The next time you are strolling down Hidalgo on your morning walk and you see this sandwich board, make a bee-line inside (if you can get a free table). The gorgeous photos that are displayed are exactly what you get, ensuring that your breakfast will be as pretty as a picture. When we first started visiting the island in the early 2000s, there were very few options for breakfast but now there are a plethora of them all over the island and many on Hidalgo itself. I would put Oceans in the top two for breakfast and number one on Hidalgo!

The restaurant is beautifully adorned with authentic pottery and the food is served on enormous white platters that are more like serving trays to make certain that you will not lose a dribble of hollandaise sauce or the yolk from a perfectly prepared egg.

We asked Francisco to help us decide what to order. We love being surprised by what the restauranteurs consider their best tasting dishes.

Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict was a great spin an a classic. The sweetness of the meat sauce perfectly complemented the savoury tastes of eggs and hollandaise. But equally important (in my mind at least) were the fabulous breakfast potatoes. They were greaseless, sweet and lightly sauteed to help mop up the extra yolk and hollandaise. The fruit stack and freshly squeezed juices were lovely ways to start our day with some vitamins.

D and I love Huevo Rancheros and yet we rarely make them at home preferring Middle Eastern Shakshuka. Ranchero sauce is more chili based and seasoned with additional chipotle and chili flavours, whereas I make shakshuka with left over spaghetti sauce. But, when in Mexico….The combination of eggs, sauce and the corn tortilla base make for a hearty breakfast and we are new lovers of refried bean sauce to make it even more substantial.

As if we hadn’t been absolutely satiated, Francisco presented us with a pancake dessert. The flapjacks were light and fluffy. We chose between the sparkling blueberry compote and the nutty cinnamon dollops with every bite. But I shouldn’t say “every bite” because we could hardly make a dent into the stack.

Weeks later, we met family on an early morning ferry. They were visiting for the day and only on Isla for a few hours. Francisco quickly assembled tables for our large group and we got to visit in the early sun with another round of delicious food.

The Breakfast sandwich and quesadilla were both enormous and eaters had to be helped by extra recruits. Good thing we had a couple of those on hand.

Ocean’s is located on the west side of Hidalgo in the vicinity of Fredy’s. They are open daily from 8 am until midnight.

Kath’s quote: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When you feed yourself what your body needs when it needs it, that’s love. So give your bod some TLC and sit down and enjoy a good, substantial breakfast.”- Kathy Freston

Love never fails.

I had heard a lot of buzz on the Isla Mujeres’ Food Facebook page and other Isla pages about Rancho Capricho. Many places on the island claim to have the best tacos and these guys claim that title as well. It’s even printed on the back of their T-shirt’s. “Best tacos on the island” and in my opinion, they really are!  A twist on the traditional, the two dishes we tried were amazing. We will certainly be back again and again! 

The portions were substantial and the service from Diego and Toño was excellent. All the staff are born and raised on Isla and are kind and attentive. 

Located on the southern Perimetral just before The Joint, this little complex has everything one could need. When we stayed at Villas Punta Sur in 2005 there was literally nowhere within walking distance to eat. The restaurant that was previously located where the Joint is now was closed every time we walked by. What a treat it would have been to have Rancho open at that time. A great taco restaurant, bar, convenience store and even stables, this place has it all. 

We started out with a piña colada and a spicy mango margarita while we considered the menu. The menu is small; they do tacos, they do tostadas, but they do them to perfection. I’m a believer that you should focus on what you do and do it well. It was tough to decide what to order as everything looked so good. I love that their menu features beautiful photos of each dish.

We ordered the “Special Steak” tacos. There are three tacos fully loaded with filling. They melt mozzarella cheese on the tortilla and top them with arrachera steak which was tender and flavourful. The addition of onions and smoked longaniza, a type of sausage similar to chorizo, made this a flavour bomb. It was taken over the top with chipotle and cilantro crema.

Our second selection was the “ Shrimp Toast”. Two crunchy tostadas with shrimp, onions, and peppers sautéed in white wine. The addition of mozzarella and their chipotle cilantro creama make this the perfect bite. There was an abundance of shrimp that were really big and totally juicy. At that time, it was the best thing I’d eaten this trip. 

Rancho Capricho was the brain child of owner Enrique and his chefs Fabio and Lizandro. Enrique wanted to do something with this piece of land so they talked half jokingly about opening a taco stand. Before they knew it recipes were being developed and the rest, as they say, is history. I’m so happy this whim of an idea became a reality as it’s a great addition to the Isla Mujeres food scene. 

Rancho Capricho is open everyday except Sundays from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. Enjoy the view of the passing ducks and don’t forget to go and visit the four horses. 

Kath’s quote: ” The answer is “tacos”. It doesn’t matter what the question is”.- Author unknown

Love never fails.

We are getting ready for our annual Isla eating adventure, in one month’s time. I was nostalgic reliving the amazing food that we sampled last year. Links to the Blog Posts are in the picture captions. Now don’t go salivate all over your phone…..

