Tag Archives: notthenews

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

More on the Cell Phone Debacle

Inspired, Life in the Yucatan, Politics, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Many Mexicans were surprised that there was no ‘prorroga‘ (extension) on the deadline for registering your cell phone; in fact, anyone who has lived in this country for any length of time knows that any new law requiring anything to be done on the part of the populace, ends up getting postponed and those who rushed to comply on time feel foolish, cheated and are laughed at by the more seasoned pros who knew that the deadline was not really that firm.

You might remember when former president Fox announced his ‘borron y cuenta nueva‘ tax program, essentially forgiving fines and back taxes on those who had not paid their federal taxes. Those of us who did pay their taxes felt like a bunch of idiots as the tax cheats laughed their way to the bank.

Water bills? Same thing. The JAPAY regularly forgave debt in order to invite customers to get back on track. While some of these folks might have had real economic troubles, a great number of them did not and simply abused – and continue to abuse – the system.

Well, everyone expected the deadline for the cell phones to be extended and were indeed surprised when it was not. Lineups at TelCel offices were long and the whole RENAUT system collapsed under the pressure of so many people doing last minute registering via text message.

Meanwhile, the question of whether this idea was really that great in the first place has come up. Turns out that a good number of people registered their cell phones in the name of Felipe Calderon (president) and many more registered them in the name of someone else (read more on this here). You perhaps? You’ll never know, unless a crime is committed somewhere with that phone and you get the knock on the door – if they are polite; if not, they will kick it in, to use a phrase by our illustrious governor.

And now, the major player in the cell phone market in Mexico, TelCel, has announced that it has in place an ‘amparo‘ which is essentially a legalistic delay tactic that permits them to NOT cancel any unregistered cell phone accounts, as the law dictates it should. Telefónica, another cell phone provider here is in the process of doing the same. It is difficult to imagine the “powers” that be telling Carlos Slim what he can or cannot do, so it will be interesting to see how the government handles this.

Aren’t you glad you took the time and trouble to register your phone? I know I feel good about it.

More on One of My Pet Peeves: El Tope

Inspired, Life in the Yucatan, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So (I have been listening to interviews on NPR and am surprised by the number of times people answering Terry Gross’ questions start with the word ‘so’) I live in this neighborhood – let’s call it La Ceiba, just for fun – that one could consider ‘upscale’  for Mérida; it’s on a golf course, the lots are large and there are a fair number of BMW’s and Audis driving around which seems to indicate a certain level of socioeconomic prosperity. What I am doing there sometimes baffles me, but we got in at a good time and I anxiously look forward to the day when golf will become appealing to me.

The roads within this fraccionamiento were all repaved with actual asphalt a few years back and the smooth surface seems to be irresistible to the frustrated Fitipaldis and Schumachers that inhabit the luxurious homes, and so, topes were introduced. First at occasionally conflicting intersections, then curves, then any straight stretch lasting for more than 500 meters.

Originally, yellow ‘boyas‘ also known as turtles in some quarters were used. These required a full stop and then gentle acceleration as you eased your vehicle over the obstacle; not doing so would result in severe damage to your cars’ suspension system. Interestingly, I observed that the drivers who would come to full stop were mostly men, while the women and offspring thumped over them with little concern. I attribute this to the fact that the men are paying the costs of their vehicle repairs, while the other drivers are oblivious to the damage they were causing.

After the stop and accelerate process became unbearable – do this eleven times on your way to and eleven times on your way from your home and you will slowly go insane – these nasty bumps were replaced by large concrete ramps that had an incline, a top and a decline, if that is the right word. Imagine a kind of wedge. These new topes are much easier to roll over; a high speed traverse will throw the whole car into an Evel Knievel fit, so they were also more effective at slowing down all drivers.

The tope project however, has meant an ongoing maintenance program in which thousands and thousands of pesos are spent sanding, smoothing and then painting these obstacles a bright yellow. I cannot think that there must be a more effective use of time and money than to spend it on these aberrations!

And yet, we can’t live without them, it seems. It’s a sad reflection of reality: Mexicans want the smooth streets they see on TV or have experienced on trips abroad, and yet, they can’t be bothered to drive responsibly on those same smooth roads, thereby requiring the almost medieval solution of physically placing barriers on those smooth roads to make them horribly bumpy again, thereby defeating the purpose of having a paved road in the first place. Because the undisciplined lot that we are cannot be trusted to obey a speed limit, even with the threat of injuring or killing a neighbors’ pet or child.

A Worthwhile Cause – Emergency Medical Spanish

Inspired, Life in the Yucatan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you are reading this you have likely read it on another post as well. But for that small portion of readers who don’t read all the other blogs out there, here’s an interesting item that I read on my friend Debi’s blog regarding an Emergency Spanish dictionary where you can apparently find the words to express how you feel. This may sound romantic, but believe me, when you are doubled over in pain in a hospital with a 360 degree circle of Mexican nurses and doctors people asking you things the term ‘expressing how you feel’ takes on an entirely new meaning.

The book is here.

Debi’s post on the subject is on her blog.

Have a terrific Friday, everyone and enjoy the hot weather. Find a cenote, or a beach with few people. Actually, at this time of the year, stay home. It will be more peaceful.

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!

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.

Slow Food in Merida

Life in the Yucatan, , , , , , , , ,

This morning I visited the ‘fresh market’ associated with the so-called slow food movement, right here in Colonia Chuburná, in Merida.

My first impression was that I was back in Lund, BC, at an organic hippie food fair; I expected a sweet waft of pot smoke any minute.

Instead, I found a lot of Merida’s more interesting citizens, mostly furriners, selling everything from Peruvian tamales to Los Dos peanut butter and everything in between. And instead of marijuana, what wafted through hostess Monique’s house was an acrid smoke coming from some close by comal, where someone was roasting chiles. The result was something out of a comedy; everyone, vendors and customers were coughing, throats burning and eyes watering.

After buying far too much (never go shopping hungry especially when there are samples) I headed off to work.

As Arnold said, I’ll be back.

Tulum is a Dream!

Inspired, Life in the Yucatan, , , , , ,

Wow. I admit I am out of the loop and the news that all those little eco-hotels and boutique-y palapa hotels in the Sian Kaan reserve at Tulum are gorgeous will come as no surprise to fans of Quintana Roo beaches, but I was impressed! The place is a fantasy island far removed from giant impersonal AI’s and the overbuilt and underwhelming Cancun hotel zone. I will never go to Cancun or the Riviera Maya again!

These are all iPhone photos; there are lots more on Facebook in an album with the original name of… Tulum.