After a well-needed sleep on the "firm" bed at Bahia, I skipped my free breakfast at Casa Mexicana, but took advantage of the free coffee in the lobby. Walked down to Hotel Barracuda for some more coffee by the sea, and then went to brunch with some friends at Rock 'N Java. This time I had the Breakfast Tacos, three healthy whole-wheat tortillas stuffed with scrambled eggs and cheese that were very tasty with a few spoons of the habanero salsa placed on the table. Regretfully I didn't snap a photo.
Spent a very nice day sitting at the Blue Angel pool, followed by an invigorating swim from BA to Villa Blanca and back that helped me work up an appetite for dinner. I also walked back from BA after paying a 70 peso taxi fare to get there. After that fare, I decided to boycott taxis until it was time to return to the airport, which precluded me from trying some of the out-of-the-way spots. On the other hand, I found the walk between town and BA to be very pleasant.
I already touched on that night's dinner in the "I am a dork" thread. Kondesa is a beautiful spot. Tables scattered about a garden-like setting with intimate lighting. Excellent service. The only negative of the night were my "table" mates, first the muckety muck who called me a dork, and then the family that replaced them at the table who, believe it or not, were even worse.
Here's a lousy shot of what the restaurant looks like inside the walls:
Kondesa, like its sister Kinta, has a resident cat. Personally, I love to eat out with a cute little pussy, but the cat was ignoring my calls. Instead it chose to sit by the table next to me, now occupied by the family of four, husband and wife and two daughters. To my horror, instead of being charmed by the friendly kitty, the older daughter shrieked how she hated cats and the dad tried to shoo it away with his foot. Had he connected, I would have defended the kitty with my own feet, but luckily for his sake the cat got the message and went on to another table.
Dad was, not sure how else to describe it, quite the buffoon. He made a point of loudly asking every single waiter, busboy, etc. that came by his table "Do you speak English?". Well, duh, this is Cozumel and one of the most popular restaurants on the island. Of course they speak English. In fact, when I went to sister Kinta a later night, both the maitre d' and my waiter were obviously raised in the U.S. speaking flawless American English without any trace of an accent, they may not have even been Mexican so far as I know.
The credit card machine was broken that night and dad almost had a fit. I was hoping they would leave on that note, but no, he ended up driving to an ATM. At first he wanted the waiter to take his car and drive to get cash for him. Pretty balsy, I wouldn't hand my car and ATM card/code over to a stranger even if was a nice waiter at a nice restaurant, but dad ended up going himself.
About 10 minutes after placing their order, which ended up being a salad and an entree for dad and mom to share (seriously?), pasta for the older girl, and chicken fingers for the younger one, mom got the waiter's attention and demanded that her food be cooked without salt or butter. Seriously? Even if one should make such a lame request at a restaurant that serves food with complex sauces that are probably impossible to rework properly according to an individual diner's silly demands, the time to make the request is at the time of ordering, not when the chef is probably halfway through cooking the food. But I digress, enough about my fellow diners. Onto the food.
First course was the Kondesa Kakes. $105.
The menu describes these as "Lion fish, potato, cilantro, coconut milk, panko, julienne salad, poblano-agave emulsion". This was my first try of lionfish, though I've eaten scorpionfish sashimi before at home. La Perlita sounded like it would be too far to walk, so this was also my last try this trip, but I would gratefully try it again the next time. The fish chunks had an excellent texture, similar to crab. The potato filling with cilantro flecks was creamy, the fried panko coating nice and crispy, and the "emulsion" almost worth licking the plate. Apologies for starting to eat before taking the photo, but I was hungry and started to dig in before remembering my camera.
Next was the Peskado Pepita: "Catch of the day in local Zucchini sauce, caramelized brussels sprouts, puffed Pumpkin seeds, Huitlacoche rice" $205
This dish was amazing. Perfectly cooked grouper on a bed of earthy rice blacked by the corn fungus and the crunch and nuttiness of the pepitas and the brussels sprouts along with the beautiful green sauce made every bite a delight. The accompanying veggies were perfectly cooked as well. I was full after this rich dish but could have ordered another round it was so good. This was my favorite entree of the trip.
