6 days in Punta de Mita - Part 3 Visited 5/11 - 5/17/2018 3-4 Forks

Don Pedro's Bar and Restaurant  Calle Marlin 2, 63734 Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit                 3 Forks

After being "trapped" at the lovely St. Regis for a few days, I was itching a bit to explore outside of the resort.  Enter Sayulita.  It's about a 30 min drive and it could not be more different than the St. Regis.  It is a small sleepy, hippie, surfer town and it was a breath of fresh air.  Not that I don't love to be pampered a bit but it's also nice to be able to sit down and have a $2 beer every once in a while.  The town is right on the beach and there are tons of young and old surfers just hanging out in the waters all day.  There are a bunch of cute shops and bars near the Square but beyond that not much else.  It's very much a backpacker town but we did see a few families there as well. 

After walking around for a bit and buying some cheap gifts, we settled on Don Pedro's for dinner mostly because it was right on the beach and we got a fantastic view of the sunset.  The set up of the restaurant is a bit weird because the downstairs is huge but they were having a salsa class when we went, so they took us upstairs to eat.  Despite it's great location, it was fairly empty, although a few more people did trickle in later.

The menu is not really Mexican - they had pizzas, pastas and grilled meats so it kind of was catering to American tourists.  They gave us these really tasty homemade chips to start and delicious pico de gallo that tasted like it was just a fresh jar of tomatoes poured in a bowl. I started with the octopus carpaccio and had the ahi tuna steak as my main course.  The carpaccio was refreshing but it wasn't really carpaccio or at least how I envision carpaccio to be.  It was more like a ceviche in that it was cut up into small chunks and served with red chilies.  As for the tuna steak, it was like any other tuna steak I've had before except it had a huge piece of sinew running through my steak which was quite unappetizing. It was served on a bed of mashed potatoes and thin crispy onion rings.  It honestly felt a bit like a Trader Joe's meal and I'm not saying that in a terrible way but just that it was pretty basic. 

While the food was just ok, the views are lovely and I could definitely see myself sitting there with a cold beer and chips/salsa all night.   The other pro to this place being that it's not on the resort was that it's super cheap.  Total bill:  $24/pp for tax and tips

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Venazu  W Hotel, 63734 Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico                                                         3.5 Forks

After 4 amazing days at the St. Regis, Holly and I moved to the W Hotel about 30 minutes away to check out a different scene.  I may be getting too old for the W Hotel or maybe we were just super spoiled by the St. Regis but it was just a very different feel.  There were parts of this hotel that I did like better though - the beach was 100% better and more expansive.  And there were a few more onsite restaurant options as well - although it's probably because there is literally no where else to go near this hotel. 

There is a Spice Market (yes, that same Spice Market) but since we were in Mexico, we figured we'd go to the more Mexican focused restaurant.  Since it was low season, there was practically no one there which was kind of weird but the waiter was so nice and super friendly that he made it less weird.  We started with a fresh corn salad it was was fantastic.  Light, refreshing and came with yummy chunks of Oaxaca cheese.  For my main dish, I got what was described as a "sea bass" but it definitely wasn't of the "Chilean" variety and tasted much more like a regular white fish with a slightly weird chili rub on it.  It was a huge piece of fish and I couldn't even finish it.  Of course we had to end the meal with churros which is always a winner.  They were warm and served with the standard yummy dipping sauce of chocolate and caramel.  The meal was satisfying but not necessarily something I have been dreaming of since I left.  But if you're staying at the W in Punta de Mita, it's not a terrible option.  Total bill:  $115 for 2 people with tax, tip and drinks

Chevicheria W Hotel, 63734 Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico                                                  4 Forks

Ugh, this is a terrible photo of what was otherwise one of my favorite meals on the trip.  I wish I had more time to eat there more than just once but I was only at the W for 2 nights, so I had dinner here by myself after Holly left.   This isn't really a restaurant but a super casual truck next to the pool that serves a bunch of different kinds of ceviches and nothing else.  I rolled up in a bathing suit and shorts and sat on a stool with a beer.  Love it.  I can't tell you how fresh and delicious these dishes were.  I was so excited and overwhelmed by all the options that I ordered two for myself for dinner (ceviche Yucatan and Ceviche Nayrait) and they were definitely plenty as a whole meal.   I don't remember what was exactly in them but rest assured they were both exactly what a ceviche should be - a bit of tang but clean tasting.  I was hoping I could squeeze in one more meal here before my flight out but they are only open from 11-7pm and I had to leave at 11:30, so it was cutting it a bit too close.  My only complaint is that it's a little bit pricey for what it is but hey, this is what happens when you're in a pretty isolated hotel and it's a price I was willing to deal with on my last night here to not eat another mashed potato dish.  Total bill:  $37/pp with tax, tip, and a beer

