As predicted, yesterday was devoted solely to recovery with very little drinking except a few beers on the beach. Today wasn´t a lot better. My friends had a 10:00 P.M. flight and had to leave for the airport. They wanted to spend their last day on the beach, and who could blame them? The weather was gorgeous. I did manage to wander down the beach a bit and hit:
321) The Beach Cafe
The Beach Cafe is, surprise, right on the beach. The bar itself is on the second floor and has a great view of the beach and bay. The bar extends quite a ways on both sides of a small semi-circular area manned by the bartender. The bar extension to the right is open-air and uncovered. The extension to the left is covered by a tile roof and a dark-green vinyl awning. The bartop is smoothed cement with decorative little stone chips embedded in it. The front of the extensions is made of decorative reddish stone blocks with patterned openings. The front of the circular area is white cement with 2 light-blue quarter-moons with faces, a yellow, smiling sun, and a number of dark blue stars. A beer cooler stacked with cans of coconut milk and various canned fruit for making frozen drinks stands behind the bar.
The whole place is done up primarily in lime-green and lemon-yellow paint with a few orange touches downstairs. The wooden bar-chairs are painted lime-green. The fairly large deck behind the right-hand extension where we were sitting is tiled and has two large orange umbrellas shading a couple of tables. The three sides of the deck not facing the bay were lined with dark-green and white plastic chairs. Behind the left extension it is much darker because it is covered and there is a television. Last year I watched the super-bowl there but was in the bathroom for the Janet Jackson incident. No matter, I saw it about 100 times on the various news shows that felt compelled to repeat it while simultaneously criticising how inappropriate it was.
I had a Negro Modela
Progress is slowing but hopefully will pick up a bit next week. 321 down, 679 left to go.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Saint Patrick's Day
Way, way too much recreational drinking today. Green tequila jello shots on the beach started us out, then more beers on the beach, homemade green frozen margaritas, shots of racillia, and repeat visits to bars. Not good. But I did manage to hit one new one.
320) C.O. Jones
This bar and grill has only been open for three weeks and has been closed for the last three days because the manager had food poisoning. Not a ringing endorsement for the place and I probably won't be eating there anytime soon. There culinary specialty is cheesesteaks.
This used to be a Japanese restaurant and a few of the trappings are still around, lanterns out front and red-fringed light pulls. They have a nice wood topped bar but with a fake-brick front. Kind of tacky. The bar rail is a thick pipe. Above the bar is a nice ornate wooden wine rack supported by wooden columns. There are dark wood shelves behind the bar with mirrored backing. Wooden barstools with light-tan vinly cushions. It has a very nice patterned tile floor, kind of an Aztec design. There is a mirror on the wall to the right of the bar that has a multi-colored tiled frame. The walls are whitewashed and there are a few brick arches.
I had a Pacifico and we all headed out to do some serious damage to ourselves at bars that cannot be counted because they are repeaters.
320 for the year and 680 to go.
320) C.O. Jones
This bar and grill has only been open for three weeks and has been closed for the last three days because the manager had food poisoning. Not a ringing endorsement for the place and I probably won't be eating there anytime soon. There culinary specialty is cheesesteaks.
This used to be a Japanese restaurant and a few of the trappings are still around, lanterns out front and red-fringed light pulls. They have a nice wood topped bar but with a fake-brick front. Kind of tacky. The bar rail is a thick pipe. Above the bar is a nice ornate wooden wine rack supported by wooden columns. There are dark wood shelves behind the bar with mirrored backing. Wooden barstools with light-tan vinly cushions. It has a very nice patterned tile floor, kind of an Aztec design. There is a mirror on the wall to the right of the bar that has a multi-colored tiled frame. The walls are whitewashed and there are a few brick arches.
I had a Pacifico and we all headed out to do some serious damage to ourselves at bars that cannot be counted because they are repeaters.
320 for the year and 680 to go.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
A Bus Ride
The weather wasn't the greatest, not good enough for hanging out on the beach but good enough for a bus ride.
316) Mi Ranchito
We took the bus to Boca de Tomatlan, a little village just past Mismaloya. It sits on the mouth of a river that is pretty low this time of year but quite large during the rainy season. Mi Ranchito is one of about three or four bar/restaurants sitting on a little beach. Waiters for the various restaurants vie for your attention and business. The beach used to be much larger but still hasn't recovered from the hurricane a couple of years ago. They have built a primitive bulkhead. Two guys with wheelbarrows were digging up sand from the small delta at the river's mouth and hauling it up to backfill behind the bulkhead. Another three guys were picking up cement blocks and loading them into a small fishing boat to take further south along the bay.
Mi Ranchito had a little wooden-plank bar sitting under an orangish clay-tile roof. The top of the bar was covered with a dark-brown vinyl. Behind the bar are a couple of plain wooden shelves covered with green, yellow, and orange patterned cloth. The attraction of this place is the relative seclusion of the beach and the numerous plastic chairs and tables covered with brightly covered tablecloths that sit on the water's edge under small palapas. This is a good place to catch a water taxi to smaller secluded beaches that cannot be reached buy bus or car. Boca de Tomatlan is as far south as you can go on the bay without using a boat.
The weather wasn't very cooperative, a bit of sun, then clouds, and too chilly to just hang out. We decided to take a bus further up into the mountains.
I had a Pacifico before heading out.
317) Centro Botanero el Banjo
We took the bus quite a way up the mountain to the small town of El Tuito. The sign says the population is 3,500 but it appears to be much smaller. I suspect that is because much of the population lives not in the little town itself but out in the farms and ranches that surround it. We walked around a bit before finding this place on the street one block off of the main drag. There is a little cement building painted white with a large, dirt-floor area surrounded by a wooden fence. There are a number of white plastic Corona chairs and Pacifico tables. The jukebox is in a padlocked iron cage secured to a cement slab.
The small wooden slat bar sits in a back corner up against the small cement building that houses a very small kitchen. On the wall behind the bar is a painting of three Mexican gentlemen quaffing beverages while seated at a small round table. Next to that over the buildings doorway is a painting of a horse's head with pink mountains and a waterfall in the background. The limited menu was also painted on the wall. The waitress spoke no English but seemed pleased that I was writing about the pictures. Perhaps she, or someone she knew, painted them. The waitress also liked our digital camera and after we showed her how it worked she took pictures of us. I don't think they get too many tourists stopping into their place.
There wasn't much more to see in the town and the busses only ran every hour. We made it back to the town-square just in time to catch one heading back.
I had a Pacifico.
318) Teo's
We took the bus back down and stopped off just before Mismaloya. There are a couple of restaurants there, El Set and John Houston's Night of the Iquana. These are both located near the remnants of the sets for "Night of the Iquana." The filming of this movie is what put Puerto Vallarta on the map. Neither of the places were open yet because we got there too late for lunch and too early for dinner.
We took the somewhat steep cement steps (at least now there is a railing) down to the beach and stopped at Teo's. There are a lot of little bar/restaurants on this stretch but this was the second one we came to and the waiter did a good job of encourging us to "check it out." It a concrete slab about 25 feet by 25 feet elevated above the beach by yellow concrete posts. You climb up a brick staircase to get to it. Large Canadian, Mexican, and American flags were blowing in the breeze. Half of the slab is covered by a red vinyl awning with a Coca Cola logo. Behind the slab is an orange concrete structure with the typical tile roof. This houses the small kitchen and a small curved bar covered in brown vinyl that had a large diamond shaped pattern. Framed montages of happy customers adorned the walls. The tables and chairs are the typical white plastic ones supplied by Corona. The tables were covered by pale green tablecloths with white, fringed tablecloths set diagonally on top. The drinks the women ordered each came adorned with large, bright-red hibiscus.
I had a banana daiquiri
319) Ramada Miramar
Heading down towards where you catch the bus back to downtown Puerto Vallarta and down a dirt road behind the huge Mismaloya Hotel, you come to a small wooden bridge across a small river. Here you find a truly delightful place that is in no way associated with the Ramada Hotel. It sits on the edge of the river and is surrounded by lush foilage full of birds and butterflies. The river itself had numerous birds of various types either stalking or swimming about. You would never guess that you are within a stone's throw of a crowded beach and hotel.
Crossing the bridge you go up a small staircase and enter a red-tiled deck with two levels. The lower half is open air with the back half covered with a red tile roof. Bamboo railings surround this part of the deck. The elevated part, where the small bar is, is covered by a large palapa. Green iron railings surround this area. The lower deck has mostly the same white plastic tables you see and chairs you see everywhere but covered with bright tablecloths. Ours was orange. There was also one large wooden table with ornate wooden chairs that was covered by a nice white lace tablecloth. The tables and chairs on the upper deck are wooden and covered with the same bright tablecloths. The bar itself had a white marble-like top with a bamboo front. Simple wooden shelving behind the bar held the liquor supply. More montages of happy customers adorned the walls. Flags draped one wall.
Only one of the women ordered a drink here, that Chinese woman was getting a little tipsy so she settled for bottled water. The one drink came with a nice white hibiscus though.
This is a very nice place and if you ever get to Mismaloya I would urge you to seek it out before heading to the numerous places on the beach.
I had a frozen margarita and we caught the bus back to town. We stopped at a couple of places when we got back, Steve's and Sweeny's (where we had excellent meals as well), but they were both repeats.
Not a bad day and at 319 I now have only 681 left to go. Looks like I should easily make my 325 before leaving Mexico but I suspect there will be a lot of repeaters tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day.
316) Mi Ranchito
We took the bus to Boca de Tomatlan, a little village just past Mismaloya. It sits on the mouth of a river that is pretty low this time of year but quite large during the rainy season. Mi Ranchito is one of about three or four bar/restaurants sitting on a little beach. Waiters for the various restaurants vie for your attention and business. The beach used to be much larger but still hasn't recovered from the hurricane a couple of years ago. They have built a primitive bulkhead. Two guys with wheelbarrows were digging up sand from the small delta at the river's mouth and hauling it up to backfill behind the bulkhead. Another three guys were picking up cement blocks and loading them into a small fishing boat to take further south along the bay.
Mi Ranchito had a little wooden-plank bar sitting under an orangish clay-tile roof. The top of the bar was covered with a dark-brown vinyl. Behind the bar are a couple of plain wooden shelves covered with green, yellow, and orange patterned cloth. The attraction of this place is the relative seclusion of the beach and the numerous plastic chairs and tables covered with brightly covered tablecloths that sit on the water's edge under small palapas. This is a good place to catch a water taxi to smaller secluded beaches that cannot be reached buy bus or car. Boca de Tomatlan is as far south as you can go on the bay without using a boat.
The weather wasn't very cooperative, a bit of sun, then clouds, and too chilly to just hang out. We decided to take a bus further up into the mountains.
I had a Pacifico before heading out.
317) Centro Botanero el Banjo
We took the bus quite a way up the mountain to the small town of El Tuito. The sign says the population is 3,500 but it appears to be much smaller. I suspect that is because much of the population lives not in the little town itself but out in the farms and ranches that surround it. We walked around a bit before finding this place on the street one block off of the main drag. There is a little cement building painted white with a large, dirt-floor area surrounded by a wooden fence. There are a number of white plastic Corona chairs and Pacifico tables. The jukebox is in a padlocked iron cage secured to a cement slab.
The small wooden slat bar sits in a back corner up against the small cement building that houses a very small kitchen. On the wall behind the bar is a painting of three Mexican gentlemen quaffing beverages while seated at a small round table. Next to that over the buildings doorway is a painting of a horse's head with pink mountains and a waterfall in the background. The limited menu was also painted on the wall. The waitress spoke no English but seemed pleased that I was writing about the pictures. Perhaps she, or someone she knew, painted them. The waitress also liked our digital camera and after we showed her how it worked she took pictures of us. I don't think they get too many tourists stopping into their place.
There wasn't much more to see in the town and the busses only ran every hour. We made it back to the town-square just in time to catch one heading back.
I had a Pacifico.
318) Teo's
We took the bus back down and stopped off just before Mismaloya. There are a couple of restaurants there, El Set and John Houston's Night of the Iquana. These are both located near the remnants of the sets for "Night of the Iquana." The filming of this movie is what put Puerto Vallarta on the map. Neither of the places were open yet because we got there too late for lunch and too early for dinner.
We took the somewhat steep cement steps (at least now there is a railing) down to the beach and stopped at Teo's. There are a lot of little bar/restaurants on this stretch but this was the second one we came to and the waiter did a good job of encourging us to "check it out." It a concrete slab about 25 feet by 25 feet elevated above the beach by yellow concrete posts. You climb up a brick staircase to get to it. Large Canadian, Mexican, and American flags were blowing in the breeze. Half of the slab is covered by a red vinyl awning with a Coca Cola logo. Behind the slab is an orange concrete structure with the typical tile roof. This houses the small kitchen and a small curved bar covered in brown vinyl that had a large diamond shaped pattern. Framed montages of happy customers adorned the walls. The tables and chairs are the typical white plastic ones supplied by Corona. The tables were covered by pale green tablecloths with white, fringed tablecloths set diagonally on top. The drinks the women ordered each came adorned with large, bright-red hibiscus.
I had a banana daiquiri
319) Ramada Miramar
Heading down towards where you catch the bus back to downtown Puerto Vallarta and down a dirt road behind the huge Mismaloya Hotel, you come to a small wooden bridge across a small river. Here you find a truly delightful place that is in no way associated with the Ramada Hotel. It sits on the edge of the river and is surrounded by lush foilage full of birds and butterflies. The river itself had numerous birds of various types either stalking or swimming about. You would never guess that you are within a stone's throw of a crowded beach and hotel.
Crossing the bridge you go up a small staircase and enter a red-tiled deck with two levels. The lower half is open air with the back half covered with a red tile roof. Bamboo railings surround this part of the deck. The elevated part, where the small bar is, is covered by a large palapa. Green iron railings surround this area. The lower deck has mostly the same white plastic tables you see and chairs you see everywhere but covered with bright tablecloths. Ours was orange. There was also one large wooden table with ornate wooden chairs that was covered by a nice white lace tablecloth. The tables and chairs on the upper deck are wooden and covered with the same bright tablecloths. The bar itself had a white marble-like top with a bamboo front. Simple wooden shelving behind the bar held the liquor supply. More montages of happy customers adorned the walls. Flags draped one wall.
Only one of the women ordered a drink here, that Chinese woman was getting a little tipsy so she settled for bottled water. The one drink came with a nice white hibiscus though.
This is a very nice place and if you ever get to Mismaloya I would urge you to seek it out before heading to the numerous places on the beach.
I had a frozen margarita and we caught the bus back to town. We stopped at a couple of places when we got back, Steve's and Sweeny's (where we had excellent meals as well), but they were both repeats.
Not a bad day and at 319 I now have only 681 left to go. Looks like I should easily make my 325 before leaving Mexico but I suspect there will be a lot of repeaters tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
A Gay Old Time
Kind of a gloomy day so we didn't do a whole lot except a bit of shopping. We stopped back at El Casa Tequila for another delicious margarita, had great ribs at El Torito's, and a sunset drink at the pool. Then we headed out to hit a few places.
313) Portugol
Right next door to the packed Senor Frogs is this large, almost cavernous, bar that caters primarily to Mexicans. While they have velvet ropes and bouncers at Senor Frogs, this place is almost always empty. Only four people in there when we arrived.
The nice wooden bar looks to be about 50 feet long and has a few semi-circle protrusions so you can fit in a few more people. Only 5 bar-stools though so it must be a stand-up kind of place. On the other hand there must have been 30 ashtrays. It does have a bar-rail for resting your foot. The front of the bar is red cement. There are large mirrors behind the bar with shelves for the liquor and glasses. There are also white kitchen-type cupboards with glass doors holding more glasses. Mexican artifacts and an old sewing-machine sit on top of the cupboards and the shelving above the mirrors. The remainder of the back wall is stone.
There is a pool-table and a working dartboard that was getting some action. The flooring is nice dark-wood planking. There are several blue-wooden tables with blue-wooden chairs with light-wood seats. There are two pillars a couple feet in diameter with a circular table-top built about waist-high for setting your drinks on. There were two jukeboxes but only one was playing (seems reasonable) and two televisions that were sitting side-by-side and both playing the same soccer game. There were a number of flags against the back wall but I only recognized the ones from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I am guessing one is from Portugual and maybe one from Brazil because the place nextdoor, a steakhouse with no bar, is named Brasil.
This is a really nice place and for the life of me I can't figure out why Senor Frogs is always packed with lines waiting to get in and this place sits almost empty.
I had a Pacifico.
