Tag Archives: Casual Restaurant Critic

Elio al Mare – Round Two

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Last night the Casual Restaurant Critic revisited, in the company of some other critical foodies, the fabulous Elio al Mare restaurant near Progreso. If you read the previous review, you know that the Critic was blown away by the quality of the food at this beachfront Italian restaurant, especially the delicious pastas.

On this second occasion, there were a couple of things that stood out, one way or the other:

  • the off-menu Juanita shrimp were, as the photo suggested, scrumptious; succulent shrimp thick with tomato-y and cheesy goodness.
  • a fantastic risotto! The Critic is not a huge fan of risotto, but decided that Elio al Mare was the acid test to see if risotto was a good thing or just the mediocre pasty rice of yore; lo and behold this seafood risotto was extremely good!
  • on the not so great side, there was no welcoming sangria to be had and the service was a little on the slow side with a bit of waiting between courses and so on

Still, Elio al Mare is well worth the drive out from Merida to have a fantastic Italian dinner while watching the sunset.

Remixto Brunch – Again

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Apparently the Casual Restaurant Critic and his Better Half behaved themselves well enough to garner another invitation, this time to the second Remixto Brunch, once again graciously hosted by MexiChica and Casa Mexilio.

There is little to say that the Critic didn’t mention on the previous occasion, except that the heat/humidity was mercifully much more tolerable on this occasion, and the company that joined the Critic and Better Half was truly enjoyable. Oh, and the menu featured the terrific Lechon Benedict as well as a Henwich and Green Eggs and Ham.

In fact, one member of the group, who we shall call the YT Girl, took photos, a la the Critic, which are posted below!

If you have a chance, come to the next one!

Tacos ‘Luis Aqui’

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For your next party, do like the locals do and hire a taquero!

The Better Half organized a taquiza, which means, for lack of a better term, a taco party and for that you need a taquero like this one: Don Luis A Gil who provides you with delicious taquitos of great homecooked Yucatecan food. In todays case: relleno negro and cochinita.

Highly recommended by the Critic not only for the quality of his food, but for his amazingly friendly and gracious service.

Seafood 3 Days in a Row: La Dolce Vita, Cancun

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Question: does anyone know what happened to the former doyenne of fine dining in Cancun?

Maybe it was the empty tables, the absence of a hostess, the fact that no owner was on site or perhaps it was the sad spectacle put on by the waiters, bumping 3 Stooges-like into each other as they scurried about, but the Critic got the impression that La Dolce Vita, a 30 year fixture on the Cancun culinary map, has finished its run.

No special martini or drink was offered. The Critic recalls that when you arrived at La Dolce Vita, after being seated by an attractive and attentive hostess, a waiter mentioned the cocktail of the evening (grape daiquiris made with real grapes, banana margaritas etc). Often there was live music in the form of a saxophone playera in the middle of the restaurant. The place felt ‘alive’.

No longer.

While the food was alright, the fact that the recipes are more or less the same does not a great dining experience make. The Critic remembers that the Caesars Salad, for example, was delicious back in the day.

Ensalada Cesar

What arrived at the table on this occasion was a rather excessively creamy yet curiously bland dressing smothering the orejona lettuce. The seafood platter looked spectacular, but turned out not to have much to offer in the flavor department.

Seafood Platter

Boquinete Wrapped in Pastry

The Critics favorite dish, the motivation that precedes every visit to the Dolce Vita in the last few years, is the boquinete wrapped in flaky pastry, baked and served hot with a lobster gravy.  This dish was as good as the Critic recalled, but somehow did not make up for the rest of the experience.

One thing that remains the same, however, is that the crocodile still comes to feed off the deck overlooking the Nichupte lagoon. And while the Dolce Vita has shrunk in the Critics eyes, the crocodile has grown to enormous proportions!

That Seafood Palapita across from Bancarios

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The readers (well, some of them) of the Casual Restaurant Critic have asked him to include addresses so that they can find the restaurants he trashes and praises. This review, from the title alone, will probably irritate one or two of those people, but the truth is, that the Critic doesn’t want his column to look like everyone elses, what with B/L/D, AX, VI, MC, 9:00AM -5:00PM and all that other junk that the Critic can’t be expected to remember or jot down when he is enjoying a fantastic or terrible restaurant experience.

That said, the Critic will ALWAYS give directions to anyone who asks.

