Cozumel Eats – Del Sur Empanadas and Argentinian Grill

Posted by islandmoosie on June 11, 2013
Posted in: Cozumel - June 2013, Cozumel Eats, Del Sur Empanadas. Leave a comment

Del Sur Empanadas and Argentinian Grill
(located on Ave 5 and Calle 3 Sur)

 
Del Sur empanadas get a lot of raves from Trip Advisor posters.  We dropped by after dinner one night to grab some dessert empanadas to go so we can enjoy them with a nightcap back at Playa Azul.

What a nice place.  We loved their decor, with plenty of heavy wood.

Del Sur Empanadas & Argentinian Grill

We met the owner and chatted with him for a bit, about how he ended up getting into the business.  Super nice guy.

We shared most of the empanadas with our friends back at the hotel as I was concentrating on the marquesitas that we had also bought the same night, but I did try one the next day.  Even though I had refrigerated it, the empanada was still delicious.

Yummy dessert empanadas

Total bill for four dessert empanadas Mex$85 (roughly US$7)

This will also be on our list for future visits.  Hook wants to dine here one night and try their grilled entrees.

Cozumel Eats – Buccano’s At Night

Posted by islandmoosie on June 11, 2013
Posted in: Buccano's At Night, Cozumel - June 2013, Cozumel Eats. Leave a comment

Buccano’s At Night
(located next door to Playa Azul Hotel in the North side of the island)

 
The original plan was to dine at Buccano’s our first night on the island.  Alas, the heavy rain prevented us from venturing out.  Luckily, the weather broke towards the end of the week and we were able to try this place.  Dinner is only served on Friday and Saturday nights.

The setting is beautiful with soft candle lights aglow.  We were greeted even before we entered the restaurant, then greeted by Anne who sat us at our table, followed by a greeting by the owner who described the specials for the night.  The servers were outstanding and attentive throughout.  They offered us bug spray (dining is outdoors) and put one of the mosquito coils by our table at our request.

I started with the special cocktail of the night, a Frangelico Nutella martini – yummy! and Hook had a Classic mojito.

We shared an appetizer of Pulpo a la plancha (grilled octopus).  Big serving, but man oh man, that octopus was tough!!  And a little scary looking the way they plated it.  It looked like a snake.  It icked me out!  Not appetizing at all.

Pulpo a la plancha – tougher than a rubber hose!!

Hook had the Skewer of shrimp tequila flambe.  It was tasty but the shrimps were a little overcooked.  I had the Seared tuna special of the night with panko crusted green beans.  It was very good.

Skewer of shrimp tequile flambe
Seared tuna with panko crusted green beans

We shared the trio of chocolate mousse dessert – a Bailey’s chocolate mousse, a Lavender and Honey chocolate mousse, and a Toffee chocolate mousse.  The best was the toffee mousse.

Trio of chocolate mousse

Total bill was Mex$1,200 (roughly US$96) including gratuity.

We would come back for a nice night out.  Again we thought the portions were substantial for a fine dining restaurant.  We are used to very small portions when dining at these type of restaurants!

Note:  We normally leave a 20% gratuity (sometimes a wee bit more when it is more convenient than getting a Mex$10 coin back)

Cozumel Eats – Al Pie Del Carbon

Posted by islandmoosie on June 11, 2013
Posted in: Al Pie Del Carbon, Cozumel - June 2013, Cozumel Eats. Leave a comment

By now you know about my penchant for cheese.  No, it is not the only thing that I eat.  Hook and I both love to try different food when we travel, seeking out places frequented by locals and travelers in the know.  Along with the local places, we mix in some fine dining to round out our experience.

The internet and travel forums have been invaluable in helping us research restaurants to try.  So it is only fair that we contribute our own dining experiences to help other travelers.

I will break it out into separate blogs for each place to keep them sort of short.  I have a tendency to ramble 🙂
 

Al Pie Del Carbon
(located on the corner of Calle 6 Norte and Ave 5 … a hop and a skip away from the town square)

 

We were a little taco’d-out and wanted something different… just plain grilled meat.  Our fellow guests at Playa Azul Hotel who have been coming to Cozumel for many years raved about the steaks at this place, so we figured, why not?

Al Pie Del Carbon wood-fired grill on their patio

It is a cozy place with a few tables outside and a few inside.  We chose to dine inside in a/c to escape the humidity.

Al Pie Del Carbon Argentinian Steakhouse

We both opted for sangria instead of wine.  Apparently I had not learned my lesson yet…  Yup, it is not the spanish type sangria that we are accustomed to.  Once again it was red wine with lemonade, it seemed.

The steaks were very, very good… comparable to the fine steakhouses in the U.S.  They have two types of meat for each steak choice, a “Nacionales” (ie. Mexican steak) and a “USDA”.  The Playa Azul guests told us to make sure we get the USDA type as it is much better, so we did.

The steaks did not disappoint.  Hook ordered the churrasco steak, while I had the filet mignon.  Both were perfectly cooked the way we ordered them.

Grilled bread with chimichurri (yummy!!), garlic butter, habanero peppers (hot hot hot!)

Churrasco steak

Filet mignon

Total bill was Mex$670 (roughly $54) including the gratuity  — inexpensive for this kind of restaurant and the amount of food they give you!

