Turning Tables: The Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai Opens with New Restaurants

Who’s behind it: Located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, the Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai is the first Caribbean property within the Edition Hotels portfolio (a partnership between hotelier and entrepreneur Ian Schrager and Marriott International). The “lifestyle hotel” group’s restaurants include three Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners in New York: the Clocktower at the New York Edition and 701West and the Terrace at the Times Square Edition.

Chefs Toma?s Bermu?dez and Francisco “Paco” Ruano oversee the food and beverage programs at the Riviera Maya hotel. Ruano previously worked at El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, and is the chef and co-owner of Alcade in Guadalajara, Mexico; Bermu?dez is the chef and co-owner of La Docena, also in Guadalajara.

The opening: The 182-room Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai began its preview opening in November 2023 and opens fully this month.

Ki’is: A Nature-Inspired Restaurant

The culinary approach: The Riviera Maya’s centerpiece restaurant is Ki’is (“zest” in Mayan), whose main inspirations lie in “natural elements,” the ocean and the local produce of the Yucatan Peninsula and Riviera Maya. Ruano’s contemporary Mexican tasting menu includes dishes such as tuna toro tlayuda (an Oaxacan dish with a toasted tortilla as its base) with chicatana ant salsa macha and avocado, as well as totoaba fish with white beans, clam velouté and chintextle (a smoked chile paste). “We strive for all dishes to reflect a contemporary and flavorful Mexico that speaks of the journeys I have taken and the traditions of the peninsula,” Ruano told Wine Spectator via email, highlighting a salad of pumpkin, vegan ricotta (made from grated macadamia) and the local huauzontle plant.

[article-img-container][src=2024-02/restaurant-news-riviera-maya-tuna-b-022224_1600.jpg] [credit= (Courtesy of The Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai)] [alt= A table with one tumbler and one wine glass both with cocktails, next to three plates of different salads, clockwise from top: Caribbean lobster salad, burrata and heirloom tomatoes, chlorophyll and heart of palm tartar.][end: article-img-container]

What’s on the wine list: Ruano selected about 100 labels, with spotlights on Mexico (with wineries like Henri Lurton, Mogor-Badán and Ícaro), California, Spain, France, Austria and Italy. There are about 10 sparkling wine choices, including Cava and A. Margaine Champagne. Cabernet choices come from wineries such as Argentina’s Alta Vista and Napa Valley’s Schrader Cellars. Much of the list emphasizes wineries practicing environmentally sustainable techniques, with several natural wines. Guests can also pick from mixologist Fabian Lepe’s cocktail program, which features agave-based spirits from western Mexico.

The design: Ruano describes Ki’is as offering a “sophisticated yet relaxed” atmosphere; the space features clay, marble and wood elements and local plants.

So’ol: A New Beach Club

The culinary approach: Bermu?dez created the menu for So’ol (“oyster” in Mayan), a more casual beachside restaurant that infuses Mexican influences with those of Mediterranean beach clubs and southern France. Seafood is at the center of the menu, which features fresh clams, oysters and other raw bar items from Mexican waters. “So’ol’s food is completely honest, respecting the best-quality raw materials that are found in Mexico and specifically [this] area, with little intervention in their natural flavors,” Bermu?dez said. Expect dishes like aguachile with shrimp, tomatillo tatemada salsa, guacamole, aioli and coriander, prepared in the style of La Docena. Fresh oysters are grilled over charcoals and dressed with clarified butter, parsley, shallots and lemon.

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Source : https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-the-riviera-maya-edition-at-kanai-opens-with-new-restaurants

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