La María Cocina Peninsular — Restaurant in Campeche

An executive chef's review

Let me start out by saying that the food tasted fine as far as taste goes, but as far as seasoning for an authentic Campeche dish there is much to be rethought in the kitchen.

I am a big fan of pan de cazon and I had the Good Fortune of being taught by a master cook the original authentic recipe from her mother so we're talking a generational recipe

The main issue I had with La Maria Cucina is the incorrect use of spices

the sauce should contain a critical herb called Epazote, there really is no other herb to compare this herb to

it is completely unique, think of it uniquely in flavor as licorice... not the flavor of licorice... but the uniqueness that the flavor licorice provides

any recipe that uses licorice immediately you know that it's licorice, same with Epazote.

Unfortunately in their recipe they used Mexican oregano :0/

this gave the sauce an Italian marinara taste, completely incorrect for this dish... how incorrect you may ask...

Imagine you order a vanilla milkshake and when you take a taste it tastes more like a bacon cheeseburger

Epazote is one of those ingredients that there is no substitute

many other herbs there's often a combination of herbs or the use of herbs in a certain way that can serve as a substitute, with Epazote there is only Epazote.

The other problem with the Pan de Cazon is that the tortilla should be filled with the filling of the dish, not stacked like a wedding cake

this may seem like a small detail but it changes the overall texture in your mouth and this is the traditional way the dish is prepared

Campeche Cuisine is known for being a very particular exacting Cuisine, with sauces, herbs and techniques, perfectly balanced and working together.

The pork belly dish was dry and extremely chewy, this recipe also needs to be reworked in the sense that a better cooking technique such as a pressure cooker or a more moist environment and a lower slower cooking temperature in an oven

The drinks from the Mixology menu are quite nice

If you're looking for authentic food from the region I would look elsewhere at this time until they have a chance to rethink...

Yummy food and drinks! We made a reservation for 7:00 but we got there a little early. We didn't need to bother with the reservation because we were the first customers of the evening! We started off with jamaica margaritas--my new favorite cocktail. We had the appetizer sampler platter with negritos, mini-tacos de pollo, and little shark empanadas. For entrees, I had the pumpkin-seed pesto and my husband had the pork tacos. Both were scrumptious! For dessert I had the sorbet sampler--including a fruit, tauch, that I had never heard of in my 2 years of living on the Yucatán peninsula. Very nice. My husband had the cheese flan: very smooth and creamy and too rich for me, though he enjoyed it. We hadn't seen a white tourist in our day of wandering Campeche, but we were one of five European, Canadian, and USA couples making up the entire dining room while we were there. The ambiance was pleasant, with pretty art, subdued lighting, and music that sounded Cuban (the only thing not authentically Campechan). The menus were available in español and English but the attentive young waiter spoke no English so we had to point. The service was...

I have lived in Mexico for almost 4 years with most of my time in the Riviera Maya coast but travelled a lot around Mexico and I am not exaggerating when I say this but arguably one of the best meals I have ever had in Mexio. Its like they have captured all the local ingredients and spices but elevated it to nouvelle cuisine. I too was apprehensive when I arrived after reading the reviews with the simple appearance but wow does it make up for it in the food, presentation and service. If you are in campeche then this is a must visit. The pork belly starter was incredible and their twist on ceviche with the grapefruit was mind blowing. We also had the shrimp al pastor and the pork ribs confit again unbelievable. The price point is so cheap for the quality tbh in playa del carmen for a meal of this quality would be charged 2 or 3 times...