SOUTH of the border: YUCATAN sampling

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The three of us deemed it absolutely necessary that we try some of the traditional and regional specialties of the Yucatan state of Mexico. The restaurant we chose to experience the cuisine of the area is in a city called Conkal, a few cities over from our base location in Merida. Frailes, was a sweet place with seating indoors and outside, and it was so hidden, like a little paradise.

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We had a proper sampling of the food, ordering appetizers, entrees and goodies all over the menu; a little here and a little there. Even with a menu in English, I was still mystified by the dishes, what they were and even what they would look like. It was all so difficult to grasp and there was no way for me to imagine what I was going to taste in the coming moments.

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Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorite meals. Not that it did not taste good, but some of it was too much. A little heavy, a little spicy, but flavorful and colorful. It was hearty, but we were drowning, our eyes bigger than our stomachs (as always) and it was a desperate attempt to try and experience as much of the region as we could.

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From the black chicken, dark with spices; to the baby shark tower, drenched in acidic tomato based sauce; to black beans stiff and loose; too many fried tortillas (salbutes) and not so fried tortilla filled treats (panuchos) and the sweet, juicy, and wet Caballero Pobre dessert. We had a pumpkin based dip, sprinkled with tortilla strips (sikilpac), burned fatty chorizo, and a crescent moon of Edam cheese stuffed with meat while floating in a red sauce (queso relleno). Even different flavored horchata beverages.

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After a while, everything started to taste the same, rich, heavy and blended. The ingredients and preparations were fresh and local, and the staff friendly and accommodating. It was a great experience and an array of flavors, preparations, meats, toppings and spices, but somehow, I was not as over the moon as I wanted to be... I would deffo be open to trying the regional cuisine again.

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2.9.13 

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SOUTH of the border: la RECOVA

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It was my first night in Mexico (my very first night and very first time), and after a long day of travel and finally catching up with two of my very good friends with ample red wine, it was time for a good dinner. I was excited to be in my great friend’s home town of Merida, in the Yucatan region of our southerly neighbor. It was going to be an adventure, and on top of that a food adventure, because my friend is a huge foodie as well. When we were “studying” in London, we often indulged in food and grew closer for it. So now it was time for him to show us around his stomping grounds, and dictate what we were eating. I was beyond thrilled.

This first night, after the sun was completely set, and it was getting later and cooler, he brought us to a nice, rather large restaurant called La Recova, a self titled Argentinean steak house with Yucatan accents and additions. It was late so the place was emptying, but gave us room to speak in English and ask the waiter and our native friend a zillion questions. 

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My friend basically knew what we should and were going to eat before we stepped into the restaurant (this was a recurring theme throughout my trip… loved it).  Because of his foodie nature and the relative smallness of Merida and its food scene (though evolving and changing), he was super familiar with the menu and what was enjoyable.

For starters we had …

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Queso fondido This was a little pot of hot melted cheese, topped with large rounds of fatty chorizo. The cheese was hot and salty, which mimicked the flavors of the meat. It was a heavy combination, but was delicious with the tortillas that it was served with. The ratio of cheese to meat was a little overwhelming though, far too much cheese for the few charred rounds of the sausage.

Carnitas atun This heaping appetizer was a play on the carnitas of the area that is usually made with pork, which is cooked till soft and stringy and then almost friend again. The tuna was prepared in a similar way, and served with tortillas to make little tacos. I was not completely convinced with this appetizer, it was kind of dry and greasy to me at the same time, but adding some of the spicy and flavorful sauces left at the table improved the experience.

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Tostaditas de atun This was by far my favorite appetizer. It was a delicate pile of tuna tartar and a small smear of guacamole, placed on a bite sized crunchy chip. The zing of lime made the raw fish sing, and that same flavor was echoed in the guacamole, creating a brightness that contrasted the crunchy and smooth textures of the bite. The thin sliver of red onion added another texture as well as a bite. Each element was absolutely delicious and exciting, and they were all harmonious in making each bite near perfection.

For mains we indulged in…

The mains to me were less interesting than the appetizers; their flavor profiles were duller, delicious, but not as dynamic.

