April 11, 2008

About two years my husband and I ventured to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. This was our first trip and, coincidentally, Food & Wine magazine had just come out with an article on Jacque Pepin’s Playa del Carmen getaway. Of course I read the article over and over again before my trip. And then I brought it with me. Mostly, my buddy Jacque shopped at nearby farmer’s markets (which were MIA when I went) for local produce and cooked at home. So I went to the Playa del Carmen forum for restaurant advice which lead me to my glorious steak.

HC Monterrey Butcher Shop is an open-front butchery in the outskirts of Playa del Carmen. There is absolutely nothing fancy about this place. Plastic table cloths. Old plastic chairs. A butcher’s display. And … a huge 3 ft by 13 foot grill next door with one man turning steak after steak over hot coals. The smell is heavenly. The customary dish is arranchera, which is flank steak. For about $7 you get a steak, half of an avocado (blemish free and delicious), a grilled jalapeno, and your choice of either a grilled onion or a grilled potato (both cooked on the grill wrapped in tin foil.) The steak is also served with a garlic mayonnaise and a light salsa. To top it off, you are handed a warm stack of tortillas freshly made from the factory across the street. This is what it’s all about people! Fresh food, without any pomp and circumstance. Made by locals for locals … and a few of us pesky tourists thrown in for good measure.

(Blueberry margarita from Babe's Noodle Bar in Playa del Carmen.)

HC Monterrey Butcher Shop is located at  1st street south, between 20th and 25th. Apparently it is no longer named HC Monterrey but is now CH ... but the food is still the same quality and I intend to make it my first stop when I return to Mexico in June!