Special Menu from Quintana Roo

QuintanaRoo– photo: www.visitmexico. com

I bet if I asked 100 people in the U.S what Mexican Cancun is located in, maybe one or two would know, if that many. But this gorgeous state is indeed much more than that popular but definitely not my favorite travel destination in Mexico even though there is some good food to be had there and some of the hotel have top ratings as fa as service.I prefer more  typical locales in the interior of Mexico but  even the now gentrified Tulum and Playa del Carmen will do when I need to get some sun and sand which is really hardly ever.

But at one time I was hired to do a culinary research project for a governor many years ago and I got to really know the food which is a mixture of Lebanese, British, Mayan and even from Belize as you need the border there. There is a dish that hails from there called raysenbeens (rice and beans),; they call coconut tarts “tats de coco” and a tabouli seasoned with habanero chiles, sour lime juice and cilantro.  But a dish that I learned from a saucy cook named Yara in a restaurant in Chetumal has been a star on my menu since I learned it in early 1993, the  Pollo en  Escabeche Negro Yara.  Here now are some other specialties.

CHEF’S SPECIALS FROM THE STATE OF QUINTANA ROO
NOVEMBER 6TH TO NOVEMBER 9TH, 2009

Caldillo de Nopales
Ancho chile broth with thin slices of cactus and fresh corn chochoyotes
9.00

Tamal de “Chaya”
Corn masa mixed with sweet chard and stuffed with queso blanco, poblano and
steamed in a corn husk
10.00

Chile Relleno de Ceviche de Pico de Paloma
Anaheim chile stuffed with fish marinated in lime, onions and sweet  habenero chile
11.00

Pescado Flameado
Grilled fish of the day  with brandy, beer, onion, garlic and lime sauce
22.00

Makum de Repollo
Tender spice-rubbed pork shoulder slow cooked in orange stock with cabbage and onions
17.00

Ejotes Salteados
Green beans sautéed with garlic, sour orange and achiote garnished with pickled onions
8.00