At Xcaret’s La Casa de La Playa, the culinary offerings are more than just a meal. Each one is a unique expression of Mexican culture, a celebration of local ingredients, and an invitation to explore how the past meets the present. At Xal, Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz creates a culinary experience that invites conversation from the first morsel to the last sip.
Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Xal is a true culinary gem at La Casa de La Playa. While the breakfast and lunch menus offer a bounty of traditional options and a few curious takes on favorites, it is dinner service where Xal shines brightly.
Culinary aficionados are well aware of Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz and his celebrated two-star Michelin restaurant Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain. Open for only a limited season, reservations for his cerebral tasting menu are highly sought after. The dining experience is meant to push diners, even make them feel a little uncomfortable. While the scrumptious flavors are expected, it is the conversation amongst the diners that truly enhance the whole experience.
A simple concept is employed at Xal. From the moment that the diner sits at the first table, the conversation is encouraged. It is time for hushed tones to be replaced with a cacophony of laughter, exuberance, and utterances of enthusiasm.
Since Xal is a curated tasting menu with wine pairings that is inspired by the Manial Galleon, guests are encouraged to let the dinner flow and simply just enjoy every moment. No one needs to study their history books before sitting down at the table. The intersection of the past, present, and future can be felt without a complete degustation of the impact that trade route had on global culture.
Additionally, guests do not have to fully understand the complexities in every concept. Even if one dish is not necessarily the ingredients or approach that would tempt based on a menu description, there is a purpose that will be revealed at the end, which makes those moments the most treasured ones.
Without giving away all the dishes and moments through this culinary journey, the opening dish, a tamale, sets the tone even without the diners fully realizing it. Untying the package reveals an unsuspecting ingredient combination. More importantly, diners are confounded as to how to eat the dish. That starting point is a conscious choice by the chef. How and why people chose to eat this tamale creates conversation, invites discussion, and even sparks debate.
As the meal progresses, diners leave one table behind and journey throughout the restaurant. The concept is similar to how a dinner party flows. Appetizers in one setting, mains in another, post-dinner drinks under the stars. The journey, and the setting, is as important as the carefully plating of each course.
What Xal does best is just what salt does to any and every dish. It starts with a foundation and rises from that concept. This dining moment is built on the people around the table. The food is expertly prepared, even transformative. But, it is even better enjoyed by the company that experiences it together.
For example, the Blue Corn Taco with Duck Confit is a stupendous example how a traditional Mexican dish can be elevated with technique and creativity. Some people might recall their grandmother’s table while others can see the simplicity of enjoying a taco from a Mexico City vendor. Those connections are vital to breaking down the culinary barriers. Again, it is another moment to invite conversation and flavor the dining journey.
Even after the final course is taken from the table, the night is not over. The sobre mesa invites guests to linger a little longer, to savor the progression, and to toast to memories made through the experience.
Unlike other restaurants that turn tables with haste, Xal appreciates that food and dining need time to fully experience the nuances, allow reflection both in the moment and beyond. Those final moments under the stars are just as vital as the first course that pushes guests a touch out of their comfort zone.
For people who crave a food journey that is seasoned with creativity, conversation, and concept, Xal delivers that evening from start to finish. As Antonio Tabucchi once said, "The salt of any interesting civilization is mixture." At Xal, the mixture of food, experience, and ambiance ensures a flavorful dinner from start to finish.
Xal is located at La Casa de La Playa, a Xcaret resort in Rivera Maya, Mexico. In addition to being a dining option for guests of the resort and other Xcaret resort properties, the restaurant accepts reservations via OpenTable.