6 days in Punta de Mita - Part 2 Visited 5/11 - 5/17/2018 4 Forks

Sea Breeze  St Regis Resort,  Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico                                                    4 Forks

I am normally not a huge fan of eating breakfast at the hotel because it's almost always overpriced and not great food.  But I must say that my breakfast meals at Sea Breeze were lovely and while still expensive for the region, not bad considering the quality of it.  

I won't review every breakfast that I had here but I'll say that unless you are super hungry, there is no need to get the buffet as I think it's like $45.  I was super full with just a breakfast entree and side for half the price.  Since I was in Mexico it only felt right to get a Mexican breakfast dish, so I went with the old standby of huevos rancheros (290 pesos) and a side of pork sausage (75 pesos).  A word to the wise, share the side of pork sausage as you get 6 links and it was a lot for 1 person to finish.  The huevos rancheros were great and super filling.  

When you actually sit down to have a nice breakfast it totally makes a difference on the rest your day but it's hard to do it when you're not on vacation and have someone who will make it for you.  Again, I don't know what other breakfast food places there were in the area but this was a nice choice if you're in or around the resort.  Total bill:  $32 for 2 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Starwoodhotels.com 

Blue Shrimp  Av El Anclote 10, Col. Punta de Mita, Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico                4 Forks

Blue Shrimp is another beach side restaurant on the other side of the gates right next to Tuna Blanca.  It's a little bit more laid back but it was a pretty similar vibe.   As you would expect, the menu is all about shrimp here (duh) but they also have a few other dishes like tuna, octopus, burgers and steak.  But it seems silly to come to a place with shrimp in the name and not get shrimp, right? 

Holly and I started with the tuna sashimi and I got the shrimp fajitas while she got the coconut shrimp.  The tuna sashimi was plentiful but it looked like it was frozen and then thawed as it was not super red but more of a pale pink color.  Totally fine but it's not like your getting melt in your mouth tuna from a Japanese fish market.  As for the shrimp dishes, jesus it was like shrimp on steroids.  They were the biggest pieces of shrimp I've ever seen.  They were very plump and cooked to the right temperature and texture - a bit of crunch but not too overcooked where it's too tough to eat.  I was very impressed with the amount of shrimp they gave us and it tasted quite fresh, not frozen.  The fajitas were great and incredibly filling.  It left no room for dessert but our really sweet waiter slipped us a free small sliver of chocolate cake which definitely hit our sweet tooth spot.  That's how you do it right in trying to get a bigger tip - they didn't try to guilt you on leaving a bigger tip because I did it anyways given how nice they were here.  Total bill:  $51 with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

6 days in Punta de Mita - Part 1 Visited 5/11 - 5/17/2018 3-3.5 Forks

Mita Mary Boat Club  St Regis Resort,  Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico                                 3.5 Forks

Ahhh, Punta de Mita.  If you ever get the privilege to spend some time at the St. Regis in Punta de Mita, don't hesitate to go!  I had a few weeks off in between jobs and needed a quick but super relaxing get away.  Mexico is always an easy choice because it's cheap and not that far.  I hadn't really gone to the Pacific side of the country and I was able to get a fantastic IATA rate at the St. Regis, so I figured why not?  I was a little worried that I would be bored because it's a resort with not much around it but honestly it's so relaxing that it didn't matter. 

The downside is that you don't have a ton of restaurants to choose from but the food at the St. Regis was pretty decent (although I heard some people at the resort complaining about it and one person said she got food poisoning but I was ok).   Holly and I got to the resort a bit early, so our room wasn't ready.  We were starving because we took an ass crack of dawn 6AM flight out, so we headed to their casual beach side restaurant for lunch.  I give them 5 forks for the scenery and service but I wasn't blown away by the food.  The menu itself is awesome - it's very seafood focused with things like octopus tacos, tuna tostadas, grilled shrimp and a variety of ceviches.  I got a shrimp quesadilla (140 pesos or $7), grilled corn (140 pesos)  and we split a ceviche (275 pesos or around $13).  Since we were on a resort and a fancy one at that, the prices were definitely not what I was accustomed to in Mexico but all things considered it's still affordable by US standards. 

