Bye Bye Baktun 13

Meanwhile 5, 120 years ago the 13th Baktun began and in 5 days it's going out with a gastronomic whimper here in Merida at least.  There is a new interest in Mayan Food around the world and all of the good cooks are working in private houses (see Saveur Magazine) or San Francisco.  Here we are left with the dregs.   Chaya Maya has opened a new place on Calle 55 x 64 y 62 that has the same menu I've heard and cost more I assume and it's called La Chaya.  I'm going to stick my head in today on my way to see Ana Sabrina to talk tacos and catering.  (It was closed for lunch today but then I drove by and saw it open for dinner).

The NY Times Style magazine arrives this week to talk about Stylishness in Merida and then World of Interiors is coming to see what they can see next week.  What will all of these people eat???   I gave my recommendations here.

But here are a couple of new places in town

Vite is an Italian place that is somehow related to Elio del Mar in Progresso.  I went there with David Vincent and Laura Kirar and the household of Manolo Maestre and we were underwhelmed.  But it should be good...it's new so there's room for improvement.  Maybe they'll work the kinks out.  I hope so.  Throwing out the polyester burgundy table cloths from 1972 would be a start in the right direction.

Vite
calle 16 no. 111 x 13 & 31(circuito colonias)
Colonias Mexico
Merida

Chaya Maya is still rated at the top of recommended restaurants at Trip Advisor and it's just not that good. But they have a new place that is prettier and roomier (I hear) so I'm going to at least stick my head in the door today.  I might go eat there too.

La Chaya
Calle 55 x 62 &  64
Centro Historico
Merida

Mansion Merida on the Park is a new hotel in a beautiful old Casona on one of the nicest and noisest parks in Merida.  Lots of bus traffic going down calle 59.  It opened just before the Phillip Glass concert at Ochil so there were a lot of fancy folk staying there from all over the world & many who stayed there were horrified at the service, accommodations & the food.  I walked through the lobby into the restaurant and into the bar.  It knew before I asked to see the menu that I would never sit down in the hotel and chance are slim that I will ever sit down under an umbrella in the park but that is more likely.

Mansion Merida on the Park
Calle 59 at Calle 62
Centro Historico


Slow Food Market

On the corner of Calle 72 (Reforma) & Avenida Colon is an ugly strip center mall and at the back of this compound on Saturday mornings there is a farmer's market with a few suppliers of fresh veggies and a lot of decent prepared foods.  Italians making cheese-Hippy Chicks making bread. Checz making kraut and bunny pate.  Somewhere nearby is a black hole that is sucking all of the energy out of this solar system and producing krypton.  If you drop by and scoop up your arugula and tomatoes and don't get sucked into the granola vibratron you'll survive to shop another day.  I lived two years in a commune when I was 15 years old and I do yoga 4 or 5 days a week.  I like to think I am immune from most new age nuageness but this place give me the Soylent Greenish creeps.

Platos Rotos same location as slow food.

I've started eating in this place again...Chilango menu.  I eat the vegetarian things.  Love the croquets and the huitlacoche quesadillas.  Great salsas.  Fresh fruit aguas.