Food Musings

A Winnipeg blog about the joy of preparing food for loved ones and the shared joy that travel & dining brings to life.

Javi’s Cantina, Isla Mujeres 2018

March14

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Seven of us recently enjoyed a dinner at Javi’s Cantina. As we were assembling and ordering drinks, I took the opportunity to have a little poke around. The décor of Javi’s is understated, yet vibrant. I loved the murals as we made our way to the back patio in addition to touches of turquoise and another favourite-twinkle lights.

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I had a little preview of the back patio when we visited Javi’s in 2017 and it was exciting to see how the hopes and dreams of Javi and his wife Marla were shaping up. If you have spent any time on the island, you likely know Javi or at least know of him from his years of evening gigs on Hidalgo. You will know that he is a great story teller and is passionate about everything he takes on. This tree, which is the focal point of the back terrace, once supported Javi’s childhood swing. The cantina stands on Javi’s family property. (Oh and he is wonderfully sentimental too).

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He refers to the families’ tree and then tells the story of his grandfather taking him out fishing. The punch line of the story was “shut up and fish” put I will leave it to Javi to tell it to you. The catch of the day had just come in. Javi shared the freshness of the fish with his guests that evening along with recounting the effort it takes to fish in a sustainable manner on the island.

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But ..to the food! Javi has made this asparagus dish famous on the island. When you mention Javi’s to Isla friends, they are likely to say “Have you tasted his tempura asparagus?” It is a unique signature dish served with crème fresh and is ever so tasty. Having grown up in the steakhouse business, wedge salads were not new to me. Javi’s version includes crunchy cucumbers and radishes which added a fresh taste. The peppery flavour from the radish offset the pungency of the blue cheese.

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Down at the other end of the table, these enormous onion rungs were served along with chips and salsa (utilizing his Grandma’s unique recipe). At this point in the evening he shared another dream of one day having a Javi’s brand for his families’ sauces. Given the tastiness of the one we sampled, they would be an immediate hit!

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If we had any doubt that this local guitar picking bundle of energy really knew his stuff, this appetizer that he created and asked us to sample, chased any doubts away. He had some ideas written on a paper napkin and the next thing we knew, this dish of beauty sat in front of us. Silky slices of yellow fin tuna were nestled between crunchy cucumber and lettuce. Also adorning the plate were surprizes of mint, chipotle dots and a sauce made of pineapple, ginger and red pepper. Black pepper completed the taste profile and we were absolutely awed by the dish. The dish was complex, yet fresh and clean tasting. Jav’s inventiveness puts him right up there with the island’s best trained chefs. Javi inquired what the rest of the table thought, as he was genuinely looking for feedback. Unfortunately, Sister #3 and I had to admit that we didn’t share it with the rest of the gang.

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At the other end of the table oohs and aahs were declared as dishes of shrimp, chicken and fish arrived. The exclamations were for the colourful plate presentations, first tastes and overwhelmingly for the garlic mashed potatoes that were being shared around.

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The power couple themselves.

In fact, Javi’s wife Marla was tucking into her own bowl just out of view of most customers. It was the first and only thing she had eaten that day. Even though this story has focused on Javi, do not discount Marla’s contribution to the success of Javi’s Cantina (and all their projects)! Marla brings the expertise and savvy to the businesses, which quite frankly a personality like Javi’s could not succeed without.

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The lovely veggie swirls were a delightful touch but kind of camouflaged the items themselves (this is not a criticism just an observation that Javi and Marla may want to look at). Sister #3 and I shared fresh langostino. Caribbean “lobster” is a sister to the north Atlantic lobster that we enjoy in Canada. Both have unique and sweet tastes if prepared correctly. My first taste of langostino was many years ago in Varadero Cuba. The fish had been split and grilled over an open flame. Javi’s version was more than equal to that first taste, that is carefully tucked away with other mountain-top culinary memories.

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Even though Sister #3 and I had shared our plates, we were more than satiated and then mention of Javi’s French toast bread pudding occurred. The pudding itself was rich and decadent, with the addition of whiskey sauce and praline bacon, the dessert inclusion, hit our dinner right out of the park!

I read recently read of someone saying that their dinner at Javi’s was “meh”. According to my restaurant and hospitality expertise and my years as a culinary writer, “meh” must be an abbreviation for mehgnificent!

Kath’s quote: “We may live without poetry, music and art; We may live without conscience, and live without heart; We may live without friends; we may live without books; But civilized man cannot live without cooks”.-Edward Bulwer-Lytton

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Love never fails.

 

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Fenix, Isla Mujeres 2018

March13

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In all my years visiting Isla Mujeres (since 2005), I had only had the pleasure of eating at Fenix, one previous time. Here is that post. With their move to Playa Sol and my love of both that location and their food, I was excited to dine again. They had the perfect table reserved for my brother, his wife and I (my husband D was not yet on the island).

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The first order of business was to sit back and enjoy an Isla sunset (with all the other folks who think that Fenix’s location is the perfect sunset viewing spot on the island).

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Since we are family and well accustomed to sharing our plates and our food, we chose a number of smalls plates. First up were enormous garlic shrimp with toasted baguette. These were perfectly cooked so that the flesh didn’t shrink and become too dense.

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We loved the Verde fish ceviche on tostados. Cucumber replaced the typical chopped tomato which made for a sparkling version of one of my favourite island treats. These were particularly “limey” enhanced by plenty of cilantro.

