Cafe Des Artistes-- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

While on vacation in Mexico this past month, we took a trip into Puerto Vallarta. It was Larry's birthday and fortunately for the rest of us, he wanted to dine at Cafe Des Artistes. This was truly one of the top five dining experiences I have ever had. The restaurant is owned by award winning Chef Thierry Blouet and is incredible in every detail. The interior walls are adorned with fine art and the outdoor garden where we dined was spectacular. The service and the food were impeccable and truly one of a kind.

We sat outdoors in the garden which is upstairs and behind the restaurant. We dined under the branches of a tree with a great view of the rest of the beautifully lit space. The menu was varied and the prices were very good for the food we were served. I started with an incredible White Almond gazpacho with Tomato Ice Cream, very good and very inventive. The gazpacho was dressed in pine nuts and drizzled with olive oil and the tomato ice cream was very good. My dinner consisted of nice thick slices of perfectly cooked beef tenderloin, divided by thinly sliced potatoes that were baked with cheese and come out cracker thin and crispy. There was also a wonderful vegetable gratin and all was served atop a nicely spiced chipotle sauce. For dessert I had a creamy fruit custard that was topped with fresh berries.

Everyone at the table had great food and we all enjoyed it. They served delicious breads with 3 types of butter and between courses they served us a carpaccio served over a potato gratin. This place is a true jewel.

Cafe Des Artistes Bistro Gourmet is located at Gaudalupe Sanchez 740 Centro Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 322-22 232 28.

Frascati's - La Cruz, Mexico

On our first night in Mexico, we decided to walk down the beach into the small town of La Cruz to dine at an Italian restaurant called Frascati's. The place was packed, which seemed to be a good omen. As it turned out, omens aren't always good. I think it was packed because there wasn't much else to choose from in La Cruz.
We were seated promptly in a very nice open restaurant. Our waiter arrived and took our drink orders and we ordered this incredible bottle of Pinot Grigio called La Gioiosia. We were served bread with 3 different toppings. The bread was great and I loved the chipotle sauce. There was also a pesto and some type of grainy mustard. So far, so good.
I followed the lead of Frank and Larry and ordered the Lasagna Mamma Buitoni ($110 pesos). The waiter highly recommended it and I was definitely in the mood for some good lasagna. This was far from good, though. The pasta was overcooked and the sauce was very bland, you could get better lasagna at a grade school cafeteria. My Dan fared better with the Prosciutto Pizza ($115 pesos). The pizza had a very good sauce and crust and was covered in sliced ham (not prosciutto). Lisa enjoyed her Pasta Bolognese ($108) while Dan B.'s Pasta Aglio Olio E Peperonccino ($104) was way to hot and the pasta was undercooked and Helga had an unsatisfying salad and fish taco. I started my meal with an Insalata Caprese ($88 pesos), thinking that the tomatoes would be nice and ripe. Unfortunately they were no better than the ones you get at home this time of year.
Frascati's is located at Av. Langosta So. Esquina Coral, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico 329-295-6185.

Mark's Bar & Grill - Bucerias, Mexico

On this trip to Mexico, we had some pretty amazing food and some not so amazing. We actually never ate at a traditional Mexican restaurant though and had to resort to Senor Tequila's on the night we got home. We didn't feel that funny about it, while we were dining another couple from the plane showed up to eat there, too.
One place that we had really good food was Mark's Bar and Grill in Bucerias. The restaurant is a nice open place with a little shop attached to it. The place was totally packed, but we had reservations so we got right in. Unfortunately, they were way understaffed and the service suffered greatly. I'll never understand why restaurants continue to seat people when they don't have the staff to back them up. We were seated at 8 PM and did not receive our salads until 9!! The owner, Jan Marie Benton, showed up and ran around like a chicken with her head cut off. Not a good look, really.
Our waiter, Fernando, arrived and took our drink orders. The wine showed up promptly along with a basket of rolls and good, crispy flat bread. He took our food orders, well he forgot Dan B., and went on his way to try and help the rest of his tables. He was a good server and did his best to take care of us, but he was really in the weeds.
I ordered this amazing Roasted Beet and Apple Salad ($75 pesos), which is in the picture above. The nice thick slices of roasted beets were layered with apples and accompanied with arugula and pistachio encrusted goat cheese. A beet and berry sauce and lime oil dressed the plate. The flavor combination of the earthy beets, tart apples, peppery arugula and mild goat cheese were perfect together. Dan had the Mixed Greens ($75 pesos) and enjoyed them. Dan ordered the Margherita Pizza ($165 pesos) which was covered in a nice tomato sauce with basil, fresh mozzarella and halved cherry tomatoes. I had the Salame Pizza ($155 pesos) and it was loaded with salami, home made sausage and mushrooms. The pizzas are big and are cooked in brick ovens.
I don't have a complete record of what everyone else had. Frank ordered a seafood pasta, Helga started with calamari and Lisa started with tempura shrimp. Lisa and Larry both ordered a wine braised beef pasta and Dan B. and Helga had the special which was Fettuccine Alfredo with really big shrimp. Every one enjoyed their food, we just wished that the experience were better. The food and presentation were great, the service was very weak. I would still recommend this place, just for the beet salad alone.
They are located at Lazaro Cardenas 56 Bucerias, Nayarit Mexico 63732. Reservations are advised 329-298-0303. www.marksbucerias.com

