Eating My Way Through The Holidays

I feel like if I keep talking about my vacation, then it won’t be officially over. Does it work like that? Well I wanted to get into the most important part of the trip, the food. First up: Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Let me just start by saying that I always thought it was “Quinta Roo” like as in the hotel “La Quinta” but it’s not. I think that may make me one of the worst Mexicans of all time because it’s Quintana Roo.

The reason for the trip to Cancun was Aaron’s birthday. He had one requirement, which was to be on the beach and in the sun for his birthday. We both live in super cold states so a beach vacation was just what we both needed. We stayed at the Fiesta Americana Condesa in Cancun. Apparently there are different areas of Cancun — Cancun, Riviera-Maya & Tulum. We stayed in Cancun but next time I think I’d like to check out Riviera-Maya. Not a knock on our resort at all. Honestly, all things considered, it was great. The room was great and it had a cute little balcony with a nice view of the ocean. I thought I had booked a “garden view” room but I think we lucked out and got a room with a view of the ocean.

The resort was all-inclusive so food and drinks were available at all times and we had every intention of getting our money’s worth! There were four restaurants at the resort, I think if I’m remembering correctly. The first night we ate at the Italian one but there was a wait so naturally we went to the bar, where they surprisingly had a little sushi bar. Sushi was okay but the Paloma’s were top notch. Luckily, whatever we paid for included top shelf liquor so we would order our palomas with Don Julio when we remembered. This night is kind of a blur so I don’t fully remember what we ate. It was probably the best out of all the restaurants there so that definitely explains why there was often longer wait times.

My favorite was always breakfast because it was a buffet style and there was all different kinds of food. The best thing was definitely the chilaquiles daily. Chilaquiles are basically tortilla chips (real ones not like Tostitos chips from the grocery store), green salsa or red salsa, sour cream and cheese. They’re excellent with shredded chicken or a runny egg on top so what I would do is go to the omelette/griddle station and order 2 eggs “volteados” which means that they’re flipped. I guess that would be like over medium? Then I would go prepare my chilaquiles and have the chef plop the eggs right on top. Omg my mouth is watering just thinking about it again. They’re like breakfast nachos, 100/10 recommend.

One of our other favorite spots to eat at in the resort was this cevicheria place. Aaron doesn’t eat meat and I love seafood more than life itself so it was the perfect place for us. We literally ate here every single day for lunch. Every day except one I think. We had shrimp tacos, fish tacos, calamari, shrimp cocktails and of course tequila shots. This spot was also right next to the ocean so we got delicious food plus an amazing view. Plus you know I think that the sound of the ocean has healing properties so I like to think it was good for my health, particularly paired with those tequila shots.

The resort had a Mexican restaurant, which is where we had dinner on the night of Aaron’s birthday. There was also a steakhouse but it was so blah. On to the next place: CDMX.

CDMX is the airport code for Mexico City. Technically I went to Puebla to see my grandparents first but I went back after a few days in Mexico City so we’ll circle back. My best friend, Steph, was already in Mexico City and we had been wanting to go explore for a while now. She definitely did her homework and looked up a bunch of places before we even got there. We stayed at this beautiful Sonder property in Condesa and spent most of our time near or around there.

The first night, we had drinks at this cute hotel rooftop ( + sushi of course). After that we went to another rooftop restaurant where — I shit you not — we had the best shrimp of our lives. We were so hungry though that we ate it all before we managed to snap a photo. You’ll just have to take my word for it. The name of the restaurant is Palmares Azotea and the shrimp were the “Camarones Cayena” — 10/10.

The next day we had brunch at what is now my favorite restaurant in CDMX. It was called Eno and it is owned by a famous Mexican chef, Chef Enrique Olvera. He has many other restaurants including Pujol but don’t even think about walking in. This place requires a reservation to be made in advance. Here we had traditional Mexican chilaquiles with chicken and a fried egg on top. Absolutely incredible. I introduced Steph to a traditional Mexican pastry called a concha. I used to eat these growing up all the time because the outside is basically a bunch of sugar. Steph loved it. What really stole the show for us at Eno was the torta. A torta is this Mexican sandwich that is made on this special kind of bread. We could tell it was freshly baked bread too. It was fluffy and soft on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. It was stuffed with black beans, avocado and huevos con chorizo (scrambled eggs with Spanish sausage). Lights out. Best torta of my life. Steph and I were literally in shock after the first bite.

