Category Archives: Casual Restaurant Critic

The Casual Restaurant Critic is where you can read all about restaurants both in Merida, the Yucatan and beyond.

El Gran San Carlos – Monterrey

Casual Restaurant Critic, , , , , , , ,

Excellent cabrito, as far as cabrito goes.

The Critic, having been spoiled by the cochinita of Yucatan and Spain (if you have eaten at El Segoviano in Meridas Mejorada Park you know what the Critic is talking about) can not get his tastebuds around the famous cabrito everyone talks about when Monterrey and restaurants come up in a conversation.  Cabrito, or baby goat, can be a dry, chewy, flavorless affair, especially if cooked too long or is from the box – frozen and then reheated – that you can buy in Mexico City airport. This was the only cabrito the Critic had tried and he was under the impression that he was chewing on some dry, dug-up remains of the Santa Elena mummies

The cabrito that the Critic had at El Gran San Carlos was a whole lot better; probably because it was cooked in-house and fairly recently and probably because the Critic was advised to order ‘paleta‘ instead of just ‘pierna‘. The pierna being the leg, supposedly more flavorful but drier and chewier (no kidding) while the paleta is the equivalent to our shoulder with a big hunk of meat that is a lot juicier and fattier than the meager offerings of the legs…

The meat was decent enough, but it just does not have any flavor; and so you smother it with the delicious salsas offered and that makes it a whole lot more interesting.

The other highlight of the visit to this restaurant was the introduction to the Critic’s Yucatecan palate of the ‘frijoles con veneno‘ (beans with poison) which are refried beans swimming in fat scooped up from another Monterrey dish called puerco asado (roast pork), topped with chunks of the aforementioned pork. Be warned: take your stomach acid blocking medicine before eating here!

Photos:

1) the entrance to El Gran San Carlos;
2) Tostadas and hot salsa;
3) Frijoles con Veneno;
4) the local beer, Indio which you ask for like this: “Una Indio por favor” which just sounds so wrong;
5) Mollejitas, which are deep fried chunks of something beefy… the Critic will have to get back to you on this one;
6) The famous cabrito;
7) and 8: Desserts: Guayaba cake and Merengue with Ice Cream

Local 3 – Fresh, New Restaurant in Merida

Casual Restaurant Critic, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Local 3 is an ambitious new restaurant, run by the people from COVI, who sell a great assortment of wines and liquors and who are a go-to source when looking for something beyond the scope of the wine selection at Sam’s Club and Costco; and Culinaria, the new cooking school here in sunny Merida.

The Critic and group of friends went the other night based on a recommendation by the Critics BetterHalf, who had had lunch there and raved about the delicious offerings, and the food, to be sure, was impressive. There was a salmon ceviche, served in little cubes piled in a cylinder and doused with what seemed to be a light cream or yogurt. Not sure if that is a ceviche purists dream, but it was good and innovative in its presentation. The tuna tartar was served the same way and the flavor of the tuna was excellent and hard to stop eating once the Critic had a taste. Last on the list of appetizers was an octopus carpaccio style, thinly sliced and lightly seasoned with lime. Refreshing but just a tad sparse for sharing among 6 persons, even with the other two appies on the table.

Bread, in the form of croissant-like rolls and bread sticks, brought earlier to the table was homemade and served with a creamed butter, also quite good.

For the main course, there was an arrachera steak, which was apparently very good as it disappeared before the Critic could finagle a bite to try. There was a goat cheese foccacia also, which, although advertised as warm, unfortunately arrived quite cold (¡está helado!) as the Yucatecan who ordered it, put it) and was sent back. It returned warm, perhaps heated in a microwave judging from the inconsistent temperature throughout. The Critic sampled the Sea Bass, one of the day’s specials which was excellent; as was a strange concoction of seafood served in a small casserole dish and baked with choclo, a kind of creamed corn mixture which rendered the dish a little sweet but served as an interesting counterpoint to the savory seafood – shrimp and scallops – within.

There was no room for desserts.

