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...

 

  

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. 

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!

The Buckeye goes to Puerto Vallarta

Cafe d'Ollo
Puerto Vallarta
Mexico
July 20, 2010
2ish pm

For our summer vacation this year we decided to sample some more authentic versions of our favorite foods and head south of the border to Puerto Vallarta.  We had heard this was a Mexican foodie destination and with the bonus of a great beach and our dollar stretching far, we felt we couldn't go wrong. 

We arrived in Mexico in the afternoon of July 19th and immediately headed to our pool bar (we were staying at the Westin Resort and Spa-Puerto Vallarta) to relax from our flight and try some amazing margaritas, chips, and guacamole!  The bartender was happy to oblige.

The colorful chips were great and the guacamole was flavorful.  However, I wasn't a big fan of the Cohita cheese (similar to a Parmesan) on top.  However, the star of this snack was definitely the margaritas!  The tequila is of higher quality than many made here and fresh lime juice is the norm.  A special bonus was that we arrived during happy hour where the special was buy one get one free.  However, this bonus quickly became a negative as I didn't quite realize how much stronger a Mexican margarita would be as compared to the usual at home.  I soon needed a nap! 

After vegging out the first evening in town we headed off to explore the next day.  We walked around and explored the vendors along the Rio Quale and then stopped for lunch at Cafe de Olla.  We had heard this was a must stop restaurant for many people.  The restaurant was quaint and the owner greeted us as if he knew us.

We loved how many restaurants had outdoor grills in an effort to minimize the heat of a kitchen in a very HOT locale.  We also loved the tree growing up through the roof on the inside!

As we sat down we were immediately brought bread and fresh salsas.  The chopped salsa was fresh with cilantro, cucumber, tomato, and onion.  It was my favorite due to the freshness. 

The darker one was a smoky sauce of chipotle, tomato, and some heat.  This one was great over rice and beans. 

We ordered 2 chicken tamales and the Mexican plate to share. 

The tamales were wrapped in banana leaves.  The chicken was plentiful and fall off the bone tender.  Overall, the dish was good, but I would have preferred some more spice. 

The Mexican plate came with a chile relleno, a chicken enchilada, a strip steak, and rice and beans.  We definitely weren't hungry after this lunch!  The chile relleno was a-ma-zing!  By far, the best one I've ever had.  The pepper was roasted, stuffed with masa, and then topped with melted cheese.  I don't think there was any one thing that made it better than chile rellenos here, but a combination of the ingredients available being fresher, more traditional, and higher quality ingredients than are typically available here.  It was exactly the way a chile relleno should be. 

I also liked the addition of peas and carrots to the rice and may try that at home.  The refried beans were great and somehow had a more "beany" flavor (like the sophisticated descriptor?) flavor than refried beans I'm used to.  Unfortunately, the strip steak and chicken enchilada were totally average. 

Overall, this was quite a filling lunch!  We'd definitely come back here for the hospitality and chile rellenos, but I'd want to try some other dishes before I'd feel the food was all it was cracked up to be.  The prices seemed to be more in the "tourist" range and I felt we could get similar food at places a little more off the beaten path for a better price. 

Total Price:  1 Coke, 1 beer, Mexican plate, 2 chicken tamales, and tip = somewhere between $20-25   

Sweet Granville

Victoria's Parlour
134 Broadway E
Granville, Ohio 43023
June 12, 2010
2ish pm

On a fresh and warm Saturday in June we decided to go for a drive and explore a little outside our familiar city.  I had read an article not too long ago in Ohio Magazine about Granville and we decided to check it out.  As we drove through town we were struck by the quaintness of the houses in the village and the great shops and restaurants along the main street.  We went a little farther and loved the rolling green hills and beauty of Denison's campus.  It was the picture of a great small American town. 

We spent a bit meandering down and around East Broadway enjoying the shops, admiring the houses, and trying to decide where we wanted to stop for a bite to eat.  There were many great choices, but finally we picked a cute old-fashioned ice cream parlor.  When you walk in you feel like you're walking back in time, complete with servers dressed in Victorian era garb!  We loved the classic black and white checkered floor and heart shaped, white iron soda fountain chairs.  We could just imagine a high school couple from long ago sitting, talking, and sharing a Coke with 2 straws!  There could not be a better picture of Americana. 

