South of the Border

REGIONAL YUCATÁN CUISINE THE NEXT BIG THING?

A lot of people still think of Mexican cuisine as overstuff ed burritos, tacos and maybe a little bit of mole sauce. But lately, regional Mexican specialties have been gaining ground with the nachosand-quesadilla crowd.

"The first kind that became really popular here was Oaxacan," says Gilberto Cetina, owner/chef of Chichen Itza Restaurant (www.chichenitzarestaurant.com; 213-380-0051) in Los Angeles. "That kind of opened the door for chefs to start exploring regional specialties."

The latest cuisine to head north comes from the Yucatán peninsula. "Historically, the Yucatán peninsula has been isolated," says Cetina, whose restaurant has been at the forefront of this trend, along with Lindo Yucatán (www.lindoyucatan.com; 415-861-4935) and Poc-Chuc (www.pocchuc.com; 415-558-1583) in San Francisco. "[The food has] the Mayan influence, which is unique, but it also has Spanish and Lebanese influences as well." (Beginning in the late 19th century, a large group of Lebanese textile merchants migrated to the Yucatán.)

Take cochinita pibil, which Cetina considers the most representative Yucatecan dish: Slow-roasted pork is flavored with achiote (a mild spice mix) and sour orange, and wrapped in a banana leaf. Aft er one bite, you'll see there's more to Mexican cuisine than ground beef tostadas covered in red sauce.

California isn't the only place to find Yucatán cuisine:

ZARARELA
New York City
While it's not strictlly Yucatecan (you can find Oaxacan and Veracruzan cuisine as well), the cochinita pibil gets rave reviews. www.zarela.com; 212-644-6740

XNI-PEC DE YUCATAN
Cicero, IL (10 miles from Chicago)
Feast on traditional dishes like escabeche (fish and octopus stewed with onions, green olives and carrots) and papadzules (fried tortillas with egg, pumpkin seed sauce and tomato). www.xnipec.us; 708-652-8680

CHEEN-HUAYE
Miami
The name means "only here" in Maya, and Chef Marco Velasquez presents traditional and Yucatan-inspired dishes. www.cheenhuaye.com; 305-956-2808

LABNÁ
Cancun
Located in the Yucatán, this is an ideal place to test dishes like lomitos vallisoletanos (diced pork in tomato sauce) and turkey in pepián (turkey cooked in pumpkin seed sauce). www.labna.com; 1-52-998-884-3158