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Cozumel Island
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Cozumel Trip Report Trip Report Part I...Dining Reviews Julie, Alan, PJ, Terri Binder Babe/Chick, Kraig at Manati. Photo by Pearl (Pic is a little grainy cause I forgot to adjust for the low light or maybe it was the Maggies) Dining Reviews from Jan 27 to Feb 10 These are only my personal musings. I would encourage you to try all the restaurants that you can and let everyone know what you think. With a little luck I’ll have a chance to try them all eventually and be looking forward to new places opening. This last trip was made a little more special by having the opportunity to befriend Kraig and Binder Babe/Chick Terri and family. They are some of the nicest people walking the planet and your life will be a little brighter if you get a chance to meet them. Ratings Service: L Poor J Good J!! Outstanding Prices: $ Very reasonable $$ Good $$$ Pricey Yacuitateria (Located on Avenida 10 between Calles 9 and 11. Parking is +++) I have read numerous good reviews of this resturant. Apparently I don’t get it or I don’t care for Yucatacean cuisine or we hit a bad night. I was not pleased with anything. Service was very slow and when someone finally paid attention to us, they gave us one menu for 6 people and didn’t bother to ask if we want anything to drink. We waited patiently and our beverage order was finally taken. Beverages took a very long time coming (and we still only had one menu) and we ordered dinner. In the mean time, two other small parties came in and were treated like long lost friends and the staff scrambled to wait on them. Other parties dinner orders arrived before ours. When our food finally arrived about 25 minutes later (and no one ordered anything which should have taken so long), we were all let down after reading all the good reviews. Maybe the cuisine relies heavily on a fish flavoring. Every dish including nachos and the beans had a fish flavor. We didn’t go back even though it was only a half block from the house. Service L Price $$$ Costa Brava (Calle 7 a couple of doors off the waterfront. Parking +++) A GTNT favorite! We have been steady patrons for three trips. When we can’t make up our minds, it’s off to Costa Brava. Luis (owner) and Miguel (waiter) make everyone feel like old friends. Miguel’s English is getting very good, Luis is still working on it. I have yet to be disappointed with a meal here and the salsa is some of the best in town. Hours are 7 AM to 11 or midnight depending on business. All the entrees are made fresh every meal. The seafood platter for two and the sampler for two are both outstanding. Costa Brava is also the home of the $2USD breakfast. Has been rated highly by Binder Babe Terri. Service J!! Price $ Jeanie’s Waffle House (Melgar between Calles 5 & 7. Parking- on 5, 7, or Av 5) The best North American breakfast in town. It’s also a good spot to eat and watch the Cruiser traffic walking by. Service J Price $$ Don Pepino (Avenida 10 & Calle 3. Parking+) This is your place for when the kids or you want something that is a little more like the US. Burgers, fries, onion rings (with a mango sauce), chicken nuggets etc. They also do traditional food. Maybe even a Disney movie in Spanish in the back dining room. Alex the cook is learning English and will gladly trade vocabulary tips with you. They serve soft drinks only, but Alex will take some pesos and go a couple of doors down to the tienda and get you a beer if you’d like. Manati (Avenida 10 & Calle 8. Parking ++) If you have ever watched the Discovery Channel series “The Great Chefs”, Manati is right out of one of the shows. The dining area is small, quaint, and decorated with a local flair. The wait staff is also the best on the island and speaks very good English. This was an older kids night out, so we weren’t in a hurry (Alan & Julie, Kraig & Binder Babe Terri, and me (Pat)). A couple of leisurely cocktails and conversation (and let the dining room clear out) then time to order. It was end of the evening and there was only one of the special left, Chicken Breast with Mango Chutney. I politely let everyone order first and no one wanted the Chicken, much to my delight! It was a lightly grilled breast wrapped in a flour tortilla then quickly deep fried to crisp the tortilla served with vegetables and rice. Absolutamente perfecto!! Soup was French onion with a large crouton and the local cheese, also to die for. Dessert was a little sipper of Kahlua. One of the most memorable meals I’ve had in years. Service J!! Price $$$ (and still a bargain). Casa Denis (Southeast corner of the Plaza. Parking- good luck & be patient) I’d read a great review of the seafood platter and wanted to give it a try. We had all five kids and all five big kids in the Plaza. Erica and Libby were getting their hair braided right across from the resturant, so we had beers and cocktails til they were done. Service was outstanding. Good spot for people watching too. The seafood platter lived up to it’s reputation (I split it with Julie knowing I’d get the big dog’s share). Service J Price $$$ Lobster’s Cove (Melgar & Calle 11. Parking + on 11) One of the well known tourist destinations and for good reason. Dining area is very upscale. Live music is excellent (one of the best guitar players I’ve ever heard). The music is so good it took a few minutes to realize that it was live and not recorded. We were in later in the evening and the waiter told us that their lobster delivery had only arrived in the last hour. They had lost a bunch of disappointed customers earlier in the evening because they were out of tails (we had seen the car ferry come in around 5 that evening and figured the delivery truck must have been on it). The lobster was excellent (I had mine boiled in sea water, Julie had hers grilled). The rest of the menu looked yummy too. Service J!! Price $$$+ (the Chicken place on Avenida 30 just north and across from Mercado San Francisco) (Park right in from of the door) This is a must do take-out meal. There is no other chicken in the hemisphere like it! Several dozen chickens are slow cooked on a multi spit brick barbeque over wood (mesquite I think, they bring the wood from the mainland). Get there early, they sell out by around 5 every day (I got the last two of the day at 5:15). In addition to a whole chicken which is snipped into pieces for you with a huge pair of scissors and packed in a foam meat tray, you get seasoned pasta, shredded cabbage, sliced pickled jalapenos, and a couple of dozen fresh corn tortillas. All for 50 pesos! Service J! Price $ Palmeras (On the waterfront at the ferry pier. Parking- best of luck) A tourist destination with good North American type food. I’ve only ever had a burger or sandwich there, both were good. They also serve good NA breakfasts. The big draw for Palmeras is the location (of course it’s relflected in the prices). It’s a great people watching spot! You can watch the tourists off the ferry, Cruisers, time share hawkers, scooter rental peddlers, locals, and guys with assault rifles and dogs, all from the comfort of your open air table!! Service J Price $$$ Nino’s Pizza & Pasta (Avenida 10 across from Don Pepino. Parking +) We did a take-out order, but it is a nice spot to dine-in also. Pizza is thin crust and not a lot of topping choices, but good for local pizza. Pasta selections were somewhat limited but tasty. A large 3 topping and two orders of pasta ran us about $13 US. Service J More next trip. Stay tuned for Beach Club, Shopping, Entertainment, Bar, Driving, and Villa Rental Reviews to follow soon……………… Trip Report Part II...Beaches & Bars (Lotsa Pics) Once again, my personal observations. Diversity makes the world an
interesting place (sometimes terrifying for us Postal Workers). I've only made
notes on the places we visited this trip. We had kids along this time so there
wasnt' alot of wildlife. Lodging Reviews
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