This time I saved room for dessert. Delicia de Elote was a special of the night and turned out to be a sweet corn flan sprinkled with caramelized corn and cajeta, along with some kiwi, strawberry compote, and apple chunks. The flan didn't taste "corny" at all, just rich and sweet and delicious, and since it was really just a vegetable, healthy too
Notwithstanding my unpleasant dinner guests, Kondesa was overall the best meal of my trip and I very much look forward to dining there again in the future so I can try more of the menu.
Spent a very nice day sitting at the Blue Angel pool, followed by an invigorating swim from BA to Villa Blanca and back that helped me work up an appetite for dinner. I also walked back from BA after paying a 70 peso taxi fare to get there. After that fare, I decided to boycott taxis until it was time to return to the airport, which precluded me from trying some of the out-of-the-way spots. On the other hand, I found the walk between town and BA to be very pleasant.
I already touched on that night's dinner in the "I am a dork" thread. Kondesa is a beautiful spot. Tables scattered about a garden-like setting with intimate lighting. Excellent service. The only negative of the night were my "table" mates, first the muckety muck who called me a dork, and then the family that replaced them at the table who, believe it or not, were even worse.
Here's a lousy shot of what the restaurant looks like inside the walls:
Kondesa, like its sister Kinta, has a resident cat. Personally, I love to eat out with a cute little pussy, but the cat was ignoring my calls. Instead it chose to sit by the table next to me, now occupied by the family of four, husband and wife and two daughters. To my horror, instead of being charmed by the friendly kitty, the older daughter shrieked how she hated cats and the dad tried to shoo it away with his foot. Had he connected, I would have defended the kitty with my own feet, but luckily for his sake the cat got the message and went on to another table.
Dad was, not sure how else to describe it, quite the buffoon. He made a point of loudly asking every single waiter, busboy, etc. that came by his table "Do you speak English?". Well, duh, this is Cozumel and one of the most popular restaurants on the island. Of course they speak English. In fact, when I went to sister Kinta a later night, both the maitre d' and my waiter were obviously raised in the U.S. speaking flawless American English without any trace of an accent, they may not have even been Mexican so far as I know.
The credit card machine was broken that night and dad almost had a fit. I was hoping they would leave on that note, but no, he ended up driving to an ATM. At first he wanted the waiter to take his car and drive to get cash for him. Pretty balsy, I wouldn't hand my car and ATM card/code over to a stranger even if was a nice waiter at a nice restaurant, but dad ended up going himself.
About 10 minutes after placing their order, which ended up being a salad and an entree for dad and mom to share (seriously?), pasta for the older girl, and chicken fingers for the younger one, mom got the waiter's attention and demanded that her food be cooked without salt or butter. Seriously? Even if one should make such a lame request at a restaurant that serves food with complex sauces that are probably impossible to rework properly according to an individual diner's silly demands, the time to make the request is at the time of ordering, not when the chef is probably halfway through cooking the food. But I digress, enough about my fellow diners. Onto the food.
First course was the Kondesa Kakes. $105.
The menu describes these as "Lion fish, potato, cilantro, coconut milk, panko, julienne salad, poblano-agave emulsion". This was my first try of lionfish, though I've eaten scorpionfish sashimi before at home. La Perlita sounded like it would be too far to walk, so this was also my last try this trip, but I would gratefully try it again the next time. The fish chunks had an excellent texture, similar to crab. The potato filling with cilantro flecks was creamy, the fried panko coating nice and crispy, and the "emulsion" almost worth licking the plate. Apologies for starting to eat before taking the photo, but I was hungry and started to dig in before remembering my camera.
Next was the Peskado Pepita: "Catch of the day in local Zucchini sauce, caramelized brussels sprouts, puffed Pumpkin seeds, Huitlacoche rice" $205
This dish was amazing. Perfectly cooked grouper on a bed of earthy rice blacked by the corn fungus and the crunch and nuttiness of the pepitas and the brussels sprouts along with the beautiful green sauce made every bite a delight. The accompanying veggies were perfectly cooked as well. I was full after this rich dish but could have ordered another round it was so good. This was my favorite entree of the trip.
This time I saved room for dessert. Delicia de Elote was a special of the night and turned out to be a sweet corn flan sprinkled with caramelized corn and cajeta, along with some kiwi, strawberry compote, and apple chunks. The flan didn't taste "corny" at all, just rich and sweet and delicious, and since it was really just a vegetable, healthy too
Notwithstanding my unpleasant dinner guests, Kondesa was overall the best meal of my trip and I very much look forward to dining there again in the future so I can try more of the menu.