We had a steak, cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the cut of meat was lean but just fatty enough to eat without being uncomfortable. The seasoning too protected us from steak dry mouth, and it was juicy, but not extreme. The little (but just enough) piece of meat came with a flounce of garnishes, which I completely ignored. The plate was about the steak, its seasoning and its precision in preparation.

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The other main that the three of us shared was an adobo octopus. This generous portion of octopus came with some gently roasted cherry tomatoes and some cooked and seasoned rounds of white potatoes. Once again, I paid little to no attention to the side items on the plate, though the tomatoes ushered in some tang and acidity to counter the smooth, buttery and meaty texture of the octopus, and the potato kind of served as a base to even the decadence of the octopus. Sometimes texture can get between enjoying octopus and not, but this was prepared perfectly, as it lost its gummy feeling but took on the consistency of meat. The spices morphed the seafood into something more terrestrial, just like how it was cooked transformed the octopus to a more meaty realm. The adobe was spicy and dynamic, but also added lovely color and intrigue.

Only room for one dessert…

It was late, we were excited and practically full, but there is always room for more. After hearing the few dessert options, twice (once in Spanish, and once with a loose English translation), we landed on a dulce de leche fondant. We had little idea what this would entail, but anything with sweetness and caramel, was bound to melt my heart.

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When the dessert was placed on the table, practically right under my nose, I was mildly shocked. The plating was more imaginative and modern than any of the other more straight forward dishes. Our fondant dessert was comprised of a little cake dusted with powdered sugar, and busting at its seams with dulce de leche, a curious upright cookie ring, with a heavy scoop of ice cream nestled within, and a dancing design of chocolate and orange decoration.

On a whole, the dessert was delicious, sweet, textured, creamy, hot and cold, crunchy. The little cake was like a chocolate molten cake, only a caramelly cousin. The cake was moist and lovely and the dulce de leche on the inside was smooth, creamy and sweet but not strong. The melty texture of the ice cream and the cake insides played well together, while the crunchy cookie and cake were at odds but cooperated nicely. The only tastes that did not lend well to the rest of the dessert was the tangy bitter dark chocolate that was too close to a cloyingly sweet orange cream. The intense chocolate flavor was nice, breaking up the overall sweetness with a mature twist, while the orange was completely unnecessary and incongruent.

Dinner was a great time, great food, and a lovely time catching up. It was a great place to start off our food adventures in Mexico, though it was a fusion of the region and Argentinean elements. The service was great and patient, the décor warm and trendy, and the food delicious and lively. 

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2.7.13

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SOUTH of the border: SWEET thangs

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I could never forget about the sweet snacks that I chomped on while away (well, can’t really let go of the savory bites either), from candy like brittles to frozen treats to airy fluffs of meringue. Can’t I just go back for a little more of these sweet sensations? 

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coco dulce y pepita dulce

These sweet almost circles of goodness were perhaps one of my favorite snack foods we tried (emphasis on perhaps). They were amazingly sweet, crunchy and textured almost like brittles. These rounds were thick with crumbly like candy texture, and were littered with flavors, like pumpkin or coconut. I was lucky to try both. The pumpkin seed flavored one offered some savory and meaty elements to counter the extreme sweetness that surrounded the seeds. The softer texture of the seed actually added a kind of moist crunch to the candy like feeling of the snack. The coconut flavor did not taste like the sweet coconut  that we are used to, but it was a barky, stiff texture and flavor rendering the goody mildly hard to chew.

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mazapan de pepita

Another sweet treat that I got to experience, was unlike the brittle, soft and chewy. It had the grainy, gummy consistency of one of my favorites, marzipan. I could feel the crumbly crystals of the sugars in the dough. Unlike the marzipan we know made of almonds, this was created from ground pumpkin seeds. It was sweet and savory, chewy and satisfying. The texture was really exciting and familiar, but the flavor and ingredients were different.

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merengues

Who does not love the contradictions of meringues? They are light and fluffy, but also crunch and hard at the same time. Each time we got merengues they were two orbs fixed together with a citrusy sticky liquid, large enough to need almost two hands and messy enough to lick your fingers. My friend informed us that these homemade delights are traditionally made with lime, a tart contrast to the light sugary white. Candied lime rinds sometimes floated in the sugariness of the meringue. The only downfall (if this even counts) was that the constant heat and humidity of the area, made this snack for a sticky situation. The meringues were melting from the inside, oozy and sticky like syrup. Still delicious but the crunchiness of the slow cooked treat diminished and was only like a shell.

