Party in Playa

At night Playa del Carmen is a hopping scene. I loved watching all of the people. There is no shortage of beautiful people down here. There are also a lot of sunburned people. The scene doesn't really get going until very late (at which point I'm nearly falling asleep and longing for bed).

I ate at two very good restaurants. The Glass Bar is run by an Italian and an award-winning chef. The cuisine employs local ingredients like fresh fish and seafood. It is a fusion of Mexican and Italian and the menu changes frequently. I had gazpacho for my starter. It was garnished with shrimp and caviar which were good but possibly overkill. The clean, fresh flavor of good gazpacho does not need any other accoutrement. My main course was snapper with fresh vegetables, rice and a mild sauce with some pureed peppers. We also ordered a side of mushroom risotto that was garnished with a pear sprinkled with Parmesan and broiled until the cheese melted and the pear was warm. The salty Parmesan contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the cooked pear.

The Glass Bar's sister restaurant is right across the street. It is called Di Vino. It's menu looked good and if the Glass Bar is anything to go by, I bet the food there is tasty.

Next door and upstairs from Di Vino is a very cool bar called Deseo. The hotel has the same name. Both are super chic and trendy. The bar has a giant screen that shows clips of old Mexican film without sound. The music is techno. There are giant beds and pillows for lounging. I love lounging.

We also had dinner at a French restaurant called Byblos. I wasn't terribly hungry so I didn't get a starter. My main course was a crayfish vol au vent with fish balls and creamy tomato sauce. The fish balls were delicate and reminded me of a fish pate. I love anything in a vol au vent.