Eating my way through Mexico…
Eating in Mexico is a culinary delight. It seems like every dish offers an experience that can’t be matched in the U.S. This is a long post…but worth it. Enjoy.
Huevos Motulenos – Alexia & Geovanny’s, Isla Mujeres…excellent…one of my favorite places for huevos motulenos.
Mexican Style Eggs – Rolandi’s, Isla Mujeres…just okay.Mexican Scrambled Eggs – Mango Cafe, Isla Mujeres…excellent.
French Toast – Mango Cafe, Isla Mujeres…excellent.
Lobster – Velazquez, Isla Mujeres…very good.
Crabs – Minino’s, Isla Mujeres…okay…not very much meat and you had to fight for it.
Grilled Garlic Fish – El Viejo Pescador, Puerto Morelos…excellent.
Lemonade – Cafe Cito, Isla Mujeres…very good…and I love the tables.
Fried Eggs and Potatoes – Cafe Cito, Isla Mujeres…just okay.
Cheese Tamales – The Little Mexican Cooking School, Puerto Morelos…very good…especially since I helped to make them myself.
Mole del Olla – The Little Mexican Cooking School, Puerto Morelos…excellent.
Veggie Pizza – Pizza ‘n Love, Puerto Morelos…good, but a little on the doughy side.
Garlic Shrimp Skewers – (can’t remember the name of the restaurant), Puerto Morelos…good taste, but they should have removed the shells from the shrimp before cooking.
Chicken Tostadas – El Tio, Puerto Morelos…okay (I should have chosen something else).
Maple Fruit Crepes – French Bistro, Isla Mujeres…very good and VERY rich and heavy.
Ham and Cheese with Poached Egg – Cafe Cito, Isla Mujeres…very strange…not a combination I would put together.
Huevos Motulenos – Bucaneros, Isla Mujeres…very good.
Bimbo Dog – Food cart on Isla Mujeres…excellent (but you have to love this sort of food to appreciate it).
Chicken Enchiladas – Old Sawn Restaurant, Nuevo Progresso…good.
Chicken Tacos – El Fogon, Playa del Carmen…excellent. This is just a dive sidewalk place that is extremely popular with great prices. This isn’t the greatest photo, but it sure was good.
Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo – Hotel San Clemente, Valladolid…horrible. This is the only dish I’ve ever gotten in Mexico that I couldn’t eat. Between the dried out bread, the margarine and packaged jelly, I took two bites and walked away. Maybe the egg dish is an acquired taste, but I wouldn’t be acquiring it any time soon.
Cochinita Pibil – Hotel el Meson de Marques, Valladolid…very good. This is a Yucatan dish which is also an acquired taste. It’s definitely different than anything I tasted, but I liked it. I need to try it again at different restaurants.
Huevos Mexicana – La Hacienda, Playa del Carmen…okay…all their breakfast dishes seemed to look and taste the same.
For the life of me, I can’t remember what this was…but I do think it was at La Vagabunda in Playa del Carmen.
Vegetarian Enchiladas – El Pirata, Puerto Morelos…excellent.
Shrimp Cocktail – Pelicano, Puerto Morelos…very good.
Club Sandwich – Lol Ha, Akumal…average…but the view made up for it.
Spiced Brownie with Whipped Cream – The Little Mexican Cooking School, Puerto Morelos…WAY excellent…the chilies in the brownie mixed with the whipped cream was absolutely wonderful.
Garlic Shrimp – Justicia Social, Isla Mujeres…okay.
Huevos Divorciados – I can’t remember! I know it’s on Isla Mujeres…maybe at Alexia & Geovanny’s?? Not sure…anyway, they were very good.
Huevos Mexicana – M&J’s, Isla Mujeres…very good. This was at their old location next to the Hotel Rocamar.
Garlic Fish – Justicia Social, Isla Mujeres…okay.
Asparagus Casuela – M&J’s, Isla Mujeres…excellent.
French Toast – Brisas Grill, Isla Mujeres…lame.
Cheese Pizza – Brisas Grill, Isla Mujeres…average at best.
Huevos Motulenos – La Vagabunda, Playa del Carmen…excellent…one of the best.
Garlic Shrimp – Justicia Social, Isla Mujeres…average.
Fish Soup – La Bruja, Isla Mujeres…WONDERFUL. I didn’t think I’d like it, but I ate everything and was a mess when I was done. I think it was about 100 degrees when I had it…needed a shower afterwards.
Garlic Fish – Sergio’s, Isla Mujeres…excellent. I ate the whole damn thing.
Can’t remember exactly what this was…some kind of mushroom fettucini – Rolandi’s, Isla Mujeres…okay. Normally, I really like Rolandi’s, but this was just average.