The big problem on this occasion was the fact that the main dishes took over 45 minutes to arrive at the table, from when the appetizers were finished. This is a huge time lapse and by the time the dishes did make it to the table, the stomach was sending messages to the brain that with the appetizers and bread already ingested, it was full, thank you very much. Apparently, this delay was due to the fact that there was some filming or photography going on and dishes were being prepared for the shoot. Not a good plan, unless the other diners were informed of this and offered a round of drinks or some other form of compensation in exchange for being ‘extras’ in their promotional piece.

Service by Danae was very good; she was calmly professional and completely unflappable by some of the slight whining going on at the Critics table regarding the tardiness of the food.

The Critic recommends you try this restaurant, as it has some imaginative ideas on the menu, the room is comfortable (and cold, especially by the window facing Montejo) and if you are lucky enough to have Danae as your server, you will be very pleased indeed. Just look out for a professional photo session first.

Pasta with Baked Salmon Cream Sauce

Casual Restaurant Critic, Inspired, Life in the Yucatan, Nada que Ver, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Since the Diario de Yucatan reports that Jorge Esma from Cultur is not saying a word about how the financial situation is after the Elton John concert, I thought I would post something completely unrelated and different. Even unexpected. It’s my recipe for the lunch I made at home today – spaghetti topped with salmon and cream.

Cook as much pasta as you want (this recipe is idea for 2-3 people) al dente or however soft or hard you like. There was this lady who used to keep leftover pasta in a Tupperware container in her fridge, soaking in water. Really. Whenever she felt like pasta, there it was! Just reheat and serve. If you do this also, take it out of the fridge and throw it away, for gods sake and make some up fresh!!

As the pasta is cooking, finely chop half an onion and two garlic cloves. If you are lazy like me you can now buy chopped garlic at an upscale supermarket like Superama where only the salchichoneria staff are as unfriendly and overly familiar as they are in any other supermarket. The rest of the staff is more or less friendly and helpful.

Throw the chopped onions and garlic into some olive oil in a pan and simmer over low heat. In the Yucatan, you are using a gas stove instead of one of those horrendous electric jobs they sell you in Canada or the USA; gas is the way to go if you want better control over your heat. Unless of course the brand is Mabe, which in my house is synonymous with absolute crap; if you turn the flame down to simmer those onions and garlic, you will be driven mad by the ‘tick tick tick’ sound it will continually make until the heat is back up to full power. That’s the spark/igniter doing it’s thing and, well these aren’t Viking stoves, people.

While the pasta and the onions are doing their thing, get some of those great Kalamata olives you can now find at Costco, already pitted and full of real flavor. Use about a handful, and chop ’em up and throw those in with the garlic and onions. Check the pasta while you’re at it.

Two tomatoes, also chopped, can then be added to the sauteing goodness in that pan. Stir it up a little to mix everything and ensure nothing is burning.

Remember that salmon you made yesterday? The one from Costco, a whole half fresh salmon. You roasted it in the oven at 180 degrees (C) with Montreal Steak Seasoning on it and didn’t finish it, remember? Well take a chunk of that from your fridge; about the size of a large hand, and with a fork or whatever’s handy, break off bite size pieces and throw them and all those little pieces that break off, in the onion/garlic/olive/tomato mixture and continue over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Don’t over cook that pasta. Strain ‘n’ Drain when ready and cover while you finish the sauce.

To the simmering salmon, add a half container of fresh cream. By fresh I mean not the canned variety. Alpura makes the best dairy products, from yogurt (also spelled here as yoghurt, yoghur, yoghurth, yogurth, among others) to milk to butter to cream. Speaking of dairy products, one of my favorite awful names for cheese is a brand called Gonela. What does THAT name conjure up in your mind? Anyway, stir it up until it mixes nicely and acquires some consistency. Add salt if you wish.

Serve pasta in bowls and spoon over the salmon cream mixture. Enjoy!

Hacienda Misne, Indigo Hotel

Casual Restaurant Critic, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Casual Restaurant Critic wanted to try something completely off the beaten path and since reading a decent review of a breakfast had by fellow neurotic blogger Gorbman, he thought he would take his Better Half for dinner there.

The hacienda is beautiful, from what one could see at night; completely at odds with the surrounding area, near to where you leave Merida for Cancun, which could optimistically be described using the local term ‘popular’.

