Cancun
Friday, January 4, 2008 | | |If you do keep in Cancun's Hotel Zone, you'll never discover how great Yucatecan food can be, with its fresh fish, marinated meat and poultry, and accents of lime, orange, herbs and only this part of Mexico. Let the beach crowds to their buffalo wings and tequila; hello to eat is a 55-cent bus in the city of Cancun, the city for large stations.
Labna (Margaritas 29, 011-52-998/892-3056, entries under $ 10)
MORE ON MEXICO
• Destination: Mexico
• Scouting Report 2007: Puerto Angel
• Do you stress? Learn to Puerto Vallarta
• Secret Hotels of the Riviera Maya
• Romancing the Bean
• 25 reasons we Love Oaxaca
• The ghosts of the Sierra Madre
Maya Cancun kitsch is the curse, so that soaring but low-key temple befits the design of the restaurant contemporary approach to food rustic Yucatan. Two can easily share papadzules (corn tortillas filled with chopped boiled eggs and covered with green pumpkin seed sauce) or empanadas de cazon (baby-shark turnovers). Most entries fall well below $ 10, including the traditional Mayan dish poc Chuc (achiote seed-rubbed pork roast served with bitter orange and green chile-tomato sauce) and pollo pibil (spicy chicken braised slowly in a banana leaf). Good desserts are rare in Cancun, it is worth indulging here on guayaba foam or caramel-infused Tres leches cake.
El Cejas (Mercado 28, 011-52-998/887-1080, 8 entries $ - $ 15)
Given that a heavy portion of residents are between 25 and 35, beer washing is not confined to the hotel area bars. Swing by the Mercado 28 crafts market (south of Avenida Yaxchilan at the end of avenida Sunyaxchen) on a Sunday afternoon, when groups of friends Twirl longnecks and share dishes of shrimp, octopus, conch , Scallop ceviche or errant as musicians play for change. Crabs are a specialty-stuffed and steamed or fried with garlic sauce or chipotle.
El Yucateco Rincon (35 Uxmal, west of Av. Tulum circle, no telephones, entries $ 4.50-$ 9)
This grid occasional two-for-one bottled beers are a perfect match for the specialty of the house blown panuchos-corn tortillas stuffed with epazote-stew of black beans and topped with pork barbecue. Diners at sidewalk tables noisy preen in the sun and watch the cosmopolitan foot traffic around the bus station nearby. El Rincon de la signature dish is a heaping bowl of shredded chicken broth in a tangy chicken broth and lime juice: the classic Yucatecan comfort food called sopa de Lima.
La Cocina Chaya (Mercado 28, 011-52-998/888-6437, entries $ 5-10)
Buff young fitness enthusiasts who live virtually in their bathing suits swear by Chaya, a rich in vitamins Yucatecan green as a cross between spinach and mint. This mother-and-pop business Mercado in 28 large sheets characteristics of meat, fish, chicken, mushrooms or chopped crammed with Chaya and slivered ham. They are better washed down with the gem colored "water": papaya, melon, lemon or orange.
Parque de las Palapas (av. Tulum and av. Yaxchilan, quesadillas 75 ¢)
Once the searing sun goes down, families gather in this palm-filled park, nestled between Avenidas occupied Tulum and Yaxchilan, to enjoy the bandstand concerts, ride the Ferris wheel, and click sell quecas, slang for quesadillas. The turnovers are filled with beef, chicken or chorizo, as well as exotic options like cactus leaves or cuitlacoche, a delicacy made from corn kernels inflated by a tasty mushroom. Cuitlacoche you can save $ 15 to return to the USA, but in the park quecas are rarely more than 75 cents.
Club Nautico (Puerto Juarez, north of the ferry dock, 011-52-998/116-8471, entries $ 4 - $ 9)
Every night at Puerto Juarez, on the beach by the Isla Mujeres ferry, fishermen unload their catches, picking up plastic chairs, and wait for the nets to come off the fire. Grouper rubbed with achiote seeds, soaked in bitter orange, and grilled over charcoal is perhaps the most popular dish, but the bouillabaisse-like sopa de mariscos is a rich shellfish lovers, as 'is a mixture "cocktail" of octopus, shrimp, and conch. From time to time, a neighborhood lady walks around with a tray of flan and cream of coconut, each under $ 1.
The Faena (La Faena Plaza de Toros, av. Bonampak, 011-52-998/884-4197, entries $ 4 - $ 7)
The cantinas returned to the wall outside Cancun, serve certain arenas of the city best bar food. Patrons follow football matches on a giant television as they dip Spanish sausage hot in a cool guacamole (chistorra) or Slurp green chile strips in melted cheese (queso fundido). After the third beer - how about a Negra de Leon, a malty brew dark rare in America - you'll need a meat dish such as barbecued lamb (barbacoa de cordero). If bullfighting is not your sport, skip Wednesday afternoon.
La Parrilla (av. Yaxchilan 51, 011-52-998/884-8193, entries $ 6.25 - $ 15)
The cow plastic front and the strolling mariachis in shouting "lure tourists", but some of the savviest people in Cancun celebrate birthdays at La Parrilla, because it is festive and the meat comes largely gaucho-like parties. Crisp, saturated lime-green leaves of cactus on tortillas (nopalitos) clean up your mouth for barbecue chicken, skirt steak, chop the pork, chorizo and served on a hibachi at the table. Side dishes cowboy beans (pinto beans with bacon, green chile and cilantro), grilled onions and strips of roasted green chili peppers complement the meal.