Today’s stomach-bursting seafood extravaganza lunch was had at that little palapita across from Bancarios, on the Correa Racho avenue. Bancarios is a club, with a huge swimming pool and all kinds of fun activities in the back; the Correa Racho avenue is named after a deceased local politician of PAN extraction, father of a local politician who still is in the business of politics. But this has nothing to do whatsoever with the restaurant, located on that avenue which, by the way, turns into the street in front of the Star Medica and Altabrisa mall that will eventually take you to the periferico and on to Cholul. This should be enough information to give even the most navigationally-challenged among you an idea of where to go. To find this restaurant, of course.

It is a locals favorite, and you won’t see too many tourists in there at all. The restaurant is small, maybe 20 tables at most; there is a palapa roof but air conditioning as well to keep things cool. It’s dark and homey inside and there is of course a television that you can watch when you realize that the person you are with is too boring to have a conversation with or if you are having a spat.

The service is fast, friendly and the waiters are knowledgeable and will recommend dishes rather than saying “todo esta bueno” which is the Critics least favorite answer to the question “What’s good?” Upon taking a seat, you are brought a basket of crispy corn chips and a few moments later, a small plate with a sample of whole-shrimp ceviche. Nothing better than getting something to nibble on when you are hungry and still have before you the weighty task of perusing the menu!

The Critic and his lovely Better Half ordered what amounted to too much food, but it was so good that it all managed to get finished. Two medium cocktails to start, one shrimp only, the other shrimp, octopus and squid; an order of xcatic chiles stuffed with cazon (shark) and bathed in tomato sauce; an order of queso relleno (stuffed cheese) with seafood instead of pork and beef and an order of the Critics favorite local fish, boquinete, pan fried with crunchy garlic bits.

All the food was delicious! The queso relleno was a little heavy on the bell peppers, in the CHO (Critics Humble Opinion), their sweet flavor overpowered the subtler taste of the almonds, capers and raisins. The presentation was interesting, on a banana leaf, which actually imparted some flavor to the dish. The boquinete filets were cooked just enough to not dry them out and the crispy garlic concoction that was sprinkled on top in tasty chunks complemented the understated fish nicely. Was that a pretentious sentence or what. But the most interesting item to pass over the Critics palate was the complex flavors of shredded shark meat stuffed into a mildly (if that) picante xcatic chile and bathed generously with a cooked tomato sauce.

No alcoholic drinks were had; only two limonadas con soda and of course, desserts were skipped entirely. The cost for this feast? $440 pesos, before tips. Highly worth your while to find this little gem of a place, which the Critic believes is only open for lunch.

Make sure you save a few coins for the bowing, scraping, toothy-smiled individual who works the parking lot and may open the restaurant door for you.

Possibly the Best Breakfast in Vegas?

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While looking around Las Vegas for an indy record store to find an elusive CD by Marina and the Diamonds, the Mini-Critics favorite group, the Critic was on the look-out for a Starbucks for a good, strong, morning coffee.

After driving for some time, it became evident that the street called Sahara in Las Vegas is not as chockablock with Starbucks as say, Granville in Vancouver and so the Critic began looking for anything resembling coffee (besides McDonald’s) when suddenly, coming up quickly on the right, a sign advertising breakfast – the Hash House a Go Go.

The ad above, scanned from the Dine Out magazine that purports to tell its readers which restaurants are Vegas’ best, essentially says it all. And that dish in the ad actually exists: waffles and fried chicken (honest) in a vertical tower and of such gigantic proportions, that you would never believe one person could finish the platter by themselves.

Of course they can, and they do.

The Critic did a little survey of the people coming in and a solid 70 percent of the almost all-white patrons (along with a few hefty Latinos) were little more than round, roly-poly chubmuffins, who waddled up to the hostess station, announced their names and patiently waited. There was a 20 minute wait for breakfast, and the Critic arrived at 11:00 AM! This 20 minute wait turned into a 10 minute wait for lunch; the action never stopped.

The food is gloriously delicious and completely over-the-top too much. Not generous, TOO much! The Critic ordered a hash consisting of crunchy fried potatoes which are combined with different fresh ingredients (there are 5-6 on the menu). In the Critics case, a mild, almost Italian sausage-like “chorizo”, peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheddar cheese to round out the cholesterol content. This came with a biscuit/bun and a healthy serving of scrambled eggs. It was impossible to even try the bread, let alone attack the eggs and some of that hash didn’t get tucked away either. The juice – apple – is fresh squeezed and a real treat, as is the coffee which is formidably strong and tastes absolutely delicious.

Service is fast and friendly in the typical American restaurant way (when things are going right) and so no complaints there.

At 20 dollars for enough food for a mid-size Gambian family, the Hash House is both satisfying and not a big hit on your pocketbook.

And the Critic never did find that Marina and the Diamonds CD.

