Restaurant El Principe Tutul-Xiu

I found a very enticing advertisement for a Yucatecan restaurant called Restaurant El
Principe Tutul-Xiu. I had seen the ad in Yucatan Today. The restaurant is located in the town of Oxkutzcab, and they also have restaurants in Merida and Mani. They are famous for their Poc Chuc, a pork dish cooked with orange juice.

They have all the typical Yucatecan food, with all the flavors you would
expect. Restaurant El Principe Tutul-Xiu has been in business since 1973,
when they opened their first restaurant in the town of Mani. They must be
doing something right, to have been around this long.

We decided to take a road trip today, and drove the 85 miles through wonderful
small towns to get to Oxkutzcab, and when we arrived we found plenty of
parking. The restaurant is easy to find, since it is the biggest and best
known one in Oxkutzcab.

You enter the restaurant and the first thing you see is the large, spotless
kitchen. Then, you go to the second floor to be seated.

The restaurant is large and very airy, with very nice décor. The dining room
is under a very large palapa, and
the tables are made of heavy slate. The chairs are made of fine wood, and are comfortable for large people.

It was only seconds before our waiter arrived. We ordered some home made
limeade, cold and delicious, and made with purified water. They also have
orange juice, tamarind juice, horchata,
sodas and cold beer. They bring you fresh made tortilla chips, to snack on before your meal arrives...always a nice touch.



We
ordered some Sopa de Lima for $35.00
MXP, which was very good and spicy. And then, the best part of the day, and
what we drove for an hour and a half in order to taste: our order of poc
chuc, for $70.00 MXP.



Dear God, where has this place been? It was so delicious, that I did not
want my eating experience of this poc chuc to end.The meat has all the fine flavors of the slow-roasted, charbroiled pork, served with fresh lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes that melt in your mouth, cured onions, and avocado slices.

My wife knew that I was happy, since I was not saying a word. The meal was
also accompanied with strained beans, that are creamy and have a wonderful
taste of pork in them, as well as home made corn tortillas.



The
waitstaff is very attentive and they move fast. I checked the men’s room
out. The bathrooms are large and clean, but like most toilets here in
Mexico, no darn toilet seats. What in the hell is with that, anyway?



They play nice, soft Mexican music for your enjoyment while you are eating.
The prices here are very reasonable, at $30.00 to $75.00 MXP. You will find
mostly local townspeople eating here, and having a good night out.



We then ordered some desert, the Flan
Napolitano for $15.00 MXP, and the
Ciricote for $15.00 MXP. I always have the flan when we eat out, and
I can truly say that their flan is, most likely, the best I have ever had.




They also have filete de res for
$70.00 MXP, queso relleno for $75.00
MXP,

and relleno negro or
relleno blanco for $70.00 MXP.



Hours:

11:00am – 7:00pm every day



Addresses:



MANI

Calle 26 # 208 x 25 y 27 Centro

Mani, Yucatan Mexico

Tel: 01-997-978-4086



MERIDA

Calle 123 # 216 x 46-A y 46-B

Serapio Rendon,

Merida, Yucatan Mexico

Tel: 929-7721



OXKUTZCAR

Calle 45 # 102 x 50 y 52

Centro, Oxkutzcar, Yucatan Mexico



They accept Mastercard, Visa, and Banamex.



I give Restaurant El Principe Tutul-Xiu 4 Chefs Hats out of 4.





Buon Appetito!