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boli de coco

Though I got this frozen treat at a taco spot (twice), my friend assured me that these homespun kind of ices are found all over, and in all different flavors. It was like a smooth sorbet and crystallized Italian ice, both at the same time. It came in a plastic bag with a knot at the bottom. The delicious filling is loaded into said plastic bag, knotted and frozen. To get into the insides you have to bite off one of the tiny corners and squeeze the frozen goodness out. Once I tasted it, I was addicted. My coconut frozen gem was sweet and creamy, and smooth save for a few chewy bites of sweet coconut. It brought me to childhood, and the imagined childhood of the kids of the region.

Now you got the sweet and salty sides of it… which snacks would you want to try the most? Maybe we should plan a trip…

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2.22.13 

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SOUTH of the border: SAVORY bites

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Mexico is full of vendors on the road at the stop light, or lining the sidewalks at city centers, and they are always carrying something delicious to sell. Some have fruits doused with salty spicy flavorings popular with the natives, or crunchy fried corn or potato snacks drenched in hot sauces. Others have sweets galore. Throughout our travels in various large and cities throughout the Yucatan region and even making our way to the regional day of the Carnival celebration in Merida, we got a chance to try many of these tasty street treats.

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chicharrones

These are goodies that speak to Mexican childhood and snack culture. These are crunchy addictive bites that come in corn or potato varieties. Chicharrones are puffy and light, crunchy and greasy at the same time. The vendor asks if you want spicy hot sauce or a popular snack sauce with a bit of heat. The sauce softened the Styrofoam chip like snack, making them wilt and heavy but extra addictive. I preferred the corn cousin to the potato. The corn chicharrones were stiffer and held up better to the hot sauces and the flavor was stronger. Either way, this snack was delicious, a perfect salty pick me up.

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marquesita

At the parade celebrating Carnival, my friend invited me taste this street food. The marquesita is an amazing mixture of sweet and salty. The goody starts off almost like a crepe, a thin batter spread in a circle on a hot surface. This is almost where the commonalities stop (except for filling). Unlike the French crepe, it was smushed between two hot plates, switched and flipped. Once the batter is secured in the shape of a circle, the vendor sprinkles a handsome handful of shredded cheese in its center. He then rolls the whole treat into a column and adds more cheese into the hole in the middle. I was told to wait until the roll cooled and the exterior was crunchy, before I devoured it. The magical treat’s crust was crunchy and crisp, sweet and sugary like a fortune cookie, malleable and almost flaky in a way. The inside was the salty melty popular Holland cheese, countering the texture and the flavor of the crust. It is genius and delicious, perfect for any mood.

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 esquite

Another example of street food that I had at the parade was something I have experienced at fairs here in the States, or on the high street in London; corn in a cup. Here at the little vendor booth, you could see the full ears of corn on the cob resting in their husks. The vendor also had a wild assortment of toppings and accoutrements ranging from mayo, to spices, to salt, and other goodies. I tasted my friend’s concoction including some of the above. It was warming, spicy, and tangy, the corn fresh, yellow and delicious. However, I really only needed one bite  to get the idea.

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waye tu'kí

The Mayan name for this delicious, snackable treat is pronounced why-é-tukee. This might be my favorite contender of the savory snack category, mostly because of its addictive nature and its almost nutritional content (beans are good for you right?). These tortilla goodies are made out of a lady’s house in Tekax, so they are not necessarily widespread, but they are extremely local eats. In between the two grainy tortillas there is a smear of spicy black beans, made like a creamy blue black paste. Each of these thin sandwiched snacks is smothered with a red tomato based sauce, mild, and acidic. The baseness of the beans, with its smoldering heat, counters the acidity of the tomatoes nicely, so that no flavor is too overwhelming. But the homemade tortillas dampen out the spice even more, increasing the snackability (for me and my heartburn especially). Somehow they end up feeling meaty, hearty and satisfying, even though, each on its own is thin and indistinct. Waye tu'kí comes in stacks, and peeling each unit, is like trying to separate two pieces of wet tissue paper, messy, difficult, and well worth the challenge. You can eat them like potato chips or popcorn, but they are much much heavier than that; too many can feel like a meal, but too few is not nearly enough to feed the addiction.

