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!

Back from Mexico

I have returned, reluctantly. Mexico was beautiful and it was nice to lay on a beach all day with no worries. For the most part the food was great and I will go into detail later. We had some really great to some not so great food. I discovered my new most favorite drink, the Chelada. These were mugs with salted rims, ice cubes and lime juice. You then poured your beer into the mug and had the most refreshing drink for the beach , the pool or anywhere for that matter. I am totally addicted to them and will be looking for one around noon today. Adios for now, Amigos!

Mexico

We will be in Mexico starting tomorrow morning until next Tuesday. Can't wait to try the food and let you know how it is. We will be in Playa Del Carmen!!

Rosebud Theater District, Chicago IL

When we were in Chicago last month, another place we ate was Rosebud Theater District. Rosebud is a chain of Italian eateries in Chicago and we love eating there. When we ate there in the past and this particular place was called La Rosetta, the sign outside even says that still. Anyway, the food and the atmosphere is great and it's close to all the theaters. They are located in the Three First National Plaza building at 70 West Madison. Their website is http://www.rosebudrestaurants.com/ . I recommend making reservations, they were very busy this time, not so busy the time before. Our friend Jeff who lives in Chicago met us for dinner and we had a great time. We started with the Calamari Fritti ($10.95), which was a heaping big bowl full of lightly fried calamari served with marinara sauce. There was enough for six people, but it was so good. For dinner, Dan had the Cheese Ravioli($12.95) served in a marinara sauce, good but boring. Jeff had Chicken Milanese($16.96). This was a lightly breaded and sauteed chicken breast, topped with arugula, tomatoes, red onion and fontina cheese. I did not try it, but heard that it was excellent. I had Penne with Broccoli and Sausage($13.95), which was penne pasta served with broccoli florets and Italian sausage in an olive oil and garlic sauce. This was very good and the sausage had just the right bite!. Overall the dinner was excellent and the company even better. The total bill was $89.00 and that was with wine!. I highly recommend this place and am getting hungry just thinking about it.

L'Appetito

A couple of years ago we found this wonderful Italian bakery in Chicago called L'Appetito. Every time we go back, we make sure that we back to this wonderful bakery. They have a large assortment of Italian cookies and everyone of them is good. My favorite are the Pignoli, nice little amaretto cookies topped with pine nuts. They also have a deli and a small assortment of Italian grocery items. They are located at the foot of the John Hancock Center at 875 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 312-337-0691. Their web address is http://www.lappetito.com/.

Frontera Grill

One of my favorite cookbook authors is Rick Bayless. He has a restaurant in Chicago called Frontera Grill. It's a great place to eat with fun and vibrant atmosphere. We had not planned on eating there this trip, but plane delays forced us to eat closer to the hotel. Without reservations, they were running an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minute wait, Yikes!! They will take reservations the day of, if your party is is under 5 people and in advance if your party is 5 or more. We hung out in the bar hoping to get a table there. After about 1 hour we were able to sit in the bar and eat. While we waited, we ordered the Taquitos de Pollo($8). These were so good and went perfectly with the nice Mojito I ordered to drink($10). They were crispy taquitos filled with chicken and sour cream. We noticed everyone was ordering the Guacomole($8.50), so we ordered it too. His recipe is the one I use when I make it at home. It was incredible, creamy and chunky at the same time. It was served with nice crisp chips and 2 salsas. The best was my entree. I had the Pollo al Ajillo Cremosa($21). This was a wood grilled chicken breast served in a creamy, garlicky, smoky morita chili sauce that was laced with mezcal. It was served with a beautiful pyramid of red chili rice and wilted spinach. Personally, I can't stand spinach, but my plate was clean when it was removed. Dan ordered the Tacos al Carbon with chicken($16). This dish had wood grilled chicken, roasted peppers, 2 salsas and homemade tortillas. And of coarse . it was just as good as everything else there. The service was very good, especially for eating in the bar. I highly recommend this place as well as any of his cookbooks. The restaurant is located at 445 N. Clark St. Chicago IL 312-661-1434. There is another restaurant of his on the premises called Topolobampo. We have never eaten there, it is a little more on the fine dining side, but would like to try it sometime. You can go to Rick Bayless's website for recipes and other things at http://www.rickbayless.com/.

Chicago and Linda Eder

This weekend we went to Chicago for a Linda Eder concert. If you don't know who she is, go to her website http://www.lindaeder.com/ and check her out. She has an incredible voice and if she comes to town near you, you should go and see her. Chicago was cold and snowy and wonderful. We ate at some great places which I will write about shortly. Every single place we ate at had wonderful service. One of my biggest pet peeves is bad service and it seems you get a lot of that in Kansas City. I don't know what causes the difference, but the servers in Chicago are outstanding. We stayed at the Downtown Marriott (540 N. Michigan Ave.), which is a nice enough place. The rooms have been updated with incredible beds. The bathroom was a little on the small side and the walls were a little on the thin side, but again the service was great in the hotel.

Borgo Argenina

If anyone out there is looking for a great place too stay in Tuscany, Borgo Argenina is the place. We stayed here on one of our visits to Italy and truly enjoyed it. It's a little hamlet situated between Siena and Gaiole. This is one of the most scenic places I have ever been. There are grape vines as far as the eye can see. The grounds at the Bed and Breakfast are charming, with lots of vegetable gardens and fig trees. It is truly a magical place.

The rooms are nicely appointed and furnished with antiques. The room we stayed in had a sitting room kitchen combo, a bedroom and a large bathroom with a real shower. The owner, Elena, is very gracious and welcoming. She will recommend some great restaurants, winery tours and anything else you have questions with. She is now doing cooking lessons, which I would really enjoy!

Check out her website, it's very interesting. She also has recipes on it, including her famous Limoncella, which she offers when you fist arrive. I recommend this place for anyone looking for a relaxing and laid back getaway. The website is www.borgoargenina.it .