Boston's Gourmet Pizza and Sports Bar

Boston's Gourmet Pizza and Sports Bar

A few people have written me and asked how I liked Boston's Gourmet Pizza and Sports Bar. I tell them that I have been there only one time. I was asked if I was going to review Boston's in the near future, since most people are now Christmas shopping and Boston's is very convenient in that it is located right in the Altabrisa Shopping Mall Parking lot in Altabrisa, located in Merida. There is also a branch of the chain near Gran Plaza in Merida.
Boston's Gourmet Pizza is not new at all, well maybe to Mexico, but it has been around since 1964.It started with Gus Agiortis, a Greek immigrant who had jumped ship in Vancouver, and then opened the first Boston Pizza in Edmonton, Alberta in 1964. He worked tirelessly to make pizza a household name in Western Canada. Gus' first restaurant was known as "Boston Pizza and Spaghetti House.
"The company started franchising in 1968 and has since evolved from a "pizza joint" into a full service casual dining restaurant and sports bar. Six years after opening, Gus had 17 locations (two corporate and 15 franchised) in operation across Western Canada. Gus believed that a potential franchisee didn't need a restaurant background, but needed strong people skills, a passion for hard work and new horizons. This philosophy still stands true today.So, I decided to pay Boston's a visit tonight, and here is my review.When we first arrived, we found that there was plenty of parking, and I found a spot right in front of the restaurant.We were then greeted by a very friendly hostess by the name of Pamela, and she asked us where we would like to be seated. We picked a booth, and I was happy to see that the tables move at the booth, so if you’re a big guy or girl, you can be seated comfortably. The restaurant is very clean, and the decor isvery appealing, with six large flat screen TVs in the dining area to watch the games on.They also have a bar area, with more TVs, and a full liquor license, so you can order your favorite alcoholic beverage. At Boston's, you can see into the kitchen to watch all the cooks at work
The ceilings are high, and painted black, just like the other Boston’s are.The bathrooms are large and spotless, and modern, and in the men's room, they put today's Merida newspapers in a frame, to read while you do your business.The restaurant has plenty of nice lighting, so you can see what you are ordering and what you are eating. I asked for a menu in English, and no problem, Boston's has them. The soundtrack was even good, with very nice songs from the '70s and '80s.The prices are around $70.00MXP per person, up to $180.00MXP per personMy wife had a cold, so she just wanted soup. I ordered their signature pizza, Sausage Pomedoro. I got the small one for $125.90MXP.

The other prices for pizzas are:Individual... $94.90 MXPSmall... $125.90 MXPMedium... $179.90 MXPLarge... $229.90 MXPThe prices are kind of high, and the price for the large pizza, is much too high...higher, even, than in New York City!The Sausage Pomedoro pizza has Spicy Italian Sausage, Sliced Pepperoni, Fresh Spinach, Roasted Garlic, Banana Peppers, and Mozzarella.This is the actual photo of my Pizza Sausage Pomedoro: The pizza was delicious, and very zesty, with plenty of sausage and pepperoni.And it is nice to see that they have real Italian Sausage on their pizza, and not slices of turkey hot dogs, or, like one popular pizza place here, little miniature meatballs. I will not even give a ½ a Chefs Hat for that pizza place.I do feel that they should steam the spinach, instead of putting raw spinach on top after the pie is cooked.My wife had the soup, and she said that it too was very good, but the temperature was not very hot. They only give you a small bowl for almost $70.00MXP... very costly.
This is the actual photo of her soup:

For desert we had Apple Crisp. Again, too costly, at $69.90MXP per order. The Apple Crisp is delicious, however, and comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.We had Coke Lights to drink at $31.90MXP each, with free refills.Boston's also has:SaladsSoupsAppetizersPastasSeafoodSandwichesBurgersWingsPizza of all kindsBaked Shrimp Scampi for $119.90MXPChicken Milano for $144.90MXPCheese Ravioli with Shrimp and Rosemary Chipotle Sauce $139.90MXPTraditional Baked Lasagna $129.00MXPOur waitress' name was Anna, and she was a fantastic server. She was very informative, and attentive. The manager, Edgar Herrero Quezadas, came over to our table to see if everything was okay. I love when the owner or manager checks on his customers. Our whole bill for two came to $318.00MXP.
One of the things that we did not like, is that if you charge it with a credit card, they cannot add the tip onto your bill. You need to give the tip in cash, and if you don’t have cash, the waitress or waiter is out of luck. They need to fix this problem.
In Merida, a place where it is almost impossible to find a good pizza, Boston’s will now, be my pizza place. Boston's also has a lunch menu, and delivery!
Hours: 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Fri – Sat 1:00 pm – 2:00am
Address:Altabrisa Mall Parking Lot
Phone: 999-930-6767
Cost per person in pesos:$70.00-$180.00
I give Boston’s Gourmet Pizza 3 Chef Hats out of 5. Buon Appetito!
I review local restaurants in and around Merida. I am a Chef from NY with a lifetime of experience, My NewYorkChef's column appears at least weekly on Yolisto...and more if I get Hungry.