314) The Ranch
This is the back bar to Club Paco Paco but has its own entrance next door to El Toritos and across the street from Senor Frogs and Portugol on Carranza. The entrance to Club Paco Paco is on Ignacio L. Vallarta. Once again I prevailed upon my friend Sandy to do the honors:
The bar resembles a lunch-counter at a deli. Red ceramic tiles, top and front. The walls are blue cement. There is a spiral staircase that leads to a catwalk above a cage, or jailhouse at the backside of the dancefloor in the next room and from which you could get a good view of whatever show goes on later in the evening. There is spot-lit disco-ball hanging above the middle of the dancefloor. There are small, high tables with seating for two lining the walls on the side of the dancefloor. Two televisions hang from the ceiling for showing videos. There is a large painting of a nude hanging on the wall. Clay shingles hang above the catwalk and give the dancefloor the appearance of being a separate room. The dancefloor itself is black and white marble squares. On the side of the dancefloor opposite the tables is a rustic wooden staircase leading up to a second level. At the turn in the staircase is an old saddle slung over the railing.
My take on the place was that it was kind of like walking into a deli and then, if you walked into the next room, stepping into a set from 'Deadwood.'
I had a Corona and off we went.
315) La Noche
Blue flickering torches on Cardenas drew us into this elegant place. It had a nice wooden topped bar built on glass-bricks that were lit from behind with a black-light. The entire place had red walls. The back of the bar had a large, arched mirror with clear plastic shelving holding the liquor and glasses. The black-light from behind the glass-bricks gave the area an interesting glow. There were candles in brightly patterned margarita glasses sitting on the bar. On the end of the bar closest to the doorway was a large, free-form, reddish-orange glass candle holder that glowed from the light of the candle within. At the other end of the bar and in front of the doors to the restrooms were several tall mauve and lavender pillars with mexican turtles, armadillos, birds, etc., sitting on top of them. These are the toys that you buy from street vendors that have bobbing heads (the toys have the bobbing heads, not the street vendors).
There is a very large black wrought-iron chandelier with blue glass shaded lights hanging overhead. Several small lava lamps on the walls, kind of like lava lamp night-lights. The place was jammed with nice low round blond wooden topped tables and comfortable Sweedish style blond wood chairs that were quite comfortable. The floor was just cracked cement with a glass squared step that led up to a small alcove that held two small round tables and sofas on three sides. This was occupied by two young gentlemen who really should have been looking for a hotel room. The snacks were nice, pretzels and cheese.
I had a Pacifico and we headed home but didn't quite get there without stopping for another beer at Sweeny's. Unfortunately this stop didn't count because I had already been there. Someone had ordered a steak and it looked and smelled wonderful. He said he always ordered it there and it was in fact delicious. I am putting this on my things-to-do list.
Not a bad day, three bars hit to bring my total to 315 with 685 left to go. There are two bars in the process of being built that might be done before I leave. Actually, they are bars being built into restaurants that didn't have bars before. I like to think they are building them just for me.
313) Portugol
Right next door to the packed Senor Frogs is this large, almost cavernous, bar that caters primarily to Mexicans. While they have velvet ropes and bouncers at Senor Frogs, this place is almost always empty. Only four people in there when we arrived.
The nice wooden bar looks to be about 50 feet long and has a few semi-circle protrusions so you can fit in a few more people. Only 5 bar-stools though so it must be a stand-up kind of place. On the other hand there must have been 30 ashtrays. It does have a bar-rail for resting your foot. The front of the bar is red cement. There are large mirrors behind the bar with shelves for the liquor and glasses. There are also white kitchen-type cupboards with glass doors holding more glasses. Mexican artifacts and an old sewing-machine sit on top of the cupboards and the shelving above the mirrors. The remainder of the back wall is stone.
There is a pool-table and a working dartboard that was getting some action. The flooring is nice dark-wood planking. There are several blue-wooden tables with blue-wooden chairs with light-wood seats. There are two pillars a couple feet in diameter with a circular table-top built about waist-high for setting your drinks on. There were two jukeboxes but only one was playing (seems reasonable) and two televisions that were sitting side-by-side and both playing the same soccer game. There were a number of flags against the back wall but I only recognized the ones from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I am guessing one is from Portugual and maybe one from Brazil because the place nextdoor, a steakhouse with no bar, is named Brasil.
This is a really nice place and for the life of me I can't figure out why Senor Frogs is always packed with lines waiting to get in and this place sits almost empty.
I had a Pacifico.
314) The Ranch
This is the back bar to Club Paco Paco but has its own entrance next door to El Toritos and across the street from Senor Frogs and Portugol on Carranza. The entrance to Club Paco Paco is on Ignacio L. Vallarta. Once again I prevailed upon my friend Sandy to do the honors:
The bar resembles a lunch-counter at a deli. Red ceramic tiles, top and front. The walls are blue cement. There is a spiral staircase that leads to a catwalk above a cage, or jailhouse at the backside of the dancefloor in the next room and from which you could get a good view of whatever show goes on later in the evening. There is spot-lit disco-ball hanging above the middle of the dancefloor. There are small, high tables with seating for two lining the walls on the side of the dancefloor. Two televisions hang from the ceiling for showing videos. There is a large painting of a nude hanging on the wall. Clay shingles hang above the catwalk and give the dancefloor the appearance of being a separate room. The dancefloor itself is black and white marble squares. On the side of the dancefloor opposite the tables is a rustic wooden staircase leading up to a second level. At the turn in the staircase is an old saddle slung over the railing.
My take on the place was that it was kind of like walking into a deli and then, if you walked into the next room, stepping into a set from 'Deadwood.'
I had a Corona and off we went.
315) La Noche
Blue flickering torches on Cardenas drew us into this elegant place. It had a nice wooden topped bar built on glass-bricks that were lit from behind with a black-light. The entire place had red walls. The back of the bar had a large, arched mirror with clear plastic shelving holding the liquor and glasses. The black-light from behind the glass-bricks gave the area an interesting glow. There were candles in brightly patterned margarita glasses sitting on the bar. On the end of the bar closest to the doorway was a large, free-form, reddish-orange glass candle holder that glowed from the light of the candle within. At the other end of the bar and in front of the doors to the restrooms were several tall mauve and lavender pillars with mexican turtles, armadillos, birds, etc., sitting on top of them. These are the toys that you buy from street vendors that have bobbing heads (the toys have the bobbing heads, not the street vendors).
There is a very large black wrought-iron chandelier with blue glass shaded lights hanging overhead. Several small lava lamps on the walls, kind of like lava lamp night-lights. The place was jammed with nice low round blond wooden topped tables and comfortable Sweedish style blond wood chairs that were quite comfortable. The floor was just cracked cement with a glass squared step that led up to a small alcove that held two small round tables and sofas on three sides. This was occupied by two young gentlemen who really should have been looking for a hotel room. The snacks were nice, pretzels and cheese.
I had a Pacifico and we headed home but didn't quite get there without stopping for another beer at Sweeny's. Unfortunately this stop didn't count because I had already been there. Someone had ordered a steak and it looked and smelled wonderful. He said he always ordered it there and it was in fact delicious. I am putting this on my things-to-do list.
Not a bad day, three bars hit to bring my total to 315 with 685 left to go. There are two bars in the process of being built that might be done before I leave. Actually, they are bars being built into restaurants that didn't have bars before. I like to think they are building them just for me.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Another One Bar Day
Spent the morning on the beach, kind of a gloomy afternoon, went to eat dinner at Bohemio (great shrimp and meatloaf) and then headed out for an after dinner drink at:
312) Mi Cocina
Located on Venustiano Carranza on the corner of Constitucion is this largely open-air restaurant and bar. The bar itself is made out of fairly large stones (or fairly small boulders, depending upon your perspective) with a light-colored cement top covered with a light-tan linoleum-like top. I asked my friend Sandy, "Bob's" wife, to do the honors of writing up this place, so:
Strung over the bar there are three flags; American, Canadian, and Mexican. The wall behind the bar is a gold and orange washed cement with a single cement counter lined with glasses. The dining area is constructed of a grass roof supported by palm trees with randomly placed hanging lights constructed out of grape-vines to form bee hives. Towards the back of the dining area are banana plants growing out of holes in the cement. Next to the bar stands a cooler that looks like a Coca Cola machine. A supermarket shopping cart sits in front of the kitchen area. It is probably used when purchasing the ingredients for the days meals.
The restaurant sits on a busy street so you are innundated with the sound and smell of public transportation.
At approximately 9:00 P.M. fireworks went off that could be seen from the back-side of the dining area.
I had a Pacifico and called it a day.
Grand total of 312 bars, 688 left to go.
312) Mi Cocina
Located on Venustiano Carranza on the corner of Constitucion is this largely open-air restaurant and bar. The bar itself is made out of fairly large stones (or fairly small boulders, depending upon your perspective) with a light-colored cement top covered with a light-tan linoleum-like top. I asked my friend Sandy, "Bob's" wife, to do the honors of writing up this place, so:
Strung over the bar there are three flags; American, Canadian, and Mexican. The wall behind the bar is a gold and orange washed cement with a single cement counter lined with glasses. The dining area is constructed of a grass roof supported by palm trees with randomly placed hanging lights constructed out of grape-vines to form bee hives. Towards the back of the dining area are banana plants growing out of holes in the cement. Next to the bar stands a cooler that looks like a Coca Cola machine. A supermarket shopping cart sits in front of the kitchen area. It is probably used when purchasing the ingredients for the days meals.
The restaurant sits on a busy street so you are innundated with the sound and smell of public transportation.
At approximately 9:00 P.M. fireworks went off that could be seen from the back-side of the dining area.
I had a Pacifico and called it a day.
Grand total of 312 bars, 688 left to go.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
A Penless Day
Well, actually the day wasn't quite penless, but sometimes a certain theme seems to run through a day as though it has a life of its own. The day started out with breakfast at Bob's Place. If you like your eggs benedict with no Canadian bacon but then, when you complain about it, getting two strips of regular bacon on the side, this is the place for you. The chorizo omelette had no discernable chorizo but was so heavily laden with jalapeno peppers that I broke a sweat after my friend gave me two bites to try. Anyway, on the way back from breakfast I stopped to use an internet cafe and my wife and friends continued back to our place. My wife stopped to chat with someone and my friends went up to change into their bathing suits to hang out by the beach. They were going to leave a note but discovered that neither of them had a pen. As a result one of them left a note in lipstick for me. And that is how it started.
Later we headed to the north side of town and just where the bridge on Vallarta begins to cross the river but still on the south side of town we ducked into:
307) Hotel Molino de Aqua Bar
This is a nice little bar tucked into the courtyard and pool area of the Hotel Molino. On the way to the bar you pass by two very large iron cages, one holding a somewhat subdued parrot and the other one holding some kind of a monkey (el mono). The bar is a square brick affair with a tan tile top. Two sides of the bar are for drinking, although there are only two stools. One side holds the liquor supply and the other side is the service area with the doorway to get into the thing. Around the top edge of the bar is a border of tiles with floral patterns. The top of the bar is covered by a peaked red-tile roof.
There is an adjacent outdoor eating area with palms and other trees giving it a lush tropical feel. The trees also insulate it from the nearby busy street so it is quite quiet and peaceful. The pool has a little waterfall and tucked beside it is a jacuzzi. There were a bunch of little kids frolicking about and having a grand old time. Right by the bar is a large clock on an ornamental post to remind you of the time. Seems a bit out of place in this setting. There were also a number of statues, wooden and stone, placed about the place.
I had a Pacifico and we crossed the bridge that we came to.
308) Bebo Tero
Before we got across the bridge we stopped to price some souvenir pens. They wanted 10 pesos (about 90 cents) but I convinced my friend to bargain them down. They wouldn't budge so we moved on without buying any. The saga of the pen, part two.
Bebo Tero is right on the Malecon up a narrow staircase behind a narrow door. I must have passed this place a couple of times and never spotted it. Luckily my friend has a trained eye (that and the fact that there was a guy standing outside encouraging us to go in). Up the staircase was a fairly large place with a somewhat bizzare decor. There were many paintings done in the style of Fernando Botero. If you are unfamiliar with his works, suffice it to say that his paintings are almost cartoonish depictions of very fat people. The paintings here were quite up to his quality but were very amusing. Everyone from Fidel Castro to Sylvestor Stallone's Rambo was represented. As you first come up the stairs there is a large, what looked to be paper mache, fat, scantily clad (draped in white gauze) woman with one breast exposed sitting on a park bench. A good photo opportunity if you wanted to sit down next to her. Also one of those things where you can stick your head through holes and have your pictures taken. This one had a fat Adam and Eve.
The bar itself was a small green cement thing with a wooden top. I don't expect it gets much use because the view is really great from almost every place but the bar. A narrow balcony has a great view of the bay and you can look over to Nuevo Vallarta where it looks like a major city is springing up. There is a small stage for live music and behind it was a large sun with the head of a masked Mexican wrestler in the center. There are lots of colorfully painted wooden tables and chairs and stools about the place. The walls are an interestingly patterned blue and there are bright green and red arches separate the two large areas of the place and there is one over the balconey as well.
I had a blended margarita.
309) Garbo's
After a nice dinner at El Dorado's on the beach (see an earlier post) we hit this martini bar. It was here I realized, that for the first time ever, I had forgotten my notecards and pen at home. Obviously, nobody else had a pen either. I ended up borrowing a pen from the hostess to take notes.
Garbo's is just up from the Kit Kat Club and has a somewhat similar ambience. It is a fancy Manhatatan type of place. The bar has a heavy dark marble top and a light cream-colored front. There were little candles on the bar and on the few tables in the place. There were lucite shelves on the wall behind the bar and a mosaic tile shelf below them to store the liquor. Nicely cushioned bar stools. There was a riser in the back with a black lacquered grand piano. Again, we were too early for entertainment. Overall the place had an art-deco feel to it. Hanging over the bar were lights with light-tan mottled plastic shades. There were two large sprays of bright-red "lobster claw" flowers. It is a fairly small, dark place. The backs of the bartenders tee shirt, as well as the tee shirts worn by some of the regular customer's, is that famous line "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?" This was said to W.C. Fields by Mae West in the movie "My Little Chickadee." What not too many people know is that Mae West wrote the script for that movie.
I had a nicely made (read that as strong) gin and tonic.
310) Sama
This place is right next to The Palm, where I saw "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and we hit the story of the pen, phase three. Nobody here had a pen that I could borrow for long enough to take my notes. As a result my wife and my buddy's wife had to search out a place that was still open that sold them. Luckily they found one and I now have a very nice, compact, Puerto Vallarta souvenier pen. They wouldn't tell me how much it cost. Enough with the pen now.
This bar is very small, maybe 20 feet by 20 feet, and has a very small outdoor seating area. The small bar had a black plastic top and a white front. The top had an overhang to it and held flashing lights. There were large, think 5 foot, plastic champagne flutes both inside and on the outside seating area that were made to look like the held brightly colored beverages. The outside seating area is really no more than a couple of tables and stools on the sidewalk. The barstools were bright red, plastic bucket-seat affairs that were really quite comfortable. There were multi-colored lights with cone-shaped plastic shades hanging above the bar.
There was a white couch against one wall with a large black-wood framed mirror above it.On the opposite wall were clocks set to Paris, Los Angeles, New York, and Puerto Vallarta time, in case you really needed to know what time it was in those places. There were classic MTV videos playing on the television and the sound system was really cranked up.
I had a banana martini and after my wife tasted it she and my buddies wife decided to keep it so I had to order another one for myself.
311) Dewayn's
This bar is on the street where I live, Ampas, right on the corner of Pilitas. It used to be the Papi Chulo Oasis until a few years ago. It is only a couple of blocks away from my place. It was very dark, lit primarily by candles and a few dim light-bulbs. The bar was a nice, massive, mosaic tile affair with a stone edging. The mosaic had inlaid glass bead palm-trees. Kind of New Orleans meets Mexico. The whole place had a very Mexican decor with Mexican blankets draping the dark-red walls. A lot of those Mexican doilies hung from the ceiling. There were Mexican cowboy hats hanging behind the bar and the bartender was wearing one himself. There were a couple of tables with chairs but not much else except a small stage. Behind the stage were yellow hard-hats hanging on the wall somehow evoking "The Village People."
I had a Pacifico and off home my buddy and I did toddle, or wives having left us after Santo's. Probably worn out from shopping for pens.
Not a bad day at all as I hit 311 for the year and only have 689 left to visit.
