As Sue and I make inroads into the food culture of Isla Mujeres, we meet more and more locals who can claim that their families are founding families of the island itself. It is fascinating to me that so many of these first families work diligently to keep the hospitality surrounding Isla food and it’s recipes alive. Case in point, although I have eaten at Caribbean Brisas a number of times both in their original Centro location on the ocean side of Medina and in their current Colonia’s location, I have never met Karina one half of the ownership team in person. Karina is a vivacious woman whose love of food and the island are both obvious. She runs Caribbean Brisas and her husband leads the team at Caribbean Garden, only a couple of blocks away. Both restaurants are open for three meals per day and they also maintain separate, distinctive menus. Imagine, if you will, how hard this couple must work.

Caribbean Brisas was almost at capacity on the evening we visited. I know without a doubt that it is the delicious, authentic food that keeps their guests coming back.

This evening Karina explained in Spanish (thank heavens Sue was there) that their fish is always fresh and never frozen. She indicates that in spite of their extensive menu, their specials board ensures that they can highlight their freshly caught fish features. Black Grouper is available either blackened or tic n chix fashion and held the spotlight on this evening. But Sue and I decided quite easily what dishes we would share. We both love fruita de mare pasta so that was a given.

Clams, mussels, squid rings and shrimp were tossed in a light and sparkling tomato sauce made with top quality tomatoes, herbs and parmesan. I always appreciate when the sauce does not over power the briny taste of fresh seafood. I often request seafood pasta with a little oil, garlic, white wine and lemon but Sue pointed out that it may be impolite to muck with a chef’s recipe, so I will decline to do so in the future. Tiny ribbons of more parmesan adorned the spaghetti. I am a fan of oodles of parmesan, and am delighted that Isla restaurants do not adhere to what Italians follow as food doctrine, that is, parmesan and seafood should never meet. I am already looking forward to leftovers and I only ate a couple of hours ago.

Soft and fresh, French bread appeared to be sliced and then brushed with garlic butter.  We were brought a second basket to lap up that delectable sauce.

We also selected lobster tacos. The meat had been pulled from the shell and then finely diced with a couple of simple veggies so that the sweet taste of the lobster shone through. We each enjoyed a soft taco and then Sue ignored the tortilla and finished the stuffing of the third taco with her fork!

We started with crisp tortilla chips and pico de gallo, accompanied with a lovely Chilean merlot as we were introduced to Karina. The rain had abated. A fresh breeze swept over us from the nearby Caribbean. Caribbean Brisas is aptly named. We enjoyed a lovely evening!

Insider’s tip: Next time I visit I would love to try the mussels in wine.

Kath’s quote: “Seafood is a celebration of nature’s abundance and a reminder of the wonders of the ocean.”-Unknown

Love never fails.

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