Miyabi Sushi

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The Casual Restaurant Critic thinks he may have found a new favourite sushi restaurant in Merida. Opened (and operated) by a 14 year veteran of Cancuns Yamamoto restaurant, tiny sushi-lovers delight Miyabi is tucked unceremoniously in the little strip mall on Montejo where you can also find Carls Junior (formerly Checkers), Segafredo and the underwhelming Ca’ d’Oro Italian restaurant.

Unceremoniously doesn’t mean that this is an unattractive restaurant; far from it! It is all white inside, with a granite sushi bar and many real Japanese decorations brought over from Japan by the chefs Better Half, who is charming and hails from the land of the rising sun.

The Critic and HIS Better Half sat at the slightly uncomfortable sushi bar – uncomfortable because the stools don’t have that cross brace on the bottom which leaves your feet dangling and strains the back. Does this sound like an old fart or what – and ordered directly from the chef/owner. The highlight was a special roll called Nozumi, which featured chopped scallops and heated smoked eel, but all the dishes ordered (sushi – rolls and nigiri only) were excellent. The Critic enjoyed immensely the fact that the raw fish was ice cold and fresh tasting; the chef commented that he only orders what he plans on selling so as to keep things fresh and if it runs out, well better luck next time. This was the case with the salmon (sake, or shake as they call it here) which was no more, much to the Critics chagrin, who ordered a fat slab of fresh cold tuna on a nigiri piece. Fantastic.

After the late lunch, the chef and his lovely wife comped a dessert – red bean ice cream. This is not made on the premises, but brought from Mexico City where a Japanese family makes this and other (Lychee, Green Tea) ice creams.

Miyabi has been open for about two months and apparently, business is booming. Go for lunch soon, but late, as it tends to fill up and you will have to wait in the 40 degree heat outside. And that’s not a pretty picture.

Wayan’e Itzimna

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Today, as Mr Lawsons Twitter followers may have read, the Casual Restaurant Critic had his first-ever experience with the world-famous Wayan’e Tortas & Tacos in Meridas Itzimná neighborhood. The sandwich was good, the chaya and pineapple drink refreshing – but the best part was the cheery, witty man behind the counter! The owner, perhaps?

“Que va a llevar, chel!?!” he literally shouts, all smiles.

The Critic asks this very friendly man what to order since it is the Critics first time ever. Immediately he issues a command to the cook who starts preparing the sandwich/torta; something meaty with melted cheese.

“What will you have to drink” he asks (in Spanish of course)

“What do you have?”

“Something local?”

“How local?”

“Chaya con Piña?”

“Viene!”

The Critic and the owner chit-chat for a moment longer, waiting for the torta to be heated on the plancha until it is crispy and the cheese melts out the sides. There is another lady waiting for something, who is commenting on the fact that her centro neighborhood is overrun with ‘gringos’ – norteamericanos y canadienses – she points out, looking furtively at the Critic. She expresses amazement at one norteamericano in particular in her neighborhood who is wheelchair-bound and races around in sentido contrario on the streets in his motorized wheelchair ‘like a little truck’ she says shaking her head and smiling. The owner asks if the Critic is a norteamericano.

“Canadiense. Por favor”

Everyone laughs.

A nudge at the Critics elbow. The Critic pretends to jump, as if scared at this sudden intrusion into the conversation by a tall-glass-with-chaya-piña-water-in-it wielding lady. The owner, obviously a master of wit, immediately remarks “and that is why we don’t open at night!”

Hilarious.

A return visit is imminent…

Remixto Sunday Brunch

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The Casual Restaurant Critic had the luck to be advised of this once a month brunch event to be held at Casa Mexilio, in downtown Merida put on by remixto.com and hosted by the intrepid MexiChica and her hubbie.

Let it be said that to start a Sunday morning in a jungle patio with an exquisite Bloody Mary or a Guayaba mimosa is a hell of a great way to wake up in Merida, even with the 40-plus degree heat that is currently plaguing the formerly white city.

Highlights, after the Bloody Mary, were the Eggs Benedict, cooked to perfection and prepared not with ham but with a sabroso hunk of roast pork aka lechon, accompanied by a grilled tomato and some greenery. The french toast, made with rompope and served with a caramelized bacon and soft, mushy-sweet cooked bananas was delicious. So good were these two dishes that the Critic actually ordered both (and ate both, thank you very much). Federico Navarro’s coffee was strong, hot and fresh, silverware was sparkling new and the whole affair was like having brunch at someone’s home; someone who transforms fresh, local ingredients into marvelous mouthfuls in their kitchen and invites you over to sample them.