Kath’s quote: “I’m on a seafood diet – I see food, I eat it.” ~ Dolly Parton

Love never fails.

During the pandemic a number of folks on Isla Mujeres started cooking at home and delivering food to people’s homes and hotels. On our spring 2022 trip to the island we decided it was time to take advantage of this new trend and tried out a few of these.

My favourite by far is Mar Abismo.

You could not meet a more personable man than owner Ponce. We had a nice chat when he delivered our lunch. He told me about his wife Irene’s love of cooking and that love shone so brightly as soon as I tasted her food.

When dining in Mexico I often order enchiladas. I love them and enjoy that everyone’s version, while similar, are just a bit different from the next. I have taken a few cooking classes in Mexico in an effort to improve my skills cooking this cuisine. I learned to cook molé in Puerto Morelos and enchilada Suiza in Isla Mujeres. Since then I have tried to reproduce them at home with limited success. Part of the problem is I can’t get the exact same ingredients in Canada as I can in Isla. And even when I am able to locate things like fresh tomatillos, they have traveled a long way to my grocery and don’t have the same beautiful freshness. Also, I believe that these slow cooked sauces take years of practice to perfect. They seem so easy to the masters that were showing me how to make them.

On this day we ordered chicken enchiladas from Mar Abismo. One in molé sauce, a smoky, dark, rich gravy featuring dark chocolate and roasted chilies. The other prepared Suiza style in a green tomatillo sauce with Swiss cheese and Mexican crema topping. These were by far the best versions of these dishes I have ever had. I think about them all the time and can’t wait to return to the island to order them again and have a little visit with Ponce.

Mar Abismo is only available by deliver only on Wednesday to Saturday mornings. Their menu changes from day to day and often features chiliquilles, omelettes, and a variety of egg dishes.

Kath’s quote: “He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don’t let that fool you. You should’ve seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.”― Rick Riordan

Love never fails.

Although I am still trying to get some cards mailed out (consider it a Epiphany card if you are on the list to receive one), it may or may not include this Christmas letter. So here is what we have been up to this year:

January was a lovely and quiet month. We celebrated D’s birthday and I got to spend some special time with my besties.

We are rarely home in February and this is the reason why. The snow banks were so high that D was throwing it way over his head. Sometimes we ask “Why do we live in this God-forsaken place”?

Here’s why. We are 10 minutes away from each of the kids and spend a lot of the time with the grandbabies in winter. We celebrated a Wee One’s birthday as well as the Frenchman’s in February.

By the end of February, we had had it with winter and travelled to our special place. Some people wonder why we go to the same place every year and these are the reasons why. Above is Hortencia and her four daughters. We have made so many dear friends on Isla Mujeres with both the islanders and fellow travelers.

We are staying for a month in 2023! We think Isla brings out the best in us. People that know us especially well, would agree. But all good things have to end.

The snow took eons to melt at the lake but our house was rented in the city, so we moved there in April.

We drove back and forth a lot in the spring, celebrating special get togethers like our niece’s wedding.

May is typically a whirlwind, celebrating the birthdays of our youngest daughter, a Wee One, my little bear, my DIL and lastly my own. To make things even more joyous, we will be celebrating a new day of birth in 2023!

By this time, the gang joins us for extended weekends at the lake and we are into the wonderful days of summer.

I was scheduled to have my second knee replaced in June. While I was recovering D accumulated a gang to expand our deck.

This is the after picture. Since the water was so high on the lake this year, there was no beach and as a result we spent almost every day luxuriating on the deck. It was the perfect year to do so.

There was more back and forth though, like celebrating our eldest daughter’s birthday on their rooftop and the eldest Wee One’s, also in July.

We also got away for our yearly sojourn to join dear friends at Willard lake.

With the expanded deck, we hosted countless Happy Hours and extended family suppers.

The other lovely modification, since there was no beach, was visiting the pool in the forest built by Sister #2’s gang of capable guys. J and J are seen enjoying it here.

We celebrated J’s birthday in September, but the pool was used even on Thanksgiving weekend! Here’s one of four tables where we enjoyed dinner.

We stayed deep into the fall and then it was off to a trip of a lifetime!

If you follow this space, you will know that the three sisters travelled to Prague, Malaga and Dublin this fall. It was memorable in so many ways.

In November we took all four grandkids to Disney on Ice, as well as hosting them all at the same time for a sleepover!

And here it is Christmas. It is bitterly cold and snows almost daily, so it will not be long before that snowbank from earlier this year will be just as high. It is supposed to warm up soon though, which will be lovely when we spend some time at the lake for New Year’s.

D and I have been blessed with good health (I have yet to get Covid) and much joy this year and hope that the same is true for you, your family and your loved ones.

Kath’s quote: “To prepare our hearts for Christmas, we must cultivate the spirit of expectancy.” As in “I can’t wait”!

Love never fails.