Stay tuned for the dark side (well the other side) of my Mexican snacking… the sweet side. 

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 2.21.13

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SOUTH of the border: a TASTE

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This is just a taste of the different kinds of foods and dishes and snacks I experienced on my recent adventure in Mexico. Don't worry you will hear all about it in the coming days... from street foods and snacks, to tacos, to traditional (and not so traditional) sit down meals in the Yucatan region of Mexico.

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Stay tuned. Be excited. Your mouth will water!

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2.20.13

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second YELPing

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Just stopped in Tavern on Third for a little bar action and snack. See what I had to say on yelp... I would deffo go there again especially when happy hour comes calling.

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And don't forget to comment or email me (foodiventures@gmail.com) if you have food suggestions, places to try out, or events that are food interesting. I am always up for a food adventure!

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1.31.13

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Hudson County Restaurant Week Food Diary: Light Horse Tavern

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Another day another restaurant to cross off the list... another late lunch, and some not so great impressions.... But this was our last stop for this round of Hudson County Restaurant Week. A food celebration full of adventures, new tastes, new places, and tons of fun. Can't wait until the summer installment! 

Monday, February 4, 2 pm: Light Horse Tavern, Jersey City

Just like the Madison, we have been to the Light Horse Tavern before  almost a year ago. We were not severely impressed with the food, but we had a really great time there for a late dinner. The atmosphere, the staff, the live music, all really had a beneficial impact on our dining experience; sometimes it’s not just the food.

This time it was a late lunch. Unfortunately, the restaurant did not list its prix fixe menu on the Hudson County Restaurant Week website, so we went in blind and consequently were disappointed; no prep, no decisions made, no idea at all. And probably if we had known what they were offering beforehand, we might have chosen a different location. There the lunch prix fixe was $18 for only two courses (none of which were desserts, sadly), and it felt a little limited; 2 salad appetizers, a soup and a raw option, and for mains, three sandwiches and a pasta. It felt like the cheap and easy-way-out items on the menu.

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To start we had the winter kale salad with pickled cherries, candied pecans and some parmesan cheese. The salad looked pretty bleached, pale and devoid of color, because the winter kale was not the plush dark green we are used to, but the sickly bright white green of a plant grown underground. The white cheese and heavy white dressing did not add color only a Caesar flavor. The only color was a dark brown, produced by the maple pecans, and a similar hue with a tinge of red from the tart pickled cherries. Not every bite was always in synch or harmonized, as the cherries provided sparse and random bursts of tart juiciness. 

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The oysters, however, were delicious. The appetizer was a tasting of three really different preparations (déjà vu?). The plate was starkly beautiful; three grey oysters on a white white plate, each dolloped with either an electric green, a light yellow orange, or a rich dark green. The first raw gem was topped with candied citrus rind, sweet and tart like oranges, highlighting the natural sweetness of the oyster. The next preparation was like a honey wasabi, bright with the spiciness of the root, but then muted with the golden tones of honey. I almost forgot that this topped a raw oyster, but the subtle saltiness of the oyster, heightened the sweetness of the honey. The last, was a salty, herby like pesto, sprinkled with the crunch of pale sesame seeds. This was the only preparation that really offered another pronounced texture to battle the smoothness of the oyster. 

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Once again the mains were almost less than interesting. The spaghettini with Maine shrimp, kale and xo tomatoes was a real dud. It lacked flavor and inventiveness. The dish in its entirety felt uniformly bland. Even bites containing shrimp, or kale or even tomato all tasted the same. There were chunks of garlic floating throughout the liquidy mess, and that was perhaps the only flavor. However, it lingered unpleasantly in the mouth for far too long. There was also a tortuously briny saltiness present as well. Unfortunately, nothing held this pasta dish together.

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The cod burger main, on the other hand, was much more appealing, featuring a patty of chopped, flavored and manipulated cod. It was topped with what was like fancy ketchup, a tapenade with roasted tomatoes, sweet and tangy. The bun also included a healthy dose of tartar sauce, red onion and frisee lettuce. The flavors were nice and harmonious, however, the bun was a dry flat line and brought the sandwich down. The accompanying chips were thin, crisp, and salty with what felt like a hint of Old Bay seasoning. They were a nice counter point to the soft textures in the sandwich.

