Search results matching tag 'Fun'

Kinnon Family Trip Report 2013 - PUJOL

435836 — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:00:00 GMT

One of the things that first attracted me to Rob when I was first dating him was his interest and appreciation of good food, good wine and quality spirits. At the time, I was selling wine for a very nice importer/distributor so we always had plenty of great wine on hand to pair with delicious food with my favorite restaurant accounts! Throughout our almost 15 years together, and especially during our travels, we have always enjoyed seeking out not just the best restaurants but also the best representations of regional food and drink. We are both adventurous eaters and up for trying anything and everything.

About three years ago, Rob decided to get serious about losing the weight we had packed onto him over a decade of unbridled dining. A year and a half ago, we both made the choice to go pescaterian, cutting out all beef, chicken and pork. Throughout the process, he has lost over 150 pounds and his cardiologist refers to him as his dream patient....almost....we still have those cigarettes to conquer.

So, we look good and feel good. But what about our beloved dining adventures? What about all those fabulous tasting menus with perfectly seared fois gras and unctuous pork belly. What about the translucent strips of carpaccio and sizzling bones oozing with marrow? Would we need to eschew our culinary capers in order to stay on the healthy straight and narrow? Not really. While we have chosen a meat-free path it doesn't mean our palates need to suffer for it! What we have found is that the better restaurants and the more innovative chefs seem to be leaning in the same direction we are. It seems that more and more often, menu options feature wild fish and shellfish or are meat-free altogether so we don't feel like we are missing out at all! Such was the case when we visited Pujol in Mexico City.

Rated the top restaurant in the city, #1 in the country and recently rising to the rank of #17 on the San Perregrino list of the best restaurants in the world, Pujol came up time and time again in my research and again when I took my search to the court of public opinion on Facebook. More than a few of my trusted foodie friends told me that a trip to Pujol was a must if we were planning to fine in Mexico City. The only problem? We would be dining with the kids. Did I want to spend 100 usd a head on a meal that they may not appreciate or even enjoy?

Yes. Yes I do!

Our taxi river had never heard of Pujol and even with the complete street address he had trouble finding the small modern building that houses the restaurant. The sleek facade is unassuming, save the smartly dressed valets out front who came running to greet us. Inside, we were ushered past a small bar into a dimly lit, low ceilinged dining room. It was much smaller than I had expected, about the size of a gentlemen-only lounge at a country club. The walls are painted a charcoal gray. Stretched along one wall is a row of banquet seating. The rest of the room is dotted with stand alone white table-clothed tables, each lit from above a singular spot light creating dining "islands" for each party. It was sleek and elegant and comfortably cosmopolitan!

At the time of our visit, there were two dining options: Chef Enrique Olvera's ten course tasting menu and a prix fixe four course menu with several options for each course. Not wanting the kids to sit through a 2 1/2 hour meal, we chose the prix fixe option (890 mn p/p) which also allowed me to help Cole (our less adventurous eater) to find things he might like. Cat was, of course, thrilled to be there and quickly had all the servers fawning all over her suggesting elegant "mocktails" and menu selections that she might enjoy.

Rob and I stuck to the vegetarian and seafood options while the kids had some meat sprinkled into their meals. In this atmosphere, I did feel a little self-conscious even though I was only using the camera on my iphone. I don't think I got pictures of everything but this should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect at Pujol.

The first amuse bouche - paper-thin discs of avocado sandwiching chia seeds and served with a warm savory corn "tea".

Salsa

Sal

Cat enjoying her mocktail!

The second amuse bouche - a play on a popular Mexican street food - Roasted baby corn with mayonnaise and chile served out of a smoking gourd.

Sea bass ceviche taco with black bean purée and crispy fish skin, served on a corn tortilla laminated with "hoja santa".

Watercress salad with nopales and goat cheese.

Fried frog's legs with chayote slaw, dollops of cauliflower purée, and a poblano chili paste.

Herbed butter

Fresh baked bread.

Champagne for me!

Cole really enjoyed the Yucatecan "lechon" with shaved cauliflower, green olives and three sauces; almond, raisin-cumin mole, and tamarind.

Fluffy fried tortilla encasing a soft-boiled egg, roasted salsa, and puréed beans.

