I just traveled to Mexico for the first time, and I must admit the thing I looked forward to most was not the beautiful beaches, not the luxurious resort, not the day trips to Playa Del Carmen and Isla Mujeres, not breaking my iPhone and cenote jumping, not the endless margaritas, not the body shots at Senor Frogs, but……..THE GUAC.
Ok, so I was really excited about all of those other things (well minus the iPhone), but guacamole is my favorite food in the world and I was going to the freaking MOTHERLAND. I hoped it would be acceptable to order guac during (almost) every meal, and my dreams were realized (thankfully, all the girls I traveled with also shared a passion for the avocado amazingness). Take a look drool at some of the dips from the trip, including the BEST IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE.
Love at First Bite
I arrived at the incredible JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, parked my ass on a cabana bed, ordered a margarita and food (duh)…
…crushed approximately 397493874 chips and guac (and flautas and guac), and wished I would have worn a muumuu instead of a bikini. My first taste of guacamole in the homeland was a delicious success.
Not pictured: My sexy stomach sunburn. That Mexican sun is no joke and I think I forgot how to apply sunscreen when I turned 31.
Best Entertainment Whilst Dipping
We trekked downtown to dine at Julia Mia (such a cool spot) and during our gourmet guac fest, we were serenaded by a fancy senorita duo, which made the dipping that much more authentic and enjoyable. Also, the chips were on point, so I had to have at least 70. Plus two desserts.
Most Shapely
I walked into La Cueva del Chango in Playa del Carmen and immediately said, “This is my favorite restaurant.” The indoor/outdoor paradise is like dining in the middle of the rainforest surrounded by ridiculously delicious food options. Of course the perfect guac came in a perfect volcano-ish mound just waiting to be dipped into and devoured.
And obviously sprinkled with cojita cheese for the win.
And now…
THE BEST
We took a short ferry ride to the island Isla Mujeres, then cabbed to a totally off-the-beaten-path breakfast/lunch joint called Mango Cafe. The owner Polo (my new soulmate) was outside chatting up regulars, there were maybe 10 tables total inside, it was open to the outside and hot as balls, and we knew we were in for a mucho bueno meal. But the thing is, guac isn’t even on the menu (!?). One of the girls pulled up Foursquare (I had just been asking, “Who even still uses Foursquare?” so she schooled me), and saw reccs for the green apple guac. Whaaaa? I mean, we could have passed (it was only 10 a.m.), but we immediately summoned Polo to inquire about this intriguing, off-the-menu item, and of course he was like, “I make you some,” because duh, Mexican people are the greatest. We sipped our watermelon mimosas (my idea and also new favorite drink) and anxiously awaited.
It arrived…and we all freaked the f*ck out.
Now this was a table of well-traveled ladies who have eaten incredible meals all over the world, and we were all acting like Ryan Gosling had just come in, taken off his shirt, given us each a puppy, then invited us on his private yacht for the day. Between bites, there were exclamations of “What is IN this?!” and “How can it be so creamy!?” and “You can taste the apple, but there are like, no chunks!” It was pure, magical, foodgasmic bliss. It also paired perfectly with coconut almond French toast. What?
We ambushed Polo again and he told us the *recipe was simple, but there was one secret ingredient for the creaminess: HONEY. (Not to be confused with Boo Boo.) He then brought out an avocado and cut us slices, and obviously they were absolute perfection, which also contributes to the divinity of this dish.
Was it the best guac I’ve ever had? Yes. Is guac still my favorite food? Absolutely. Does this make the green apple guac at Mango Cafe my favorite food in the world (so far)? I guess so. Can I live without out? Nope.
Polo, I hope you’re hiring. See you next week.
LYLAS,
Ashley
*Polo told us the guac was avocado (obviously), salt, pepper, finely chopped green apple, and a touch of honey. I’m assuming a squeeze of lime wouldn’t hurt either. He didn’t give us the exact secret recipe.