Later we headed to the north side of town and just where the bridge on Vallarta begins to cross the river but still on the south side of town we ducked into:
307) Hotel Molino de Aqua Bar
This is a nice little bar tucked into the courtyard and pool area of the Hotel Molino. On the way to the bar you pass by two very large iron cages, one holding a somewhat subdued parrot and the other one holding some kind of a monkey (el mono). The bar is a square brick affair with a tan tile top. Two sides of the bar are for drinking, although there are only two stools. One side holds the liquor supply and the other side is the service area with the doorway to get into the thing. Around the top edge of the bar is a border of tiles with floral patterns. The top of the bar is covered by a peaked red-tile roof.
There is an adjacent outdoor eating area with palms and other trees giving it a lush tropical feel. The trees also insulate it from the nearby busy street so it is quite quiet and peaceful. The pool has a little waterfall and tucked beside it is a jacuzzi. There were a bunch of little kids frolicking about and having a grand old time. Right by the bar is a large clock on an ornamental post to remind you of the time. Seems a bit out of place in this setting. There were also a number of statues, wooden and stone, placed about the place.
I had a Pacifico and we crossed the bridge that we came to.
308) Bebo Tero
Before we got across the bridge we stopped to price some souvenir pens. They wanted 10 pesos (about 90 cents) but I convinced my friend to bargain them down. They wouldn't budge so we moved on without buying any. The saga of the pen, part two.
Bebo Tero is right on the Malecon up a narrow staircase behind a narrow door. I must have passed this place a couple of times and never spotted it. Luckily my friend has a trained eye (that and the fact that there was a guy standing outside encouraging us to go in). Up the staircase was a fairly large place with a somewhat bizzare decor. There were many paintings done in the style of Fernando Botero. If you are unfamiliar with his works, suffice it to say that his paintings are almost cartoonish depictions of very fat people. The paintings here were quite up to his quality but were very amusing. Everyone from Fidel Castro to Sylvestor Stallone's Rambo was represented. As you first come up the stairs there is a large, what looked to be paper mache, fat, scantily clad (draped in white gauze) woman with one breast exposed sitting on a park bench. A good photo opportunity if you wanted to sit down next to her. Also one of those things where you can stick your head through holes and have your pictures taken. This one had a fat Adam and Eve.
The bar itself was a small green cement thing with a wooden top. I don't expect it gets much use because the view is really great from almost every place but the bar. A narrow balcony has a great view of the bay and you can look over to Nuevo Vallarta where it looks like a major city is springing up. There is a small stage for live music and behind it was a large sun with the head of a masked Mexican wrestler in the center. There are lots of colorfully painted wooden tables and chairs and stools about the place. The walls are an interestingly patterned blue and there are bright green and red arches separate the two large areas of the place and there is one over the balconey as well.
I had a blended margarita.
309) Garbo's
After a nice dinner at El Dorado's on the beach (see an earlier post) we hit this martini bar. It was here I realized, that for the first time ever, I had forgotten my notecards and pen at home. Obviously, nobody else had a pen either. I ended up borrowing a pen from the hostess to take notes.
Garbo's is just up from the Kit Kat Club and has a somewhat similar ambience. It is a fancy Manhatatan type of place. The bar has a heavy dark marble top and a light cream-colored front. There were little candles on the bar and on the few tables in the place. There were lucite shelves on the wall behind the bar and a mosaic tile shelf below them to store the liquor. Nicely cushioned bar stools. There was a riser in the back with a black lacquered grand piano. Again, we were too early for entertainment. Overall the place had an art-deco feel to it. Hanging over the bar were lights with light-tan mottled plastic shades. There were two large sprays of bright-red "lobster claw" flowers. It is a fairly small, dark place. The backs of the bartenders tee shirt, as well as the tee shirts worn by some of the regular customer's, is that famous line "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?" This was said to W.C. Fields by Mae West in the movie "My Little Chickadee." What not too many people know is that Mae West wrote the script for that movie.
I had a nicely made (read that as strong) gin and tonic.
310) Sama
This place is right next to The Palm, where I saw "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and we hit the story of the pen, phase three. Nobody here had a pen that I could borrow for long enough to take my notes. As a result my wife and my buddy's wife had to search out a place that was still open that sold them. Luckily they found one and I now have a very nice, compact, Puerto Vallarta souvenier pen. They wouldn't tell me how much it cost. Enough with the pen now.
This bar is very small, maybe 20 feet by 20 feet, and has a very small outdoor seating area. The small bar had a black plastic top and a white front. The top had an overhang to it and held flashing lights. There were large, think 5 foot, plastic champagne flutes both inside and on the outside seating area that were made to look like the held brightly colored beverages. The outside seating area is really no more than a couple of tables and stools on the sidewalk. The barstools were bright red, plastic bucket-seat affairs that were really quite comfortable. There were multi-colored lights with cone-shaped plastic shades hanging above the bar.
There was a white couch against one wall with a large black-wood framed mirror above it.On the opposite wall were clocks set to Paris, Los Angeles, New York, and Puerto Vallarta time, in case you really needed to know what time it was in those places. There were classic MTV videos playing on the television and the sound system was really cranked up.
I had a banana martini and after my wife tasted it she and my buddies wife decided to keep it so I had to order another one for myself.
311) Dewayn's
This bar is on the street where I live, Ampas, right on the corner of Pilitas. It used to be the Papi Chulo Oasis until a few years ago. It is only a couple of blocks away from my place. It was very dark, lit primarily by candles and a few dim light-bulbs. The bar was a nice, massive, mosaic tile affair with a stone edging. The mosaic had inlaid glass bead palm-trees. Kind of New Orleans meets Mexico. The whole place had a very Mexican decor with Mexican blankets draping the dark-red walls. A lot of those Mexican doilies hung from the ceiling. There were Mexican cowboy hats hanging behind the bar and the bartender was wearing one himself. There were a couple of tables with chairs but not much else except a small stage. Behind the stage were yellow hard-hats hanging on the wall somehow evoking "The Village People."
I had a Pacifico and off home my buddy and I did toddle, or wives having left us after Santo's. Probably worn out from shopping for pens.
Not a bad day at all as I hit 311 for the year and only have 689 left to visit.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Another One Bar Day
Friends of mine arrived a little after noon today. They quickly settled in and I had frozen margaritas waiting for them. We drank them down and headed to:
306) Bob´s Place
My buddy´s nickname is Bob (kind of like ¨Her name was McGill, she called herself Lil, but everyone knew her as Nancy¨). It is a bit of a long story because his name is not Robert. Anyway, I digress.
Bob´s Place is on Aquiles Serdan, the last street before the river on the south side of town. It is up about half a block from the bay. The top of the bar is blue tile and the bar itself is brick. There are eight wooden bar-chairs with tourquise cushions. Behind the bar is fiberglass replica of a 230 pound blue marlin that was caught by a 14 year-old boy. Bob, the real Bob and owner of the place, was here and explained all of this to us. If you go on a catch-and-release fishing boat they take a picture of the fish, estimate the weight, and then release the fish. Then, using the picture of the fish as a guide you can pay to have a fiberglass replica ¨made.¨ I always suspect, though, that someone looks at the picture and then hollers out ¨Bin 14,¨ and someone hauls down one of the replicas of a blue marlin in the 200 to 250 pound weight range. But then I am a cynic.
To the left of the bar was a poster depicting pictures of all kinds of billed fish. Made it easy to identify the one behind the bar. Behind the bar there were a few pictures of people and the fish they caught. There was a picture of the father of the 14 year-old boy, but none of the boy himself, for some reason. There was also light wooden shelving behind the bar backed by a mirror. The shelving held their liquor supply. On either side of the blue marlin were carriage lamps with light blue glass. White Chrismas lights were twinkling above the fish. The floor of the bar was gray-patterned tile and the walls were light blue. There is a stairway leading up to apartments above the place. Inquire at the car-rental place next door for rates.
A small outdoor eating area is in front of the place and it is covered by a multi-colored awning strung with multi-colored Christmas lights. A nice courtyard is in the back surrounded by a wall and covered by green-corogated fiberglass. A large stained-glass hangs in the back with doves and sailboats. Fans with lights hang overhead. A sparrow was pecking for crumbs on the floor to complete the naturalistic setting.
I had a decent frozen margarita and we all headed home.
Upon arriving home we passed a party going on next door and stopped in and drank more than, perhaps, we should have. We then went to a Mariachi concert and by the time that was over we decided to call it a night. My friends were up very early this morning to catch their flight and were pooped.
Well, 306 down and 694 to go. Was hoping to hit 350 bars before leaving Mexico but don´t think I will make it. Revised schedule is 350 before the end of the month. Still well ahead of schedule though.
306) Bob´s Place
My buddy´s nickname is Bob (kind of like ¨Her name was McGill, she called herself Lil, but everyone knew her as Nancy¨). It is a bit of a long story because his name is not Robert. Anyway, I digress.
Bob´s Place is on Aquiles Serdan, the last street before the river on the south side of town. It is up about half a block from the bay. The top of the bar is blue tile and the bar itself is brick. There are eight wooden bar-chairs with tourquise cushions. Behind the bar is fiberglass replica of a 230 pound blue marlin that was caught by a 14 year-old boy. Bob, the real Bob and owner of the place, was here and explained all of this to us. If you go on a catch-and-release fishing boat they take a picture of the fish, estimate the weight, and then release the fish. Then, using the picture of the fish as a guide you can pay to have a fiberglass replica ¨made.¨ I always suspect, though, that someone looks at the picture and then hollers out ¨Bin 14,¨ and someone hauls down one of the replicas of a blue marlin in the 200 to 250 pound weight range. But then I am a cynic.
To the left of the bar was a poster depicting pictures of all kinds of billed fish. Made it easy to identify the one behind the bar. Behind the bar there were a few pictures of people and the fish they caught. There was a picture of the father of the 14 year-old boy, but none of the boy himself, for some reason. There was also light wooden shelving behind the bar backed by a mirror. The shelving held their liquor supply. On either side of the blue marlin were carriage lamps with light blue glass. White Chrismas lights were twinkling above the fish. The floor of the bar was gray-patterned tile and the walls were light blue. There is a stairway leading up to apartments above the place. Inquire at the car-rental place next door for rates.
A small outdoor eating area is in front of the place and it is covered by a multi-colored awning strung with multi-colored Christmas lights. A nice courtyard is in the back surrounded by a wall and covered by green-corogated fiberglass. A large stained-glass hangs in the back with doves and sailboats. Fans with lights hang overhead. A sparrow was pecking for crumbs on the floor to complete the naturalistic setting.
I had a decent frozen margarita and we all headed home.
Upon arriving home we passed a party going on next door and stopped in and drank more than, perhaps, we should have. We then went to a Mariachi concert and by the time that was over we decided to call it a night. My friends were up very early this morning to catch their flight and were pooped.
Well, 306 down and 694 to go. Was hoping to hit 350 bars before leaving Mexico but don´t think I will make it. Revised schedule is 350 before the end of the month. Still well ahead of schedule though.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Not Much Of A Friday
A slow day today. There is going to be a pot-luck party down at the pool tonight so I spent most of the day buying groceries and making deviled eggs. I pride myself on my deviled eggs even though I only came in second in a deviled egg making contest once. But that is another story altogether.
305) Internet Bar and Cafe
This is kind of sad in that the only bar I am hitting today is the place that I am sitting in writing this. However, The place does have a bar with stools that is separated by a partition from the area where the PCs are located and I did sit at the bar and drink my beer before coming here to write this. It is on Madero, up about a block from the beach and right next to the Hotel Gaviota Vallarta. Across the street is a little place called Los Lobos that bills itself as a nightclub. I will have to make a point of stopping in there one evening.
The bar has a wooden top and a tile front with a large brown, tan, and green diamond pattern. There is a pelican lamp sitting on one end of the bar. There are a lot of pictures of old Mexico behind the bar and, of course, a few of our friend Zapata. Two televisions playing Mexican music videos. I am begining to like them more and more all the time. There is also one of those pictures of a waterfall where it looks like the water is actually flowing down the mountain. There is a fairly large mirror behind the bar with a ceramic elephant head attached to the top. Three shelves of liquor finish off the decor.
Not much point in writing about the rest of the place, it is just an internet cafe with large windows facing the street and large windows in the back looking out on the next door hotel´s swimming pool. The blinds were pulled though so I had to sneak a peek to see this.
I had a Pacifico at the bar and then slid over here to post this.
Creeping along ever so slowly today with 305 down and 695 left to go. Hopefully I can gain a bit more ground next week when my friends show up. The problem will be prying my buddy out of a bar after only one drink. I know how hard it is for me to leave sometimes, and I am a man with a mission!
305) Internet Bar and Cafe
This is kind of sad in that the only bar I am hitting today is the place that I am sitting in writing this. However, The place does have a bar with stools that is separated by a partition from the area where the PCs are located and I did sit at the bar and drink my beer before coming here to write this. It is on Madero, up about a block from the beach and right next to the Hotel Gaviota Vallarta. Across the street is a little place called Los Lobos that bills itself as a nightclub. I will have to make a point of stopping in there one evening.
The bar has a wooden top and a tile front with a large brown, tan, and green diamond pattern. There is a pelican lamp sitting on one end of the bar. There are a lot of pictures of old Mexico behind the bar and, of course, a few of our friend Zapata. Two televisions playing Mexican music videos. I am begining to like them more and more all the time. There is also one of those pictures of a waterfall where it looks like the water is actually flowing down the mountain. There is a fairly large mirror behind the bar with a ceramic elephant head attached to the top. Three shelves of liquor finish off the decor.
Not much point in writing about the rest of the place, it is just an internet cafe with large windows facing the street and large windows in the back looking out on the next door hotel´s swimming pool. The blinds were pulled though so I had to sneak a peek to see this.
I had a Pacifico at the bar and then slid over here to post this.
Creeping along ever so slowly today with 305 down and 695 left to go. Hopefully I can gain a bit more ground next week when my friends show up. The problem will be prying my buddy out of a bar after only one drink. I know how hard it is for me to leave sometimes, and I am a man with a mission!
Thursday, March 10, 2005
100 Bars In Puerto Vallata
I hit my 100th bar since arriving in Puerto Vallarta today. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Getting a bit harder to find them though, but I have spotted a few to visit in the future.
302) 2 For 1
Yes, that actually is the name of the bar as well as it's drink philosophy. I am not a big fan of this concept because sometimes you really do want to stop in for just one, like today. I still have to pay the "2 for 1" price of 35 pesos for two beers even though I only drank one.
The grand opening of this bar, located in the Mall Vallarta at the end of the Malecon and up one block, is tomorrow. They were still putting the finishing touches on the place. It used to be a different bar but they changed owners and are doing a major remodeling job. It is a second story bar and you get to it by taking an escalator from the street. This is the only escalator I have ever seen in Puerto Vallarta. Let's see how it holds up. Can't do any worse than the escalators in the subways in New York that hardly ever run.
The bar area itself sits off to the right of the second floor of the street-level mall. It looks like it is being completely remodeled because it was being worked on and there were no shops open. The bar itself is light wood with a brick front. There were half a dozen wooden bar-chairs. Behind the bar were two wooden cabinets with wrought-iron hinges. Behind and above the bar was an unfinished shelf divided into five compartments. There was a television in each of the end compartments and mirrors at the back of the other three. It wasn't set up yet so there were no bottles on display. There is a DJ booth in one corner with windows on either side that look out on the malecon and the bay. From the music being played it looks like it will have either a disco or techno flavor to it.
There is a wrap-around balcony with large glass windows and French doors. The color scheme is light-orange (top) and dark-orange (bottom) painted plaster walls with a dark green band separating the two colors. The ceiling above the bar and the area immediately behind the bar-chairs is lower than the ceiling in the rest of the place and is painted a sea-green and has recessed spot-lighting. The rest of the place has a much higher ceiling with those beehive lights and ceiling fans. The floor is large marble squares seperated by stones inlaid in cement. Lots of small round wooden-topped tables sitting on metal poles with high wooden chairs.
I was talking to the bartender about the overnight destruction of a park about a block away to make room for a parking garage. He said it was too bad but there were so many cars in Puerto Vallarta now and so many people driving in from the surrounding areas to work there that something had to be done. He said that many people, including tourists, think of Puerto Vallarta as still being a Mexican town when in reality, when you consider the greater Puerto Vallarta area, it now has a population of over half-a-million people. Something that I had never really thought about. There will probably be more escalators in the future.
I had a Pacifico and headed back to my side of the river.
303) La Escondida Sports Bar
Back over on the south-side of the river at 210 Jacarandas, was this nice little place. It had a very nice light-wood parquette topped bar with a dark wooden front. There were 6 dark-wood bar-chairs with dark-blue cushions. There was a nice brick arch over the bar hung with white Christmas lights. Narrow shelves behind the bar held an ample liquor selection. There were triangular, wood-framed mirrors behind the bar as well and several sports pennants. Also some flowers and a few pictures of what I assumed to be regular customers. There were several floral arrangements about the place and they were all real flowers. All in all this was a very pleasant bar with a friendly bartender named Mary.