Guava ice cream.

The "Piñata"! A clear sugar sphere filled with orange supreme, guava cream, meringue and peanut cookie crumble.

Fresh fruits with artisanal cheeses and raw organic honey.

Chocolate mousse flavored with Xtabentún and topped with an orange creme.

I've read a couple of reviews on TA since we returned from our trip and many of them call out the waitstaff as pretentious and impatient. Others claimed their service was overly intrusive. Some called it "odd". I found just the opposite. Despite the fact that we were the only foreigners in the restaurant, we were clearly under-dressed and two of our party were under the age of 12, I found our service to be spot on. The courses were timed properly and served at the correct temperature. We were never left with empty drinks or plates. Silverware was replaced...never simply set aside for the next course. Napkins were promptly refolded during trips to the restroom. It all worked like a well-oiled machine. Everyone was smiley and nice, especially to our children.

My only complaint is that I would like like to have had a beverage - wine, mezcal, champagne, agua fresca - something thoughtfully paired with each course. I'm not talking about a full pour, just a little something that the Chef has chosen to best accompany each offering. I would have been happy to pay an additional charge for this option rather than having to choose for myself from their extensive beverage menu. Otherwise, I very much enjoyed my food and my dining experience. The food was well conceived and perfectly executed. With two starters sent out to warm up our palates and the complimentary deserts, I feel like the price was well justified. Best of all, it tasted good! Rob and I are definitely looking forward to trying the full tasting menu the next time we have an opportunity to be in Mexico City on our own. (Shhh. Don't tell Cat.)

Photo Contest: Reconnecting With the Planet

435836 — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:07:00 GMT

Were you bit by the photo bug!? Have fun participating in this Photo Contest and show the world, "How YOU See Our Planet". Help raise consciousness in a positive way about issues that affect our natural environment and win prizes!

You must be at least 17 years of age to participate. Only original photos will be accepted. June 10th, 2013 is the deadline for entries- so hurry up and join in the fun!!!

SEND YOUR PHOTOS TO unete.al.latido@gmail.com or contact Unete Al Latido for more information.

Kinnon Family Trip Report 2013 - Chapultepec Zoo

435836 — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:20:00 GMT

Our first full day in Mexico City was sunny and warm. Warm enough for shorts and flip flops but, having learned my lesson in Monterrey and Guadalajara, I knew that more formal attire would be expected. So, despite the weather, Rob and I wore long pants and closed shoes. While our scheduled trip to the zoo in Chapultepec Park would be a casual time, I was yet uncertain where we would be dining and decided to play it safe with somewhat dressier clothes.

We grabbed a cab from the hotel and made a quick trip down La Reforma and into the park. Chaplutepec Park, also known as Bosque de Chapultepec, is a sprawling oasis of 1600 green acres in the center of Mexico City. It is home to the Museum of Anthroplogy, the monument to the Ninos Heroes, the Natural History Museum, the Botanical Gardens, the Modern Art Museum, an amusement park and the Chapultepec Zoo among many other things. Criss-crossed by miles and miles of bike and walking paths, the park is well used and enjoyed by visitors and local residents alike. The park is bisected by the beautiful La Reforma boulevard and is bordered by some of Mexico City's most distinguished neighborhoods, including my new favorite Polanco...more on that later.

I'm not sure a lot of people think of Mexico City as a great travel destination for families with kids. I know I didn't but I certainly knew that a trip to the zoo would be a fun family activity and keep me in good standing with my kids. Truth be told, Rob and I have spent many an afternoon wandering through zoos and aquariums. I have lost count of how many trips we have made to the New England Aquarium in Boston and we will most likely find ourselves there again this summer! We have seen some good zoos and some not-so-good zoos in our travels. I think I would count this one somewhere in the middle of the pack. It's not the prettiest zoo but it was quite clean and the animals we saw appeared to be calm and well cared for. They all seemed to be well fed and in suitable enclosures with shelter and shade and access to water.