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Even though dessert was not part of the prix fixe, we indulged, mostly because I was so dissatisfied. Of the three offered, we picked the two which sounded the most interesting; a gingersnap bread pudding, and a butternut squash dessert. Both arrived and looked gorgeous well plated and inventive in a sharp contrast to the humdrum we had seen.

We were most definitely skeptical of the butternut squash dessert, but intrigued at the same time. This was a prime example of a savory dessert, where the sweetness relied on very mild vanilla gelato and a pumpkin seed brittle, as well as the few fresh blueberries that lined the plate. It was a very disjointed dish, which our server claimed to be very good. It was lacking the sweetness that we were longing for after our not so great meal, and that could have been injected into the dessert as it was. The meatiness of the pumpkin seeds overwhelmed the brittle, but when the kiss of sweetness come through it was nice. The butternut squash was in difficult chunks, almost too hard and large to manage. Softer and smaller would have been more enjoyable. Perhaps if even the ice cream was a little sweeter the dish would have morphed into something more pleasant. It was a little too experimental, lacking an element to meld all the different pieces together.

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The gingersnap bread pudding was perhaps the best thing we ate at the Light Horse that day, other than maybe the wasabi honey oyster. It was all the sweetness the other dessert lacked, and it had spice in the ginger snap crumbs as well as the cinnamon gelato that came with it. The tiny bread pudding circle, though did not have any perceptible ginger flavor, but it was moist and decadent. It was topped with bright red stewed apple slices, cinnamon infused and spicy with the cookie crumbs, followed by a sweet scoop of the gelato. The apples added some tartness to the sweet dish, varying the balance, though their skins were hard to manage in contrast to the fall apart custard and the melty ice cream. This dessert was delicious, and it felt like the colder seasons, with homey flavors.

We decided we did not really need to eat a full meal at Light Horse Tavern again, too many missteps and discomfort. Once again, we were less impressed with the food, but still longed for the ideas. And just like the first time, dessert was the redeeming factor, so we decided we could stop by another time for dessert and a drink, but their savories felt under developed. The atmosphere was not the warm cozy one we remembered, though the interior was beautiful in the late afternoon light. Sadly, this trip was not what we hoped it would be, it was not the time we fell in love with The Light Horse Tavern.

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2.4.13 

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Hudson County Restaurant Week Food Diary: Maritime Parc

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Saturday, February 2, 7.30 pm: Maritime Parc, Jersey City

Maritime Parc just inside of Liberty State Park was very different than the other restaurants we had been to thus far for Hudson CountyRestaurant Week. It was much quieter, much more subdued. Maybe it was the time of the night, but it did not feel like the place would get more crowded later. It felt almost undiscovered, like a secret hidden in the park.

Maritime Parc restaurant occupies part of a circular building, and the other part is dedicated to events and event planning. The building is beautiful, all glass windows around the top floor, white and lit, almost like a wide light house, a beach front property. The round architecture gives the restaurant a sinuous curve, and so that circular theme appeared again in the round tables and semi circular booths. Even one side of the restaurant is rounded with windows, looking over on the water and the New York City skyline. The view is stunning, perfect like a painted backdrop for a delicious date.

The décor was very refined and matter of fact, but also classy and minimalist, which kind of also reflected the plating of the food. Everything was really understated; white, light wood, and dark from the outside.

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The prix fixe menu was small, each course with only three selections, though the main menu was not large either, one single front side of a piece of paper. The prix fixe, in comparison to the regular menu, had all the dishes I desperately wanted, except for maybe one or two. The mains mostly featured the seafood portion of the restaurant’s expertise, and looked to a winter favorite for a starter.

Unlike our other stops during Restaurant Week, at Maritime Parc we were given ample bread, ranging from white, to wheat, to a type with nuts and dried fruit. This bread was paired with a small bowl of the sweetest and creamiest butter I can remember and another tiny bowl containing flaky sea salt. The combination a real treat. We were also given a shallow dish of pickled red onions, feta cheese, cucumber floating in a sweet beet juice. This was also lovely, tart and tangy, but leveled by the bread and butter.

