House of Prime Rib

My dad loves prime rib, so on his birthday, my siblings and I decided to treat him to none other than House of Prime Rib. Generally, reservations are hard to come by (reservations should be made two months in advance) but we called a week before and were able to get a table for seven. Note: They will not seat you until the whole party is present, even if guests are in the restroom. We had a bit of difficulty from the hostess for this.

Now don’t get HOPR confused with other steakhouses, as they serve nothing but PRIME RIB! The pre-fixe meal includes salad, mashed potatoes or baked potato, yorkshire pudding, creamed spinach or creamed corn, and your choice of cut of prime rib. They offer four different cuts of prime rib: City, House of Prime Rib, English, and King Henry VIII. The City cut is a smaller portion of the HOPR cut. The House of Prime Rib cut is their standard cut. The English cut is multiple thin cuts of meat. The King Henry VIII is a generous extra thick cut. If you have kids, they also offer a children size cut. Or if you don’t want meat, they also offer fresh fish.

The salad is prepared at your table like a show. It consists of romaine lettuce with beets, goat cheese and their unique dressing, which tastes like thousand island.img_0443e
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Porfirio’s

When people suggest going to nice, fancy Mexican restaurants, I always balk because, to me, Mexican food should always be cheap, greasy, and come from a hole in the wall type of establishment. Of all the fancy Mexican places I’ve been to, I find they are too commercialized and don’t hold that authentic flavor you find from the cheaper places. Porfirio’s, a gourmet Mexican restaurant in Cancun, was recommended to me by the hotel concierge at the Westin Lagunamar. Since this recommendation was coming from a local, I went against my judgment and decided to give it a try. Boy, did it not disappoint!

The decor of this establishment was perfect for a romantic date. The indoor seating is lighted with candles and dim lighting to set the mood. Outdoors, they have seating on the patio next to the water fountains and dock.To start the night, I tried the Josefina de guayaba (guava) and mango. These drinks were made with mezcal, which is distilled from an agave plant. The liquor definitely showed through the mango but not the guava one. Continue reading