We rounded out the trip by having dinner at Fonda Fina. We were a bit skeptical because the drinks were just not good. And just before coming here we had gone to the bar of the Four Seasons, which as you can imagine was spectacular.

I was really worried that since the drinks at Fonda Fina were such a bust, that the food would be just as bad. Next thing you know, the being out this “soup” and I wish I was recording in that moment because when I told Steph it was soup her jaw literally hit the floor. In Mexico we have this thing calle fideo seco and it translates to dry noodles. Basically it’s like mini thin spaghetti noodles that are maybe a quarter of an inch in length? They are made in a tomato-based liquid and the noodles absorb all the liquid so it’s not like… soupy like a regular soup? Hahaha you guys probably think I’m insane. That was a horrible description. Here’s a picture of what it is, traditionally.

However, at Fonda Fina, they had fideo seco with a twist. The noodles were the base of this dish and on top of them there was CHILAQUILES. Two traditional Mexican dishes that absolutely do not belong together. Topped with avocado and sour cream and I don’t even know what else. It was a complete mind fuck. Steph was still picking up her jaw from the ground upon discovering there was such a thing as dry soup and I was trying to understand how in the world they thought to put these two dishes together. When I tell you it was incredibly amazing, I’m not even exaggerating one bit. I’m still in shock. I remember even texting my mom and other friends like WTF! Blown away, literally. Every single dish that came out of that kitchen was BEYOND amazing. I remember Steph being like “Okay what’s next? Blow our minds again!”

There was this incredible salad with zucchini blossoms on top and avocado under a bed of arugula with pumpkin seeds and nuts and feta cheese. Again, insane combination of ingredients that just worked like magic. Absolutely blown away.

With that, our trip to CDMX came to an end and back to Puebla we went. So for the last 10-15ish years, I have spent almost every Monday in Puebla at an Irish pub. Strange, right? Well this pub called McCarthy’s has some deal on wings and beers on Monday’s and my friends and I have gone religiously for years. This visit was unlike any other and that was my first stop. I went with my longtime friend and his girlfriend and had a ridiculous amount of wings. The beers are 2 for 1 so of course we made good use of that. I haven’t seen many places in the states that have Dos X Ámbar so that’s what I always get when I go there.

The best part about eating in Puebla is eating food at home. Tere was working at the first daycare I ever went to and my mom poached her and convinced her to come work for our family. Tere has always taken care of me and loved me as her own and she is part of our family. She is so tiny and cute and now helps my grandparents with virtually everything around the house. She also is a fantastic cook and so that’s my favorite place to eat when I go. She makes incredible soups — real soups & dry soup, ha! There’s just something about having a homemade meal. Everything feels right in the world when I eat her food. In the morning she greeted me with huevos con chorizo, warm tortillas and fresh peach juice. Also, there was always a bowl of fresh papaya and limes to start the day. Hard to have a bad day when you’re woken up like that! For lunch, she always has a soup. This trip she had a shredded squash soup that was to die for. After that she had taquitos de pollo (chicken tacos) with rice and beans. The best part was that she had FRESH pico de gallo and homemade salsa to top it all off. I try really hard to convince her come back to the states with me every time but she won’t leave my grandparents.

Last up for Puebla, El Camino Real hotel. We spend almost every Christmas Day morning at this hotel because they have an incredible all you can eat buffet. You would think that after stuffing our faces the night before for Christmas Eve that we could afford to skip a meal or two but we like to go all out on Christmas Day! One year we went there and I had just gotten a brand new sequin bag and I put my Nintendo and new presents in there and got distracted for a sec and poof. My bag disappeared! Learned to never lose sight of my bag again.