As we looked over the menu we saw classic soda fountain drinks with the flavor added in store.  I decided I had to try a blackberry Coke.  Alas, it was a bit too sweet for my preference; but Erik's cherry Coke was great! 

For lunch Erik went with a grilled cheese with roasted red pepper.  The bread was nicely grilled and had a great butter flavor.  The cheese and red pepper were a great combination!  This was a great sandwich. 

I went with a classic Caesar chicken salad.  It was exactly what you would expect with  expertly grilled chicken, fresh romaine, a sprinkling of cheese, and a good flavored Caesar dressing. 

After lunch we were stuffed, but figured we couldn't leave without actually trying the ice cream.  We decided to share a pistachio gelato and walk a little more around Granville (in a vain attempt to walk off some of those extra calories)!  The ice cream had a great flavor with nice chunks of pistachio in it, but it definitely had the texture of an ice cream rather than a gelato.  However, we're not complaining. 

What a sweet ending to a quaint village stroll and a sweet time!

Bill total:  2 flavored Cokes, a grilled cheese, a chicken Caesar salad, gelato, and a tip = $21

Overall Rating:  3 1/2 buckeyes

Giorgio's for Mother's Day

Giorgio Italian Restaurant
Clintonville
May 8, 2010
7ish pm

We had heard a few murmurrings of a good Italian restaurant in Clintonville and decided to give it a shot for our small family combination celebration dinner of Mother's Day and my birthday.  Italian was sounding like it would hit the spot! 

We arrived to a softly lit and intimately quiet restaurant.  The owner, I presume, warmly greated us and insisted we take the only open table (large enough for 6 or more, even though there were only 3 of us) rather than saving it for a potentially larger group.  We were thankful we didn't have to wait. 

The decor of the restaurant was Tuscan simplicity and I loved the solid wood furniture pieces used for service.

For an appetizer we decided to share the caprese salad which was standardly prepared with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozarella, a drizzle of sweet balsamic vinegar, and a chiffonade of fresh basil.  I was surprised with how high the quality the tomatoes were with it being so early in the spring.  It made me look forward to what my garden would have to offer later in the summer. 

Bread was brought out that had a crusty and flaky outside, but light and warm in the center.  This was served with a great herbed butter. 

Service was quick and just as we finished our salad our entrees were ready.  Erik went with the chicken parmesan.  Overall, this was a very good dish.  The breading was not too heavy, but not too light.  It was well browned and nicely coated with cheese.  The red sauce was light and not overpowering or sweet, but gave just enough bite to temper the heaviness of the chicken. 

My mother ordered the baked penne, which was a very good dish.  There were chunks of mushroom that added meaty flavor and chunks of fennel that gave the dish a different, but very good spin.  And of course you can never go wrong with an ooey, gooey cheese topping of mozarella, provolone, and romano. 

I ordered the pesto penne and I wish I would have gone with a more traditional baked pasta dish.  I ordered the penne without chicken (trying to save a few calories), but it came out with chicken anyway.  Our waitress quickly caught the mistake and brought me another penne fairly quickly.  The penne was cooked to a wonderful al dente and overall the sauce and pasta toss was nice.  I really enjoyed the roasted red peppers and spinach leaves in with the pasta, but the pesto was heavy on the olive oil and light on the basil.  I would have preferred the opposite for a lighter and more herby flavor.

Overall, we loved the atmosphere and friendliness of the staff.  The majority of our dishes were wonderful.

Total Price:  1 martini, 1 glass of wine, 1 Coke, 3 entrees, and tip = $60

Overall Rating:  3 1/2 buckeyes

Our Last Cuban Bite out of Miami

David's Cafe (If you click this link be prepared to be blasted with some loud Latin music.  Don't say I didn't warn you)
South Beach, Florida
April 7, 2010
10ish pm

Well, I definitely couldn't leave Miami without having a Cubano sandwich!  We heard David's had a great one as well as some other classic home style Cuban foods.  Also on the positive, it was open 24 hours!  So on our last evening in Miami we took our final leisurely walk down Ocean Drive stopping to people watch and having the occasional drink before deciding it was time for a later dinner.  Here's a quick shot of me after a drink at the famous Clevelander. 