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We were so enamored with the goat cheese stuffed red peppers that I attempted to recreate them for a fiesta later in the week. The smokey peppers had been roasted and skinned and then served on crostini. The pungent cheese offset the sweet pepper beautifully.

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Coconut shrimp were presented on a skewer which made them easy to eat. Instead of tamarind or salsa these were served alongside a mango chutney. A lovely switch up.

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Tempura grouper skewers with wasabi mayo arrived last. Once again the bamboo skewer made them tidier to eat. The tempura batter was absolutely greaseless allowing the subtle tastes of the grouper to shine through.

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As we lingered and appreciated the extensive layout of the restaurant, we decided that it would be the perfect spot for a wedding or other special event.

Kath’s quote: “Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?’ ‘Hmm . . . What do you think, Harry?’ said Luna, looking thoughtful. ‘What? Isn’t there just a password?’ ‘Oh no, you’ve got to answer a question,’ said Luna. ‘What if you get it wrong?’‘Well, you have to wait for somebody who gets it right,’ said Luna. ‘That way you learn, you see?’ ‘Yeah . . . Trouble is, we can’t really afford to wait for anyone else, Luna.’‘No, I see what you mean,’ said Luna seriously. ‘Well then, I think the answer is that a circle has no beginning.’‘Well reasoned,’ said the voice, and the door swung open.” –JK Rowling, Harry Potter

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Love never fails.

Isla Mujeres 2017 Trip Report-Day 11

December7

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This never gets tired.

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D has walked into town and I am contemplating the day. The breeze has died down and there are no clouds. Might be a hot one! To my surprise D has discovered how much he likes beachcombing saying that it is both relaxing and good exercise! I joined him for a while yesterday.

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D made his fabulous ham omelets for brunch.

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We were kicking around possibilities for the day when Boo & the Frenchman texted saying that they would love to come over again to sit in the shade and watch the waves. We went to fetch them in our golf cart and did exactly that.

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D made cocktails. He and I were too hungry to chase down sunset so we went right to Brisas Grill. It was a busy place and we were lucky to get a table when we did. D had grouper and cilantro sauce and I had seafood pasta in a white wine sauce. We did not think that it was as good as when they were on the beach. We were home in time for a glass of wine and Suits on Netflix.

Kath’s quote: “When you make an omelet, as when you make love, affection counts for more than technique”.-Isabel Allende

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Love never fails.

Isla Mujeres 2017 Trip Report-Day 10

December6

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We were awake for a gorgeous sunrise.

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One of our many Isla traditions is taking pouty face pictures of each other at the ferry terminal.

We scouted (in our golf cart) into town to see Sister #2, my BIL and nephew off

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and then went back again to shop for breakfast.

Later we returned again to fetch another in law and her sister from Centro to took them to Luna d’Miel for a breakfast of ham and eggs.

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The town was quiet that morning.

After breakfast we took the ladies on an island spin and ran into Joyce of Bob and Joyce. She had us in to see her kitchen reno.

We whiled away the afternoon in switching out between hammock, chair and shade.

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For Happy Hour and to help us consume all our booze we went in the golf cart and fetched Boo and the Frenchman. D made kahluas and margaritas and the Frenchman became a very happy tequila man.

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We finished off our chips and dip and mango salsa and then took off in the cart to across the airport strip to watch the sunset.

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Once the beautiful display was over, we drove into Colonias to Bastos for Burgers Especiale and then home for a wine night cap.

Kath’s quote: “Man who invented the hamburger was smart; man who invented the cheeseburger was a genius”.-Matthew McConaughey

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Love never fails.

Isla Mujeres Trip Report-Day 9

November28

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We love so many things about staying on the airport strip. But the best part is being excited to get up with the sun, make our coffee and then just sit there.

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We had established our Luna d’ Miel routine of D walking into town for his second coffee, newspaper, tortas, fruit and juice. This is when I would typically go shelling & sea glass hunting. At that point I had almost a full bag of alga marine, my favourite sea glass colour. D also checked in on daughter Boo as she was still ill the previous evening.

We also love that the Luna d’ Miel unit that we stay in, has a fairly well equipped kitchen (including an electric frying pan that we had taken down years prior). Taking full advantage, we stayed in for a fabulous breakfast of Isla ham and eggs.

I spent the day I and out of the sun, It was cool in the shade (almost too cool) and hot in the sun (almost too hot). D finished his book and we took turns in the hammock. I felt sleepy all day and tried to rest. We snacked and nibbled the day away. Daughter Boo and the Frenchman had our golf cart for the day. We loved going back and forth to pick them up and drop them off.

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At 6 pm we were at K & M’s hotel to pick up their excess supplies. So far we have done so with most of the people who have departed. We will consume a bit of it and find an unsuspecting local to pass the rest off to.

Had a lovely Happy Hour at Jan & Bruce’s. They are in the old Glady’s apartments that we stayed over New Year’s years ago. We walked the crazy ladder to the roof.

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Dinner was at Bertha’s (link here) & Sister #2 and her husband joined the four of us.

We stopped at J and B’s to pick up more supplies and ended the evening with a glass of wine under the stars. We were the only inhabitants at Luna d’ Miel that night.

Kath’s quote: “While sleeping in a hammock, with the touch of a warm wind we remember why we are in love with the life!” -Mehmet Murat ildan

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Love never fails.

 

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