Shrimp Cocktail – Playa Maya, Playa del Carmen…excellent. I especially liked all their dressings of avocado and lime.
Pico de Gallo – Picus, Isla Mujeres…excellent.
Close-up…
Shrimp Cocktail – Picus, Isla Mujeres…excellent. They also served a complimentary fish soup that day. It was good, but not as good as La Bruja.
Shrimp Cocktail – Justicia Social, Isla Mujeres…very good.
Shrimp Cocktail – Cafe del Mar, Isla Mujeres…lame…tasted like tomato soup poured over shrimp.
Garlic Fish – Picus, Isla Mujeres…great.
Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas Mole – Sancochos, Isla Mujeres…below average. I’ve heard good things about this restaurant, but the enchilada mole was dry and tasteless and the soup was just okay.
Huevos Motulenos – Tacostumbras, Isla Mujeres…great…definitely a top contender for huevos motulenos.
Grilled Shrimp – Minino’s, Isla Mujeres…great.
Chicken Enchiladas Verde – Hotel el Crucero, Tulum…excellent.
Fish & Chips – BallyHoo, Isla Mujeres…excellent…and a great view.
So, that’s it. My wish is to add many more dishes to this menu. I want to experience many more culinary delights in Mexico. Stay tuned.
Random Travel Musings 
What a wonderful post Deb..it’s like.”On the Beach in Mexico …***A Foodies Guide to Edible Art***…”..this was a difficult job I know.. but someone has to do it 😉 ..and Thanks for the “cravings”( I know where I am having lunch today) , can’t wait to see the next edition.:)
February 11, 2011 at 2:45 pm
You have pics from some of my fave restaurants. A & G and Tacos Tumbras can’t be beat for delicious and inexpensive food. Yes, that’s the Huevos Divorciados. Yum! My A & G breakfast favorite is the Chilequiles. Ballyhoo fish and chips, fish tacos and shrimp tacos are tops in my book, also.
I didn’t see any ceviche…which is one of my favorites. The La Bruja soup looks fabulous and the cochinita pibil does, too. I make cochinita pibil in my crock pot at home. Super easy and delish. I don’t particularly care for huevos motulenos. I just don’t like ham.
I’m making Mexican Shrimp cocktail for Mr. Wonderful’s Valentine dinner, course #1. Shh. Don’t tell!
February 11, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Time for breakfast now:-)) On the club sandwich, do you remember if Egg was on it? Debbie likes club’s, but in Ohio it’s unheard of on a club. Ya killed me with the Bimbo Dog:-)) You and your camera have become great pal’s. gracias
February 12, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Barry – Yes, I’m looking forward to the next edition, too!
Jana – I love ceviche, too…I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures of it!! And mum’s the word on the Valentine’s Day dinner.
Carl – There was no egg on the club sandwich, thank goodness. I think I would have taken it off if there had been. By the way, the pictured Bimbo dog was from Christmas a year ago. I had one just this past Christmas and it was not nearly as good…I only got one. I hope it was just an “off” night.
February 13, 2011 at 5:35 am
Great food photos! Lots of my favorite restaurants and foods.
True story… My 2nd trip to Isla in 1996 my sister and I ate breakfast at Cafe Cito. I ordered the soft-boiled egg, ham and cheese, which BTW is very European. It was one of those times where we saw people come in, order their food, eat it and leave before we got our food. I spoke even less Spanish back then than I do now so I kept asking in English where our breakfast was. Finally I saw someone from the kitchen come in the restaurant with a plastic bag. She had to go to the store and wait for it to open to buy the ham. If they had told me they didn’t have ham I would have ordered something else. This I not the only time I have had an experience like that. The first time my daughter went to Isla with me we stayed at Nautibeach and ate quite a few meals at Sunset Grill. Our last night my daughter ordered the coconut shrimp and told the manager she waited for her last night to have it because she wanted it as her last dinner memory of Isla. He said he was sorry they were out of shrimp. So she ordered something else. About 10 minutes later the manager came to our table and showed us the shrimp he bought after making a few phones calls to shrimpers. I can’t say that I remember any special service like that from a restaurant in the US. Just one more thing to love about Isla.
February 14, 2011 at 12:04 am
Jackie – I know what you mean about getting special service on Isla…one of the many things that make it so endearing. (And the Europeans can keep the ham, cheese and egg dish…that did NOT appeal to me…haha!)
February 14, 2011 at 1:13 am
Sorry I missed this post until now. Great food photos, Deb! Tim made a batch of ceviche this morning for our lunch. I think I’m ready for it right now!
February 27, 2011 at 4:23 pm