Why not start out your birthday with cupcakes right? Every three-year-old deserves to eat cupcakes for breakfast on their birthday while ripping wrapping paper from his stash of gifts.
Pasteleria La Migaja (Crumble Cakes) fashioned the most marvelous swashbuckler cupcakes a little boy could ask for. The pirate creations were devoured by the birthday boy, his parents and a couple of locals. Carlita, the owner of the bakery, is creative and talented when it comes to constructing any pastry you can come up with. All you have to do is visit her facebook page to see her work but try not to lick your computer screen.
200 pesos for 10 cupcakes comes out to less than $20.
After a sugar filled day, the newly turned three year old declared he wanted spaghetti and meatballs for dinner so we took the advice of TripAdvisor.com and got off 5th Avenue to eat at Util Pasta Factory.
Util is an un-assuming restaurant that I actually passed by every day when we lived in the Colonial Hollywood neighborhood before moving to 5th Avenue. It has a small eating garden in the back with a handful of plastic tables and chairs sitting atop gravel with green plants lining the walls. A to-go counter is inside for all your pasta cravings and all is made fresh making the dining experience lengthy.
The menu is simple.
Pick your pasta.
Pick your sauce.
Fresh bread came; a staple at every Italian restaurant and the Caesar salad we ordered was unconventional served with tomatoes, croutons, arugula and Caesar dressing.
We ordered Spaghetti with meatballs made with spinach noodles in Bolognese sauce, Bolognese lasagna and Gouda sauce with fettuccine in Gorgonzola sauce with shrimp. The food was to die for.
The late owner, Papa Charlie, passed away last year and can be seen plastered in pictures on Util’s facebook page along with satisfied customers. Util continues to be run by his wife in the kitchen and his son out front, although, both served us as if we were family. Our picture was taken with the cook whose birthday happened to be that day too.
The kid could barely keep his eyes open at the table after our meal and a smile could be seen splashed upon on his sleeping face. I never imagined the best Italian restaurant I’d ever eaten at would be in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
Feliz cumpleaños de niño pequeño!
Slangshot 