The floor was gray tile and there was a bunch of little tables with bright yellow tablecloths with white table cloths set diagonally on top. The top table cloths were covered with bright sport-oriented patterns. The chairs had blue cushions. The whole place had brick walls with large windows on the side of the place opposite the bar. The wall with the door had a large window as well with a bright orange-glass arch. There were a lot of sports pennants hanging about the place. The overhead lights had large transparent yellow globes and there were a few overhead fans. There was a jukebox in the back and three televisions. The only one that was on was covering Clinton's surgery, endlessly. Jeez, it wasn't serious, he lived, he will recover. Enough already. There was a sports schedule posted so it appears that they do cover games when they are televised.
I talked with a guy there who had been coming down for 22 years. He said it was largely a local's bar but there were a lot of people like him who stayed in the surrounding hotels and made this their home away from home. He also told me that the reason there are now, all of a sudden, so many more cars in Puerto Vallarta is that just three years ago the dealers began selling cars on time. Prior to that you had to pay cash to get one. Once people could finance their purchase sales exploded. Hence, no park and a parking garage.
I had a Pacifico (12 pesos vs. the 35 'two for one price I just left' and headed out.
304) Machis Bar B. Q.
Over on Cardenas on the corner of Naranjo (Spanish for 'orange,' but don't expect more) was my 100th bar in Mexico. This is an upstairs restaurant/bar. The bar itself is black laquer set on a brick base with wooden bar-chairs that had red cushions. Above the bar was a big, cone-shaped rattan lamp as well as several small wooden planes hanging from the ceiling. The planes were more like toys than models.
There were brick walls and a narrow wrap-around balcony with tables and chairs. The balcony was covered by a red awnings. The rest of the place had tables with chairs with either the same red cushions as the bar-chairs or bright multi-colored cusions. The three tables against one wall had brick cushioned benches instead of chairs. The roof was a beamed A-frame with a red tiles. There was a brightly colored unbrella and a green golf-bag with clubs hanging from the ceiling as well. In the back was an old Singer sewing-machine. There were white lace curtains hanging from the windows and a nice cool breeze blowing through. BB King was playing on the sound system. The owner or cook came in with a load of corned-beef getting ready for St. Paticks Day when, I was assured, they would have both green beer and green tequila.
A guy drinking at the bar had just moved down to Puerto Vallarta and his girl-friend will be tending bar at The Sandbar. I haven't been to the Sandbar yet (it is right nextdoor to Sweeny's) because they are just building the bar into this place. It is supposed to be open in about a week. He said he was looking for a job as a bartender and I told him the last place I was at had a sign up saying they were looking for one. The bartender here wrote him a note of introduction so he was going to check it out. Good-luck to him. The bartender, when she found out about my quest, also recommended that I try La Gloria yel Infierno. She said I would find it to be an interesting place. I can hardly wait. They also have a guest bartender day here where an amatuer like me could try his hand. She said they didn't do it during the busy season, now, though because it got to be too stressful for everyone concerned. Darn.
An update. I checked out La Gloria yel Infierno and found out it was a bar that I had been into and couldn´t find the name. I have gone back and updated my post to reflect the name and how I found it.
I had a Pacifico (12 pesos here as well) and headed home. I am just giving you the prices on these last couple of places to show that the two beers that I paid for at the last two places cost less, in total, than that generous 2 for 1 offer.
Not a bad day, spent quite awhile in each place because they were so friendly and I was in a chatty mood. 304 down (100 in Puerto Vallarta, Whee!!) and 696 to go.
302) 2 For 1
Yes, that actually is the name of the bar as well as it's drink philosophy. I am not a big fan of this concept because sometimes you really do want to stop in for just one, like today. I still have to pay the "2 for 1" price of 35 pesos for two beers even though I only drank one.
The grand opening of this bar, located in the Mall Vallarta at the end of the Malecon and up one block, is tomorrow. They were still putting the finishing touches on the place. It used to be a different bar but they changed owners and are doing a major remodeling job. It is a second story bar and you get to it by taking an escalator from the street. This is the only escalator I have ever seen in Puerto Vallarta. Let's see how it holds up. Can't do any worse than the escalators in the subways in New York that hardly ever run.
The bar area itself sits off to the right of the second floor of the street-level mall. It looks like it is being completely remodeled because it was being worked on and there were no shops open. The bar itself is light wood with a brick front. There were half a dozen wooden bar-chairs. Behind the bar were two wooden cabinets with wrought-iron hinges. Behind and above the bar was an unfinished shelf divided into five compartments. There was a television in each of the end compartments and mirrors at the back of the other three. It wasn't set up yet so there were no bottles on display. There is a DJ booth in one corner with windows on either side that look out on the malecon and the bay. From the music being played it looks like it will have either a disco or techno flavor to it.
There is a wrap-around balcony with large glass windows and French doors. The color scheme is light-orange (top) and dark-orange (bottom) painted plaster walls with a dark green band separating the two colors. The ceiling above the bar and the area immediately behind the bar-chairs is lower than the ceiling in the rest of the place and is painted a sea-green and has recessed spot-lighting. The rest of the place has a much higher ceiling with those beehive lights and ceiling fans. The floor is large marble squares seperated by stones inlaid in cement. Lots of small round wooden-topped tables sitting on metal poles with high wooden chairs.
I was talking to the bartender about the overnight destruction of a park about a block away to make room for a parking garage. He said it was too bad but there were so many cars in Puerto Vallarta now and so many people driving in from the surrounding areas to work there that something had to be done. He said that many people, including tourists, think of Puerto Vallarta as still being a Mexican town when in reality, when you consider the greater Puerto Vallarta area, it now has a population of over half-a-million people. Something that I had never really thought about. There will probably be more escalators in the future.
I had a Pacifico and headed back to my side of the river.
303) La Escondida Sports Bar
Back over on the south-side of the river at 210 Jacarandas, was this nice little place. It had a very nice light-wood parquette topped bar with a dark wooden front. There were 6 dark-wood bar-chairs with dark-blue cushions. There was a nice brick arch over the bar hung with white Christmas lights. Narrow shelves behind the bar held an ample liquor selection. There were triangular, wood-framed mirrors behind the bar as well and several sports pennants. Also some flowers and a few pictures of what I assumed to be regular customers. There were several floral arrangements about the place and they were all real flowers. All in all this was a very pleasant bar with a friendly bartender named Mary.
The floor was gray tile and there was a bunch of little tables with bright yellow tablecloths with white table cloths set diagonally on top. The top table cloths were covered with bright sport-oriented patterns. The chairs had blue cushions. The whole place had brick walls with large windows on the side of the place opposite the bar. The wall with the door had a large window as well with a bright orange-glass arch. There were a lot of sports pennants hanging about the place. The overhead lights had large transparent yellow globes and there were a few overhead fans. There was a jukebox in the back and three televisions. The only one that was on was covering Clinton's surgery, endlessly. Jeez, it wasn't serious, he lived, he will recover. Enough already. There was a sports schedule posted so it appears that they do cover games when they are televised.
I talked with a guy there who had been coming down for 22 years. He said it was largely a local's bar but there were a lot of people like him who stayed in the surrounding hotels and made this their home away from home. He also told me that the reason there are now, all of a sudden, so many more cars in Puerto Vallarta is that just three years ago the dealers began selling cars on time. Prior to that you had to pay cash to get one. Once people could finance their purchase sales exploded. Hence, no park and a parking garage.
I had a Pacifico (12 pesos vs. the 35 'two for one price I just left' and headed out.
304) Machis Bar B. Q.
Over on Cardenas on the corner of Naranjo (Spanish for 'orange,' but don't expect more) was my 100th bar in Mexico. This is an upstairs restaurant/bar. The bar itself is black laquer set on a brick base with wooden bar-chairs that had red cushions. Above the bar was a big, cone-shaped rattan lamp as well as several small wooden planes hanging from the ceiling. The planes were more like toys than models.
There were brick walls and a narrow wrap-around balcony with tables and chairs. The balcony was covered by a red awnings. The rest of the place had tables with chairs with either the same red cushions as the bar-chairs or bright multi-colored cusions. The three tables against one wall had brick cushioned benches instead of chairs. The roof was a beamed A-frame with a red tiles. There was a brightly colored unbrella and a green golf-bag with clubs hanging from the ceiling as well. In the back was an old Singer sewing-machine. There were white lace curtains hanging from the windows and a nice cool breeze blowing through. BB King was playing on the sound system. The owner or cook came in with a load of corned-beef getting ready for St. Paticks Day when, I was assured, they would have both green beer and green tequila.
A guy drinking at the bar had just moved down to Puerto Vallarta and his girl-friend will be tending bar at The Sandbar. I haven't been to the Sandbar yet (it is right nextdoor to Sweeny's) because they are just building the bar into this place. It is supposed to be open in about a week. He said he was looking for a job as a bartender and I told him the last place I was at had a sign up saying they were looking for one. The bartender here wrote him a note of introduction so he was going to check it out. Good-luck to him. The bartender, when she found out about my quest, also recommended that I try La Gloria yel Infierno. She said I would find it to be an interesting place. I can hardly wait. They also have a guest bartender day here where an amatuer like me could try his hand. She said they didn't do it during the busy season, now, though because it got to be too stressful for everyone concerned. Darn.
An update. I checked out La Gloria yel Infierno and found out it was a bar that I had been into and couldn´t find the name. I have gone back and updated my post to reflect the name and how I found it.
I had a Pacifico (12 pesos here as well) and headed home. I am just giving you the prices on these last couple of places to show that the two beers that I paid for at the last two places cost less, in total, than that generous 2 for 1 offer.
Not a bad day, spent quite awhile in each place because they were so friendly and I was in a chatty mood. 304 down (100 in Puerto Vallarta, Whee!!) and 696 to go.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Small World
I only went to one bar today. Went shopping in the morning and then headed out with the wife and another couple to a town called Ixtapa to eat at a restaurant that had no bar, sigh. Nothing really close to the place either so after getting home I just called it a day.
301) Espresso Pub
This is a pizza place on the corner of Vallarta and Carranza, right across the street from Torito's. There was a large, light-tan cement bar with a marble-patterned tile top. It had light-tan wood trim and metal bar-rails. There were 7 wooden bar-stools. There were light wood cabinets and shelving behind the bar and a nice selection of liquors and wine. There were three televisions, one tuned to ESPN and two tuned to Fashion TV. The floor was tan cement painted a light blue. The paint is worn off to the extent I first thought there was sawdust on the floor. There is a smaller area, down a step, in front of the coal-burning pizza oven that has the traditional reddish-orange tile.
There were about a dozen wooden tables with green table-cloths and wooden chairs. There were also a few picnic-tables and benches. Pictures of city-scapes were on the wall including one of the 1940 New York skyline. There were also a few large French liquor posters; Martini and Rossi, Asti Cinzano, and Porto Ramos Pinto.
I was wearing an old Minnesota Timberwolves sweatshirt and the bartender, an older fellow, asked me if I lived in Minnesota. I told him I grew up there but now lived in Brooklyn. He started to ask me where in Brooklyn and from his questions it soon became obvious that he was from there. It then turned out that he had moved from Brooklyn to Minneapolis. He also went to Boston University for a year and I had spent two years in Boston. We chatted for a bit. He had been coming to Puerto Vallarta on vacation every year for 30 years and finally moved down here 5 years ago. I have only been coming down every year for about 15 years so I guess I have a few to go before moving here. It is amazing the number of people who come down here for a vacation and then come back year after year. I haven't seen that to such an extent any other place I have visited.
I had a Pacifico and headed home lugging the groceries my wife had bought at the municipal market.
Again, not much progress, but 301 down and 699 left to go.
301) Espresso Pub
This is a pizza place on the corner of Vallarta and Carranza, right across the street from Torito's. There was a large, light-tan cement bar with a marble-patterned tile top. It had light-tan wood trim and metal bar-rails. There were 7 wooden bar-stools. There were light wood cabinets and shelving behind the bar and a nice selection of liquors and wine. There were three televisions, one tuned to ESPN and two tuned to Fashion TV. The floor was tan cement painted a light blue. The paint is worn off to the extent I first thought there was sawdust on the floor. There is a smaller area, down a step, in front of the coal-burning pizza oven that has the traditional reddish-orange tile.
There were about a dozen wooden tables with green table-cloths and wooden chairs. There were also a few picnic-tables and benches. Pictures of city-scapes were on the wall including one of the 1940 New York skyline. There were also a few large French liquor posters; Martini and Rossi, Asti Cinzano, and Porto Ramos Pinto.
I was wearing an old Minnesota Timberwolves sweatshirt and the bartender, an older fellow, asked me if I lived in Minnesota. I told him I grew up there but now lived in Brooklyn. He started to ask me where in Brooklyn and from his questions it soon became obvious that he was from there. It then turned out that he had moved from Brooklyn to Minneapolis. He also went to Boston University for a year and I had spent two years in Boston. We chatted for a bit. He had been coming to Puerto Vallarta on vacation every year for 30 years and finally moved down here 5 years ago. I have only been coming down every year for about 15 years so I guess I have a few to go before moving here. It is amazing the number of people who come down here for a vacation and then come back year after year. I haven't seen that to such an extent any other place I have visited.
I had a Pacifico and headed home lugging the groceries my wife had bought at the municipal market.
Again, not much progress, but 301 down and 699 left to go.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
A Pleasant Tuesday
The weather is clearing so it was a nice day for a walk. I took a stroll across a bridge to the north side of town and walked along Morelos, a street up a block or two from the malecon and a bit further down than I had walked before.
298) La Casa del Tequila
At first I thought this might just be a place that sold tequila. When you first walk in there is a tequila tasting area and they say they have 350 kinds of tequila for sale. It looked like it. They have a lot of tequilas that you just don´t find in the stores and, interestingly, do not have the ones you do find. They focus more on the more unusual and more expensive types. I only sampled one, it was very good, before walking through that area to my real goal.
Behind the tasting area was a very nice and quite ornate wood and metal bar. I thought it was a genuine antique but after talking to the bartender I found out it was only ten-years old. It was, however, made with old planking from barns and doors so it had that antique look about it. The top of the bar had four wood planks about three feet long, one foot wide, and half an inch think affixed to it. The planks were framed in iron bands about one and a half inches wide with large rivets about every three inches. Although the iron looked old and rusted I found out it had been painted with a special paint to make it look that way. The front of the bar was a pounded metal separated into panels with the same type of bands described above. In the center of each panel (except for two where it looked like they had been removed) were brass looking emblems with an agave plant and the name of the bar inscribed. The back of the bar was equally ornate but all wood. There were mirrors and glass shelves that held an impressive liquor selection, mostly tequilas. The bar stools had backs and real leather seats. The bar-rail looked to be twisted wrought iron and was held in place by wide iron bands with ornate curls on each end. The wall behind the bar was painted to look like storage racks of, what I presumed to be, tequila barrels.
There was also a large, bright eating area with several tables. Not too large with overhead fans and those behive lights. I asked a couple who were leaving how the food was and they said it was very good. I saw the little kitchen and the Mexican lady making the tortillas looked like the real deal.
I had a margarita on the rocks and it was one of the best I have ever had.
299) La Casa del Habano
At the end of the block, across the street and up a bit on Aldama, was this interesting place. At least interesting for here in Puerto Vallarta. When I first walked in I thought it was just a place to buy cigars, but the sign out front did say bar. They sell nothing but Cuban cigars and have a very large, walk-in, humidified temperature-controlled room to store them in. A very impressive selection too.
Walking though this area you enter a very nicely appointed smoking room with a small, three stool bar. The bar has a black and red marble top and sits off to one side of the smoking room. Given the number of comfortable chairs and sofas available the bartender thought it was a bit strange that I chose to sit at the bar, but rules are rules.
There were a couple of televisons that were turned off and a lot of books and magazines available for reading while you enjoyed a good cigar and a drink. The pictures on the walls were mostly cigar related and cigar advertisements. There was a large poster of Che Guevera enjoying a cigar. He seems to be second only to Zapata in popularity down here. On one wall was a nice stained glass hanging of people harvesting tobacco and to the left of the bar was a black stained glass hanging with the words ¨Habanas unicos desedes 1492.¨
I spent my time at the bar smoking a small cigar, having my drink, and chatting with the bartender. She was born in Puerto Vallarta and has lived here all her life, 32 years. We chatted about the changes we have seen and she told me about some small towns that I might want to visit. She was somewhat surprised that I had been to several of them already. While I was there a fellow, Wayne, stopped by. He was from Niagra, Canada. This was his first time in Puerto Vallarta and he was going to be here for four weeks. We chatted a bit as well.