Anyway, back to the food. This buffet reminds me a lot of the all inclusive breakfast place. It has a little grill section where they can make you eggs and omelettes, fresh fruit section, yada yada yada. The best part and the reason we always go here is because they have these incredible pastries. They’re mini little pastries that are flaky on the outside and on the inside they are filled with some sort of cream cheese mix. Fun fact, cream cheese is life for me. My uncle and I would go every year and take a bunch of those pastries home. Everyone in our family at the table was on the same page and would bring back a plate full of those. My grandma really likes them to. This year, however, they had a reduced buffet. It was SO small! The worst part: no puff pastries with cream cheese. Absolute devastation. We made up for it by hitting up the popular churro shop, though, so it was all good.

The last stop on my vacation was tour was Alpena, Michigan. It is in like the northeastern part of the state and it’s pretty freaking cold. I was really not expecting Michigan to have good food and boy did they prove me wrong. This is now the third time I’ve gone to Alpena and every time we go I discover something else that I like. My absolute favorite is called the Courtyard. They have this Parmesan-crusted halibut served on top of creamy risotto. This risotto is literally what dreams are made of. It is absolutely incredible. Also, if you know me, you know I have an insane obsession with ranch dressing and this place makes their own and it might be the best ranch I’ve ever had. I always joke (kinda) that I want a ranch fountain instead of a like a chocolate fountain at my wedding. Let me just say I would not be upset if it was there and it had the Courtyard’s ranch coming out of it. Love, love ranch!

I don’t really eat pasta that much but lately I’ve been on a pasta kick. Chicken Alfredo from Olive Garden is the gold standard but this restaurant called the Hideaway has a very close 2nd place Alfredo. Aaron’s mom recommended it to me and said I should get it with broccoli and extra sauce and honestly, who am I to argue with the woman? Chicken Alfredo with broccoli and extra sauce. Outstanding.

The last place I’ll mention from Alpena is this place called JJ’s. It looks just like a regular restaurant with a bar and actually it has a bunch of dead animals as its decor. I didn’t really have high hopes for it but holy shit. They have these things called “hoagies” which I had never heard of. They’re like long like subway sandwiches but way better. The bread is fluffy and crisp all at the same time and the one I ordered had CHICKEN FINGERS inside. I am obsessed with chicken fingers FYI. It was so good. I don’t even have the words to describe it. Lights out.

Ok, I lied. The last place I’ll mention is fucking Applebee’s. Now, I know what you’re thinking. How can I even think about mentioning Applebee’s when I’ve just gone through some of the best food in Mexico. Hear me out — Aaron works like a million hours a day and I took over his office while he was on court all day. One of those days, he was working particularly late and I remember him being exhausted. He’s never usually hungry (clearly we’re total opposites) and on this night we got into his car to drive home and he says to me that he is starving. Next thing you know, he was like how do you feel about Applebee’s? I mean, mad respect for this wonderful establishment. First of all, in college I would go there with my friend Sam and get $1 LIT (long island iced teas) and get what they call “white girl wasted”. Huge fan of Applebee’s. Also they have the 2 for 24$ — I mean, hello! What a steal. Next, you should know my favorite food is mac and cheese. on the 2 for 24$ menu, they have delicious mac and cheese TOPPED WITH CHICKEN FINGERS. I mean, when he said how do you feel about Applebee’s I almost asked him to marry me. Just kidding but I was so down to go eat there. So we went and we each got one of those tall Blue Moons with an orange slice in it (the best!!) and we each got pasta and shared an appetizer. I just remember feeling so at ease with him that night. OH! I forgot the best part. We each got a side of mashed potatoes. Carbs on top of carbs on top of carbs. Truly amazing. No wonder my pants didn’t fit as well the next day… Anyway, look at this incredible spread. Honestly, it was the mashed potatoes that really won me over that night. I’m easy to please, clearly.

I could go on and on about food but these were by far the best meals of my vacation. It was a much needed break from work and New York City but if I keep eating like that I’m gonna end up breaking 300lbs any day now! My goal is to get on the peloton or do a peloton class from the app every weekday. Let’s see how that goes — who are your favorite instructors? If you have a peloton, drop your user name in the comments. Mine is @hangrymarn, of course :-)

xx Marn