The Casual Restaurant Critic Finally, after eating at many quite decent restaurants in Merida, the Critic and his Fussy Crew found a restaurant worthy of trashing. This time the group decided to have a seafood lunch at the immensely popular La Costa Azul restaurant near the sleepy fisherman's village of Chelem, which can be reached if you should ever want to, by taking the marked turn-off and overpass just before arriving on the outskirts of that metropolitan urbe called Progreso. The name of Progreso by the way has nothing to do with it's development; there has been little or no progress here since the end of the henequen era many years ago when it was an important port and shipped goods all over the world. It is still an important port, but if you look at the city itself it has decayed quite a bit, and the main industry has become shady customs revisions of incoming shipments from abroad and the dumping of stones by the truckload off the ever-lengthening 5 kilometer pier.
and his Fussy Crew
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La Costa Azul
A short trip out to Chelem, near Progreso, and you'll find this popular seafood eatery
But back to La Costa Azul. It's called the blue coast, but you will have to imagine the beach because there is no view or even a wave to be heard. On Sundays at any time of the year, it is absolutely packed, with locals from Merida coming all the way here to eat, and during the summer temporada, every day is a Sunday. Why is it so popular? This is a mystery to the Critic, when there are places that offer better seafood, better service and a beach view to boot.
The ambiance is typical, to say the least, the same as all the other seafood eateries along the Yucatecan coast. Metal Coca-Cola or Superior or Corona beer tables and chairs on a concrete floor, unfinished walls and ceilings, faded fishy and beachy posters from the '70's hanging from nails all around, and those speakers blaring out cumbias from the local tropical music station. When the Critic and his Fussy Crew went to 'dine', the radio station was featuring a romantic poetry reading with romantic cumbias and romantic station breaks. The effect was similar to inserting hot sewing needles under your fingernails if you can imagine such a torture. Many of the Fussy Crew covered their ears in typical uncomprehending tourist fashion and left their seats to observe the black cat that was chewing up a fish skeleton and other remains off a plate left perhaps for that purpose on a nearby table.
The service was typical as well, the well-meaning waiter bringing out plates as they were prepared in the 'kitchen', resulting in a spread of at least 15 minutes between the first person getting his food and the last person, who was by this time hysterical from the music and the cats and the kiddies wanting to play on the all metal and concrete playground that would have caused your average state of California safety official to go into cardiac arrest.
The food itself is completely average for this type of restaurant - nothing more, nothing less. The usual breaded fish or shrimp, the shrimp, conch and oyster cocktails, the fried fish, garlic shrimp etc. etc. etc. The Critic just doesn't get what all the fuss is about!
If you are absolutely stuck in Chelem and want to eat at a popular local restaurant, thereby showing your desire to mix with the population and not be a tourist, by all means visit La Costa Azul. If, however, you are in the mood for seafood and are not restricted to the Chelem area, or are driving all the way from Merida, visit some of the other seafood eateries on the waterfront for crying out loud, where, although the food, service and ambiance may be the same, at least you'll be able to look out at the ocean!
Casual Restaurant Critic Rating: 1
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Beginning 1999, the Critic started rating the places he visited. Here's the scoop:
1
horrendous, don't bother, not worth the price, time and/or calories
2
3
4
5
service and appropriate concept (everything gels, from silverware to furniture to
music to decoration etc.)