I had a Cuba libre.
300) Etc. la Cantina
Back on Morelos and down a block or two from La Casa del Tequila, was this large, but not touristy, bar. The bar itself was a fairly large wooden three-sided affair with a tan marble-patterned linoleum top. There were beer cases and a few kegs being stored there along with the obligatory beer cooler. The bar-stools were plain wooden affairs. The bar rail was seemed to be a large iron tube. The most notable decorative touch were a number of old saddles mounted on the high up on the white plaster walls. There was a bit of orange paint to brighten the place up a bit.
Although this was on a busy street, the back-side of the bar was cool. You could just hear a touch of the traffic through the doors and windows that looked out on the street.
There were a lot of wooden tables and chairs and, from the menu on the wall, it looked like you could order Mexican bar food: Alitas, Burritos, Nachos, Carnes F., Papas F., Camarons, and Cacahauates. I am not sure what half of that stuff actually is, and I wasn´t hungry enough to find out.
There wasn´t anyone in the place but me and the bartender and he didn´t seem to speak English. Maybe the place livens up at night, it was only a little after 3:00 P.M. The bartender was watching a soccer game on television, Chelsea vs. Barcelona. He didn´t seem too pleased when Chelsea scored to increase their lead to 4 to 2 (I subsequently saw on the news that this was also the final score).
I had a Pacifico and headed home.
Not a real milestone like 250, but round numbers are always nice, so with 300 down I now have 700 left to go.
298) La Casa del Tequila
At first I thought this might just be a place that sold tequila. When you first walk in there is a tequila tasting area and they say they have 350 kinds of tequila for sale. It looked like it. They have a lot of tequilas that you just don´t find in the stores and, interestingly, do not have the ones you do find. They focus more on the more unusual and more expensive types. I only sampled one, it was very good, before walking through that area to my real goal.
Behind the tasting area was a very nice and quite ornate wood and metal bar. I thought it was a genuine antique but after talking to the bartender I found out it was only ten-years old. It was, however, made with old planking from barns and doors so it had that antique look about it. The top of the bar had four wood planks about three feet long, one foot wide, and half an inch think affixed to it. The planks were framed in iron bands about one and a half inches wide with large rivets about every three inches. Although the iron looked old and rusted I found out it had been painted with a special paint to make it look that way. The front of the bar was a pounded metal separated into panels with the same type of bands described above. In the center of each panel (except for two where it looked like they had been removed) were brass looking emblems with an agave plant and the name of the bar inscribed. The back of the bar was equally ornate but all wood. There were mirrors and glass shelves that held an impressive liquor selection, mostly tequilas. The bar stools had backs and real leather seats. The bar-rail looked to be twisted wrought iron and was held in place by wide iron bands with ornate curls on each end. The wall behind the bar was painted to look like storage racks of, what I presumed to be, tequila barrels.
There was also a large, bright eating area with several tables. Not too large with overhead fans and those behive lights. I asked a couple who were leaving how the food was and they said it was very good. I saw the little kitchen and the Mexican lady making the tortillas looked like the real deal.
I had a margarita on the rocks and it was one of the best I have ever had.
299) La Casa del Habano
At the end of the block, across the street and up a bit on Aldama, was this interesting place. At least interesting for here in Puerto Vallarta. When I first walked in I thought it was just a place to buy cigars, but the sign out front did say bar. They sell nothing but Cuban cigars and have a very large, walk-in, humidified temperature-controlled room to store them in. A very impressive selection too.
Walking though this area you enter a very nicely appointed smoking room with a small, three stool bar. The bar has a black and red marble top and sits off to one side of the smoking room. Given the number of comfortable chairs and sofas available the bartender thought it was a bit strange that I chose to sit at the bar, but rules are rules.
There were a couple of televisons that were turned off and a lot of books and magazines available for reading while you enjoyed a good cigar and a drink. The pictures on the walls were mostly cigar related and cigar advertisements. There was a large poster of Che Guevera enjoying a cigar. He seems to be second only to Zapata in popularity down here. On one wall was a nice stained glass hanging of people harvesting tobacco and to the left of the bar was a black stained glass hanging with the words ¨Habanas unicos desedes 1492.¨
I spent my time at the bar smoking a small cigar, having my drink, and chatting with the bartender. She was born in Puerto Vallarta and has lived here all her life, 32 years. We chatted about the changes we have seen and she told me about some small towns that I might want to visit. She was somewhat surprised that I had been to several of them already. While I was there a fellow, Wayne, stopped by. He was from Niagra, Canada. This was his first time in Puerto Vallarta and he was going to be here for four weeks. We chatted a bit as well.
I had a Cuba libre.
300) Etc. la Cantina
Back on Morelos and down a block or two from La Casa del Tequila, was this large, but not touristy, bar. The bar itself was a fairly large wooden three-sided affair with a tan marble-patterned linoleum top. There were beer cases and a few kegs being stored there along with the obligatory beer cooler. The bar-stools were plain wooden affairs. The bar rail was seemed to be a large iron tube. The most notable decorative touch were a number of old saddles mounted on the high up on the white plaster walls. There was a bit of orange paint to brighten the place up a bit.
Although this was on a busy street, the back-side of the bar was cool. You could just hear a touch of the traffic through the doors and windows that looked out on the street.
There were a lot of wooden tables and chairs and, from the menu on the wall, it looked like you could order Mexican bar food: Alitas, Burritos, Nachos, Carnes F., Papas F., Camarons, and Cacahauates. I am not sure what half of that stuff actually is, and I wasn´t hungry enough to find out.
There wasn´t anyone in the place but me and the bartender and he didn´t seem to speak English. Maybe the place livens up at night, it was only a little after 3:00 P.M. The bartender was watching a soccer game on television, Chelsea vs. Barcelona. He didn´t seem too pleased when Chelsea scored to increase their lead to 4 to 2 (I subsequently saw on the news that this was also the final score).
I had a Pacifico and headed home.
Not a real milestone like 250, but round numbers are always nice, so with 300 down I now have 700 left to go.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Dreary Monday
Man, the weather here has been really unusual this year. Unusual in that it has been heavily overcast and even a bit drizzly a lot. And that is very unusual for this time of year. Yesterday was no exception. Hopefully this will blow over pretty soon.
No glory yesteday. Picked up the Vallarta Tribune and there was no picture. Wasn't too surprised. When they took the pictures on Friday and said it would be in the Monday edition I didn't think that would give them enough time. It is a weekly publication and their stories are always about a week or more out of date. We shall see what happens next week.
The wife and I took a bus to the hotel zone and hit a few bars though, so the day wasn't a complete wash. Hey, we still have the sand and the sea.
295) Referee's Sports Bar
This place is on the main bus-route to the hotels from out of town, next to the Mega supermarket. The name of the avenue is Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio. There was a good-sized 3 sided reddish-brown formica-topped bar with a maroon vinyl arm-rest. Several brown wooden stools with brown-padded vinly seats made for a comfortable place to park oneself for the first beer of the day. There was a big area behind the bar filled with shelves, beer-cases, a large sink, and a couple of large coolers for beer. There were three televisons high on the wall behind the bar. Two were showing sports and the one with the volume turned on was showing Mexican videos. There was a decent looking pool table by the entrance.
There was a fairly large interior with nice looking tables and chairs. The tables by the windows had little padded booth-like seating. The was lots of sports memorabilia hanging about, mostly posters and pennants. The overhang above the bar had faux stained-glass team logos. My wife told me that the woman's bathroom, or banos damas, had many pictures of well-buffed, mostly naked men. Suddenly I had the urge to pee. No luck though, just pictures of scantily clad women in the banos caballeros. The picture of Madonna was a real stunner though.
I had a Negra Modelo
296) Citrus
Down the road a bit and back into Plaza Villas Vallarta was this relatively new, and new-looking place. It had a primarily salmon and white color scheme. The bar had a black marble top and a black cinder-block front to it. There were half a dozen black bar-stools with backs and salmon cushions. The back of the bar was also black cinder-block with light tan shelves holding a large selection of liquors. The lights above the bar were coverd by large, rectangular, fabric-coverd shades, one on top of the other. A lucky bamboo-shoot in a citrus-yellow vase sat at one end of the bar.
The back and side walls of the place was lined with tables and chair that matched the bar-stools except for the front-half of the back wall closest to the the glass entrance. That had salmon settees. The floor was vinyl made to look like light wood, but not doing a very good job. The outdoor area had the same type of tables and chairs as inside except for a couple of larger lounge chairs off to one side. The outdoor area was covered by a large salmon covered awning. There were overhead fans with lights.
I had a gin and tonic.
297) Le Petit
This place had at least three versions of the name on various signs and cards. Aside from the one above it was also referred to as Le Petite and Le Petite France. Take your pick. It too was on Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascensio, next to the Fiesta Americana hotel. There was a large life-like mannequin at the door to greet you. It had a large dark-wood bar with a real brass rail. It also had both tall and short barstools for which my wife, fairly short, was grateful. There was an octagon liquor cabinet in the middle with a fairly large metal sculpture meant to evoke the Eiffel Tower. Above the bar was a similar shaped wooden structure supported by brass poles. This held the overhead lights and was fronted by stained-glass patterns.
There were large and small paintings and posters by Henri de Toulouse-Latrek and fewer by other artists on the walls. There were a couple of victrolas on display and other knick-knacks as well. There was also an antique cabinet displaying antique silverware. This place had real dark-wood plank floors and a dark wood-beamed ceiling with lots of track lighting that might make it interesting at night. The dining area looked out over a well-manicured garden. The combination of a colonial French looking restaurant and the somewhat tropical looking graden evoked images of what Indo-China might have been like.
I had a Pernod on the rocks at the bar and then we had a late lunch, early dinner (it was 2:30 P.M.). Food was fantastic and I highly recommend the place if you are ever in town. We then caught a bus back to our part of time and I picked up a bottle of coffee liquor and made after-dinner coffees.
Three more bite the dust and 703 left to go.
No glory yesteday. Picked up the Vallarta Tribune and there was no picture. Wasn't too surprised. When they took the pictures on Friday and said it would be in the Monday edition I didn't think that would give them enough time. It is a weekly publication and their stories are always about a week or more out of date. We shall see what happens next week.
The wife and I took a bus to the hotel zone and hit a few bars though, so the day wasn't a complete wash. Hey, we still have the sand and the sea.
295) Referee's Sports Bar
This place is on the main bus-route to the hotels from out of town, next to the Mega supermarket. The name of the avenue is Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio. There was a good-sized 3 sided reddish-brown formica-topped bar with a maroon vinyl arm-rest. Several brown wooden stools with brown-padded vinly seats made for a comfortable place to park oneself for the first beer of the day. There was a big area behind the bar filled with shelves, beer-cases, a large sink, and a couple of large coolers for beer. There were three televisons high on the wall behind the bar. Two were showing sports and the one with the volume turned on was showing Mexican videos. There was a decent looking pool table by the entrance.
There was a fairly large interior with nice looking tables and chairs. The tables by the windows had little padded booth-like seating. The was lots of sports memorabilia hanging about, mostly posters and pennants. The overhang above the bar had faux stained-glass team logos. My wife told me that the woman's bathroom, or banos damas, had many pictures of well-buffed, mostly naked men. Suddenly I had the urge to pee. No luck though, just pictures of scantily clad women in the banos caballeros. The picture of Madonna was a real stunner though.
I had a Negra Modelo
296) Citrus
Down the road a bit and back into Plaza Villas Vallarta was this relatively new, and new-looking place. It had a primarily salmon and white color scheme. The bar had a black marble top and a black cinder-block front to it. There were half a dozen black bar-stools with backs and salmon cushions. The back of the bar was also black cinder-block with light tan shelves holding a large selection of liquors. The lights above the bar were coverd by large, rectangular, fabric-coverd shades, one on top of the other. A lucky bamboo-shoot in a citrus-yellow vase sat at one end of the bar.
The back and side walls of the place was lined with tables and chair that matched the bar-stools except for the front-half of the back wall closest to the the glass entrance. That had salmon settees. The floor was vinyl made to look like light wood, but not doing a very good job. The outdoor area had the same type of tables and chairs as inside except for a couple of larger lounge chairs off to one side. The outdoor area was covered by a large salmon covered awning. There were overhead fans with lights.
I had a gin and tonic.
297) Le Petit
This place had at least three versions of the name on various signs and cards. Aside from the one above it was also referred to as Le Petite and Le Petite France. Take your pick. It too was on Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascensio, next to the Fiesta Americana hotel. There was a large life-like mannequin at the door to greet you. It had a large dark-wood bar with a real brass rail. It also had both tall and short barstools for which my wife, fairly short, was grateful. There was an octagon liquor cabinet in the middle with a fairly large metal sculpture meant to evoke the Eiffel Tower. Above the bar was a similar shaped wooden structure supported by brass poles. This held the overhead lights and was fronted by stained-glass patterns.
There were large and small paintings and posters by Henri de Toulouse-Latrek and fewer by other artists on the walls. There were a couple of victrolas on display and other knick-knacks as well. There was also an antique cabinet displaying antique silverware. This place had real dark-wood plank floors and a dark wood-beamed ceiling with lots of track lighting that might make it interesting at night. The dining area looked out over a well-manicured garden. The combination of a colonial French looking restaurant and the somewhat tropical looking graden evoked images of what Indo-China might have been like.
I had a Pernod on the rocks at the bar and then we had a late lunch, early dinner (it was 2:30 P.M.). Food was fantastic and I highly recommend the place if you are ever in town. We then caught a bus back to our part of time and I picked up a bottle of coffee liquor and made after-dinner coffees.
Three more bite the dust and 703 left to go.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Sunday Stroll
It was kind of a gloomy day, not really beach weather. I was growing a bit restless so I decided to take the bus to the far side of town and just stroll around to see what I could see. The area I chose was around the public sports park where there are a few soccer fields, a baseball diamond, a running track, etc. You may recall that I have already visited a couple of other bars right across the street from this park, but I decided to wander a bit further afield. There weren't a lot of bars and the first place I found by hearing the click of billiard balls.
293) Centro Butanero Caballo Ballo
The only word in the name that I know is 'caballo' that means either horse or rider, depending upon its useage. All there was was the sign above a little doorway that opened directly onto a flight of cement stairs. I found the doorway and saw the sign because I had heard the click of billiard balls and was tracking it down. There was a Corona sign in the stairwell so I took a chance and went upstairs. The doorway was located on Rio Danubio (the street, not the river) just down the street from Brasillio.
There was, indeed, a bar there. It was a long old wooden bar with six wooden bar stools or chairs (they had backs). There wasn't a brass rail but there was a small brick protrusion that you could rest your foot upon if you chose to stand. The plave had a red-tile floor, the standard variety you see everywhere, and a jukebox playing Mexican melodies. There was a billiard table and a couple of older guys playing three-cushion, although not very well, from what I could tell. They were drinking and having a happy time though, keeping an eye on a soccer game that was playing on the one televison set. To the side of the billiard table was a large wooden cue holder with a broken mirror. Looked like the kind of place where a mirror might get broken. There were a couple of pictures of a Mexican rodeo on the wall, one mounted on either side of the pool cue holder. Maybe that is where the place got its name. There were seven white plastic tables covered with red and white checked tablecloths with the Corona logo on them. The white plastic chairs also had the Corona logo.
I had a Pacifico.
294) Nuevo Maracaibo Bar
It turned out that I wasn't too far from a fairly large walled cemetery. I walked around it but didn't find anymore bars so I walked straight down the street from the entrance. Mexican cemeteries are really interesting affairs and if I wasn't on a mission I might have spent some time looking around in it. They have many ornate tombstones and such, usually brightly decorated with flowers. Many of them have framed pictures or portraits of the deceased. They are usually very well maintained.
Anyway, I digress. Down Belice, the street, and just about at the intersection to San Salvador was this lively little place. It had a small wooden bar with blue-wash walls. There was a pool table and the place was fairly crowded. There were two white brick decorative arches along one of the walls with paintings of Puerto Vallarta on the wall underneath them. The rest of the decor consisted primarily of posters of scantily clad women and cars. Kind of what you would expect to see in a garage. There were a couple of pictures of Marilyn Monroe as well. There was kind of a darker room of to one side with a few tables and chairs and several people were in there drinking but I didn't pop my head in to check it out. There were plenty of people in the main room where I was and a couple came over to ask me where I was from, where I was staying, how I liked Puerto Vallarta, etc. Seemed like a friendly enough crowd that probably didn't see to many tourists in the place. Definitly a local hangout, looked like everyone in the place pretty much knew each other.
I had a Pacifico and ate some of the tasty spiced peanuts in the bowl on the bar.
