Macario Bacalar — Restaurant in Bacalar

Ricardo and Santiago are our bartender and chef. Ricardo started his career running for Bubba Gump Shrimp in Cancun airport, after trying to sell time shares to tourists. After a few jobs around the Crew , he trades Cancun for Mexico City to train under highly accomplished chefs.

A couple years ago he opens in Bacalar, in partnership with many of his friends and acquaintances. Two years later, he is building his dream. It has not been easy, they easily work past 2am each day, between closing, prepping for the next day, books, and cleaning. During the day, he takes calls from suppliers and handles staffing issues. The work is long, the days are hard, but the end result is scary good.

Every meal starts with sourdough rye and an eggplant, butter spread that is pitch black with smoked onion powder. There is something base pleasure about fresh, in-house baked bread and a butter spread. But it’s so elevated with the eggplant puree; almost like baba ganoush. There is also a drizzle of coriander oil, uncommon because it is used properly and makes a great addition to the dish.

Crudo is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. The mustard seeds are mild with a pleasant pop, the rainbow radish a little bitter and crunchy. The avocado puree adds creaminess. The seabass is fresh and half-cured in the sauce that starts very sharp from the limon and vinegar, spicy from the serrano peppers and then levels and levels of umani from soy and sesame oil. As the umani dissipates, the sea bass comes to competition, leaving with a delicious expression of seafood. It is one of those complete bites that takes a rollercoaster of texture, flavor, and experiences.

The short rib is a very generous portion, 120g. You can tell the quality of the cut right away; it’s just nearly spoon tender; enough to separate the fibers but not cut. The glazed sauce is drizzled over, buttery and sticky. The potato puree quenelles are silky smooth and an excellent complement to the pan sauce and the short rib.

The pappardelle might be my favorite. The beef in the tomato sauce has a delicious balance of sweet and savory, accented by the parmesan cheese flakes. The pasta is perfect, nowhere to hide in the thick pasta sheets. The chew is perfect between soft and firm, giving each mouthful a luxurious feel but hearty finish. It makes for a supremely satisfying bowl, easily hounded down your gullet and greedily lapping the sauce.

The lobster risotto has a seafood stock depth that is fantastic. You can taste in stock, the multitudes of flavor, very umani, very of the sea, and thicken from the starch of the rice. The risotto is cooked perfectly, every grain the same. The lobster portion is generous with a large tail adorning the rice.

Dessert is a panna cotta with starfruit and a caramel sauce. The texture is a perfect mousse, thick and airy at the same time. It’s beautifully plated. The starfruit is tangy and sour which pairs so well with the creamy dessert

The drinks too were excellently balanced.

The Flor de Mayo is our favorite. The smokey salt on the passion fruit is beautiful, the smoking process makes the salt more palatable which for someone who hates salt rims, is a wonderful switch up. The almond blitz gives a creaminess, on top of the sharp lemon/passion fruit combination that really compliments each other well.

The Ciricote is a beautiful red hue. The hibiscus juice is very refreshing. Also rimed with the black salt which brings a different balance to the sharp sorrel.

The Chechen is very tangy, the pineapple and tequila makes for a classic...

We called ahead and made reservations and they were one of the few places in town that actually picked up the phone. We arrived on time and were seated right away but everything went downhill from there. The website was not working and we could not pull up the menu since they did not have any printed menus. Luckily the table next to us had a photo of the menu on their phone so we were able to place our order. I ordered the fish of the day and my companion ordered the risotto. We didn't receive any food after 45 minutes and finally our server came by and said that the kitchen was out of the risotto. This was the second entree unavailable for the night -- the first being the pork belly. I understand that things run out but why would you make a customer wait so long before telling them? The server did not ask us what we wanted to order to replace the risotto and after 10 minutes, returned with a single plate. It was a fish ceviche or crudo but not the fish of the day with cauliflower that I had ordered. As we had no food served, we just decided to walk out. Obviously this was very disappointing given the high reviews. The crazy thing was that I only saw one table with people eating for the hour that we were there and many tables walkingup to the kitchen counter to pay their bills because they were left waiting at their tables for 20 - 30 minutes. Please work on training your staff and I really do hope you guys work out these details. Lovely outdoor dining space and the music selection was fine but I would also recommend that you keep the volume lower for...

SCORE: I would recommend it and yes, I would surely go there a second time if I had the time. WHAT TO EXPECT: The actual owner and part of the crew come from Pujol (CDMX). If you know the place, well you know what to expect. So no cheap prices nor even typical Mexican cuisine, true, however your taste buds will thank you as soon as the starters hit your palate. FOOD: We tried the 2 tostadas and especially the vegetarian choice with cactus is something I would eat easily at home, once per week. The risotto made out of Shitake mushrooms was simply great. Maybe the rice quality can be improved, but don't confuse the strong taste of the ingredients with your idea of it. Shitake have a unique savoir, so the risotto absorb it all. The catch of the day was fine, but what kicks the plate is the super tasty sauce and the cauliflower's kneels. I have finally tried the coconut cake which was simply delicious, not for the taste itself, but for the lightness of the whole dish, rarely achievable with coconut. Finally, the cocktails based on mezcal and tequila, with a dash of ananas were the best we had around mexico. STAFF: Chefs and Alan (staff manager) are some of the best met in mexico. 10! TO BE IMPROVED: I would suggest to review the way the menu is presented. A plastic folder doesn't resonate with the place design and positioning. I would also swap paper napkins with something more premium. Last and not least, try to find a less smoky solutions for mosquitoes. Que le vaya...