O.K. So you've had eight meals at your All-Inclusive-Resort, have tried their "reservations only" restaurants and while it was all savory it's time for a change - it's time to sample Cancun's culinary offerings. Not as simple as it sounds as. 

Cancun has several hundred restaurants. The first decision will be "What kind of food". Check your hotel lobby for brochures such as the Restaurant Menu Map and be sure to check with the tour desks and the public relations manager. To get you started consider one of the following, a meager offering from the many available, hop in a taxi (they're cheap) and you'll discover another Cancun.

La Casa de las Margaritas Restaurant. For a Mexican evening in the mall, go several hours early to El Embarcadero. Stroll along canals lined with upscale boutiques, walk over arched bridges, swim with dolphins, feed sharks and change your idea of what makes a mall.

Grab a drink at the restaurant with dolphin leaping from pools on one side and sharks  slicing through a giant aquarium on the other.  Save an hour or more for the Mexican Folk Art Museum, three rooms of musical instruments, clay figurines, masks, tree of life crosses and every type of folk art found in Mexico today. 

Three restaurants for an "Old Town" dining experience. Even though old in Cancun means the late 70s, nevertheless coming from the Hotel Zone, downtown Cancun definitely feels "yesterday".  For the best salsa and Margaritas start at the hidden  La Adelita Mexican Cantina.

Entered through a covered passageway into an expanded bar setting where you might expect Pancho Villa to come roaring in. 

Their most famous dish is Cocobichuela: curried lobster and shrimp served in a coconut shell with tropical fruits. ($31)  Save room for Xtabentun Coffee Brandy.Xtabentun is the anise-flavored liqueur manufactured by Yucatan bees who favor nectar from white morning glories. Margaritas 25 Downtown.  Phone for reservations: 884-3158

Labna Restaurant is a must destination for those who want to sample authentic Yucatan cuisine. Labna takes its name from the Mayan ruins near Merida. The décor is simple and uncluttered with the major design element a tall window in the shape of a Mayan arch. The menu, printed on a map of Cancun , shows the origin of each dish. Seafood, beef, chicken and turkey are prepared with a Yucatan twist.  Caribbean shrimp cooked in a lime sauce ($19.00) takes on a spicy tang from the piquant Yucatan lime.  

The Club Grill: Jazz & Super Club at the Ritz Carlton. For a swish night out save your best black dress for a sophisticated evening in The Club Grill. Have a drink in the intimate bar surrounded by dark wood and polished brass and then repair to an old world dining room gleaming with silver, crystal and enormous floral arrangements.  Call first to see if there is a special event such as the most unusual Vinegar Gala celebrating Camcun's International Gastronomic Festival held in November.