I couldn't see too much more in the area so I decided to simply take the long walk home. It was getting really cloudy and I actually thought it might rain, although that would be most unusual for this time of year.
Knocked off 2 more on a day I thought would be a day-off so I now have 706 left to go.
293) Centro Butanero Caballo Ballo
The only word in the name that I know is 'caballo' that means either horse or rider, depending upon its useage. All there was was the sign above a little doorway that opened directly onto a flight of cement stairs. I found the doorway and saw the sign because I had heard the click of billiard balls and was tracking it down. There was a Corona sign in the stairwell so I took a chance and went upstairs. The doorway was located on Rio Danubio (the street, not the river) just down the street from Brasillio.
There was, indeed, a bar there. It was a long old wooden bar with six wooden bar stools or chairs (they had backs). There wasn't a brass rail but there was a small brick protrusion that you could rest your foot upon if you chose to stand. The plave had a red-tile floor, the standard variety you see everywhere, and a jukebox playing Mexican melodies. There was a billiard table and a couple of older guys playing three-cushion, although not very well, from what I could tell. They were drinking and having a happy time though, keeping an eye on a soccer game that was playing on the one televison set. To the side of the billiard table was a large wooden cue holder with a broken mirror. Looked like the kind of place where a mirror might get broken. There were a couple of pictures of a Mexican rodeo on the wall, one mounted on either side of the pool cue holder. Maybe that is where the place got its name. There were seven white plastic tables covered with red and white checked tablecloths with the Corona logo on them. The white plastic chairs also had the Corona logo.
I had a Pacifico.
294) Nuevo Maracaibo Bar
It turned out that I wasn't too far from a fairly large walled cemetery. I walked around it but didn't find anymore bars so I walked straight down the street from the entrance. Mexican cemeteries are really interesting affairs and if I wasn't on a mission I might have spent some time looking around in it. They have many ornate tombstones and such, usually brightly decorated with flowers. Many of them have framed pictures or portraits of the deceased. They are usually very well maintained.
Anyway, I digress. Down Belice, the street, and just about at the intersection to San Salvador was this lively little place. It had a small wooden bar with blue-wash walls. There was a pool table and the place was fairly crowded. There were two white brick decorative arches along one of the walls with paintings of Puerto Vallarta on the wall underneath them. The rest of the decor consisted primarily of posters of scantily clad women and cars. Kind of what you would expect to see in a garage. There were a couple of pictures of Marilyn Monroe as well. There was kind of a darker room of to one side with a few tables and chairs and several people were in there drinking but I didn't pop my head in to check it out. There were plenty of people in the main room where I was and a couple came over to ask me where I was from, where I was staying, how I liked Puerto Vallarta, etc. Seemed like a friendly enough crowd that probably didn't see to many tourists in the place. Definitly a local hangout, looked like everyone in the place pretty much knew each other.
I had a Pacifico and ate some of the tasty spiced peanuts in the bowl on the bar.
I couldn't see too much more in the area so I decided to simply take the long walk home. It was getting really cloudy and I actually thought it might rain, although that would be most unusual for this time of year.
Knocked off 2 more on a day I thought would be a day-off so I now have 706 left to go.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Another Slow Saturday
Didn't do any bar-hopping today. Went out for breakfast and then my buddy did some last-minute shopping before he leaves tomorrow. Kind of an overcast, drizzly day. Most unusual for this time of year. We went out for dinner and did stop for one cocktail on the way.
292) Kit Kat Club
This is a New York style martini bar on Pulpito, not far from my place. It has a small, marble-like bar with four modernistic metal backed stools with rattan seats. There is a black-light under the bar overhang. The wall behind the bar is painted tangerine and their is a large round mirror mounted on it. Two nubians holding up lamps are on the shelf behind the bar. There is a small Red-Bull refrigerator there too that looks a bit out-of-place. The wall to the left of the bar is painted the same color of tangerine as behind the bar and there are five of the same round mirrors mounted on it. The rest of the walls are painted white. The floor is light tan and dark tan linoleum. The large darker squares are set off by slightly raised, and quite sharp, metal dividers. A buddy of mine fell off a chair here a few years back and took off a major patch of skin on the tip of one of his fingers. Lot's of blood and subsequent pain. We got no sympathy from our spouses, just lots of grief.
There are large glass sliding doors that separate the interior from a small outside seating area. There are nice marble topped chairs about the place with comfortable white-fabric covered chairs. Parchement cone shades sit atop the lamps on the tables. The chairs on the outside area are more like backed cushions.
I had a Lime Drop martini (vodka, lime, sugar served in a sugar rimmed martini glass) and my buddy had a Dreamsickle (vodka, orange-juice, cream).
We finished these up and went to dinner and ended up stuffing ourselves to the point where nobody felt like going anywhere for an after dinner drink. No common sense.
I will probably take tomorrow off. It is Sunday and my buddy is leaving so we probably won't be doing much. I plan on being back at it again on Monday though. One more notch on the bottle and 708 left to go.
292) Kit Kat Club
This is a New York style martini bar on Pulpito, not far from my place. It has a small, marble-like bar with four modernistic metal backed stools with rattan seats. There is a black-light under the bar overhang. The wall behind the bar is painted tangerine and their is a large round mirror mounted on it. Two nubians holding up lamps are on the shelf behind the bar. There is a small Red-Bull refrigerator there too that looks a bit out-of-place. The wall to the left of the bar is painted the same color of tangerine as behind the bar and there are five of the same round mirrors mounted on it. The rest of the walls are painted white. The floor is light tan and dark tan linoleum. The large darker squares are set off by slightly raised, and quite sharp, metal dividers. A buddy of mine fell off a chair here a few years back and took off a major patch of skin on the tip of one of his fingers. Lot's of blood and subsequent pain. We got no sympathy from our spouses, just lots of grief.
There are large glass sliding doors that separate the interior from a small outside seating area. There are nice marble topped chairs about the place with comfortable white-fabric covered chairs. Parchement cone shades sit atop the lamps on the tables. The chairs on the outside area are more like backed cushions.
I had a Lime Drop martini (vodka, lime, sugar served in a sugar rimmed martini glass) and my buddy had a Dreamsickle (vodka, orange-juice, cream).
We finished these up and went to dinner and ended up stuffing ourselves to the point where nobody felt like going anywhere for an after dinner drink. No common sense.
I will probably take tomorrow off. It is Sunday and my buddy is leaving so we probably won't be doing much. I plan on being back at it again on Monday though. One more notch on the bottle and 708 left to go.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Slow Day
Today was a bit of a slow day. We went to the production of Manhattan Music at the Santa Barbara Theater last night. I had talked to the owner earlier about my thousand-bar quest. After the performance he had me get up on the stage and introduced me to the audience. Their was a photographer from the Vallarta Tribue and he took a few pictures. Supposedly one or more of them will be in next week´s edition of the paper. We shall see, and I will keep you posted.
291) Que?Pasa
This place is right upstairs to the Santa Barbara Theater so I popped in for a quick drink before the performance. It had a gray marble bar and a red tile floor. The place was pretty crowded and it was open-mic night. The guy singing was pretty good. There were a lot of Christmas tree lights strewn about and those lite-from-within tin star things hanging from the ceiling. This place used to be owned by the same people that own the Santa Barbara Theater and they used to have a weekly bingo game that was quite fun. Sadly, they have been discontinued.
I had a gin and tonic and headed back for the show.
After the show we just headed home. Not much progress, as I said, but nibbling away and now 709 left to go.
291) Que?Pasa
This place is right upstairs to the Santa Barbara Theater so I popped in for a quick drink before the performance. It had a gray marble bar and a red tile floor. The place was pretty crowded and it was open-mic night. The guy singing was pretty good. There were a lot of Christmas tree lights strewn about and those lite-from-within tin star things hanging from the ceiling. This place used to be owned by the same people that own the Santa Barbara Theater and they used to have a weekly bingo game that was quite fun. Sadly, they have been discontinued.
I had a gin and tonic and headed back for the show.
After the show we just headed home. Not much progress, as I said, but nibbling away and now 709 left to go.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
A Busy Day
Had a bit of a double header today. I went out in the afternoon by myself and hit four places and then, after drinks at the pool at sunset, made the rounds with my buddy.
282) Los 3 Delfines
This, place, at the end of M.M. Diequez on the south side of town, was just opening up at a bit after 3:00 P.M. A fairly large courtyard in front where tables were being set up. The bar itself is inside and is a light pink and gray marble looking tile affair. There was a squawking parrot in a cage sitting on one end of the bar. He didn't have a drink so I assume he wasn't a customer. The walls were blue painted plaster and there were a lot of green horseshoes over an open window looking out on a small courtyard in the back. There were three, mostly empty, shelves behind the bar. There was a small plaster statue of a dolphin on each shelf and a statue of three dolphins on the end of the bar opposite the parrot. There was some metal wall hangings of flowers, butterflies, and flowers. Also three ceramic toucans. There were a bunch of somewhat sad-looking plants in pots and in a cement planter along one wall.
I had a Pacifico.
283) Asadero's
This was a pretty big place on Badillo with the bar in the back. The bar was brick with a brown cement top. Colorful plastic glasses hanging on a rack above the bar. My drink came in a yellow one. The bar had a green cement floor. There were two shelves and mirrors behind the bar. These shelves were much better stocked than the last place. A large electric coffee urn that was set too high kept the smell of somewhat burnt coffee wafting over me. That, coupled with the smell from their wood-burning cooking stoves made this a fairly aromatic place.
The walls of the interior dining area were brick up to about waist-level and then woven bamboo. The roof/ceiling was red tile. There were a few interesting paintings on the wall. Somewhat primative but very colorful. One was of a mariachi band and the other was of a bullfight. There is an outside dining area in the front that might be pleasant later in the evening when it is cooler.
I had a large, refreshing, frozen margarita that had a bit of a bite to it.
284) Freddy's Toucan Sports Bar.
Down the street a bit was this kind of a surprise find. It used to be pretty much of a pancake place up until just a few weeks ago. They took over the corner space and put in a bar, a nice dark-wood bar with padded stools. There are also light wood tables and chairs around the windows on two sides. It usually doesn't open until 8:00 P.M. and then stays open until 6:00 A.M. There was someone in the back and he graciously served me a beer. There were three televisions that I could see but only one was on. It was Mexican ESPN and it was showing horse-races.
Eric, the bartender, asked where I was from and when I said I was originally from Minnesota he said his boyfriend was a big Minnesota Viking fan. We discussed football for a bit, sharing our frustrations with the Vikings and my new team, the Jets.
I had a Negra Modelo
285) Santa Barbara Theater
There is a nice marble-topped bar in the front of the small theater area that is used to serve drinks during performances. It is located on Olas Altos. There was a rehearsal going on for a future production so there were about ten small children on the stage singing. I don't know if the place was really open for business but the owner, Ed, served me beer and had one with me. Tomorrow night my wife and buddy and I are going to a performance of Manhattan Nights, The Music of New York. I have gone to performances here in past years and they are always a lot of fun.
I had a Pacifico and headed home for a sunset drink at the pool.
Later, after the sun had set, by buddy and I headed out. He wanted to hit the Blue Whale first because he hadn't been there yet this visit. He had a couple of shots of tequila and I had a beer. The place was much busier this time of the evening than during my last visit, lot's of hooting and hollering. Always a fun place in an interesting way. I don't think I would like to hang around until closing time though.
286) Chavas
This place is located three blocks south and 1/2 block to the right if you are walking from the flea-market. Not that that is of much help unless you know where the flea-market is. It is on the corner of Insurgentes and Cardenas, not far from the Blue Whale. It is a second-floor bar, up a narrow staircase. There is a good sized wooden bar and the sound of buses reverberates through the place until the jukebox begins to play, at which point your heart, head, and everything else begins to reverberate to the beat. When the music mercifully started my buddy popped in 5 pesos and we played another couple of tunes. Hey, when in Mexcio. There were a few pictures of soccer teams on the walls and some tables on the very small open balcony that looked out on two, very busy, streets. This is another bar where you are unlikely to find many tourists because it is somewhat easy to miss. There is a very large sailfish mounted on the wall and two televisons. The one that was on was showing a soccer game.
I had a Tradicional tequila.
287) Frida un Bar
This place is also on Cardenas and is "Un bar Alternativo amistoso." That means, basically, that is is a gay bar. This one caters to an older crowd and, in New York at least, would be known as a "wrinkle parlour." Aside from the being gay part my buddy and I fit right in. A fairly friendly crowd, but nobody offered to buy us a drink. I must be losing my charm. Just about every square inch of this place was covered of pictures or plaster masks of Frida, the Mexican artist famous for both her artwork and her one big eybrow.
I had a Pacifico.
288) Chaves
This place was across the street, I think, and was a pretty typical Mexican bar. There was a large wooden wagon-wheel heading from the ceiling. There was a large pinata hanging from the ceiling as well. The bar was wood-topped cement and had cushioned wooden stools. There was a Mexican cowboy movie playing on the television and the walls were covered with pictures, mostly of Marilyn Monroe. The bartender's father had been a bullfighter so there were a couple of pictures of him as well. Sadly, the place was up for sale so who knows what will be there next year.
My friend was waxing poetic so he wrote this about the place:
"I wondered into this bar. I carried with me a heavy load. A typical Mexican restaurant/bar. A large picture of a parrot adorned one of the walls. Toilet paper was almost late in arriving. But enough of my temporary difficulties. We, my friend and I, were the only ones, almost the only ones in the place. There was also a young Mexican who could have been Al Pacino, although a tattered version. It had that smell, that smell of a typical Mexican bar. I had a margarita. It was fine."
I also had a margarita.
289) Aquy Sp.
I may have to check the name. This is what the bartender wrote on my card and I forgot to double-check it when I left. There were 3 televisions and a pool-table upon which a young couple looked to be about to consumate their relationship. The bar was brick with a red tile top. The barstools were iron with iron backs but the seats were wooden. There were sparkly tin stars hanging from the ceiling. The bar had a nice brick arch back to it with mirrors and glass shelves holding the liquor.
I had a Pacifico.
290) High
This place, on Cardenas, was just starting to open up. It's hours of operation are from 11:00 P.M to 9:00 A.M. I can only describe this as Starwars meets Mexico. It had a ceramic tiled bar with barstools that looked like they came from the Mad Hatter's tea party in the Alice In Wonderland animated film. There were a couple of large, velvet covered swings and I can only wonder at the use they might be put to when the place starts cranking. There were several plush sofas strewn about and cone shaped lamp shades that matched the colors of the bulbs (yellow, blue, and orange) hanging above the bar. There was one room that had a glass brick wall with some kind of lighting that made it feel like you were sitting inside a lava-lamp. There were also black-lights hanging overhead so everybody's teeth really shined. There was another back room with 2 pool-tables. They actually had velvet ropes out front with a couple of bouncers to control what, I guess, will be a big crowd later in the evening. This place would be weird if it was in New York and was totally incongrous with anything I have ever seen in Mexico. I has been open for 10 months so let's see if it is a sign of things to come.
I had a margarita and we staggered on home.
A pretty good day, all in all. Tomorrow I may try to hit a few places after the theatre, but will give it a rest during the afternoon. Creeping ever onward, with 290 down only 710 left to go.
282) Los 3 Delfines
This, place, at the end of M.M. Diequez on the south side of town, was just opening up at a bit after 3:00 P.M. A fairly large courtyard in front where tables were being set up. The bar itself is inside and is a light pink and gray marble looking tile affair. There was a squawking parrot in a cage sitting on one end of the bar. He didn't have a drink so I assume he wasn't a customer. The walls were blue painted plaster and there were a lot of green horseshoes over an open window looking out on a small courtyard in the back. There were three, mostly empty, shelves behind the bar. There was a small plaster statue of a dolphin on each shelf and a statue of three dolphins on the end of the bar opposite the parrot. There was some metal wall hangings of flowers, butterflies, and flowers. Also three ceramic toucans. There were a bunch of somewhat sad-looking plants in pots and in a cement planter along one wall.
I had a Pacifico.
283) Asadero's
This was a pretty big place on Badillo with the bar in the back. The bar was brick with a brown cement top. Colorful plastic glasses hanging on a rack above the bar. My drink came in a yellow one. The bar had a green cement floor. There were two shelves and mirrors behind the bar. These shelves were much better stocked than the last place. A large electric coffee urn that was set too high kept the smell of somewhat burnt coffee wafting over me. That, coupled with the smell from their wood-burning cooking stoves made this a fairly aromatic place.