Every staff member the Critic and BH came into contact with was extremely friendly, courteous and helpful, not only parking the car but escorting the two to the restaurant.

A little of everything was ordered in order to sample the most of a modest menu (compared to the myriad offerings from the Da Vinci restaurant review previously, this one is bare-bones!) and unfortunately, in spite of being hungry, the food was not particularly good. It looks like someone is trying to create some interesting food in the kitchen, without really being able to get the final results to have any flavor!

The mushrooms could have benefited from an additional dash of salt or a dollop of minced garlic or something to bring out their flavor. The BH ordered the Ensalada del Patrón (The Bosses Salad) which she enjoyed while the Critic ate a Caesar Salad which, although better than the Trotters version which has nothing to do with a real Caesar Salad, lacked the anchovies and garlic that a good Caesar salad should have. Or don’t call it a Caesar.

For the main course, BH ordered ‘stuffed bananas’ and the Critic Rollo Campesina. The banana dish was not hot and was sent back with no complaints from the service staff which were most accommodating. It’s taste was rather lackluster as was the stuffed chicken whose saving grace was that it was bacon-wrapped and everyone knows that anything can taste better when you add bacon.  BH thought that the sliced, cooked bananas over the ground meat underneath were a little under-ripe and took away from the dish.

The Critic thinks this would be a decent place for breakfast and will try it again, in the morning. This will also give him a good chance to check out the grounds around this tree-filled oasis. For dinner however (and lunch, it’s the same menu) the Critic would recommend staying away until some changes are announced in the kitchen.

The austere dining room at the Hacienda Misne

Sauteed mushroom appetizer

Caesar Salad

Platanos Rellenos entree

Stuffed Chicken Breast entree

La Tradicion Yucatecan restaurant

Casual Restaurant Critic, , , , , ,

The Casual Restaurant Critic and his Better Half once again enjoyed a fantastic Yucatecan lunch at La Tradicion on Merida’s calle 60.

The restaurant has finally been enlarged, almost doubling it’s original capacity, and this new space was also full with visitors.

Great food, good service as usual.

And don’t be alarmed if you see machine guns and armed police; it’s to protect the US consulate nearby.

Da Vinci Italian Restaurant

Casual Restaurant Critic, , , , ,

The Critic, Better Half and Mini Critic felt like some Italian food for dinner on a Sunday night so it was decided that Due Torri should be the place. Arriving there, a waiter came out and said, sorry we’re closing now. (FYI: Sundays Due Torri is open from noon to 7 pm)

Next choice, Villa Italia. Closed as well. This outing was turning into a bust.

On the way to Superama to buy some ingredients for dinner, the Critic saw an opportunity for a new review: Da Vinci Italian restaurant, on the corner of Montejo and Calle 17 in the space formerly occupied by Le Chujuk, had all its lights on and appeared open, so in the group went.

The place was empty, probably due to the late/early hour of 7:00 PM which is neither here nor there in terms of dinnertime in Merida, or the fact that the Semana Santa (holy week) has just started which means Meridanos are off at the beach. Several white-shirted waiter types lounged about, all of whom dispersed to their work areas upon seeing some customers approach except for one who, menu in hand, opened the door and led the three to a table inside.

The feeling was that this place didn’t quite click; maybe it was the fact that there was Italian music playing a little too loudly combined with the sound of a giant TV showing Spiderman in Spanish. Confusing.

The elderly gentleman sitting in the restaurant who said hello initially but abstained from further interaction and sat nearby was watching the movie; was he the owner? Hard to tell.

A further lack of cohesiveness was provided by the menu, which offered an enormous variety of dishes both Italian and not. From carpaccio to pastas to veal, with names in Spanish, Italian and misspelled English apparently at random. On the last page, the Critic was surprised to see BBQ ribs, chicken wings and German sausage.

The group ordered a carpaccio to start and then waited for a looong time before the waiter came back with some bread and tomato salsa. He took the dinner orders at that time and shortly thereafter reappeared with the salmon carpaccio, which was sparse but delicious and came with arugula and hot homemade bread.

