La Casa de la Playa - an exclusive award-winning luxury boutique hotel by Grupo Xcaret, offering 63 oceanfront suites in an intimate setting, officially announces the opening of Estero restaurant for the first time to the general public. Created by world-renowned chef Virgilio Martínez, Estero will offer hotel guests and non-guests an expert blend of biodiversity from Mexico and Peru starting on December 19.
At Estero, a new gastronomic concept located in La Casa de la Playa, chef Virgilio Martínez serves innovative cuisine integrating flavors from Mexico and Peru while applying modern cooking techniques to indigenous Peruvian ingredients. Inspired by the coasts of the Caribbean, the unexplored Amazon rainforest and the Andes Mountain range, his dishes are creative, thoughtful and respectful of each country’s traditions while maintaining a global vision. His tasting menu features flavor combinations including shrimp and corn, mussels and sargassum, pumpkin and spices, tuna and insect caviar, octopus and agave, mango and Andean mint, and for dessert, cacao and honey.
“We are excited to offer chef Virgilio Martinez’s culinary creations for the first time to non-guests of La Casa de la Playa through his concept, Estero,” said Francisco Gutiérrez, Chief Xcaret Hotels Officer. “We believe that food enthusiasts will be amazed at the flavor combinations and presentations developed at Estero and are proud to continue to be a culinary epicenter in Mexico.”
Virgilio Martínez, Chef, founder and owner of Central restaurant (Lima, Peru), is world-renowned for showcasing Peru’s biodiversity in a unique, sensorial, and visual experience designed around altitudes and ecosystems, including ingredients from -15 meters below sea level to 4,200 meters above sea level. His strong concept and remarkable aesthetic led him to be ranked in the top 5 in the world for the past 7 years and most recently ranking 2nd according to the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards 2022.
In 2013, Virgilio co-created a research and interpretation center called “Mater Iniciativa,” whose mantra “there is more outside” illustrates the spirit of adventure that drives his determined and daydreaming mind and is the heart and soul of a great purpose that transcends gastronomy. In 2018, he opened Mil, an innovative gastronomic concept that involves people, art, culture and nature and is located at an extreme altitude in the Andean mountains
“I am honored to be more connected with the fascinating country that is Mexico. I do believe Latin American gastronomy is living its highest moment. These connections and exchanges only bring us closer, helping to value and preserve our identities,” said chef Virgilio Martinez, culinary director of Estero.
At La Casa de la Playa, Estero restaurant joins the culinary offerings of renowned celebrity chef Martha Ortiz and her concept Tuch de Luna, a display of art, science, and feminine cuisine that is poem-like, the Chef duo, the Rodrigo brother Daniel and Patricio Rivera-Río, proud representatives of the state of Nuevo León, who celebrate gastronomy through contemporary flavors from the northern and southern regions of Mexico in two restaurants, Lumbre and Centli.
La Casa de la Playa is home to 63 unique ocean-view suites and was birthed by the eco-integrated vision of Architect David Quintana, using nature as an essential developmental element to conserve and protect it. The hotel was conceived to be a living sculpture and is designed based on sophisticated stylings to personify Mexico’s pinnacle. The hotel comes alive through its modern design elements, its elegant decor and its dramatic common spaces surrounded by lush greenery. Each accommodation offers guests more than 100 square meters to live and lounge, dip in the private pool, absorb the ocean views, and enjoy refined barefoot luxury service throughout the property. With amenities around every corner of the hotel, including an award-winning spa, chef-driven dining offerings, an ocean-view library, a Mezcal bar, and a chocolateria, guests can celebrate the beauty of true Mexican luxury hospitality.
Estero restaurant is only available for dinner between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Non-guests of La Casa de la Playa can make reservations through Opentable.com. For more information, visit https://www.lacasadelaplaya.com/en/.