The walls of the interior dining area were brick up to about waist-level and then woven bamboo. The roof/ceiling was red tile. There were a few interesting paintings on the wall. Somewhat primative but very colorful. One was of a mariachi band and the other was of a bullfight. There is an outside dining area in the front that might be pleasant later in the evening when it is cooler.
I had a large, refreshing, frozen margarita that had a bit of a bite to it.
284) Freddy's Toucan Sports Bar.
Down the street a bit was this kind of a surprise find. It used to be pretty much of a pancake place up until just a few weeks ago. They took over the corner space and put in a bar, a nice dark-wood bar with padded stools. There are also light wood tables and chairs around the windows on two sides. It usually doesn't open until 8:00 P.M. and then stays open until 6:00 A.M. There was someone in the back and he graciously served me a beer. There were three televisions that I could see but only one was on. It was Mexican ESPN and it was showing horse-races.
Eric, the bartender, asked where I was from and when I said I was originally from Minnesota he said his boyfriend was a big Minnesota Viking fan. We discussed football for a bit, sharing our frustrations with the Vikings and my new team, the Jets.
I had a Negra Modelo
285) Santa Barbara Theater
There is a nice marble-topped bar in the front of the small theater area that is used to serve drinks during performances. It is located on Olas Altos. There was a rehearsal going on for a future production so there were about ten small children on the stage singing. I don't know if the place was really open for business but the owner, Ed, served me beer and had one with me. Tomorrow night my wife and buddy and I are going to a performance of Manhattan Nights, The Music of New York. I have gone to performances here in past years and they are always a lot of fun.
I had a Pacifico and headed home for a sunset drink at the pool.
Later, after the sun had set, by buddy and I headed out. He wanted to hit the Blue Whale first because he hadn't been there yet this visit. He had a couple of shots of tequila and I had a beer. The place was much busier this time of the evening than during my last visit, lot's of hooting and hollering. Always a fun place in an interesting way. I don't think I would like to hang around until closing time though.
286) Chavas
This place is located three blocks south and 1/2 block to the right if you are walking from the flea-market. Not that that is of much help unless you know where the flea-market is. It is on the corner of Insurgentes and Cardenas, not far from the Blue Whale. It is a second-floor bar, up a narrow staircase. There is a good sized wooden bar and the sound of buses reverberates through the place until the jukebox begins to play, at which point your heart, head, and everything else begins to reverberate to the beat. When the music mercifully started my buddy popped in 5 pesos and we played another couple of tunes. Hey, when in Mexcio. There were a few pictures of soccer teams on the walls and some tables on the very small open balcony that looked out on two, very busy, streets. This is another bar where you are unlikely to find many tourists because it is somewhat easy to miss. There is a very large sailfish mounted on the wall and two televisons. The one that was on was showing a soccer game.
I had a Tradicional tequila.
287) Frida un Bar
This place is also on Cardenas and is "Un bar Alternativo amistoso." That means, basically, that is is a gay bar. This one caters to an older crowd and, in New York at least, would be known as a "wrinkle parlour." Aside from the being gay part my buddy and I fit right in. A fairly friendly crowd, but nobody offered to buy us a drink. I must be losing my charm. Just about every square inch of this place was covered of pictures or plaster masks of Frida, the Mexican artist famous for both her artwork and her one big eybrow.
I had a Pacifico.
288) Chaves
This place was across the street, I think, and was a pretty typical Mexican bar. There was a large wooden wagon-wheel heading from the ceiling. There was a large pinata hanging from the ceiling as well. The bar was wood-topped cement and had cushioned wooden stools. There was a Mexican cowboy movie playing on the television and the walls were covered with pictures, mostly of Marilyn Monroe. The bartender's father had been a bullfighter so there were a couple of pictures of him as well. Sadly, the place was up for sale so who knows what will be there next year.
My friend was waxing poetic so he wrote this about the place:
"I wondered into this bar. I carried with me a heavy load. A typical Mexican restaurant/bar. A large picture of a parrot adorned one of the walls. Toilet paper was almost late in arriving. But enough of my temporary difficulties. We, my friend and I, were the only ones, almost the only ones in the place. There was also a young Mexican who could have been Al Pacino, although a tattered version. It had that smell, that smell of a typical Mexican bar. I had a margarita. It was fine."
I also had a margarita.
289) Aquy Sp.
I may have to check the name. This is what the bartender wrote on my card and I forgot to double-check it when I left. There were 3 televisions and a pool-table upon which a young couple looked to be about to consumate their relationship. The bar was brick with a red tile top. The barstools were iron with iron backs but the seats were wooden. There were sparkly tin stars hanging from the ceiling. The bar had a nice brick arch back to it with mirrors and glass shelves holding the liquor.
I had a Pacifico.
290) High
This place, on Cardenas, was just starting to open up. It's hours of operation are from 11:00 P.M to 9:00 A.M. I can only describe this as Starwars meets Mexico. It had a ceramic tiled bar with barstools that looked like they came from the Mad Hatter's tea party in the Alice In Wonderland animated film. There were a couple of large, velvet covered swings and I can only wonder at the use they might be put to when the place starts cranking. There were several plush sofas strewn about and cone shaped lamp shades that matched the colors of the bulbs (yellow, blue, and orange) hanging above the bar. There was one room that had a glass brick wall with some kind of lighting that made it feel like you were sitting inside a lava-lamp. There were also black-lights hanging overhead so everybody's teeth really shined. There was another back room with 2 pool-tables. They actually had velvet ropes out front with a couple of bouncers to control what, I guess, will be a big crowd later in the evening. This place would be weird if it was in New York and was totally incongrous with anything I have ever seen in Mexico. I has been open for 10 months so let's see if it is a sign of things to come.
I had a margarita and we staggered on home.
A pretty good day, all in all. Tomorrow I may try to hit a few places after the theatre, but will give it a rest during the afternoon. Creeping ever onward, with 290 down only 710 left to go.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Marina and More
Today I decided to take a trip out to the marina here in town. It is a bit of a bus ride, but not all that far. Lot's of boats, as you would expect, and more bars than I could reasonably hit in one day. I will be back again at least once and probably twice.
274) Brando's
The bar is pretty much right on the water. It has a pastel ceramic front and a light wooden top. The bar has a palapa top to it and the supports are wrapped with Christmas lights, although they weren't turned on at this time of day. There is a red tile floor and it is open all around. There are a couple of televisions, but they were turned off as well. There are two blue-felt covered pool tables off to one side. A great view of the sailboats and yachts in the harbor. The bar had comfortable blue cushioned wrought-iron stools. Although I only had a beer, my wife and friend had non-alcoholic drinks, a lemonade and a clamatoe concoction of some kind. The bartender was like a chef, tasting here concoctions and then adjusting the ingredients as she saw fit. A real pleasure to watch.
I had a Pacifico, and the bartender did not taste it.
275) El Fogon
This place had their bar set well back from the water. It also had nice wrought-iron barstools with soft cushions. Needless to say, the comfort of the barstools gets to be a matter of concern at times. The back area where the bar is located had a tan tile floor and the walls were orange and yellow painted plaster. The much larger front area had a red tile floor. This area is open air with a white plaster ceiling covering half of it and a bright orange awning covering the rest. There is a lady griling tacos on a small grill in the front and after finishing my beer I joined my wife and friend to have a few. Quite good.
In the back by the bar was a table with a little fish-bowl containing a small turtle. The small son of the proprietor explained that it was his pet but I didn't quite catch its name.
I had a Pacifico.
276) Port Hole
A blue ceramic tile-front par with a black and silver faux granite top. Tan linoleum with pastel flecks covered the bar. The walls were painted blue with clouds on one of them and white smears on the others. Maybe the artist grew weary of his work. Blue glass fronting bare bulbs above kitchen type cabinets were behind the bar. There was a bit of a flamingo theme to the place, from the one peaking through the port hole on the sign, to the plastic flamingos in front, and down to flamingo glasses and stir-sticks. This was a very friendly little place being run by two Canadian women. They also sold ice-cream. The cooking channel was on and the patrons as well as the help, and us, seemed to take great interest in the shows. My friend was particularly interested in the segment about how to cook steak.
I had a healthy gin and tonic and my friend had a shot of tequila that was definetly poured with a heavy hand.
277) Las Palomas Doradas
This was a really nice place with a very nice wooden bar and a glass and wood liquor cabinet. Mirrored pillars and nice paintings of Mexican scenery and village life on the walls. There was a wooden buddha sitting on the bar that has an Indonesian rather than Chinese look to it. A shelf above the bar held Mexican crockery and some Mayan type statues. The place had very nice tables and chairs. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and then had smaller white tablecloths on top of those. Elegant place-settings completed the look. There were sprigs of coleus on each table and a large potted ficus near the back wall. There was also an very ornately framed mirror on one wall.
I had a refreshing frozen margarita.
278) Fajita Banana
My last stop in the marina, at least for today, was this sports bar. It had a fair amount of sports memorabilia about the place and several televisions. Mexican music videos were on the one behind the bar, a Mexican soap opera was on the one in the back, and various sports shows, primarily soccer, were on the rest. There were behive type of light fixtures, fairly common in Mexico, above the bar with yellow bulbs. We got to stare at a purple and yellow Camel cigarette sign behind the bar with the cautionary "FUMAR ES CAUSA DE CANCER" warning. The bar it said was made of some cement/plastic like surface with a bamboo front.
I had a chilled Tradicional tequila.
279) Esmeralda
On the way home we kind of took the wrong bus. It would have gotten us back to where we wanted to go, but in a round-about way. When it took a left off the main road back we got off. It stopped right across the street from the bullfight ring and in front of a little, up a narrow staircase, bar. Today was the day of the weekly bullfight, but it appeals mostly to tourists. The caliber of the bullfighters are probably the equivalent to a very minor league baseball team. The top fighters fight in larger cities with some of the best in Mexico city. I have never been to a bull fight here. The bar is open air on three sides and overlooks both the bullfight ring and the busy road that our bus was originally on. It also afforded a nice view of three of the four cruise ships that were in port. The place has a fairly new pool table. Just a two stool wooden bar in the back but lots of tables about the place. After finishing my beer at the bar I sat and joined the others who were served a plate of cucumber slices with their drinks. Once, a few years back, my wife locked herself in the bathroom here and couldn't get out without assistance. We don't talk about that much anymore.
I had a Pacifico.
280) Maguelito's
We walked across the street and caught the "right" bus back into town. On the way back to our place from the bus stop we passed this fairly nice place. It is also known as the Treehouse because it is a two story affair built kind of around a large tree. It is pretty much right across the street from Steve's. It has a dark wood bar fronted by bamboo. The stools are also nicely padded. The back of the place has wooden plank floors and the front has mexican tiles. There was some interesting artwork on the walls that looked to be made out of a combination of leather and rope. The walls were bright red and there were shelves with old books and other assorted stuff on the walls. There was a dart board on one wall but, given its proximity to the bar and tables, I am not sure if it is used very often. There is a nice waterfall in the entrance and you cross over a little wooden bridge to enter.
I had a Don Julio reposada and we all headed home for sunset at the pool.
281) Boca Bento
We went here for dinner but I had a drink at the bar before joining my companions. This is a fairly new place. Last year it was the 180 and it had a swimming pool that customers could use and live music a couple of days a week. The pool has been covered and there is now a roof over what was an open-to-the-air area. The bar was a very nice wavy wooden topped affair with a light cement front. There was a very nice wrap-around mural that is somewhat hard to describe. Not exactly abstract, but not realistic either. Bright colors, people smoking cigars, some of which looked like calypso drums, wine bottles, etc. It had a bit of a Cuban look to it and was painted in 2004 by someone named Maciaf (if I read the name right). Their beer and martini glasses were kept chilled in a refrigerator behind the bar.
Although a bit off of the mission statement, the food was delicious and I will, in all liklihood, be returning.
I had a gin and tonic and that was the end of my trek for the day.
Not a bad day at all and down to 719 left to go.
274) Brando's
The bar is pretty much right on the water. It has a pastel ceramic front and a light wooden top. The bar has a palapa top to it and the supports are wrapped with Christmas lights, although they weren't turned on at this time of day. There is a red tile floor and it is open all around. There are a couple of televisions, but they were turned off as well. There are two blue-felt covered pool tables off to one side. A great view of the sailboats and yachts in the harbor. The bar had comfortable blue cushioned wrought-iron stools. Although I only had a beer, my wife and friend had non-alcoholic drinks, a lemonade and a clamatoe concoction of some kind. The bartender was like a chef, tasting here concoctions and then adjusting the ingredients as she saw fit. A real pleasure to watch.
I had a Pacifico, and the bartender did not taste it.
275) El Fogon
This place had their bar set well back from the water. It also had nice wrought-iron barstools with soft cushions. Needless to say, the comfort of the barstools gets to be a matter of concern at times. The back area where the bar is located had a tan tile floor and the walls were orange and yellow painted plaster. The much larger front area had a red tile floor. This area is open air with a white plaster ceiling covering half of it and a bright orange awning covering the rest. There is a lady griling tacos on a small grill in the front and after finishing my beer I joined my wife and friend to have a few. Quite good.
In the back by the bar was a table with a little fish-bowl containing a small turtle. The small son of the proprietor explained that it was his pet but I didn't quite catch its name.
I had a Pacifico.
276) Port Hole
A blue ceramic tile-front par with a black and silver faux granite top. Tan linoleum with pastel flecks covered the bar. The walls were painted blue with clouds on one of them and white smears on the others. Maybe the artist grew weary of his work. Blue glass fronting bare bulbs above kitchen type cabinets were behind the bar. There was a bit of a flamingo theme to the place, from the one peaking through the port hole on the sign, to the plastic flamingos in front, and down to flamingo glasses and stir-sticks. This was a very friendly little place being run by two Canadian women. They also sold ice-cream. The cooking channel was on and the patrons as well as the help, and us, seemed to take great interest in the shows. My friend was particularly interested in the segment about how to cook steak.
I had a healthy gin and tonic and my friend had a shot of tequila that was definetly poured with a heavy hand.
277) Las Palomas Doradas
This was a really nice place with a very nice wooden bar and a glass and wood liquor cabinet. Mirrored pillars and nice paintings of Mexican scenery and village life on the walls. There was a wooden buddha sitting on the bar that has an Indonesian rather than Chinese look to it. A shelf above the bar held Mexican crockery and some Mayan type statues. The place had very nice tables and chairs. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and then had smaller white tablecloths on top of those. Elegant place-settings completed the look. There were sprigs of coleus on each table and a large potted ficus near the back wall. There was also an very ornately framed mirror on one wall.
I had a refreshing frozen margarita.
278) Fajita Banana
My last stop in the marina, at least for today, was this sports bar. It had a fair amount of sports memorabilia about the place and several televisions. Mexican music videos were on the one behind the bar, a Mexican soap opera was on the one in the back, and various sports shows, primarily soccer, were on the rest. There were behive type of light fixtures, fairly common in Mexico, above the bar with yellow bulbs. We got to stare at a purple and yellow Camel cigarette sign behind the bar with the cautionary "FUMAR ES CAUSA DE CANCER" warning. The bar it said was made of some cement/plastic like surface with a bamboo front.
I had a chilled Tradicional tequila.
279) Esmeralda
On the way home we kind of took the wrong bus. It would have gotten us back to where we wanted to go, but in a round-about way. When it took a left off the main road back we got off. It stopped right across the street from the bullfight ring and in front of a little, up a narrow staircase, bar. Today was the day of the weekly bullfight, but it appeals mostly to tourists. The caliber of the bullfighters are probably the equivalent to a very minor league baseball team. The top fighters fight in larger cities with some of the best in Mexico city. I have never been to a bull fight here. The bar is open air on three sides and overlooks both the bullfight ring and the busy road that our bus was originally on. It also afforded a nice view of three of the four cruise ships that were in port. The place has a fairly new pool table. Just a two stool wooden bar in the back but lots of tables about the place. After finishing my beer at the bar I sat and joined the others who were served a plate of cucumber slices with their drinks. Once, a few years back, my wife locked herself in the bathroom here and couldn't get out without assistance. We don't talk about that much anymore.
I had a Pacifico.
280) Maguelito's
We walked across the street and caught the "right" bus back into town. On the way back to our place from the bus stop we passed this fairly nice place. It is also known as the Treehouse because it is a two story affair built kind of around a large tree. It is pretty much right across the street from Steve's. It has a dark wood bar fronted by bamboo. The stools are also nicely padded. The back of the place has wooden plank floors and the front has mexican tiles. There was some interesting artwork on the walls that looked to be made out of a combination of leather and rope. The walls were bright red and there were shelves with old books and other assorted stuff on the walls. There was a dart board on one wall but, given its proximity to the bar and tables, I am not sure if it is used very often. There is a nice waterfall in the entrance and you cross over a little wooden bridge to enter.
