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Restaurants

Playa offers a spectrum of international restaurants: Italian, French, Thai, Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese, American and Mexican. Few fine dining experiences exist in Playa, however, it`s been neither nurtured nor demanded by Playa´s eating clientele who generally seek the more typical Mexican menu. And why not? You ´re in Mexico, after all.
However, the occasional pang for gourmet calls for a meal which only o handful of Playa´s restaurants can provide. The Italian cuisine of Toscani upstairs in Plaza Antigua and the Mediterranean flavors of El Provenzal, north on Quinta Avenida, are two of Playa´s favorite fine-dining locations. One of the newcomers to Playa´s better eating establishments is Le Bistro, which hosts an assortment of fine french foods, wines and desserts in an intimate, relaxed and jovial atmosphere of the typical french bistro.

El Provenzal A large, perfectly constructed, amphitheatre-style palapa roof on the northerly portion of 5^º Avenues houses the new El Provenzal Mediterranean restaurant. Its sides remain open to the varigated flora surrounding it, with glimmers of light shining throught from the neighboring Quinta Mija Hotel and well hidden accent lights--the most natural of architectural designs.

Its owners, Marie Claude and christian Lemaire, originally from the French Riviera, moved to Mexico to escape the cold in Montreal, Canada where they owned and operated two successful European restaurants. Why Playa del Carmen? Because Marie Claude doesn´t drive and she can walk or take a taxi anywhere in Playa and " you can easily be a one car family here". If you´re observant, you may even catch a glimpse of her busily preparing your meal alongside her chefs in her full and equipped kitchen, adding just that right touch of something special, their combined efforts representative of a well-orchestrated symphony.

El Provenzal cooks its gourmet cuisine Mediterranean style. According to Marie Claude, people along the Mediterranean are very health conscious.

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They have the longest life span of anyone on the globe as they eat a lot of salads and olive oil and avoid rich food high in fat. Marie Claude makes her own oils from handmade crab, shrimp or lobster extracts to provide warm vinaigrettes, natural flavorings or as a basic cooking compliment to many of her flavorful dishes. She takes great pride in her tasty Mediterranean Soup, for instance, which includes six different fish and is cooked for six hours in fresh herbs. The specialty soup is then pureed, placed in the bowl and served hot with croutons, cheese and "Rouille (mayonnaise with garlic and harisa) for dipping.

As I arrived at El Provenzal, Todd and Debbie Welden from Aspen, Colorado were just leaving with their six year old son, Bo. "Best meal in Playa in five days, by far... very unexpected", informed Todd as he walked by my table and saw me talk.

Debbie added, "Absolutely delicious, presentation pleasant and delightful. An acceptable level of ectacy". Before opening the menú I had received great reviews from casual passers-by, and my mouth had already began to salivate in readied anticipation of what was to come.

When I first sat down I was served an appetizer which resembled miniature slices of pizza with a very crisp, paper thin crust no ticker than a sixteenth of an inch. Its flavor was as delicate as its presentation.

The menú of El Provenzal is a varied and extensive expose of unique creations gathered personally over the years by Marie Claude and includes such choices as lobster and crab cakes with ginger vinaigrette; linguini with shrimps in a curry and ginger sauce and Long Island duck with mango chutney. I decided on the pork filet in a light mustard sauce which arrived artistically displayed on their stunning 14" authentic french platters. For dessert, it had to be Creme Brulee. It was placed before me with a light, crisp, caramelized topping which had been charred onto its creamy custard base only moments before. It was indeed the perfect finale to a most enjoyable dining experience.

Le Bistro Uniquely different, with its own charming appeal is Playa's only french bistro, Le Bistro, a very casual, small structure on 2^nd Street between 5^th and 10^th Avenues.

Francoise Ebrard da Ponte and her husband, Joe, owners of Le Bistro, explain that the key to a successful bistro is creating a relaxed, intimate atmosphere where you can eat a great meal accompanied by select wines from around the world, enjoy the company of your companions and leave whenever you wish. It "must be very casual with people coming, leaving, coming, leaving".

The couple is still adding decorative touches to Le Bistro, it´s an ongoing process they tell me. It is simple yet refined. Joe, in charge of the decor, constructed the stylish palapa roof overhang and hand made all the solid wood furniture.

The walls will remain a constant work-in-progress displaying creations from local artists. You´re welcome to buy what you like, it will eventually be replaced with something else. Francoise describes the concept as "always moving", much like the "greek forum –it´s where the art was". In this way, the couple seeks to accomplish their desire to "serve the pleasure of the eyes as well as of the mouth".

Many of Le Bistro´s guests are experienced at creating their own festive atmosphere with good food complimented with a good bottle of wine. It´s interesting to note that more wine is served at Le Bistro than beer, unlike most eateries in Playa or most of Mexico, for that matter. People will come to Le Bistro, order their meal, or simply a platter of fruit or cheese and a bottle of wine, and visit for hours. To the Europeans, eating is a time to socialize, a time for the families to catch up on their goings on, a time to party, a time to relax, a time to solve the world´s problems.

Most of Le Bistro´s recipes are french popular dishes that have been in Francoise´s family for generations.

The first time I met her, she had just called her mother in France to confirm the ingredients of a dish she wanted to add to tomorrow´s menú. She further explains that the dishes, though not sophisticated, are very artistically prepared to, once again, place the eyes as well as the taste buds. I agree completely –everything I´ve seen has a simple elegance which, by the looks of it, could have been a gourmet dish from one of France´s finest restaurants.

The Ensalada Exotica is a recipe from her brother, with attractively arranged slices of green papaya, grapefruit, mango, avocado, tomato and pineapple on a bed of spinach –to see it, it´s a masterpiece of preparation. Le Bistro even offers four flambe dishes on their carefully chosen, blackboard inscribed menú. And don´t forget the chocolate mouse for dessert, it´s out of this world (and not many calories either –really).

What, if anything, the food and wine are not able to accomplish for the guests of Le Bistro, Francoise and Joe complete, together with their embracing hospitality and personal charm. The couple´s story sounds like a role reversal taken out of one of the Indiana Jones´s movie scripts. Francoise´s grandfather was a guide for tiger hunters in Indochina.

During her childhood, she and her family lived with her father, a gold prospector in Guinnea (Conakry), West Africa, living in various safari camps tucked within the raw jungle bush. She met her Canadian husband four years ago under the most unique circumstances. She was on location in the Amazon of Venezuela, living for two months with the Yanomani tribe in order to develop a movie script. Her main profession is movie and film director.

They met, it was love at first sight, and they´ve been together ever since. It´s a love story so fantastic, you might have a tinge of doubt regarding its authenticity –until you meet them. Francoise and Joe are just as normal, charming and down to earth in their roles of Playa restauranteurs as was Indy Jones in his role of college professor.

Yet, will the challenges presented in a flavorful french bistro be sufficient to satisfy their adventurous natures? It does for now. Somehow they´ve managed to put their passion for life into the quality and preparation of food and bistro, and they seem to thoroughly enjoy visiting with the people who eat and drink under their roof. Le Bistro is a success in its own right, a just trophy for two most intriguing individuals.

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