Daily Archives: January 19, 2013

Eating in Cozumel

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While I’m eating like a cave man, and dreaming of all the things I can’t eat I spend a lot of time thinking about all the damage I’ve given myself permission to do while diving in Cozumel.  All food is fair game.  Over the years we’ve found some great places to eat on the island.  I hope to add a few new places to the list.  Here is where I plan on gorging myself on the trip.

Kinta- Kinta is a beautiful place right near Melgar and the plaza.  Great food, service, and consistency.  Nice and romantic.

Kondesa - Kondesa has the same owners as Kinta.  Similar, but not TOO similar of a place.  Again, great food, and nice atmosphere

Wet Wendys - Wet Wendys is THE place to go for margaritas.  They make some of the craziest drinks you can imagine, and manage to pull them all off.  The owners make their own tequila, and it’s worthy of packing a few bottles to bring home.  Food is also great here.  We wind up here for drinks after diving, and when Chad is playing live music come around for cool tunes.

El Moro - El Moro is a about a 15-20 minute drive away from the waterfront into the residential area of San Miguel.  It’s one of the most friendly places on the island, and has some amazing local cuisine.  I’ve had many wonderful, and happy meals here (and memories) here.

La Choza - We usually come here for a post dive lunch.  Great food and service.

La Candela - La Candela is right around the corner from one of our dive shops.  Same owners as La Choza, and the food here is less touristy, and more local.  I like it that way.

Los Otates - Los Otates is pure taco joint.  Great tacos, cheap beer.  No frills, but great food.

los chilango’s - los chilango’s is something most Americans don’t usually experience.  It’s basically a home, that does really inexpensive lunch, and does it really well.  Expect to share a table, and for them not to speak much English.  It’s cheap with prices averaging $5-$6 for a meal.

Fellini’s Pizzeria - Fellini’s Pizzeria is amazing.  I would have NEVER thought you could compare Mexican pizza to something you’d find in NYC or Chicago.  But heres the deal.  When I’m back in the states, I dream of Fellini’s Pizzeria.  When I’m on the Island, I eat it as much as possible.  Oh, and their homemade chimichurri compliments a pizza like nothing else.

Curing Bacon

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So I’ve started experimenting with curing my own meats.  This seems like the next evolutionary step from smoking meats to me.  Around New Years I cured 5 pounds of pork belly, and was super happy with the results.

Bacon

I talked a few work friends into going in on a larger haul with me.  Here’s how I’m doing it;

ingredientsFirst off, you’ll need to get some Curing Salt.  I bought mine here.  A little goes a long way, so you won’t need a ton.  The rest of the items you’ll need are pretty simple.  Kosher Salt, Dark Sugar, Maple Syrup (true Vermont syrup)

Here is the recipe I used for the curing, per 5 pounds of pork belly.

  • 2 tsp curing salt
  • 2 oz Kosher Salt (1/4 cup)
  • 1/4 cup Dark Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Maple Syrup

Bags

Put all the ingredients in a bag, with the meat and seal the bag.  Now you just need to let time do it’s work.  The whole process takes 7-9 days.  Keep the bag refrigerated, and turn the contents over every day to redistribute the curing ingredients.

When the curing is done, I’ll post on how to smoke the bacon for extra flavor.