Thursday, January 27, 2011

The Best Breakfast Deal in the Marina!

Sea-Fare at the Marina
Marina, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
9ish am
July 21, 2010

Since we had a big adventure day planned of a high speed boat ride, riding a donkey up a mountain, waterfall rapelling, and all of this topped off with a tequila tasting; we decided we needed to start the day with a hearty breakfast.  We needed to be downtown by 10:30 and so wanted a convenient place near our hotel, but on the way. 

We took the bus most places which generally resulted in us taking a nice walk from our hotel to the other side of the marina where the bus stop was located.  The walk was always beautiful, but we soon learned it was also like "running the gauntlet".  The marina has a series of really nice shops, restaurants, and tour booths along the way with someone at each place trying to "entice" you to spend some time with them.  We had walked through this area probably half a dozen times already and perfected our polite, yet curt no's.  However, this time we were glad we'd actually get to say yes to someone! 


The Sea-Fare at the Marina won out with their daily breakfast special that couldn't be beat for only $3.99.  We both got the same thing which consisted of scrambled eggs with ham, chilaquiles, refried beans topped with queso fresco, fresh tortillas, and freshly squeezed orange juice!  I still can not believe we got this quality and quantity of food for $4 each.

The orange juice was so refreshing, and I had forgotten how much of a stronger orange flavor you get when the juice is freshly squeezed!  The eggs with ham were flavorful and perfectly cooked and the refried beans were great.  But the stand out was the chilaquiles. 

This is such a simple dish, but was oh so good!  It is composed of cut squares of tortillas lightly fried, topped with a slightly spicy red sauce, and then topped with sour cream.  The red sauce slightly softens a bit of the tortilla and you get a soft bite, with crispier edges.  Then the sour cream cools off the warmth of the dish and spice of the red sauce.  As I write this, I'm wishing I had a bowl of them right now! 

Erik and I had never heard of this dish before, but upon doing some research it apparently is a typical breakfast/brunch staple in Mexico and is thought to be a great hangover cure!  Maybe I should have gotten some more after our tequila tasting ;)  Upon doing even more research, for my local readers, apparently you can get a version of chilaquiles at Cabo Cocina and Cuco's.  We already have dinner plans for tonight, but I just might be making a trip to one of these establishments next weekend!
 
Bill Total:  around $10

Overall Rating:  4 buckeyes

And just for fun here are some shots from the rest of our day...

 



  


Saturday, January 22, 2011

Nothing's Better than Tacos Al Pastor

Pepe's Tacos
Puerto Vallarta
Mexico
July 20, 2010
9ish pm

After our large lunch at Cafe de Ollo it took us awhile to become hungry for dinner.  After walking around town and enjoying the sights we decided we needed tacos for dinner.  Now tacos from the taco trucks around town are one of my all time favorite meals and  I even rented one for my 30th birthday party!  I couldn't wait to try them in Mexico. 

You could smell the freshly cooked meat and spices as you walked up to the stand.  We grabbed a table and a friendly server was quickly over to help us out.  Service was fast and the tacos were cheap ($1 each).  Within just a few minutes we had a delightful plate of tacos al pastor.  The pork is wonderfully spiced and cut from a spit comparable to the spit gyro meat is made from.  The cook shaves the meat off the spit and catches it in 2 corn tortillas. 

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The tacos are then topped with pineapple, cilantro, and onion.  Fresh limes are brought out to squeeze over the tacos.  The cilantro and onion are fresh, but the pineapple is what makes the tacos!  The pineapple is roasted at the top of the spit and then a few slices are chopped off when the meat is cut for the tacos.  The sweet roasted pineapple pairs wonderfully with the cilantro, onion, and fresh lime juice. 


There are then a series of sauces you can add to the tacos such as a creamy advocado sauce (more liquidy than a typical guacamole), a tomato based salsa, a smoky chipotle sauce, and a tomatillo sauce.  I liked the tomato salsa or tomatillo sauce on the tacos best, but all flavor combinations were good.


Yum!  I started out with a plate of 3 tacos, but after those were done I kept going and ordered 2 more!  This is definitely one of my fondest dinner memories from Mexico. 

Bill Total:  Tacos were around $1 each

Overal Rating:  5 buckeyes!