Hook declared this to be his favorite restaurant.  It will surely be on our restaurant list for future visits.

Note:  We normally leave a 20% gratuity (sometimes a wee bit more when it is more convenient than getting a Mex$10 coin back)

Say Queso!

Posted by islandmoosie on June 3, 2013
Posted in: Cozumel - June 2013, Say Queso!. Leave a comment

I woke up and took a peek outside, hoping to see Mr. Sunshine greeting me with his bright rays.  Instead I see nothing but dark and gloomy clouds.  Hmmmm… there must be a mix-up.  I am quite certain this is not the vacation weather I had ordered ahead of time.  Bah!   

We headed downstairs to grab breakfast which is always a treat at Hotel Playa Azul.  We were greeted by a smiling Luis who remembered us from our last visit.  Luis informs us that because there are not many guests at the hotel (only 15 people), the buffet is not set-up but that they do have everything they normally have in the buffet and we can order and they would serve it to us. 

Coffee was soon served, along with orange juice.  Mini Belgian waffles were my choice (always my choice…I love Belgian waffles!!) along with a fruit plate that consisted of slices of watermelon, honeydew, and papaya.  Yummy!  Hook had an omelet with a side of bacon and sausage.  It was all very good and very filling.

Mini Belgian Waffles – my favorite

Omelet with sausage and bacon

It was drizzling on and off, but no matter.  We headed to the beach and parked ourselves under a palapa, content for the moment to just read and watch a pelican hunting for his meal. It kept raining… off and on… off and on… Geez, can’t we have a break??  Nope, not in the cards today.   

I look at my watch and by now it’s 12:30.  Hey, officially past noon!  You know what that means right?  Time to hit the bar!   

Mooooojito time! 

Wait… Say WHUUUUT?  No mint today?!  But….but…. I saw Felipe and..and… he is the mint purveyor.  A mini-pouty face.  

Kermit promises that Felipe will bring mucho mint tomorrow.  Smiley smile.

A sangria to start with then.  Which, as it turns out, is not the same as the sangria at the Spanish tapas bars back home.  I think this was a mix of red wine and lemonade.  Not bad, but I am more of a sweet drink girl.  We shoot the breeze for while, enjoying a lovely chat with Kermit and Felipe. 

After all the libations, Hook suggested working off the calories with the ever so manly activity of…. shelling!  LOL.  I like to think he is trying to please me with an activity that I enjoy.  Truth is, he is probably just trying to pre-empt me buying shells at Pottery Barn…

Pretty shells

 

Evening rolls and we head to town for dinner.  Hook and I are both craving for something quick and local.  I am trying to channel El Pique to Hook, but he’s not in tune with my subtle hints.  He wants something close to the town square, so we end up at Otates.

We order up a total of 5 tacos, a mix of al pastor, lengua, and cachete (cheek), a Dos Equis for him, and horchata for me.  All for a grand total of 103 pesos + tip.  Food was ok but not the best tacos we’ve had.  That’s ok, I am saving room for dessert.

Otates restaurant

Tacos for dinner

Al pastor meat

We roam the square looking for churros.  It is quiet, no band tonight.  Hook is disappointed as he loves the Sunday concerts.   

My eyes are busy scanning around the perimeter looking for the churro cart.  Just as I mutter, “What does a girl have to do here to get a churro?”, I spot a couple of carts by the front of the square which looks promising, so we meander over.

Ten feet away and I see the familiar churro dough contraption thingy.  Gold!  There is a crowd of hungry churro seekers waiting their turn.  The kid has the churro monopoly tonight. 

But wait, what is this vendor in the cart next door making?  Looks interesting…

Is it a crepe? Is it a waffle? Is it a pizzelle?

 

“Look, it’s like a crepe” I say.   

We slide on over, and watch, completely fascinated. 

Tools of the chef. Can I find this in Williams Sonoma?

 

I look at the sign and it says “Marquesitas con queso de bola”.

Queso!

 

Whoa!  Queso!!  Mmmm que-so!  Well of course we must try it.  Hello cheese!  Come to Moosie.

We order one, a mere 20 pesos ($2).  Only queso por favor… no cajete (caramelized milk)… no lechera (sweet milk something)… no nothing else… only queso.   

I take a bite and my eyes roll backwards and I sigh.  SIGH!!

Marquesita con queso de bola

Forget the churro.  This is muy rico!  It is like a waffle cone, except rolled like a crepe instead of a cone, with grated cheese inside.  Moosie is in heaven!! 

Today is Sunday.  My mind quickly calculates how many more times I can partake of this heavenly delight.   

I try… in my best broken Spanish… to ask the vendor if he will be here tomorrow night too.  Gesturing while I utter the words…

“Es… tu (point finger to him) … acqui (point finger to the ground) … mañana (make a half circle/arc with my finger)?” 

Poor kid looks at me with a confused look.  Clearly I must bone up on my Spanish.  Damn, this is when I need my smartphone so I can google translate.  He shakes his head, no intiende.   

I try again… I even try with the vendor kid next to him selling the churros.  I’m not certain if he understood me but he said something about no, not aqui … mañana Palacio. 

  Guess where Moosie will be roaming tomorrow night?