The zoo provided nice signage (en espanol) for each of the exhibits and plenty of stationary maps to help you navigate through. Entrance to the zoo is free, making for an affordable family outing, but there is a charge to enter several of the specialized exhibits such as the herpetarium and the butterfly aviary. There is also a food court inside offering all kinds of fast food and cold drinks. One of the things I particularly noticed and appreciated was a concerted effort to have indigenous wildlife well represented, particularly species at risk of extinction. Much of the signage throughout the property provided information specific to the species represented but also showed its proliferation or lack thereof and suggested ways in which the animals might be protected. Good information to kids and grownups alike.

While of course, like most zoos, the big draw for North American children seems to be the collection of animals from the continent of Africa. The giraffes, hippos, rhinos and, of course, the big cats seem to be perennial favorites and were well represented here. My favorites tend to lean in the direction of the polar bears, seals and sea lions. I am also a big otter fan. I was a bit disappointed to only find one lowly sea lion, the other enclosures being empty on this day. What was incredibly cool was to see the giant pandas Xiu Hua, Shuan Shuan and Xin Xin. Mexico holds the distinction of being the only country, other than China, to successfully breed giant pandas in captivity so it was very exciting to have the chance to see them. Sadly, a few days after we returned home to Playa, Xiu Hua, the oldest at age 28, died of natural causes.

RIP Xiu Hua

Fortunately, because we were there off-season when everyone seems to leave the city and head toward the coast, there were not very many people at the zoo. Unfortunately, because it was off-season, many of the displays were under repair or being revamped in some way and many of the animals were out of site. Without hordes of families and school groups to accommodate this would be the best time to do maintenance and give the animals some quiet time. Too bad for us but good for the park. Still, we made it all the way through, had a great time and made it out in time to make it to our lunch reservation at Mexico's top rated restaurant.

Next: Our lunch with the kids at Pujol!

Kinnon Family Trip Report 2013 - Welcome to Mexico City

435836 — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:58:00 GMT

In our eight years in Mexico we have never had the chance nor the inclination to explore Mexico City. In fact, the only time we have ever been there was for an overnight layover on the way to Acapulco for our honeymoon in 2001. I was so intimidated by the "idea" of Mexico City that I booked us into a hotel right at the airport and didn't even consider venturing into downtown. Like most Americans, I think our impressions of Mexico City are formed by movies like "Man on Fire". Stories from friends who had worked and or done business in the City did not help. One, a personal chef to a wealthy Mexican family, had a security detail to take her to and from the market, varying the route randomly to discourage any would-be kidnappers. Another friend, a mid-level bank executive, had a well-planned hostage plan complete with a considerable ransom arranged for him whenever his work brought him into the DF. These depictions of the city managed to stick with me and, in planning this trip, did not inspire me to spend a lot of time there. We were to fly in, stay in a posh hotel, have a nice meal or two and carry on to Oaxaca. Period.

If you have not been to Mexico City before, flying into the DF makes quite an impression. It is absolutely enormous. It goes on and on and on. Regardless of which direction you enter from, you are flying over dense urban areas for quite awhile before finally arriving at Benito Juarez International Airport. This city makes Manhattan look like a postage stamp. From above, the landscape is intimidating and a bit overwhelming.

In an effort to ease my stressed out husband into the idea of "vacation", I purposefully booked us into a nice hotel well-located on La Reforma, midway between the main zocalo and Parque Chapultepec. As we had no plans to spend any time in the city, I didn't bother to investigate the neighborhoods too much. I went online, found a nice hotel at a very nice price, close to the historic downtown landmarks and reserved a room. This is in stark contrast to the trip planning I did for our two-week stay coming up in Oaxaca where I spent months reading and investigating and pouring over other traveler's trip reports and itineraries. This short leg of the trip would serve one purpose: to get Rob relaxed and comfortable and eased into vacation mode.....not an easy task.

Whereas I am keen to find unusual places to stay (a certain tree-house hostel in Guatemala comes to mind) and am fine with "roughing it", my DH likes his creature comforts. Air conditioning and television are non-negotiable. High thread count sheets, hi speed internet, room service and an elegant lobby bar are a huge plus. As I want a happy husband (and he deserves every bit of it) I took all this into consideration for our Mexico City accommodations and The Hotel Gran Melia Reforma fit the bill perfectly. I got a smoking deal through an online discounter, over 150 usd off the rack rate giving us a large room with 2 queen sized beds for $115 usd/night. We stayed on "The Level" which gave us complimentary full breakfast and afternoon tea in a comfortably elegant dining room and lounge overlooking the city. The spa and indoor pool were just two floors below, easily accessible for the kids to come and go as they pleased.