As we walked over to David's we immediately noted the traditional South Beach decor.  Since it was later in the evening, but not yet time for the clubbers to be piling in, the restaurant was fairly deserted.  But we were warmly welcomed and took a seat at the counter. 

I already knew what I wanted, but Erik took some time to decide which Cuban delicacy to try.  While he poured over the menu we were served some Cuban bread to nibble on.  It was lusciously buttered. 

Erik decided on the albondigas catalana (meatballs) with yuca frita (cassava) and frijoles negros (black beans).  This dish was simply amazing!  The meatballs were light and tender and the sauce had an interesting mildly spiced flavor. There was just a hint of cinnamon and possibly cayenne that made for an interesting spin on what we are used to as the typical meatball dish.  We had never had fried yuca before and were pleasantly surprised by the tender, warm center and crispy fried outside.  This could easily be a great alternative to the french fry.  The black beans and rice were also nicely spiced and flavorful. 

I, as was aforementioned, ordered the sandwich cubano.  I must say I was a little underwhelmed.  It was not a bad sandwich by any stretch, but it also wasn't much more than a ham sandwich I might make myself for lunch when trying to conserve some calories by not adding too many fillings.  To me, the sandwich was heavy on the bread and light on the fillings.  The Cuban bread was fresh and good.  The ham and pork were also good, and the traditional additions of pickles and yellow mustard make for a good ham sandwich.  I just wanted more of it all!  I also was not a huge fan of David's style of fries.  They were julienned and very crispy, almost to the point of being more of a potato chip's texture than a french fry.  I missed the tender inside of a thicker cut fry. 

But honestly the highlight of the place, was the cook of the evening.  I have never been able to watch a cook who seemed so simply happy to be doing his job.  He took such care in assembling each dish, was truly interested in what we thought of things, and almost seemed to be whistling and dancing as he worked!  He just seemed to have a contagious positive zest for life that made dinner at David's that much more enjoyable.  And this was how he was at 10 o'clock at night!  Here's a glimpse as he puts another sandwich together (too bad I didn't get a shot from the front). 

Overall, we enjoyed David's.  The meatballs were fantastic, but the Cubano was just so so for me.  We'd definitely go back, but probably stay with the home style dishes and fried yuca! 

Total Price:  Not sure again, but things were very reasonable.  The albondigas were about $10 and the Cubano was about $9. 

Overall Rating:  3 1/2 buckeyes

A Miami Institution

Joe's Stone Crab
South Beach, Florida
April 6, 2010
5:30ish pm

Le Sigh.  I've been avoiding writing this review; because I hate writing negative reviews and I'm so disappointed about how this restaurant experience turned out.  I really wanted to love this place.  I really wanted this to be my favorite meal in Miami, as it is a classic after all. 

Joe's Stone Crab is even celebrating their 97th season, for goodness sake.  People wait for hours and tip the maitre d' over $40 just to get seated.  How could I not love it?  However, I have to admit my experience was just ho hum.  Maybe it was the day, maybe it was what we ordered; but I just wasn't that impressed with the food.  The place was beautiful and full of history, the service was superb; but the food was just okay. 

According to Joe's website, Joe's Stone Crab is one of the oldest restaurant in South Beach and opened in 1913 as a lunch counter serving fresh fish.  They didn't start serving stone crabs until 1921 when they discovered they were edible, and quite tasty!  This is now the dish they are famous for.  Al Capone, Amelia Earhart, Will Rogers, etc. etc all frequented Joe's.  It's the kind of story Americans love, and with this kind of history how could expectations not be high and be fulfilled?

Joe's is only opened during stone crab season, mid-October through the end of July, so after reading so much about this restaurant we were pleased our visit would fall during the open window.  We had also heard the wait was always horrendous, at least 1-2 hours.  Because of this it was best to go early or be prepared to slip the maitre'd $40 ($20 tips were rumored to be rebuked and it is also rumored the maitre'd makes over 6 figures due to all these high tips).  With this in mind we arrived just after opening at 5:30ish and to our astonishment were able to be seated right away.  This was definitely a great start to our evening.  However, we wouldn't have minded to wait a little while and enjoy a drink in their beautiful courtyard. 

