Taste is relatively new to the Puerto Vallarta restaurant scene; it was voted the best new restaurant in 2011. We dined there for the first time last year. We liked the inventive menu and the unique ambience, and while the preparations fell short of our expectations, we decided to give it another try. Taste is located in the Casa Cupula guesthouse, a gay hotel just southeast of the city. We had considerable difficulty finding it last year; the street is easy to miss, the hotel is dark and has no obvious entrance, and the entrance to Taste is located at the back of the hotel, up a steep winding road.
To gain access to the restaurant, one must ring a bell and wait to be “buzzed” in. A stairway leads downward to a lovely reception and bar area. The seating area is on an adjacent outdoor patio, which overlooks and is screened by thick tropical foliage. The setting is secluded and romantic.
The menu is divided into five sections – American, Mexican, Asia & Middle East, South American and De Autor. In addition to ordering full portions, one can order fixed-price tasting portions of three menu items. We chose the latter option, sharing six different dishes. We started with the ceviche and the lamb buns. The Peruvian style mahi-mahi ceviche with baked sweet potatoes was flavorful and very good.
However, the baozi steamed buns stuffed with Chinese-style lamb and smoked plumbs was not good. The lamb was strong and difficult to eat; the buns tasted like raw dough.
Next came two more dishes – dim sum and shrimp. The dim sum stuffed with local steamed prawns, with lime tea, eel, ginger and peanut hummus, was easily our best dish. It was served with peanut and soy dipping sauces.
But the jumbo shrimp, served with a creamy risotto, spicy red Jalapeno and mushrooms, disappointed. The shrimp were not good, although not as bad as at La Palapa, and the risotto was sticky.
Our final dishes were beef tenderloin and pork. The tenderloin brushed with Mayan-style spices, pitahaya sauce and bean purée was average, at best. It was not particularly tasty, even with the sauce.
The cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork), black tamale and avocado with habanera sauce was an uneven dish; the shredded pork was good, but the tamale underneath was terrible.
We talked at length with Taste's general manager last year and she remembered us this year; she encouraged us to comment on Trip Advisor. We'll limit our comments to "Two for the Table" – Taste presents a sophisticated menu in a sophisticated setting, but their execution is seriously lacking. As we walked along the Malecón each evening, we passed a line of food vendors offering all kinds of homemade creations. After a less than satisfying dinner, some of them were quite tempting!
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