For any of you who may be Puerto Vallarta-bound...two of the finest places I've had the good fortune to discover: Balam- Fine seafood, fresh, local in season. No other flesh on the menu.
Excellent watercress salads, too. The owner/chef is a former fisherman.
Reservations advised.
Los Pibes- Meats only, no seafood. Argentinian owners. Lamb and pork cooked
Argentina-caballero style, whole in a hardwood fire pit, steaks and
chicken char-grilled. The best tenderloin I've ever had anywhere.
Incredible service!!! Reservations advised.
Both are located south of the river on Basillio Badillo. No sunset views or goofy drinks. Just exquisite dining. I have no connections with either one other than being a happy customer dreaming about flying down for dinner :-)Mexico
Puerto Vallarta
NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 07 Apr 1999 22:56:05 PDT Xref: alexander.INS.CWRU.Edu rec.food.restaurants:44664 We were in PV a month ago. It seemed hard to get a bad meal, though it was possible to get an overpriced one (Bombo's. Great avocado soup, good service. Just expensive.) Suggestions: Cueto's (near the sports field close to the Sheraton. Casa (?) Farallon, just on the downtown side of the street leading to the marina -- have the shrimp fajitas. Las Brisas. In the older part of downtown, near the river. River Cafe. A little more upscale, but still reasonable, pricewise. They take credit cards. Plan on lots of seafood. And tequila. And guacamole. We had a great time. The buses are cheap (25 cents) and run all the time. We felt quite safe while we were there. One bit of advice: if you're going to do the tourist things (mountain excursions, horseback rides, and so on), sign up for a timeshare pitch. You'll get free lunch or breakfast, some sort of free tour (we did the sunset bay cruise) and discounts on the other excursions. Have fun; we did. Walter On 7 Apr 1999 04:32:33 GMT, [email removed] (Stephen Johnson) wrote: > >Going to Mexico in a couple of weeks, any suggestions on restaurants? >Last time I was there was five years ago, looking for mid range price and >authentic cuisine. >Thanks ! >-- >---------------------- C h e f C e n t r a l ------------------------ > Mianpage http://www.ncf.ca/~ed205 > Glossary of Terms http://www.ncf.ca/~ed205/tips.htm > Features http://www.ncf.ca/~ed205/features.htm Take A Trip To Mexico Mexico has many interesting regions to visit. These areas of Mexico offer distinct cooking styles. We have found that the best way to make your vacation memorable is to go off the beaten path, beyond the tourist areas. You will be rewarded with delicious surprises. There are many factors that combine to make an outstanding and interesting dining experience: what you order, the biorythym of both you and the restaurant staff that day, the supplies brought in by the various purveyors, etc. The important thing is to be creative, receptive to new foods, appreciate what is being done (or not done) and approach your new encounter with a positive attitude, i.e. have fun! Don't have a middle-class mentality (you're not in Kansas anymore); Eat as a peasant or as a King! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mexico City There are many wonderful restaurants in this grand city, all price ranges. The following represent some of our favorites for different reasons but don't even begin to represent, even minimally, the diversity of dining in Mexico City. Hosteria Santo Domingo One of the better known and authentic regional Mexican restaurants. Worth a trip but not everything is wonderful. We know the following items are outstanding: "Pollo con natas": Chicken with a special sauce (natas) made from the skim of the milk and a chile pasilla sauce. Also, the entremeses ranchero (serves 2-4 persons) is a combination platter of specialties. Don't have the Chiles en nogada, one of the great specialties of Mexico. It is a seasonal dish (July through Sept.). Theirs is not up to the standards of other places, they attempt to serve it year around. Don't order this very special dish out-of-season. Cafe Rosales Located in Calle Rosales behind the Lottery Building on Reforma Avenue, very plain and popular in the mornings, this is the best Cafe con leche in the city. Their "pan dulce" is also the best in the city, especially the Magdalendas. Also have their Huevos a la oaxaquena (eggs, Oaxacan-style). This is very plain surroundings and inexpensive and very popular. Seldom in the tourist guides! El Candelero Restaurant On Insurgentes Sur, this is a majestic and expensive restaurant with fine art and china, serving "alta cocina" or the haute cuisine of Mexico. Splurge!!! Charco de las Ranas A traditional Mexico City taqueria, organized in a large capacity setting with excellent taqueria food. There are 4 or 5 around the city. No credit cards. Early in their founding, the banks wouldn't provide processing to them; now they're used to cash only, the banks are falling all over themselves to get their business & the restaurant isn't interested. Justice!! Gueleguetza Restaurant (name of Oaxaca's famous festival) In Satelite City behind the Satelite Mall, this restaurant features Oaxacan cooking (many choices of different types of mole) and is worth a trip if you can't get to Oaxaca. Correro Espanol There are more then one, but the one located in Satelite City is especially good. Specializing in Cabrito al pastor (grilled), a northern Mexico specialty. To try another approach to cooking cabrito or baby goat, try Casa Noste. Casa Noste Located in Colonial Guerrero on Ave. Guerrero, near downtown. They prepare cabrito, adobado-style, marinated and baked in an oven. It is contrasted with al pastor style or grilled. Cafe Tacuba Well known and worth the trip to see and experience this setting in an old building in the central historical part of Mexico City on Calle Tacuba. This is a good place to have tamales and enchiladas. They have excellent cafe con leche but not as great as Casa Rosales at 1/3 the price. You won't find the great dishes of Mexico here but you will enjoy the setting and the items mentioned above. Sanborns Azulejos Recently remodeled and now a palace, this beautiful house of tiles is a must visit. Enchiladas Suizas (Swiss Enchiladas) are claimed to have been invented here. Located in the Central Historico, it isn't far from the Cafe Tacuba. Emir Restaurant A Lebanese restaurant, Rep. del Salvador 146 (second floor), Central Historico, Mexico Tel. 510-1590; 521-3433 Family operated in very plain (and clean) surroundings with delicious straight forward Lebanese cuisine, obviously, lovingly prepared. I never liked yogurt until I sampled their's made-on-the-premises. Don't forget, Mexicans have their main meal, mid-day (2:00 to 4:00PM). If you go on Sunday, go early or you'll experience a long wait all the way down the stairs, out the door and down the street. That's how popular it is. There is a second EMIR in Polanco. I haven't tried it. We will suggest some of the better regional Mexican restaurants in Mexico City later. Mexico City Daytrip - Puebla Puebla is an hour's drive out of Mexico City, When visiting, go to the Fonda Santa Clara for traditional Mexican cuisine. Puebla deserves a special trip for exploring and shopping. It is one of Mexico's most colonial and beautiful cities. Oaxaca Serving regional specialties is EL TOPIL RESTAURANT, off the pedestrian only street of M. Alcala, several blocks up Alcala from La Mano Magica, Oaxaca's best arts & crafts gallery. You can ask anyone on Alcala for El Topil in case you have difficulty finding it. Approximately 45 minutes by car from Oaxaca City is Teotitlan, the weaving village (worth 2-4 hrs, just shopping), is one of Mexico's most unique restaurants, TLAMANALLI RESTAURANT, viewed by the New York Times as one of the world's ten destination restaurants! The Mendoza sisters, led by the oldest, Abigail, serve the "comida corrida" mid-day, a set menu and price fixe, that is regional (and Zapotec, one of the indigenous people of Oaxaca). You will be enchanted and well-fed. Vera Cruz Not known for great restaurants in the city, La Parroquia has good coffee, good breakfasts, and good people-watching. Located in the center of the city. El Conchar A small village near the city of Vera Cruz, has several restaurants serving state of Veracruz regional cooking. Better than anything in the city. Be adventuresome!