Viva La Mexico!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! I was fortunate enough to spend my Thanksgiving in the sunny country of Mexico -- where celebrating is at its best. My family and I spent a week long vacation in Riveria Maya to celebrate Thanksgiving and more importantly, my grandma's 90th birthday! We rented a house and layed by the pool everyday and then traveled to town for some delicious meals. My mom did the restaurant researching and my sister did the reservations and every night was better than the last. If anyone is traveling to Playa de Carmen/ Riveria Maya in the future keep on reading! Or if you want to be jealous of my Thanksgiving vacation you can keep on reading as well.

All of the restaurants we went to were in the downtown area of Playa del Carmen either on 5th avenue or off of. Do not be mistaken when I say 5th Avenue because there is no comparison. This one is a block away from the ocean which is a plus but the shopping is sub par. Go only for the gelato, haagen dazs, funny t-shirts and restaurants.

Below are my restaurant recommendations for Playa del Carmen... enjoy!

Casa del Agua - Get the Caesar salad table side and something off their creative drink list!

Cocina 38 - We were the only ones in the restaurant which was great. The tuna tartare was amazing (see picture for proof) and be sure when ordering the duck to specify what temperature you want it cooked at. Some came out too over done. The pork belly appetizer was really good also. I got the filet which was delicious.

Wicky's - Was a great steak house! Right on the water by the light house in brand new condos that aren't even open yet. The lobster mac & cheese was great and so were the truffle fries and of course the steaks. My sister in law Jodi doesn't eat red meat so she got the king crab legs which were delicious as well. They were already cracked and easy to eat! The chef is no older than 28 from Colorado and knows how to do a steak house well! They also offer beach service and breakfast/lunch everyday.

Negrosal - We went here to celebrate mom-mom's 90th bday. The menu was huge and the restaurant was gorgeous and open to the outside. They also had these great stools that went next to your chair so ladies could put their purses on them! A great invention and all restaurants should start using them. To start, I got the fried cheese which tasted like brie with a yummy apricot sauce. We also got the duck spring rolls which are highly recommended and the grilled calamari but beware it was spicy! For entrees the lamb chops were a bit hit, the asparagus crusted salmon and the seafood pasta dishes. They also offer Mayan dishes which was a nice touch for being in Mexico!

We even had a chef some cook us a real Thanksgiving with a 20 lb turkey and all the fixings!

A big thank you goes out to my mom and Michael for a great trip which hopefully we can do again next year!

Now back in New York the eating and blogging will continue...