As a child, I spent a lot of time in NYC with my parents. Staying in a high-rise hotel was commonplace to me and elevators were taken for granted. My kids, who have lived in Playa del Carmen for eight years, have never had the opportunity to go up higher than 3-4 stories. They spent most of their Melia time riding all the way up and down in the glass elevator, giggling all the way and chatting up the other guests.

As I have mentioned, I had no intention on this trip to pack our schedule with "must see", "must do" excursions. We really wanted to take it easy and this first day in Mexico City would reflect that. We flew in, collected our bags, checked in to the hotel and lounged around on the 1000 thread count duvets. Lovely! I had done a bit of Facebook research looking for good places to eat in the city but hadn't made any firm plans. Still feeling a little out of my element, I hopped on Google to find a restaurant relatively close the hotel. I had been warned that traffic within the city was an absolute nightmare so we settled on one of Mexico City's oldest establishments, popular with businessmen and located within a few kilometers of The Melia. A cab driver easily confirmed that we had made a good pick so we had our first Mexico City meal at Danubio.

Renowned for its raw bar and seafood dishes Danubio was opened in 1936 by Basques who managed to escape the Spanish Civil War. The walls of the dining room are adorned with cloth napkins autographed by the many politicians, actors, musicians, soccer stars, writers and bullfighters who have dined in the restaurant over the years. My friends from Albany will understand when I walked in and immediately exclaimed "Oh, it's Jack's Oyster House!".

A little bit smaller than Jack's but with the same ambiance, the same professional servers, the same menu, the same clientele only instead of martinis and champagne, we noticed bottles of wine and mescal on nearly every table. I also noticed that the same groups seated when we arrived were still there when we left. Course after course was laid out on the tables for everyone to share. Glass after glass of mescal was poured and tossed back with a hearty "salud"! No one was in any hurry to go anywhere. Clearly they know something we do not. I later learned that a visit to Danubio was like a visit to the "Mad Men" era when lunch on Friday afternoon could easily last for many hours with no thought to returning to the office. We enjoyed our delicious late lunch, surrounded by the city's movers-and-shakers, and retired back to the hotel as their evening was just starting to heat up!

Tomorrow, a visit to the Chapultepec Zoo and....PUJOL!!

Kinnon Family Trip Report 2013

435836 — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:24:00 GMT

If you have been hanging around the "Life's a Beach" blog for a while, you already know that we try to take one big road trip every year during the kids' semana santa break. We have explored Belize, Guatemala, Chiapas, Campeche, the Yucatan and pretty much anywhere we could easily reach by car. This year, no one was interested in roughing it. Rob and I have been itching to see Oaxaca, so flights were booked, accommodations secured and we were on our way.

In the past, I have blogged our trip as we went along. Uploading my pictures daily to Photobucket and trying to keep the blog as up to date as possible. This year, I decided to give myself a break and really take this as a vacation. This time, the plan was to take it easy, play it by ear and really just enjoy ourselves. No minute-to- minute itinerary. No whirlwind schedule to keep. No commitment to the blog. Given that a month has passed and I am now starting my trip report, I'll count our plan as a success.

We were gone for 18 days. Some of those day we did absolutely nothing. It was glorious! Did we miss a few things that I would have liked to have seen? Sure. But now, as I go through all the photos, I wouldn't change a thing. Oaxaca will be there for us when we are ready to go back. And we will absolutely go back.

I hope you enjoy our adventure as much as we did...well, almost.

The adventure begins here!

No roughing it here!

So What's the Big Deal About Semana Santa?

435836 — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:07:00 GMT

So, here's something you might not know about us.

Every year, we (notice I said we) spend months talking about and planning our big family vacation. It never takes us long to decide on location as we know we will have a great time no matter where we end up. The actual trip planning falls mostly to me. I book the flights, investigate and secure hotels and other accommodations and develop an itinerary of "must-do", "must see" and "must eat"s for the region we are exploring.