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For starters we tasted the baby arugula salad and the octopus a la plancha. The salad was pretty standard; the firey rocket cooled by the poached pear, red with liquid, and the Valdeon calmed by the meaty spiced nuts. It was light and refreshing, though as usual, there was too much of the strong cheese, and not enough sweet pear to balance. Somehow in the end, as always, we ended up with too many toppings for the dwindling amount of greens. The cheese was also in big chunks which made it harder to digest and enjoy its pungent flavors. 

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The octopus a la plancha was the complete opposite of the light salad appetizer. This starter was heavy, salty, luxurious and decadent. It was a flavorful composition of tender octopus pieces, crispy greasy bites of potatoes, and some slow cooked pork belly. There was a sea of textures, from the creamy octopus, to the stringy pork, allowing each bite to be different. The decadence was topped with a little frisee lettuce, to add brightness and a little freshness to the heavy starter. The leek puree underneath the mass of potatoes, octopus, and belly, and fat, was almost tasteless through the salt and heaviness of the other elements, but gave great color.

The entrees we chose were the local sea scallops and the fresh strigoli seafood pasta. Well, get this, just the words “local sea scallops” were bolded, as they were the main event, but these two beautiful scallops sat on top three pieces of braised short rib. This is a luxurious take on Sea and Land, both elements prime from their respective sphere. The scallops were nicely seared, and just half a second shy from being under cooked, but they chewed so nicely and felt fresh. They had little flavoring, other than their natural sweetness and saltiness. The short ribs were also well prepared, stringy, and falling apart with a tender stroke of the knife. The combination was really nice, similar textures, with completely different flavors, an equilibrium of the heaviness of the meat and the daintiness of the seafood. Underneath this pile of goodness was a Gribiche sauce, spiked with onion and garlic. This sauce apparently is like a cousin of mayonnaise, studded with capers and reminded me of potato salad without the potatoes. It was a little strong, but added another element to the dish, and something to smear on the meat, and watch vanish as it was almost absorbed.

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The pasta dish was amazing, though not much to look at. It was a heaping bowl of pasta, with dots of a few different colors, but not many. The sauce that drenched the thick shaped pasta, was creamy, heavy and delicious, spiked with lemon and thyme. It smelled like paradise, because of the herbs and the dispersed seafood. There were kernels of fresh cooked, sweet corn throughout, bringing out the sweetness of the seafood, as well as the richness of the sauce. The bowl held an array of different textures and flavors, and was all married well with the sauce and the al dente pasta. It was extremely addictive, comforting and filling. It felt familiar and fancy at the same time. I kept finding myself reaching over our small circular table, to snatch some pasta from my dining best friend. Though delicious, it was not extremely memorable in flavor, almost monotonous except for the different seafoods like scallop, shrimp and crab meat. But what I do remember, is that it was absolutely delicious.

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Of the three desserts offered, two were pretty predictable; a chocolate and a crumble, but the third was hard to imagine and innovative, so we had to try it. It was a beautiful little tropical vacation for dessert, focused on an island of vacheron (sweet French cheese) surrounded by coconut lemongrass sorbet, floating in a pool of passion fruit coulis, and topped with little pieces of kiwi, pineapple and mango. It was accompanied by a long thin strip of lime meringue. This was the most different, complicated, but delicious desserts I have had in a while. It was abstract looking, but everything fit together so nicely; the tart fruits with the tangy coulis, smothered by the sweetness of the sorbet and cheese, and made staccato with the crunch of the meringue. There were a few little micro greens on top, as well as what felt like pepper, adding another savory like element, in conjunction with the cheese.

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The second dessert we decided on was the crisp. It was an apple pear crisp, pretty and round, standing alone. Next to it, was a scoop of cinnamon ice cream studded with mini butterscotch chips, and topped with a thin dried slice of apple like a hat. There was a stripe of caramel and strawberry, flavors that both heightened and contrasted the cold sweet ice cream, and warm muted crisp. The textures were all over the place, and the chips in the ice cream was definitely a surprise in the mouth, as we didn’t expect something so hard in the smooth frozen treat. There were crumbles under the ice cream too that mimicked those on top of the individual crisp. Both the desserts were a beautiful end to a delicious dinner, filled with unexpected tastes and flavors that had me longing for more. I am so glad we took advantage of Hudson County Restaurant Week to discover and indulge in Maritime Parc.

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2.2.13

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