meeting, but throw a few peanuts and a drink to those waiting in the restaurant, would be the Critics suggestion.

Drinks to start: Mayahuel, a Critic favorite from Apoala and BH had the Mezcal Mule. Both were deliciously amazing and pretty to look at.

A selection of tostadas; tuna, shrimp and fish, to start and for the main dish, a pescado zarandeado, split open and cooked on the grill, the robalo (sea bass) was terrific and too big (sizes vary) to finish after the fishy tostadas.

While it’s not cheap, Tatemar is a great place for a fancy night out dinner away from El Centro.

The room (staff meeting underway)

Mezcal collection

Mezcal Mule (that’s a bit of real honeycomb)

The Mayahuel cocktail, with its signature smoking rosemary

Mezcal Mule close-up

Home made salsas verde y roja

Pescado zarandeado

The Casual Restaurant Critic Revisits La Pigua and Kraken

January 20, 2019Casual Restaurant Criticatun, camarones, Casual Restaurant Critic, ceviche, chef eduardo estrella, cilantro, comida, comida en merida, gourmet, kraken, La pigua, lawsonsyucatan.com, mango, mariscos, Merida, merida restaurants, opciones, restaurantes, restaurants, seafood, serrano, shrimp, tiradito, tuna, Yucatan, yucatecan restaurantsWilliamLawson

While La Pigua is the more famous of the two, Kraken is probably a little more elaborate in its recipes and presentations. Both restaurants, of course, are all about seafood and favorites of the Critic since the Pleistocene era.

In other words, for a while now.

La Pigua has the traditional coastal seafood you would expect; from seafood cocktails and salads to fried whole fish, all done with flair and accompanied by excellent and professional service. The Pigua was reviewed here (with photos) in 2012 – http://www.lawsonsyucatan.com/2012/01/08/la-pigua/

Kraken is the more recently opened restaurant, and Isla Arena (Campeche) native Eduardo Estrella is really an estrella when it comes to combining fresh fish and seafood with local and not so local ingredients and presenting the result in true top chef fashion. Service is still a little below the level of the food, but perfectly adequate.

Enjoy the photos (all from Kraken) and visit one of these classic Merida seafood dining options, both highly recommended by the cantankerous Critic.

Pulpo (octopus) Kraken

Camarones (shrimp)

Tiradito de Atun (tuna) This was the Critic’s dish and on top of the raw tuna was a mango sauce with serrano chile and sesame and a sauce on the plate featuring among other things, dijon mustard which was unexpected and delicious

Ceviche de camarones (shrimp)

Shrimp taco

Breaded shrimp taco

Casual Restaurant Critic at Las Meras

January 3, 2019Life in the YucatanAltabrisa, Casual Restaurant Critic, comida en merida, food, hot as hell, Lawsons Yucatan, lawsonsyucatan.com, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, lsa meras, Merida, merida restaurants, pescadillas, restaurantes, restaurantes en merida, restaurants, seafood, seafood restaurants, shrimp, tacos, yucatan restaurantsWilliamLawson

Las Meras (pescadillas) is a place the Critic “discovered” (kind of like those white Europeans “discovering” the American continent) since it already existed. Anyway, the Critic walked into this place ‘green’ which is kind of like making a cold call in sales, when you don’t really know what you are getting into.

For starters, it is fishy, and those pescadillas are quesadillas or empanadas filled with – wait for it – fish. There are also camaroncillas, which are stuffed with shrimp. You get the drift. Someone thought it would be clever, one supposes. The music is Juan Luis Guerra and the chairs and tables are real wood with a Corona stamp on them. The Critic considers this a good sign as he hates the more ubiquitous white plastic or its’ trashy Coca Cola red counterpart.

As the only person in the place, the Critic receives a menu and decides to stay. Asking about the seafood broth, the wait person promptly offers to bring out a little to try. And it is good; more tomato-y than the broth yesterday at Micaela but very satisfying.

The pesca and camaron thingadillas are fine, but fresh out of the deep frier, they are so damn hot that the Critic burns his lower lip as the steaming contents burst out and spill onto chin and plate. This hasn’t happened since the Critic was 7, so it’s a really memorable event for sure.