As we were seated I looked around at the enormity of the restaurant which can server over 400.  It was bustling, but not overly crowded and everyone seemed to have that ease of dining out while on vacation.  The dining room does not have your typical South Beach feel, but I didn't mind because it seemed to exude Old World elegance and have stories to tell.  The ceilings were high and airy, the floors were black and white tiled, white table cloths were everwhere, and I loved the dark wood accents and furniture.  I loved the feeling of the place and the people watching! People from all socio-economic backgrounds seem to want to dine at Joe's. 

But before I could ponder my surrounds too long bread service came which was a mix of all kinds of different breads.  My favorite was the white roll in the foreground of the picture, topped with cooked chopped onions!  But they were all good.  The bread was served with a luscious and airy butter.  This was one of the better bread services I have had.  Another promising start to our meal.  Unfortunately the greatness stopped here. 

Next, we decided to try the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer.  In Ohio we don't often run into this dish on a menu and we both love it.  Also, knowing that are own garden tomatoes were many months away from being able to be fried we really wanted a bite of Ohio's season to come.  The serving was very generous and overall the fried tomatoes were good, but not great.  They were too greasy and heavy for my preference and I hate to say it, but I liked the ones from the old chain restaurant Cooker with their amazing spicy "tiger" sauce much better.  Ugh, why did that chain have to close, if there is such a thing as good chains, this was one of them! 

But back to Joe's.  There was no dipping sauce for these (definitely a dining foul in my condiment loving world).  I would have thought some type of sauce would have cut through the greasiness of the dish a bit better and made it more palatable. 

For our entrees we probably made a mistake by not going with the classic stone crabs, but we had read where a stone crab is a stone crab and Joe's were exceedingly expensive.  Additionally, while I like crab in general, I do have a slight aversion to cracking the claws to get the meat out.  Because of this I decided to go with the crab cakes.  Now crab cakes are one of my favorite meals and I was excited to see what Joe would do with the famous dish.  However, perhaps my expectations were set a bit too high.  I like my crab cakes meaty and lightly breaded on the outside to allow the delicate flavors of the crab and fillings to come through.  However, these would have been more aptly named fried crab balls.  While again the portions were generous and there was a good bit of crab meat in the balls, the coating was very greasy and heavy.  Similar to the tomato dish, the greasy and fried outside became the focus of the dish and overshadowed the crab flavor rather than accentuating it with a crisp crunch.  Since these fried balls followed the fried tomatoes I could only stomach half of a cake before my stomach was revolting from too much grease (possibly an ordering mistake on my part, but I didn't think either dish would be as heavy as it was). 

Erik opted for the sea scallops which were well cooked, but served in a very heavy buttery cream sauce.  Again, while the scallops were cooked well the heavy sauce's flavor seemed to take precedence and a few bites were quite filling.  The toasts dipped in the sauce gave a nice flavor and contrast in textures.  However, for our preference, the sauce was just too heavy for the light flavor of scallops. 

Alas, due to the heaviness of dinner we were too full to sample some of the Key Lime pie we have heard Joe's is famous for.  However, maybe that's not so bad after all since so far our expectations had been too high. 

Overall, the food was not bad, but just too heavy for my preferences.  There was a time in my life that I would have thought all the fried food and butter sauces were great.  However, over time I have come to appreciate lighter seasonings that allow the flavors of the main event to shine through rather than being covered up with the flavor of fats (Not that flavor from fat is all bad, mind you.  I would definitely never say that!). 

But on a positive note, the service throughout the evening was outstanding and we truly felt taken care of.  Additionally, I ended up leaving my camera at the restaurant that evening and didn't end up noticing until the next day.  When we returned to the restaurant the maitre'd personally took me in the back to recover it and it was good as new and even with the $20 bill we keep inside for emergencies still in place.  However, I guess from what we've heard $20 is chump change when you work at Joe's.  ;)

Total Price: 1 beer, 1 ice tea, 1 order of fried green tomatoes, 1 order of scallops, 1 order of crab cakes and tip= $75

Overall Rating:  3 buckeyes