Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen

For months, Rob and I have been looking for an excuse to check out Cocina 38, one of the newer fine dining establishments in the burgeouning north end of Playa del Carmen. Back in June, during the initial organizational phase of Taste of Playa, Roberto and his family invited our group to meet at his restaurant and treated us to a wonderful tasting menu. A few weeks ago, we had the good fortune of enjoying their carefully crafted hors d'oeuvres at the open house for El Taj Beachfront. We were so impressed with their efforts, we just knew we had to schedule in a special dinner. Joined by good friend and fellow foodie, JJ Johnston, we were all curious about what Roberto and brother Diego might have in store for us.

Cocina 38 is located, not surprizingly, on Calle 38 in an area of town that has exploded with development over the past 5 years. Situated in a locale in the new VIA 38 condominium complex, the clean modern design of the restaurant blends perfectly with the architecture of the complex surrounding it. Decorated only with traditional masks from Guatemala, the home of the chef and his family, the dining room is simple yet elegant, a lovely place to sit and watch the comings and goings along la Quinta. There is a small but stylish bar inside and several tables outside which is where we settled ourselves for dinner.

We were promptly greeted and seated and served our requested wines, the house Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, both perfectly chilled and well poured. We had heard rumblings that early on, the pours were very light, so I was on the lookout. Any portioning problems, have obviously been corrected and the wines were served to us in large, delicate goblets, each time filled to the correct level, the very widest part of the bowl.

The meal started with an amuse bouche, a mouthful of lightly-cooked local white fish, Grouper I believe. It was just enough to whet our appetites for our following courses. JJ and I both started with the soft shell crab, battered lightly, tempura style and perched atop a delicate and aromatic salad dotted with edamame and an Asian inspired sesame-soy dressing. The crab was perfectly cooked, juicy and well seasoned. It may be the best soft shell crab I have ever eaten. I highly recommend a visit while this is still on the menu. Rob chose the pork belly and it did not disappoint. Three large, slow braised pieces of pork were sandwiched between queen scallops with dollops of warm apple puree. It is fair to say that my husband was in "hog heaven". The flavor of warm apple made the marriage of the pork and scallops complete, a perfect sweet foil for the salty smoky undertones.

For our main courses, we had selected, the prawns in coconut milk and the pan seared duck brea.st with vanilla potato puree. Both entrees were delivered piping hot and perfectly prepared. My shrimp were large and tender and served with the head on, which I appreciate. The boys both enjoyed their duck, cooked just right, and raved about the vanilla mashers. It must have been wonderful because I didn't manage to get a single bite! We had been warned that the portion sizes were a bit small, something I consider being married to a larger than life man. I find that assessment to be partially accurate. The portions on the proteins, the meats and fish, were just fine but I would have liked to see a few more vegetables on the plates. (Of course, that could just be the diet talking.)

We all passed on desert as friend and fellow Taste of Playa committee member Nicola joined us late in the meal for a glass of wine and a special vegetarian treat, whipped up "a la minute" by Chef Diego. With after dinner coffees and digestivos we were served up the most exquisite complimentary chocolate truffles, on their own worth the trip up town and a nice little "thank you" from the chef and his family. Small gestures like this will go a long way, especially with the locals.

Obviously, we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Cocina 38. The staff could not possibly be nicer, the food was thoughtfully created and properly executed and the atmosphere (although somewhat marred by the African drumming class going on across the street) was calming and relaxing, exactly what we all need after a hectic work week. We will be back to Cocina 38 and look forward to turning more of our local friends on to this great family run restaurant. We are pleased that they have agreed to participate in Taste of Playa 2009 so that everyone will get a chance to sample a bit of the magic coming out of their kitchen.