The ceviche was a mixed seafood one and it felt more like they dumped some seafood in a bowl of pico de gallo.  It was too heavy on the pico (it could have been more acidic) and not enough focus on the seafood but overall it was a refreshing dish to have right off the plane and it was also already hot as hell outside.  My quesadilla was a bit on the small side - it looked like half a quesadilla and it wasn't super gooey but it's hard to go wrong with hot cheese in a tortilla (to be fair, I got this pool side later on the trip and I'm pretty sure it all comes from the same kitchen and it was bigger and tastier).  The corn was eh - it wasn't Mexican style corn with the mayo and cheese on it  It was literally a small piece of steamed corn with nothing on it. 

While this review doesn't seem super glowing, I would definitely come back here - especially given that the resort has very limited casual restaurant options.  It's the perfect place to roll up if you've been sitting by the pool and want a change of scenery.  One thing to note, I'm not sure if we were super tired or what but the welcome margarita and then the one here knocked me and Holly OUT.  They were delicious but lethal so watch out.  Total bill:  $70 for 2 people

Photo Credit: Yelp

Tuna Blanca  Av. El Anclote S/N, 63734 Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico                                  3 Forks

You may ask yourself why did you put a picture of a pot of flowers for this review?  I'll get to it a bit later but it was the favorite part of my meal.

As I mentioned earlier, the St. Regis is in a gated community and it's a far walk to the main gates, but once you get past the main gates there is a small town that has a few restaurants.  They catered to mostly to the people on the resorts and I wouldn't say it's a town you should hang out in otherwise as there isn't a ton to do.  We ended up taking a 140 pesos taxi ride to the restaurant - again, which isn't crazy expensive but when you think about it, it's a <10 drive="" for="" min="" nbsp="" span="">

Tuna Blanca is right off the main drag and it's a nice outdoor restaurant with a lot of turquoise blue decor.  It's a fairly eclectic menu with a variety of seafood and meat dishes as well as a tasting menu.  I learned my lesson from San Miguel and while I love a good tasting menu, I didn't see the need to indulge here.  Instead I got the suckling pig tacos to start and Holly got the mozzarella and heirloom tomato appetizer and we both got the lamb duo.  The tacos came on 2 blue corn tortillas and served with radish, guacamole and salsa with a square piece of suckling pig.  It was tasty but I expected the pig to be a bit moister and more tender since it was of the suckling variety.  It was definitely not like the ones I got in Mexico City.  Next came the lamb duo which was served as a chop and shoulder.  They insisted on the meat being cooked medium/well done which is not how I usually like my meat but I didn't want to offend them because it seemed to be the culture here.  The dish was served with cactus, polenta, baby corn and what looked like a grilled piece of oaxaca cheese.  Again the dish was fine, I am just not a fan of my chop being that overly cooked - I like some pinkness to it which this did not have.  If our meal ended here, I would have said it would be 3.5 forks but then we got dessert and it was hilarious and amazing.

We ordered the chocolate mousse to share and they bring out this giant flower pot that had real flowers in it.  The soil was all chocolate mousse and it was sprinkled with chocolate candies that looked like stone.  It was enormous, delicious and hilarious all at once.  They really mean business when they say it's to share but it's to share with like 5 people not just 2.  We barely made a dent in it before calling it quits.  The restaurant has very elaborate presentations here - the table across from us got some other giant dessert that had a large Eiffel Tower sculpture attached to it and another table got the pumpkin soup where they brought out this giant gourd and served the soup out of it.

If the meal had ended there I might have been included to give it 4 forks because of the dessert.  But when we paid the bill the waiter asked how much we'd like leave in a tip and I left around 12% and he commented how it's customary to leave 20% in Mexico which I know isn't true.  It made me feel like he was trying to rip us off because we were tourists and I did not appreciate that.  I generally tip 20% in the US and I am very empathetic to the fact that most servers rely on tips but to be called out on it was rude.  I noticed when I got home that he went ahead an applied a 22% tip despite what I told him - very uncool and really makes me want to move the rating down below 3 forks but I'll be nice this one time.  Total bill: $63/pp with tax and tip