Yucatan Living

Worshipping the Food at El Templo

22 October 2006 Destinations, Reviews 10

Our friend Madeline is the owner of a well-known hotel in Merida and a one-woman guidebook. When she says there's a new restaurant in town and says "they" say it's good, we listen. So when she told us about the new restaurant, El Templo, it only took us a few days before we found ourselves there for lunch.

The first thing we noticed was the huge poster in the front room that takes full advantage of the typically high ceilings in Merida's colonial buildings. Cool. Hip. New. (No!) The second thing we noticed was the beautiful tapestry of mosaico floor tiles. And the third thing we noticed was the weird, black, imitation-leather covers on the chairs we had to sit on for an hour in the afternoon heat.

But "they" say the food is good here, so we were game. We sat down and prepared ourselves not to be disappointed. In other words, we kept our expectations low. Yes, the poster was a cute touch. And the other art on the wall was eclectic and had both a sense of humor about yet a reverence for pop Mexican culture. We like that. But we focused on the fake black leather chair covers, figuring the food couldn't be that good so we'd never have to sit on them again.

There was a menu on the table for the Platos de la Semana (Dishes of the Week). The platos fuertes (main dishes) included Poc-chuc estilo Tikul con croquetas de platano macho (Tikul-style thinly-sliced Yucatecan pork with croquettes of big bananas) and Rollitos de res con cebolla cambray, marinados en vino tinto (Rolled beef with cambray onions, marinated in a red wine sauce). There was also a Fajitas de Pollos (Chicken Fajitas) dish, Pollo al Vino Blanco con verduras en mantequilla (Chicken in white wine sauce with vegetables in butter), Osobuco Yucateco con salsa y risotto (Yucatecan-style osso buco with salsa and risotto) and Tortellini rellenos de queso con pomodoro y queso parmesano (Tortellini filled with cheese, with fresh tomatoes and parmesan cheese). The menu said we could buy the meal separately, or with a soup or salad and a glass of iced tea or jamaica (sweetened hibiscus-flavored water). The package meal cost $45 pesos, so we each decided to go with the meal. We ordered a soup, two salads, the poc-chuc, the chicken in white wine sauce and the rollitos de res. And we hoped for the best. Certainly, this was not your typical cocina economica, but the price was close (cocina economicas usually serve two or three platos daily for between 25 or 30 pesos).

While we were waiting for our meal, we learned from Gabrielle, our pretty and pregnant waitress, that El Templo is owned by herself, her husband and a third partner and has only been open for two weeks. They are currently open from 11 am to 7 pm while they wait for a liquor license, but they intend to have late-night dining after their license is obtained. The restaurant has three rooms, one of which has a bar, and the bathrooms are clean and modern. The menu will be changing every week for awhile, she told us, while they work out what they want to serve in the restaurant.

Gabrielle also told us that her husband, el chef, had been the chef at Ki'bok, another restaurant in Merida on Calle 60 that has been open for about four years. We remembered a good meal or two at Ki'bok in the past, so our expectations began to rise.

First up was the salad and soup. The soup was a crema de papa (cream of potato), and was nothing special. The salad was generous, with lots of refreshingly fresh lettuce, onion slices and tomato, nada más (nothing more), gently tossed in a very light oil and vinegar dressing. Perfect for a hot day and perfectly executed. The drinks came: jamaica, tea and a Coke. No surprises there.

And then the food came, and yes, we were surprised. All three of us were happy with our meal. First of all, the portions were generous for a lunchtime meal. The rollitos de res were accompanied by a down-home style macaroni and cheese. The poc-chuc was tasty and the crispy banana croquetas were stuffed with a black bean concoction. The chicken in white wine was done to perfection and cleverly garnished with sticks of canela (cinnamon) which had been obviously cooked with the chicken and lent a subtle flavor to the white wine sauce. El pollo was almost outdone by the fresh zucchini and sauteed new potatoes. All were served with warmed tortillas (because of the poc-chuc) and nondescript french bread.

When the plates were cleared, we asked about postres (dessert), which we had not seen on the menu. Gabrielle offered two desserts: a rice pudding topped with diced pears soaked in a red wine sauce and caballeros pobres (poor gentlemen) with melon balls. Caballeros pobres is a traditional Yucatecan bread pudding, served in a sweet cinnamony sauce with raisins, and sometimes topped with ice cream. We ordered both, this time not knowing what to expect. But the desserts were also muy rico (very good - literally very rich). The rice pudding was creamy and set off perfectly by the fresh pear bits with their tang of red wine. The caballeros pobres melted in our mouths, and the intense sweetness and plump raisins contrasted perfectly with the fresh balls of cantaloupe perched on top. Last but not least, the cafe was muy fuerte (very strong).

On the business card for El Templo Restaurant, their slogan is "Yucatecan Spiritual Cuisine". We're not sure what they mean by that, but the combination of tastes was as close to a spiritual experience we've had at lunch lately without pouring on the habanero sauce. To add to their spiritual mystique, El Templo is holding a Black Dinner on the evening of October 31, to celebrate Halloween and Day of the Dead. The brochure says "Come and celebrate spirituality with an excentric (sic) out-of-this-world gourmet dinner."

Here's what's on the menu for that night (we were given the English version):

Entrées (H'ors D'ouevres)

-Eggplant tower with crunchy ravioli stuffed with goat cheese

-Mussels with dark sauce, with avocado dip and parmesano cookies

-Succulent black and white cream of cheese and olives with a touch of sherry

Main course

-Black sesame sealed (seared?) salmon, in flamed (sic) avocado sauce, accompanied by citruses' (sic) salad with mandarin and cinnamon vinagretta

-Oven-cooked chicken breast stuffed with huitlacoche served with calamari risotto and vegetables with pistachio

-Land & Sea (surf & turf?): beef filet in black mole, chicken in oyster sauce with shrimp & peppers salad, with grilled zucchini

Dessert

-Pears in black zapote and red wine, accompanied by creamy rice

-Chocolate mask, served with coconut sherbet and bouganvillea sauce

This three course dinner, including a glass of red wine, will only cost $150 pesos (about $13 USD). There will even be DJ music after 9 PM.

If you're living in Merida, you're sold, right? You can call them at 930-9303 for a reservation or email them (see below) and tell them Yucatan Living website sent you.

If you're going there for lunch, be sure to take some time before or afterwards to enjoy Parque Mejorada , one of Merida's most important parks. The church is one of the largest in the city and is next door to FUADY, the Autonomous University's Architecture School, housed in a building that was formerly part of the church complex. On the other side of the park is the famous restaurant, Los Almendros (The Almonds) , the most famous restaurant in Merida and the first to serve Yucatecan cuisine. Like most parks in the city, there are beautiful, large shade trees here, which makes it a great place to sit and watch Merida Life go by.

In the Yucatan, it is not uncommon for restaurants to start out well and go downhill. Ojala (God willing...) not this one! We think these young owners have what it takes. The restaurant has style - although it is obviously being put together on a shoestring - but they aren't skimping (so far) when it comes to the food. El Templo may not have fancy napkins or chairs, but it has soul and heart. And that is indeed the spirit of Yucatan.

El Templo Restaurante

Calle 59 #438 x 52 y 50

Directions from the Zocalo:

Head east (the Cathedral is on the east side of the Zocalo) on Calle 59. El Templo is 3/4 down the block on the south (right) side of the street before you reach Mejorada Park.

Now open 6 pm to 2 am for dinner, botanas and drinks. 999-930-9303

Website: www.eltemplomerida.com