La Posadita - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

While we were in San Miguel, one of my favorite places to eat was La Posadita. We sat up on the roof top deck, where you get some of the most incredible views of the city. Dan and I went there in the late afternoon with Dan and Larry for drinks and appetizers. We ordered cheladas and some of the best guacamole I have ever eaten. As you can tell by the pictures they do a great job with their presentation. The second plate had cactus, cheese, grilled onions, avocados and tomatoes and was actually quite good. We also ordered a dish of jicama and cucumber sticks that were tossed in lemon juice and coated with salt and crushed red pepper. We also had queso and these little spinach filled burritos that were very good.

The great food and the spectacular views made this place a favorite. They are located at Cuna de Allende No 13, Centro San Miguel de Allende Tel. (415) 154-8862.

Cafe de la Parroquia - San Miguel de Allende

We walked past this wonderful restaurant, Cafe de la Parroquia, many times on our way to the center of town in San Miguel de Allende. It was just up the street from Dan and Larry's and we were told it very good. We decided to eat breakfast there one morning and were very glad we did. You walk in through the large doors and enter a beautiful courtyard filled with tables. There were also covered areas for dining, but it was all very open. The owners were very present, which in my book is usually a good sign.

After we were seated, our waitress brought the bread, butter and an amazing tomatillo sauce pictured above. The sauce was a mixture of tomatillos and avocados with just enough heat and a hint of cilantro. Dan ordered incredible whole-wheat pancakes that had just a hint of cinnamon in them. They brought him a side plate with banana and papaya. I mistakenly ordered Mexican style heuvos rancheros which were scrambled eggs with diced tomatoes, onion and peppers and a bowl of black beans. The food was so good that we decided we would come back the next morning and then I would order the correct thing...hopefully.

The next morning Dan ordered the same thing and I correctly ordered the heuvos rancheros, 2 fried eggs over corn tortillas that was all covered in a nice spicy red sauce. It was very good and definitely worth the trip back.

It's a nice place to eat and the prices are very good. They are located at Jesus 11, Centro Historico, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Casa Katalina - San Miguel de Allende

While we were in San Miguel, our friends Dan and Larry were staying at Casa Katalina. They were in a very fun and funky 2 bedroom casita that sits above Kathy Leutzinger's shop. The casita consists of a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a sitting room and a nice large balcony with views of the beautiful church in the town center. The space is decorated in a very fun and functional style, with great splashes of color in places that you would not expect. I believe that Kathy said the place rented for $500 a week or $1500 for the month, but you would have to check with her on those prices.

Her shop is full of one of a kind vintage Mexican art pieces, jewelry, home decor and custom made furniture. Kathy scours the Mexican countryside to find items for the shop. The shop is as eclectic as the space for rent above and worth checking out.

She is located close to the town center and within walking distance of many restaurants, galleries and other shops. The address is Jesus #26 Zona Centro 37700 San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico Tel (415) 150-0061. You can e-mail Kathy at katherineleutzinger@yahoo.com.

La Grotta Resaurante - San Miguel de Allende

While in San Miguel de Allende, we ate pizza at 2 different Italian places, one was very good the other was just okay. The very good one was La Grotta Restaurante located at Cuadrante No. 5 Centro, San Miguel de Allende.

We ate there the last night of out trip and loved the place. The restaurant is small and cozy with a good and pleasant staff. The doorway opens up to stairs going down or an old wooden spiral staircase going up. Both the upstairs and downstairs dining rooms are small, so the place fills up pretty quickly.

We only ordered pizzas, but they do have other Italian items on the menu. The pizzas are on a nice thin crust, topped with the perfect amount of sauce and cheese. We ordered 2 mediums for the four of us, one pepperoni and mushroom and one salami and green olive. Both were good , but I was partial to the salami with the salty, whole green olives. Dinner and drinks for the four of us cost only 345 pesos.

When we asked the chef at our cooking class what restaurants she preferred in San Miguel, one of her recommendations was La Grotta. Dan and Larry tried to take us there on our first night but it was too crowded. We decided to head over to Romanos located at Hernandez Macias #93.

