Page 93 - washington state wine

ya’s tiny open-air café next door. There was some gooey,
fudgey thing that made Nutella taste like spinach and a
“choco-café” served in a gourd shell. Astrid said the “choco-
café” came from an ancestral Mayan recipe that included
cacao beans and sweet peppers.

When we finished Astrid pointed to her head. “The cacao
effect is now here,” she said. “And in your stomach and in
your heart”

El Gallo (Valladolid) – A three-table, zero-frills cub-
by-hole near the end of tony Calle 41 street. They have
a cooler with soft drinks and one thing on the menu: co-
chinita pibil. Slow roasted pork and warm corn tortillas.
Maybe our best single bite in the Yucatan.

Loncheria Aguacate (Tulum). A “loncheria” is basically a
diner. Aguacate caters to locals and canny travelers who
leave the tacky main street fare for Angel Crespo’s Oaxa-
can-tinged lunches including our dark, rich chicken mole.

Yerba Buena del Sisal (Valladolid). A tree-covered patio
restaurant with a varied menu that includes smoked pork
tacos, cazuelas (eggs cooked in clay pots), and zizilpak, a
Yucatan pumpkin seed dip. But the drinks steal the show.
Their “Tonico Referrante” (“refreshing tonic”) is made
with ginger, lemon, honey and mineral water. “Limonada
y Chaya” is lemonade and chaya, a kind of leafy green –
what our waitress called “Mayan spinach.”
Botella Verde (Merida) -- Santa Lucia Park has been re-
born. Once a neglected trash-strewn corner, it now hosts
an art market, Friday night folk dancing and a ring of new
restaurants, all with outdoor seating. This is where we ate
our best meal in the Yucatan.

Botella Verde, tucked in a corner behind the portable
stage/dance floor, features an adventurous menu of “bota-
nas” (snacks) and main courses that change weekly. While
manager Luis Velasquez loves Mexican food, he wanted
to make it healthier. So the result is lighter, but complex
and intriguing like the.filo-wrapped herbed chicken with
tomato, avocado, peppered bacon and a sweet red pepper
sauce, or the a “ropa vieja” mini sandwich of pulled beef
roasted with tomato, achiote, grilled onions, and peppers.
We ended our meal with a slice of their key lime pie with
mango. Creamy, tangy, tart and floral. A dessert worth a
special trip to Mexico.

Love,

John and Jody

Opposite: “Confidente” seat in the central square in
Valladolid. Right: One of the beautiful people taking a
picture of the Mayan ruins at Tulum.

Wine Dine & Travel Summer/Fall 2015 93