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Courtyard Lunch In April 2017, Don and I visited the the Old City of Valladolid, in the Yucatan.
We had heard that the Hotel, el Meson del Marques, was the perfect place to sample some authentic Yucatecan dishes. Spanish Colonial Town We had visited the Old City area, years ago with our kids. We had good memories of chatting with children, selling embroidered handkerchiefs the near the fountain.  We'd gone inside the 16th century cathedral, San Gervasio. We'd even bought leather sandals from a shoemaker. The Pink Hotel But we hadn't noticed the pink hotel, that was once a colonial mansion, from the beginning of the 17th century.  Luckily our friends who live in Mexico, tipped us off. Inside the Walls Before we even tasted the food, we were in love with the setting. The courtyard was a shady oasis.
The hostess, dressed in her embroidered dress, took us to our table, past the vegetables and chiles and the tortilla maker, seated on a stool. Open Air Dining There were indoor dining spaces, but the tables surrounding the courtyard were too lovely to pass up.
The painted chairs, white cloths and fresh flowers welcomed us... not to mention the playful artwork! Sounds Around Us Our table was perfect. We could hear the fountain and birds. Even the soft voices at nearby tables, were pleasing.
It was a treat hearing no English at all. I loved knowing we were dining in a place enjoyed by locals. Lunch is Served Nestor, our waiter made us feel right at home. He brought over a stand to hold our hats.  He gave us some good suggestions for beer and Yucatecan dishes. And... he graciously took our photo, with the lovely courtyard as our background. First Time Foods My order of Papadzules is shown above. The tortillas were filled with hard boiled eggs and topped with pumpkin seed cream and fried tomato sauce. Don went for the baby shark!
Both dishes were a little out of my comfort zone. I never expect to fall in love with a new cuisine on the first try. But we finished it all and were more than pleased with the whole experience! Nestor Nestor couldn't have been better. He let Don practice his Spanish and he helped us out with a little English.  Best of all he had a good sense of humor. I can't remember what these last words were between Nestor and Don, but they had a fun time.
Yay for our first Yucatecan Dining Adventure!
2 Comments
kristi
10/30/2018 08:08:07 am
Love this. Totally my kind of dining.
Beth
11/1/2018 12:29:19 pm
It was your kind of place, Kristi! I don't think we'll make it there again on this trip. Another time! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
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