#hemingway's

The Jersey Shore Festival 2018 presents Darren Deicide at Hemingway's.

Friday, May 18th / 9PM Hemingway's, 612 Boulevard Seaside Heights, NJ Facebook event.

New Post has been published on http://michael-wiggins.com/tulum-dining-review/

Tulum Dining Reviews

Rather than go through individual dining reviews like I did last year, I opted to go for the bulk upload this time. As such, this post will cover a wide array of places (with photos), including: Casa Jaguar (again), Hemingway’s, La Cocina de Corina, La Famiglia, La Oñda, La Suerte Del Coyote, and Mateo’s (again, duh).

Here are my thoughts:

Casa Jaguar: This place was as great as the last time. We heard a lot of other people in the area knocking it as “nothing special” – but we firmly believe this place is legit and checks all the right boxes for the area. The tuna tostadas are still out of this world!

The open air kitchen at Casa Jaguar is still an amazing sight.

Hemingway’s: I was actually fairly ill for this (I got food poisoning from a rogue piece of raw tuna on our second day down there), but the food and price were both definitely on point!

The view from the deck at Hemingway’s.

La Cocina de Corina: This place was a treat. We sat right next to the kitchen, and therefore got to watch the delicate preparation of all of our dishes (an added bonus). The food reminded us of Posada Margherita (fresh, surprisingly delicate Italian fare).

The view into the kitchen for my “sneak peek” at our chef’s preparation regimen at La Cocina de Corina.

La Famiglia: This place was my favorite meal during this trip to Tulum. The server recommended we try the pasta sampler since Katy wanted to try gnocchi and I wanted to try bolognese. The gnocchi was as good as I’ve ever had, and the bolognese was out of this world good. The tuna appetizer and other accompaniments were delicious as well. I was surprised this place was not more crowded (perhaps a bad omen for long term success of this restaurant). I would absolutely recommend a trip here if you’re ever down that way.

The dining room at La Famiglia.

The exterior of La Famiglia in the daylight.

La Oñda: They claim to have the “best pizza on Earth”. While that may be a stretch, we really did enjoy this spot. An added bonus was that they had live flamenco dancing and music that evening. The older gentleman who was playing/singing was delightful, and the lady who was dancing was fantastic!

Complimentary (and unexpected) tequila shots at La Oñda.

Exterior signage at La Oñda.

La Suerte Del Coyote: We actually went here hoping to find our favorite place from last trip (MamaMuu) but were sad to find out it had changed ownership. The new place (La Suerte Del Coyote) was a great treat as well though! While they no longer do mezcal flights, they still do great drinks. And we only had corn to eat (mid-afternoon snack), but that corn was terrific – a lime corn with spices and a cotija cheese sauce.

The sign at La Suerte Del Coyote. Rest In Peace, MamaMuu!

Mateo’s: I have said enough about this place. It’s awesome, the food is great, the drinks are cheap, and the atmosphere is so chill. Sit back by the TV to catch futbol (soccer) or rugby, and get better bar service!

The wall art is still on point at Mateo’s!

One of our favorite parts of any meal/visit to Mateo’s: Coco Locos!!

Mateo’s just feels like (our Tulum) home.

Til Next Time,

VIDEO: Hemingway's ode to Paris sells out

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of karaoke.  At one point in my life, I was singing karaoke anywhere from four to six times a week.  I enjoy it so much, not only because I'm a major music lover, but it's a great way to blow off some steam after a long day at work.  

When I first moved to San Antonio in 2007, I had just gotten my job at KENS-5.  Every night, on the way home, I would pass a place called Hemingway's Tavern.  The lettering on the marquis read:

KARAOKE EVERY TUES. - THURS LIVE MUSIC EVERY FRIDAY

I had already been shopping around for a place to sing and this place seemed okay.  At the time, it seemed to always draw a decent crowd, so I figured that it would be a great place to hit up.

The first time I had gone to sing karaoke at Hemingway's, I didn't know a whole lot of people. I remember having a bad day at work and all I wanted to do was have a few drinks and belt out some songs to let my frustrations out.

I walked up to the DJ--this little bald guy with a funny voice--and tell him, "Hey, how do I sign up?"

He looked up at me and said, "Just tell me your name and I'll keep it in rotation. What do you wanna sing?" I asked for a book and he said, "I don't have a book."

At the time, I thought that was kinda weird, but whatever...

So, he asked me again, "What do you wanna sing?"

I answered, "TOM SAWYER by Rush."

The look on his face what that of total surprise.  "Oh, my god.  Nobody's done that song in a long time!  I love Rush!  They are like my number one favorite band in the whole world!  Have you seen them live?"

He continued on and on about his love for the band, their music and their live shows.  That was fine with me because, as most of you know, I, too am a huge fan of Rush.

Finally, after a little bank-and-forth about our one of our favorite bands, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Joe," I answered.

"Ooh..." he said.  "I've already got another guy signed up named 'Joe'.  What's your last name?"

"Herrera."

"Okay, I'll call you up as 'Joe H.'  Is that cool with you?"

I shrugged, "Sure.  Sounds good."

"Awesome!  I wanna hear you rock that shit!"

"I'll give it a shot," I said as I walked back to my table.

Like I said earlier, I didn't know a whole lot of people at the time.  So, for a good while, I sat alone, at my table, just watching all the other singers before me.  Some of them were really good and some of them were really bad.  It didn't matter, though.  Everyone was having a great time.  The vibe was positive.  The attitudes were mellow.  I could definitely see myself returning to this place on a regular basis.  

Finally, after about half an hour, my name gets called.  "COMING UP NEXT, JOE H!"  

I walked over to the short bald DJ.  He handed me the microphone and said, "Rock that shit," again.  He seemed a little too excited about this.  

Now, one thing everyone has to remember, is that the song TOM SAWYER has a very recognizable opening.  The crowd reacted instantly when the first note hit.  I sang the song and people seemed to enjoy it.

When I returned to the microphone to the short bald DJ, he gave me a fist bump.  "That was fucking awesome!" he said taking the mic from my hand.

"Thanks, man.  That was fun."

"You gonna do some more?"

"Yeah, keep me in rotation."

"Sweet!"

I ended up making a lot of friends on that first night at Hemingway's, including the short bald DJ, whose name I later found out was Dave.  The name of his show was ToneDeaf Karaoke.

Months passed, and, by this time, I had already established myself as a regular to both Hemingway's and ToneDeaf Karaoke.  I got to know a lot of the other regulars and, to this day, a lot of those people are still very close friends of mine.

One problem still existed, though.  

"COMING UP NEXT, JOE H.!"

The other guy named Joe was still a regular as well.  It didn't really bother me all that much at first, but it made me realize that I have a very common name.  It kind of made me feel like I had to do something to take back ownership of my identity.

I had a solution.  

Another known fact about me is that I am a huge fan of the band Tool.  On their album, Ænima, there is a song called "H."  Being the big fan that I am, I thought, Wouldn't it be cool if he just called me up as "H"?

"COMING UP NEXT, JOE H.!"

I walked up to Dave, took the mic from his hand, and said, "Hey, I have an idea.  Next time, call me up as 'H'."

A grin slowly crept across his face, and he said, "Like the Tool song?"