Fajardo Dinnertime Eats

 
May I recommend the red snapper at Sal + Pimienta By The Sea. We ate here on our first night in Fajardo and were replete with delicious seafood meals after a fun but long road trip from the west coast. 

Since we were staying at the well known El Conquistador Resort via airbnb we were not allowed to access their restaurants. It felt like a bummer but in the end it made us get out and explore! 

Fajardo truly is a sleepy town at night. We felt a little off at times; there just isn't a ton going on! Everything closes pretty early and there is not a main section of town. Sal + Pimienta and La Estacion are on the main road but there's no foot traffic, no sidewalks, no street lights, nothing is a destination except the restaurants themselves I suppose.

La Estacion is apparently sort of famous! Housed in an abandoned Esso gas station serving Nuyorican BBQ; Fodor's and Conde Nast have it on best-of-lists for not only Puerto Rico but the Caribbean as a whole. Bob found it on a whim, it sits just down the road from La Conquistadors pearly, exclusive gates. I sipped a juicy Guanabana mojito, we shared tangy Caribbean chicken wings and a terrific BBQ tray. 

They are open Friday through Sunday only. 

Mon/Fri @ 4 pm and Sat/Sun @ 2 pm.

On our last night in town we decided to give Las Croabas neighborhood another go. This is what you might consider the "main area" in and around Seven Seas Beach. 

We explored Las Croabas on a couple different occasions for lunch and it was very quiet; the only restaurant open was Costa Mia right at Seven Seas. (We ate lunch here - it was fine - I did not take photos!) A lot of restaurants have odd hours (La Estacion as noted above), close for 2 days in a row, or simply did not exist! We could not trust google for anything factual. 

Is this Fajardo still emerging from a pandemic?

 A quiet time of year? 

Business as usual?

On our last night we discovered El Pescador, a charming seafood enclave on the small circular strip surrounding Parque Pasvio. Camden slept in the stroller. Ryder was well rested and could hang. They serve martinis in frosted sea blue glasses and bright, fresh fish dishes with rice + salads.

We were delighted.

Our 6 month old! Kind as could be with long brown curls, shiny blue eyes, taking everything in and enjoying the world around him!

Pineapple Flan was a sweet ending to an enlightened stay in a unique part of Puerto Rico!

If you visit:

Sal + Pimienta by the Sea

 Road 987 Km 2.7, 

Fajardo, 00738

La Estacion

Carr. 987 Km 4.20 

Las Croabas, Fajardo, 00738

El Pescadore

Carr. 987 Km 7.2 

Parque Pasivo, Fajardo, 00738

Casa Banana | Tulum

I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving. I always post thanksgiving photos but this year I didn't take any. There were so many memorable festivities with friends and family the entire week.

I really do have so much to be thankful for, and here, it is for you dear readers. Thank you for another year of reading Indulge Inspire Imbibe. I am so glad this little hobby is still going after all these (almost 5!!) years. 

Now what I did take an endless amount of photos of was my vacation in Tulum. Those posts shall continue!

We ate at Casa Banana on our first night in town and it was definitely one of my favorites. It is a tough margin with so many great spots nearby, but overall I would rate this meal second after Hartwood. 

We started with refreshing but not overly impressive cocktails, a Grapefruit Negroni for her and a Whiskey Miel for him. They have an excellent and fairly robust wine list that saves the day. We had an Argentinian red wine that paired beautifully with the food. 

The grilled octopus salad with asparagus, potato and balsamic was sensational. Man, there really is something about fresh octopus + a wood fired oven! It was a spot on preparation with flavors that were dramatic and exciting. Then there was a fresh caught, wood-fired red snapper with a parsley-ginger marinade, cauliflower, roasted zucchini, carrots and local squash. It was flaky and tender, another perfectly executed dish. Lastly, a slice of soft flan with heaps of sweet, creamy dulche de leche. 

Our waiter was great, too. His vibe of genuine happiness and refined hospitality made him one of my favorites and our visit memorable.

Taco Bar | Jaco

In Jacó, Costa Rica our friends were excited to take us to the Taco Bar. Designed to feel like a jungle hut with lush green palms and rope swing seats, it apparently does not fly under the radar as evidenced by the tour bus that pulled up right behind us. However, there were definitely some local families filling the swings too. Fish tacos are their specialty, choose from snapper, dorado (mahi mahi) or tuna in addition to the traditional options of shrimp, chicken or beef. Prepared to order with the seasoning blends of your choice - choose spicy or mild and then pick from cilantro or shaved coconut, for example. Then, go to town at the unlimited toppings and salad bar! The pico de gallo, pesto rotini and fingerling potato salads were very fresh and flavorful. There is an array of rice, beans, local salsas, hot sauces, sautéed onions and whole jalapenos to name what feels like a few. Their fruit smoothies and and frozen lemongrass drinks are top notch. I had a refreshing and not-too-sweet papaya banana smoothie. You get a lot of food for not a lot of money, which is typical of anywhere we ate in Jacó. I was impressed.

TacoBar

Jaco Walk Shopping Center

Provincia de Puntarenas 

Jacó, 61101, Costa Rica