Labna (Margaritas 29, 011-52-998/892-3056, entries under $ 10)
MORE ON MEXICO
• Destination: Mexico
• Scouting Report 2007: Puerto Angel
• Do you stress? Learn to Puerto Vallarta
• Secret Hotels of the Riviera Maya
• Romancing the Bean
• 25 reasons we Love Oaxaca
• The ghosts of the Sierra Madre
Maya Cancun kitsch is the curse, so that soaring but low-key temple befits the design of the restaurant contemporary approach to food rustic Yucatan. Two can easily share papadzules (corn tortillas filled with chopped boiled eggs and covered with green pumpkin seed sauce) or empanadas de cazon (baby-shark turnovers). Most entries fall well below $ 10, including the traditional Mayan dish poc Chuc (achiote seed-rubbed pork roast served with bitter orange and green chile-tomato sauce) and pollo pibil (spicy chicken braised slowly in a banana leaf). Good desserts are rare in Cancun, it is worth indulging here on guayaba foam or caramel-infused Tres leches cake.
El Cejas (Mercado 28, 011-52-998/887-1080, 8 entries $ - $ 15)
Given that a heavy portion of residents are between 25 and 35, beer washing is not confined to the hotel area bars. Swing by the Mercado 28 crafts market (south of Avenida Yaxchilan at the end of avenida Sunyaxchen) on a Sunday afternoon, when groups of friends Twirl longnecks and share dishes of shrimp, octopus, conch , Scallop ceviche or errant as musicians play for change. Crabs are a specialty-stuffed and steamed or fried with garlic sauce or chipotle.
El Yucateco Rincon (35 Uxmal, west of Av. Tulum circle, no telephones, entries $ 4.50-$ 9)
This grid occasional two-for-one bottled beers are a perfect match for the specialty of the house blown panuchos-corn tortillas stuffed with epazote-stew of black beans and topped with pork barbecue. Diners at sidewalk tables noisy preen in the sun and watch the cosmopolitan foot traffic around the bus station nearby. El Rincon de la signature dish is a heaping bowl of shredded chicken broth in a tangy chicken broth and lime juice: the classic Yucatecan comfort food called sopa de Lima.
La Cocina Chaya (Mercado 28, 011-52-998/888-6437, entries $ 5-10)
Buff young fitness enthusiasts who live virtually in their bathing suits swear by Chaya, a rich in vitamins Yucatecan green as a cross between spinach and mint. This mother-and-pop business Mercado in 28 large sheets characteristics of meat, fish, chicken, mushrooms or chopped crammed with Chaya and slivered ham. They are better washed down with the gem colored "water": papaya, melon, lemon or orange.
Parque de las Palapas (av. Tulum and av. Yaxchilan, quesadillas 75 ¢)
Once the searing sun goes down, families gather in this palm-filled park, nestled between Avenidas occupied Tulum and Yaxchilan, to enjoy the bandstand concerts, ride the Ferris wheel, and click sell quecas, slang for quesadillas. The turnovers are filled with beef, chicken or chorizo, as well as exotic options like cactus leaves or cuitlacoche, a delicacy made from corn kernels inflated by a tasty mushroom. Cuitlacoche you can save $ 15 to return to the USA, but in the park quecas are rarely more than 75 cents.
Club Nautico (Puerto Juarez, north of the ferry dock, 011-52-998/116-8471, entries $ 4 - $ 9)
Every night at Puerto Juarez, on the beach by the Isla Mujeres ferry, fishermen unload their catches, picking up plastic chairs, and wait for the nets to come off the fire. Grouper rubbed with achiote seeds, soaked in bitter orange, and grilled over charcoal is perhaps the most popular dish, but the bouillabaisse-like sopa de mariscos is a rich shellfish lovers, as 'is a mixture "cocktail" of octopus, shrimp, and conch. From time to time, a neighborhood lady walks around with a tray of flan and cream of coconut, each under $ 1.
The Faena (La Faena Plaza de Toros, av. Bonampak, 011-52-998/884-4197, entries $ 4 - $ 7)
The cantinas returned to the wall outside Cancun, serve certain arenas of the city best bar food. Patrons follow football matches on a giant television as they dip Spanish sausage hot in a cool guacamole (chistorra) or Slurp green chile strips in melted cheese (queso fundido). After the third beer - how about a Negra de Leon, a malty brew dark rare in America - you'll need a meat dish such as barbecued lamb (barbacoa de cordero). If bullfighting is not your sport, skip Wednesday afternoon.
La Parrilla (av. Yaxchilan 51, 011-52-998/884-8193, entries $ 6.25 - $ 15)
The cow plastic front and the strolling mariachis in shouting "lure tourists", but some of the savviest people in Cancun celebrate birthdays at La Parrilla, because it is festive and the meat comes largely gaucho-like parties. Crisp, saturated lime-green leaves of cactus on tortillas (nopalitos) clean up your mouth for barbecue chicken, skirt steak, chop the pork, chorizo and served on a hibachi at the table. Side dishes cowboy beans (pinto beans with bacon, green chile and cilantro), grilled onions and strips of roasted green chili peppers complement the meal.
