Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Puntacana Village, Punta Cana; breakfast RD$85-325; 8am-10pm Mon-Sat, 8am-5pm Sun; )
Slammed at breakfast, this is where Punta Cana comes for its bagel fix. Fab
bagelwiches
(also available on baguettes) are the call, in such rarely seen flavors as Hummus Supreme
and Montecristo, among others. There's a wealth of salads and wraps, too. Homesickness
cured!
El Burrito Taqueria
MAP
(Galerías Comerciales, Punta Cana; burritos RD$280-380; 11am-4pm & 7-11pm; )
First sign of a
great Mexican place is fresh chips and salsa, and our instincts proved correct at this small
and festive
taqueria
. Excellent shoebox-sized burritos and a wide-range of tacos, enchila-
das and margaritas should quell your cravings when you tire of ubiquitous fish and pasta
choices. There's also a branch in
Bávaro
(Palmareal Shopping Village;
MEXICAN
$$
11am-11pm Mon-Thu, to
)
.
midnight Fri-Sun;
Passion by Martín Berasategui
(Paradisus Punta Cana, Bávaro; 7-course prix-fixe guest/nonguest US$45/65; 6:30-10pm)
Chef
Martín Berasategui hails from San Sebastián in Spanish Basque country - not a bad place
to eat for those who might not know - and he packed a few recipes in his gastro-luggage
on his way to overseeing what is easily Punta Cana's most memorable dining experience.
The seven-course tasting menu is the way to go, where you might encounter dishes
such as
ajo blanco
(a cold, almond-based soup), a fabulous herb-crusted white tuna over
creamy onions, a decadent pork confit and a vanilla-poached banana dessert that will
leave your taste buds dancing to a different ditty in each bite. With six Michelin stars amid
three restaurants to Berasategui's name, a meal here - even though he isn't over the stove
- is priced in your favor; and the chef and line cooks have all worked under Berasategui's
watch in Spain.
BASQUE
$$$
Restaurante Playa Blanca
MAP
(Puntacana Resort, Punta Cana; mains US$12-29; 11am-10:30pm; )
Flanked by an army of
palms, this atmospheric, open-air restaurant is within the Puntacana Resort complex but
open to the public and worth the trip. The beach here (Playa Blanca) is spectacular, and
you can eat on the sand for lunch.
FUSION
$$$