Dinner:
Spaghetti carbonara which the MiniCritic described as ‘X’ which is teenspeak for just average;
Raviolis al pomodoro which the BetterHalf thought very good and the Critic agreed;
Pizza 4 Estazione, which was enormous. The crust tasted like the bread but was crispy and the toppings were flavorful; it was far too much for one person, however.

The overall feel was that the food was made fresh and from scratch; the service was just alright and the restaurant itself needs to define what it wants to be: fine dining, casual, international cuisine or Italian.

This place might survive; right now the Critic predicts a 50/50 chance of making it since this location is Meridas most expensive strip of real estate.

Eladios Progreso

Casual Restaurant Critic, , , , , , , , , ,

After sitting at the San Marino restaurant in Progreso waiting on a clueless waiter, the Critic took his guests to Eladios, and the group was not disappointed!

Abundant botana is served with each round of drinks including papadzules, little polcanes and kibis (photos) and one of the better dishes ordered was the shrimp al ajillo (photo), which is garlic and guajillo chile; a little spicy and a lot tasty!

That last photo is of a little girl who was swimming in Eladio’s little pool – the water was really quite disgusting – next to the restaurant, and kept asking the Critic and Better Half to count up to three so she could jump in the water.

Great food and even better service! Highly recommended.

Rosas y Xocolate for Dinner

Casual Restaurant Critic, , ,

After getting such a good impression from their breakfast the other day (the review got lost on this blog as old stuff was imported from blogger.com – oops) and hearing nothing but raves, the Critic invited the always gracious Better Half out for dinner at Rosas y Xocolate.

It was a Saturday so the Critic called ahead to reserve a table for two. “Inside or out?”  Inside, since it was a bit ‘chilly’ by Yucatecan standards. A few moments later, a phone call to inform the Critic that the restaurant was full inside; would the interior patio be OK. Fine. Packed an additional layer of warmth and off to dinner!

Upon arrival, a hostess at the door either didn’t understand the Critic (he mumbles occasionally) or was so distracted by the amount of people inside that it was not immediately clear that she knew about the reservation. Another hostess-like person appeared and took the Critic and BH to a small table for two in the interior patio area, where a lovely, quiet breakfast had been had before.

However, this Saturday night the place was far from quiet; Rosas y Xocolate was packed, and not just with tables of 2 or 4; most were tables of 6 to 12 people, raucously celebrating perhaps their good fortune at having been born into the ‘haves’ category. Waiters ran this way and that, trays in hand while the hostesses moved among the tables with their arms behind their backs, seating people at the few remaining tables. The owner himself moved smoothly among the tables like a grey wolf, patting arms and chatting with his guests.

After about 10 minutes of sitting at the table, listening to what was obviously a talented singer doing the usual bar/lounge classics at a volume inappropriate to the space involved, the Critic and BH debated leaving since no one had actually acknowledged the fact that the table was now occupied. The Critic decided that it would be an interesting experience to see how long it took to get some service. Another 10 minutes passed before the owner showed up at the table to ask if everything was alright, at which time the Critic and BH mentioned that a menu or a drink would be a nice touch.

Watching the action, the Better Half noted that the staff were running around like ‘chickens with their heads cut off’.

To make a long story (and wait) short, it was 40 minutes before anything edible arrived at the table in the form of the restaurants’ homemade bread and this only happened because the Critic literally stopped a busboy passing by who has a tray of bread and some pats of butter.

The food, six appetizers chosen from the menu, was fantastic.

A duck salad, sauteed shrimp, fried octopus, beef carpaccio, palmitos and salmon chunks on crispy wontons were brought out in twos and each was exquisite, especially the octopus and the salmon.

But the service throughout was haphazard and extremely unorganized from what could be observed. Of particular concern was the cleaning lady who passed the table at least 7 times on her way to and from the bathrooms, wearing one white latex glove with which she apparently cleaned the garbage baskets in the bathrooms, and carrying everything from the mentioned waste baskets with toilet paper in them, fresh and or dirty towels depending on the direction she was walking, toilet paper rolls etc. BH commented that this was the first time she had ever seen something like this and was absolutely fascinated in an unbelieving and incredulous way that this could even happen in a restaurant of any caliber.

In short, Rosa y Xocolate is a fine place for dinner, but the Critic recommends not going on a Saturday night when the place is packed.