The restaurant is spacious and the decor is beautiful. We went upstairs and sat out on the roof where we had a nice view of the cities lights. Kathy, a friend of Dan and Larry, took charge of the ordering since her Spanish was better than the rest of us. After a few communication breakdowns, we finally got the food ordered. One issue was when Dan and I ordered prosciutto on our pizza, the waitress thought we said bruschetta.

They brought out plates with bread and chopped liver that was covered in carmelized onions and that was the best part of the meal. We did have salads, which were good. The pizzas arrived and ours looked good, it seemed that they used fresh mozzarella on them. The crust , however, was not so great, they tasted like they were pre-made and frozen. The menu said the pizzas were cooked in a wood fired oven, but they did not have the look or taste of pizzas that came from such an oven. Dan B. and Kathy ordered their pizza with anchovies and it had to be taken away. It seems that the chef got a little creative and made a paste of the anchovies and then rolled it into balls, very gross and inedible. The owner's wife was very apologetic and took it off of the bill.I've heard that Romano's other Italian dishes are good, it seems that they failed in the pizza class .

Happy Halloween!!

This wonderful sculpture is from the restaurant, Tio Lucas in San Miguel and is perfect for wishing everyone a happy Halloween! I will post on this restaurant later.

San Agustin Chocolates & Churros-San Miguel

If you are a fan of hot chocolate or even better, fried- sugar-covered-sticks of dough, then you must visit San Agustin Chocolates & Churros in San Miguel. The first time we stopped in, we ordered Mexican hot chocolate, which is similar to what we are used to here in the states. It's very mellow, smooth and milky with just a hint of cinnamon. When you order your hot chocolate, you also receive 3 of those amazingly sinful churros and for only 33 Pesos, it's a great bargain to boot.

The second time we stopped in Dan, Dan B. and I ordered the Spanish hot chocolate, which was a thick, dark, bittersweet hot chocolate with an almost pudding like consistency. I did not like that version as well as the Mexican, but it was still very good.

They do serve other things as well, like real food, but we came only for the chocolate and churros. The decor was very interesting, it looked somewhat like an old coffee bar, the kind you see in Paris and Rome. The walls were covered with pictures of the owner, Margarita Gralia, a famous actress down there. From the pictures, she is a very beautiful woman, who probably has not eaten very many churros.

They are located in the Centro section of San Miguel at San Francisco #21 Centro 37700 San Miguel de Allende 415-154-9102.

Pineapple Skillet Uside-Down Cake

This is another recipe from my cooking class in San Miguel at Sazon. I typically don't like pineapple upside down cake(although I love pineapple), but this cake was wonderful. It almost had a pudding consistency to it. The fact that you use chunks of fresh pineapple as opposed to canned pineapple rings makes it all the better. This recipe was attributed to Rick Bayless, who is one of my favorite cookbook authors.
When Monserrat added the brown sugar to the pan, she let it melt before adding the pineapple. After it was melted she added the pineapple and let it cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.



Pineapple Skillet Upside-Down Cake



6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups 1/2" cubed, cleaned pineapple (about 3/4 of a medium pineapple)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 buttermilk or plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place rack in middle. Melt butter in a large(10") skillet, with ovenproof handle, preferably non-stick, over medium heat. Swirl the butter in skillet until it turns nut-brown then pour into a medium bowl. Without wiping out the skillet, sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom. Top with the fruit in an even layer.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt , soda and baking powder. Add the white sugar to the browned butter and whisk until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the egg, then the buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients in the the bowl with dry mixture. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
Pour batter evenly over the fruit in the skillet. Slide the skillet into the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until cake is golden and springy to the touch. Remove and let cool 10 minutes.
Invert a plate over skillet, then holding plate and skillet firmly together with the towels or pot holders, invert the two in one swift movement. Remove the skillet and the cake is ready to serve.

Day of the Dead Sweets

Here are a couple of pictures of sweets for sale in an outdoor market in San Miguel. Some of these candies were quite elaborate and beautiful, while others were very whimsical. Some of the people would not let you take pictures, which I assume is to keep other people from stealing their ideas. They put a lot of time and effort into making these, some women actually start working on them a year in advance. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is a festive occasion where they remember the dead and celebrate the continuity of life.

Mural From Escuela Universitania de Bella Artes

I love this mural from the former convent of La Concepcion in San Miguel and thought it was perfect for Halloween. The Escuela Universitania de Bella Artes is located in a former convent and the Church of La Concepcion is still located on the premises. Today the convent is an arts school with cultural classes in art, music and language.

Chicken In Red Chile Sauce

This is another wonderful recipe that Chef Montserrat Castro demonstrated at Sazon in San Miguel. The sauce is not overly spicy and the chicken turned out perfectly. The chili sauce would also work great added to pozole.