There is an array of home-made sauces to squirt on your tacos and such, in those nasty plastic squirty bottles that invariably are sticky and have bits of residue on the tips. Note to restaurant owners: get rid of these damn things already. You don’t know where that stickiness comes from and the dried bits at the tops of the bottles are just gross. The Critic abstained from adding any of these probably delicious sauces to his piping hot pescadilla.

The food is not expensive and it is tasty, if you are in the area or waiting on your car being washed at the VW dealership car wash. Location is on their Facebook page (link on their name at the top of the article)

Interior of the restaurant

Complimentary ceviche to start

You see the problem with these sauces

One is stuffed with fish, the other with shrimp. Hot as hell, these little mofos.

Marisco soup. This is a great hangover cure.

The Casual Restaurant Critic at Micaela

December 27, 2018Casual Restaurant Criticbest new restaurants, carnes, Casual Restaurant Critic, celebratory meals, cenar, comer, comida en merida, donde celebrar, fine dining, food, Lawsons Yucatan, lawsonsyucatan.com, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, lo mejor de Merida, mariscos, Merida, merida restaurants, micaela, restaurantes en merida, seafood, seafood restaurants, tomar, William Lawson, Yucatan, yucatan restaurantsWilliamLawson

The Critic is well aware that those in the know have already been to Micaela and raved about it – hell, even the Better Half has been here before – but today was the day that the Critic was able to get his sorry self there and, together with the well-traveled and socially mobile Better Half, see what all the Micaela fuss was about.

The restaurant is, in a word, gorgeous. Each and every angle and corner is a feast for the eyes; from the decorations and art on the walls to the floor tiles to the ceiling lighting.

The service is gracious and attentive – thank you Ariel, Armando, and Alejandra – and the food, well the food is astounding.

Between the two of them, the Critic and Better Half enjoyed the sample chilpachole soup in a tiny cup, the arrachera ceviche, seafood soup, two kinds of oysters, and the pigs’ ears battered up and frittered to delicious chewiness and crispiness. Note that the oysters are small, even tiny, so don’t be expecting the gigantic Washington state version.

There is not much the Critic can add to the already many gushing reviews out there, so this brief description and the photos will have to do. Congratulations to co-owner Alberto, who graciously invited us to the Cacao dessert, which should not be missed!

Happy face in the kitchen

View from the bar into the dining room

The lamps over the bar, and the wall behind, were begging to be photographed

Where the magic happens

These oysters are really tiny, but this particular roasted version with that pesto, is amazingly delicious. Ask for a chunk of bread to wipe up the pesto.

Crispy, chewy, delicious pigs ears. Really. With a dipping sauce and a grilled lime

Crispy fried oysters. These are good, but the other oysters are better, in the Critics humble opinion.

Take out the fish from the ceviche and thrown in arrachera, and you have arrachera ceviche.

The slightly spicy shrimp and crab seafood soup. Too good.

Armando preparing fresh ice cream table-side.

Alberto showing off the amazing whole fish, one of the specialties on the menu. This will be ordered next time for sure.

Lime, coconut and maracuja dessert

Real coffee. Espresso and americano

Cacao – fantastic chocolate dessert

El Catrin, a New Merida Centro Bar Option. The Casual Restaurant Critic, yet Again.

June 16, 2018Casual Restaurant Criticcaldo, cantinas, carnitas, Casual Restaurant Critic, chapulines, comida en merida, comida yucateca, el catrin, empanadas, guacamole, Lawsons Yucatan, life in Merida, Life in the Yucatan, Merida, merida restaurants, Mexican, mexico, photos, restaurantes, restaurantes en merida, restaurants, seafood, tacos, William Lawson, YucatanWilliamLawson

El Catrín, calle 47, Mérida

Accompanied by the Better Half and Mini-Critic, the Casual Restaurant Critic visited this 6 month-old addition to the Merida centro bar and restaurant scene, located on the up and coming gourmet stretch of calle 47, which already features 130 Grados, Oliva, Caffe 47 and others, and was suitably impressed by both the place itself, and its food. Gracious and friendly service rounded out the very positive experience.