We take this trip every year during the kids' semana santa break so, while the dates vary by a few days every year, basically the time-frame is the same. In that, I mean when the vacation time rolls around it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Yet somehow, every year without fail, about a week before we are scheduled to leave, my darling husband suddenly pops his head up from the computer, eyes wide, smoke pouring from his ears and exclaims that he is "buried with work", "completely swamped" and "can't possibly even think about leaving"!!

This happens every year without fail. It used to freak me out. I used to feel GUILTY about making my DH even more stressed than he already is. There were moments when I even considered canceling the trip altogether so that he could work through the piles of never-ending emails.

Then one year, I did it. I cancelled the family vacation. I conceded to Rob's pleas that we were just too busy with customers coming in to consider leaving. At the end of two week of the semana santa holiday, after two weeks of crowded, filthy beaches, restaurants with no openings and streets packed with cars and nowhere to park, my darling husband pulled me aside and made me PROMISE to NEVER allow us stay in Playa for this horrific holiday EVER AGAIN.

So, when once again the question came up..."Can we really afford to leave during this high season?"...I snickered quietly to myself and confirmed my reservations knowing, that despite his protestations, we were on the road (well, not literally) to Oaxaca!

Next up - The Kinnon Family Vacation 2013

Why I can never spend another semana santa in Playa.

May 12 Zumbathon Pet Rescue Benefit!

435836 — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:56:00 GMT

Work your body with Zumba and benefit the pets at Tierra de Animales!

This Sunday at 9:00am come participate or spectate at the Zumbathon for Tierra de Animales pet rescue. Entry is a donation of $60 pesos to go towards costs of dog food, bowls, brushes, and cleaning supplies to help the non-profit animal rescue organization. Registration begins at 8:45am at the roundabout on Tulum Avenue in downtown Cancun. For more information please visit Tierra de Animales online.

May 10 Natalie & The Foxes at Lolha Beach Bar

435836 — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:59:00 GMT

Celebrate Mexico's Mother's Day with great music and food at Lolha!

The show starts at 7:00pm and reservations are being taken. Lolha is located on the beach in Akumal. For more information or to make reservations, contact lolha@hotelakumalcaribe.com

Wednesdays in May Night Bike Rides in Playa

435836 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:42:00 GMT

Join with others and ride in the moonlight!

Night time bike rides are every Wednesday in May starting at 8:00pm. Riders meet up at Plaza 28 de Julio at 15th Avenue, between 8th and 10th Streets. Don't miss out on the fun!

Explayarte's "Les Miserables" Packs the House at Xcaret!

435836 — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:57:00 GMT

Last week, Playa del Carmen's Music and Performing Arts School, Explayarte presented its full scale production of the award winning musical, Les Miserables. The show ran for three nights to packed and overwhelmingly enthusiastic audiences in Xcaret's Foro Abierto. This is the 5th Explayarte production that I have seen, my 4th as a corporate sponsor and the 3rd that Cat has participated in. I think it's fair to say that I am no longer what anyone would consider objective about these shows and the production company! Anyone who has been anywhere within earshot of me for the past few weeks has heard me wax effusive about the school, the leadership, the teachers, the curriculum, the production process and the level of talent that Explayarte demonstrates and shares not only with our children but with everyone who makes the effort to come out and support these shows.

For years, I have heard people lament that there is no culture in Playa del Carmen. No museums, no dedicated performance spaces, art galleries, few opportunities to expose our children to the arts in a meaningful way. I'm pretty sure that not a single person who attended any of these performances can deny that we are blessed to have music theatre of this caliber to enjoy and even take part in! As I looked back into the audience each night, I was really pleased to see so many families and even better groups of teens and almost teens who had come to see the show together. Certainly the timing of the production, falling after the overwhelming success of the star studded major motion picture, must have had an affect on attendance. Above that however, in the weeks and days leading up to the show, the energy and excitement surrounding the final rehearsals and the performers was absolutely palpable. It had to be infectious as nearly everywhere I went I could overhear people talking about the show....what night they were going....who they knew in the show....would be like the movie. It was this infectious excitement and anticipation that packed the house each night and had the audience leaping to their feet and cheering

If you were unable to make it to the show, here's a little taste of what you missed. If you saw the show, this will help you to relive some of your favorite moments from this amazing and very emotional production.