Chicken in Red Chile Sauce

20 dried Guajillo and/or Ancho Chile pods
3-4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil

Roast the chiles lightly in a frying pan until they soften slightly, taking care not to burn them. Remove all stems, seeds, and veins. Break them up into pieces and simmer in the chicken broth along with garlic, oregano and cayenne, for 40-45 minutes.
Blend chiles and broth in blender a little at a time. Pour sauce through a sieve into a bowl. Mash chile pieces against sieve with spoon to extract liquid and discard pulp. Bring liquid to a boil in saucepan, lower heat and simmer until the sauce reduces by a third. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle thighs with salt and pepper, saute in olive oil in oven safe baking dish or casserole for 7 to 8 minutes until browned.
Pour chile sauce over chicken. Cover and bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours. remove from oven and serve.

Classic Gaucamole

While we were in San Miguel, Dan and I took a cooking class at Sazon. Sazon is a beautiful shop located in an old casa just off the main plaza in San Miguel. We just happened to walk in minutes before the class started and even though they were full, they made room for us. The class was a demonstration not an actual hands on experience, but very informative. We got to eat the food that was prepared and it was all very good. At $600 pesos ( around $60 American) a person, the class wasn't cheap, but there was a lot of food and it was a great way to spend 2 hours. Sazon is located at Correo #22, Centro-San Miguel de Allende-Gto, Mexico 37700, you can visit their website at http://www.sazon.com/ .

Classic Guacamole

4 large ripe avocados
1 small white onion, minced
4 serrano chiles, minced
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced (in the class she added around 1 teaspoon)
Salt to taste

Cut avocados in half lengthwise, remove pits and scoop out flesh with spoon. Place in a mixing bowl and mash with fork, an old fashioned potato masher or use a molcajete. You want the avocados to be lumpy. Add onion, chiles, cilantro and lime juice. Save some onion and cilantro for garnish. Mix in tomatoes and season with salt. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro and onion. Serve with chips.

Dan and Larry in San Miguel

This is a copy of an earlier post that I deleted because some one felt it was necessary to post a comment that was not appropriate.Our friends, Dan and Larry, are in San Miguel, Mexico and from the e-mail we received are having a great time. I wanted to post an excerpt of one of their dining experiences, because they could not post a comment:
Tried to get on Mike's blog but couldn't. Wanted to share with him an eating experiencing. He would have wet his pants.Went to a dinner at the Sierra Nevada Hotel which is owned by the Orient Express. They brought in three chefs from the orient express and the food was unusual and magnificent. We started with Seared dive scallop cocktail,in tamarind sangrita sauce. Very spicy. Then Yellow corn cappuccino,Parmesan foam and powder chili piruin ( my favorite). Served very hot in a cup. I've never had anything like it. The Cured pacific sea bass ceviche with passion fruit-Jocque Coulis. I have never like ceviche, but this was very good. Main course was Ancho Chili-chiapas coffee crusted roasted Venison Loin, roasted plantain puree and garden vegetables. venison was rare and tender. The chef came to our table and explained the difficulty in cooking venison. Desert was a white chocolate bread pudding, warm chocolate sauce and dark chocolate shavings. Quite a culinary experience. I thought about Mike during the dinner. He would have enjoyed it so much more than I. There was a wonderful trio of Mexican men who played instruments and sang and a lady diner at a nearby table also sang several songs. She was a great singer.Quite and elegant evening eating on an outside patio in a beautiful garden.Funny part of evening, a couple came in and sat in the bar beside the dining room and made out furiously. The lady was all over the guy.So the next day when invited to Howard and Bill's for drinks and comedia,who should also be there, but this woman and man from the bar. She was a photographer from Los Angles and worked for Hustler magazine. What a hoot.Well so much for Mexico. Hope your bathroom remodeling is going

Mamita's Beach Club

While on our trip to Mexico we seemed to only do two things, lay on the beach or eat. At the beach we had access to, we sometimes did both at the same time. Well, we actually got off of our beach chairs and walked up to the open air cafe at Mamita's Beach Club and ate lunch there a couple of times. While Dan and I ate chicken or steak nachos, our friends Dan and Larry, ate fried red snapper. They fried the entire fish after breading them and making slits on the sides. While I have always had a hard time dealing with whole fish, the fins and tails and the "oh my God look at those eyes" sort of things, these were incredibly good. Where they made the slits, you could pull the fish off in pieces resembling fish sticks that were free of bone. Of coarse ,we also drank a couple of cheladas to wash it all down. Playa Del Carmen was a great place to visit and Mamita's Beach Club was a great place to eat, the service was friendly and fast and the food was great!