I had a Don Julio reposada and we all headed home for sunset at the pool.
281) Boca Bento
We went here for dinner but I had a drink at the bar before joining my companions. This is a fairly new place. Last year it was the 180 and it had a swimming pool that customers could use and live music a couple of days a week. The pool has been covered and there is now a roof over what was an open-to-the-air area. The bar was a very nice wavy wooden topped affair with a light cement front. There was a very nice wrap-around mural that is somewhat hard to describe. Not exactly abstract, but not realistic either. Bright colors, people smoking cigars, some of which looked like calypso drums, wine bottles, etc. It had a bit of a Cuban look to it and was painted in 2004 by someone named Maciaf (if I read the name right). Their beer and martini glasses were kept chilled in a refrigerator behind the bar.
Although a bit off of the mission statement, the food was delicious and I will, in all liklihood, be returning.
I had a gin and tonic and that was the end of my trek for the day.
Not a bad day at all and down to 719 left to go.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
A Rocky Day At The Palm
Today was a not the most productive of days, but that was somewhat anticipated. In fact, I didn't even go out for a drink until 11:00 P.M.
273) The Palm
This place was mentioned before when I wrote about Reggies, across the street. It is primarily a gay bar and they were having a live performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It wasn't bad considering they did it with a cast of just seven in a fairly cramped area with no real stage, just a small area in front of a screen where they usually show music videos. The music was all lip-synched, which was a good thing I would guess. Giving the nature of The Palm, this version was even campier than the film.
The whole place is fairly dark and the bar itself is in a relatively narrow raised area to the right of the larger seating area where the performance took place. The bar is dark wood with kind of intricate "woven" wood stools. The lower area has numerous tables and chairs in the same pattern of the bar-stools. There are also a row of stools back against the rise to the bar. I sat there for awhile but not only were the uncomfortable, I kept getting in the way of the performers and they ran about.
I had a gin and tonic at the bar and then another at a table while I watched Rocky and the crew. Quite entertaining.
My progress is hardly worth noting, but a bar is a bar. Just 727 left to go.
273) The Palm
This place was mentioned before when I wrote about Reggies, across the street. It is primarily a gay bar and they were having a live performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It wasn't bad considering they did it with a cast of just seven in a fairly cramped area with no real stage, just a small area in front of a screen where they usually show music videos. The music was all lip-synched, which was a good thing I would guess. Giving the nature of The Palm, this version was even campier than the film.
The whole place is fairly dark and the bar itself is in a relatively narrow raised area to the right of the larger seating area where the performance took place. The bar is dark wood with kind of intricate "woven" wood stools. The lower area has numerous tables and chairs in the same pattern of the bar-stools. There are also a row of stools back against the rise to the bar. I sat there for awhile but not only were the uncomfortable, I kept getting in the way of the performers and they ran about.
I had a gin and tonic at the bar and then another at a table while I watched Rocky and the crew. Quite entertaining.
My progress is hardly worth noting, but a bar is a bar. Just 727 left to go.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Bus To Bucerias
Today we decided to take a trip to the neighboring town of Bucerias, not to far across the Rio Ameca, in the neighboring state of Nayarit. This used to be a bit more of an adventure when there was just a gravel road connecting the two cities. Since they put up a huge resort at the north-end of the bay though they have built a fairly major highway that goes all the way out there and connects many of the the towns inbetween as well. Now it is a fairly short bus trip that only requires one change of buses. The local bus to the Sam's Club costs 4 pesos and then you switch to another bus that takes you to Bucerias for another 10 pesos. Bucerias, even though there is building going on in the surrounding areas, is still a pretty small town compared to Puerto Vallarta.
There are a series of restaurants along the beach in Bucerias that all have a somewhat similar configuration; a relatively plain large room at street level, an elevated balcony overlooking the bay, and steps leading down to tables on the beach. Many of these do not, however, have an actual bar and these I avoided.
267) La Palapa de Yemaya
This, the first I visited, had a bar with an orangish stained top and a rough yellow front. It had three very small shelves behind the bar that held a very limited selection of liquors. A Pepsi-machine looking refrigerator and a Sol cerveza cooler was also behind the bar and held the beer and sodas. The interior was pretty rustic with a faded red-painted cement floor, white plaster walls with blue trim, and orange and yellow arches. A few steps down and the beach and tables. A few steps up and the balcony overlooking the bay.
I had a decent blended margarita.
268) El Pescador
A dark-wood bar with two carved killer-whales decoration the front of the left side. It had a pool-table and a jukebox. The cement floor was unpainted and the ceiling was corrugated fiberglass. While I was having my drink a guy riding his horse passed by and the horse took a major dump in front of the place. The owner hollered at the guy who then got off his horse and cleaned up the mess. I reflected upon the fact that the horse that the mounted-police ride in New York City can pretty much crap anywhere they want and nobody cleans it up but in Mexico they have a bit more class. Particularly if the horse craps right in front of a restaurant. There was also an old parrot in a large wrought-iron cage that starting sqwuaking like made when a bunch of chattering schoolgirls passed by. There were a lot of little pinatas hanging from the ceiling and a nice balcony overlooking the bay.
I had a Pacifico.
269) Capri
A very small service-type of bar but it did have two stools. The bar had an orange cement front and a white-tile top. A nice view of the bay though, even from the bathroom if I stood on my toes. A half-dozen steps led down to tables on the beach and the main-room was extended out a bit for a kind of balcony. There was a red-painted cement floor and white walls. There were several white plastic tables and plastic chairs with a Pepsi logo on the back. The tables did have bright red and green checkered tablecloths. The whole place had a high palapa top.
I had a Pacifico.
270) Claudio's or Meson Bay
There was a bit of confusion about the name of this place. Multiple signs in front and a menu that said one thing and a card that said something else. I thought the ambiguity added to the charm so I didn't bother to clarify it. It had a cement-block bar with a dark wood top. There was a brick floor in the front and a sand floor in the back. A high palapa top with some large pinatas hanging from it. There were baskets of colorful artificial flowers hanging from the side of the bar facing the bay. The barstools were palm-tree stumps and not at all comfortable. Pretty much open air all around. There was a large Green Bay Packers banner and a smaller Minnesota Vikings banner hanging next to each other on the wall.
I had a margarita.
271) Mary's
We caught the bus and headed back to Puerto Vallarta. The bus stopped close to Mesa del CoCo (see an earlier post) and I wanted to show it to my friend. It appeared to be closed but very close to it was this similar local's bar. It had a nice wooden bar, a pool-table, 10 small wooden tables with green and white checkered tablecloths and wooden chairs. There was a jukebox and a large picture of Zapata hanging on the wall. The place had a pinkish-red cement floor and white walls. There were bare green lightbulbs in wall fixtures. There wasn't anyone in the place except for us and the two Mexican women running the place. Oh yeah, that Chinese woman was there too.
I had a Pacifico.
272) Mogambo
Walking home along the malecon I passed by this place, next to Zoo, which hadn't been open on my previous excursions. It must have just been opening up when we got there because it was empty. It is a nice, deep, dark place although it does have windows overlooking the bay. A wood and mirrored front to a black, marble-like, formica top and a nice brass rail. It was backed by very nice liquor cabinets that were lit from within. The barstools were plush fake leopardskin and swiveled. There was a fairly large raised dance floor behind the barstools and separated by a railing. Small tables with chairs lined the wall to the other side of the dancefloor. Above them on the wall were two large mirrors. One had a Led Zeppelin logo and the other had a Rolling Stones logo. There were multiple levels to this place and upstairs was at least one pool-table and several sofas.
I had a Tradicional-Jose Cuervo reposada. It was kind of unusual in that although they served it in a traditional brandy glass, the tequila itself was kept chilled, right along with the Jaegermeister. Guess this is a slamming them down type of crowd.
Headed home for good after this with 728 more bars staring me in the face. But they shall not defeat me. Tomorrow will probably be a much slower paced day.
There are a series of restaurants along the beach in Bucerias that all have a somewhat similar configuration; a relatively plain large room at street level, an elevated balcony overlooking the bay, and steps leading down to tables on the beach. Many of these do not, however, have an actual bar and these I avoided.
267) La Palapa de Yemaya
This, the first I visited, had a bar with an orangish stained top and a rough yellow front. It had three very small shelves behind the bar that held a very limited selection of liquors. A Pepsi-machine looking refrigerator and a Sol cerveza cooler was also behind the bar and held the beer and sodas. The interior was pretty rustic with a faded red-painted cement floor, white plaster walls with blue trim, and orange and yellow arches. A few steps down and the beach and tables. A few steps up and the balcony overlooking the bay.
I had a decent blended margarita.
268) El Pescador
A dark-wood bar with two carved killer-whales decoration the front of the left side. It had a pool-table and a jukebox. The cement floor was unpainted and the ceiling was corrugated fiberglass. While I was having my drink a guy riding his horse passed by and the horse took a major dump in front of the place. The owner hollered at the guy who then got off his horse and cleaned up the mess. I reflected upon the fact that the horse that the mounted-police ride in New York City can pretty much crap anywhere they want and nobody cleans it up but in Mexico they have a bit more class. Particularly if the horse craps right in front of a restaurant. There was also an old parrot in a large wrought-iron cage that starting sqwuaking like made when a bunch of chattering schoolgirls passed by. There were a lot of little pinatas hanging from the ceiling and a nice balcony overlooking the bay.
I had a Pacifico.
269) Capri
A very small service-type of bar but it did have two stools. The bar had an orange cement front and a white-tile top. A nice view of the bay though, even from the bathroom if I stood on my toes. A half-dozen steps led down to tables on the beach and the main-room was extended out a bit for a kind of balcony. There was a red-painted cement floor and white walls. There were several white plastic tables and plastic chairs with a Pepsi logo on the back. The tables did have bright red and green checkered tablecloths. The whole place had a high palapa top.
I had a Pacifico.
270) Claudio's or Meson Bay
There was a bit of confusion about the name of this place. Multiple signs in front and a menu that said one thing and a card that said something else. I thought the ambiguity added to the charm so I didn't bother to clarify it. It had a cement-block bar with a dark wood top. There was a brick floor in the front and a sand floor in the back. A high palapa top with some large pinatas hanging from it. There were baskets of colorful artificial flowers hanging from the side of the bar facing the bay. The barstools were palm-tree stumps and not at all comfortable. Pretty much open air all around. There was a large Green Bay Packers banner and a smaller Minnesota Vikings banner hanging next to each other on the wall.
I had a margarita.
271) Mary's
We caught the bus and headed back to Puerto Vallarta. The bus stopped close to Mesa del CoCo (see an earlier post) and I wanted to show it to my friend. It appeared to be closed but very close to it was this similar local's bar. It had a nice wooden bar, a pool-table, 10 small wooden tables with green and white checkered tablecloths and wooden chairs. There was a jukebox and a large picture of Zapata hanging on the wall. The place had a pinkish-red cement floor and white walls. There were bare green lightbulbs in wall fixtures. There wasn't anyone in the place except for us and the two Mexican women running the place. Oh yeah, that Chinese woman was there too.
I had a Pacifico.
272) Mogambo
Walking home along the malecon I passed by this place, next to Zoo, which hadn't been open on my previous excursions. It must have just been opening up when we got there because it was empty. It is a nice, deep, dark place although it does have windows overlooking the bay. A wood and mirrored front to a black, marble-like, formica top and a nice brass rail. It was backed by very nice liquor cabinets that were lit from within. The barstools were plush fake leopardskin and swiveled. There was a fairly large raised dance floor behind the barstools and separated by a railing. Small tables with chairs lined the wall to the other side of the dancefloor. Above them on the wall were two large mirrors. One had a Led Zeppelin logo and the other had a Rolling Stones logo. There were multiple levels to this place and upstairs was at least one pool-table and several sofas.
I had a Tradicional-Jose Cuervo reposada. It was kind of unusual in that although they served it in a traditional brandy glass, the tequila itself was kept chilled, right along with the Jaegermeister. Guess this is a slamming them down type of crowd.
Headed home for good after this with 728 more bars staring me in the face. But they shall not defeat me. Tomorrow will probably be a much slower paced day.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
A Six-Inch Yard Of Tequila
A bright sunny day and we got off to a good start. While my friend showered my wife and I went to the pier where I tried out my Ron Popeil Pocket Fisherman. The locals using fishing-line wrapped around an empty plastic soda bottle were stunned by the level of technology I brought to the table. Of course they were catching fish while I was not.
260) La Palapa
Probably the classiest beach-front restaurant and bar in Puerto Vallarta. The hurricane that hit here a few years back did a lot of damage to these bars but they have all been rebuilt and are much fancier, and more expensive, than they were. And they were pretty nice then. The bar had a golden-tan ceramic front and a multi-hued marble top. Mirrors behind it let you see the beach even with your back towards it. There are nice acrylic shaded lamps over the bar, kind of tan with little dots. The barstools are plush and have backs to them. There is a nice little lounge behind the bar where you can sit and have a drink while listening to live music, when they have it. They have a state-of-the-art temperature controlled storage bin for the wines they serve by the glass.
I had a Modelo especial at the bar before we sat down for breakfast. It was 30 pesos for a beer which is a bit on the pricey side, but they served it in a nice frosted pilsner glass. De classe all the way.
261) La Margarita
Down the beach a bit is another place with tables and loungers out on the beach. Inside is a fairly large bar but only three stools. It looks like it is more of a service bar because the bring the drinks out to you if you are sitting on the beach, like most people would do, unless you are on a quest. The bar area itself is up a short flight of steps so you have a nice view overlooking the beach. Traditional Mexican tiles underfoot. The bar itself is brick with a dark wooden top. There was a very pleasant breeze. The decor itself was pretty sparse, most of the action, as I mentioned, taking place outside on the beach. A few ceramic dolphins and a ceramic seahorse adorning a peach-colored pillar and a poster of pink flowers on another wall. There were five dozen eggs in cartons over our left shoulder. Although we were advised that the tequila we ordered was too good for a lime, we were offered a bowl of lime-slices anyway. The scantily-clad Chinese woman at the end of the bar took some of ours and thrust them into the narrow neck of her beer bottle.
I had a generous pour Don Julio Reposado tequila in a large snifter.
262) Meson de Calderon
Over the bridge into the north-side of town this place is on a sidestreet right across from the flea-market. There was a piano player which was quite nice. The place had light-pink wals and a fishing-net canopy was hung over the bar. Garlands of brightly colored artificial flowers were draped behind the brick bar that had a light-tan formica top. There were pictures of old mexico, some move posters of Liz Taylor, John Wayne, and Marilyn Monroe. There was also a large autographed picture of Carlos Rondero and some picture, not posters, of bull-fights and bull-fighters. On the wall seperating the bathrooms from the rest of the place were serveral carved, realistic and somewhat spooky-looking, heads.
I had a el Jimador Reposado that they served in six-inch minatures of the yard-of-beer glasses that you sometimes see. The actually had two of those larger glasses (but I think only the half-yard variety) on the bar ready for action.
263) Hotel Rio
Next door and up a few steps was this wooden bar that had a nice, sturdy bar-rail. It had 5 stools with acrylic cushions. There was a large sailfish mounted on the ceiling for some reason. I guess to give you something to look at if you toppled backwards off of your barstool. This place had a piano, but no piano player. It was kind of austere with a grey tile floor and white-washed walls. It was very nice and sunny though. There was a ceramic replica of an old diver's helmet in a niche in the wall.
I had another shot of el Jimador Reposado.
264) Papi Chulo Bar
Things took an interesting turn here. Before I could order my first shot of tequila my buddy, sitting on the otherside of a small partition, managed to down two of them. This was kind of a local bar tucked into the flea-market. It looked like a lot of the customers were off-duty timeshare hustlers. The ones that get you to show up a a timeshare presentation with offers of money, discounts to festivals, etc. Nobody approached us, however, so I guess they were on break. We were pretty much surrounded by tee-shirts on display so you would kind of have to say this place had a distinctly unique ambience. A friendly bartender and a total lack of will-power on our part resulted in us drinking way more than we should have.
I had at least 5 shots of tequila and my friend had a few more than that.
265) River Cafe
We managed to make it over the wooden-slate and cable bridge to get to the island in the middle of the river and stopped by the River Cafe. You may recall I said I had eaten here with friends before but there were too many of us to sit at the bar. This time with just the three of us the number of bar-stools was perfect. This is a really nice looking place right on the river.
I had a shot of tequila but I don't remember what kind. My friend wrote it down but I can't read it. I wonder if the fact that we have now had at least 10 shots of tequila has anything to do with this?
266)Opium Garden
Still on the island but heading toward home we passed this place. It is fairly new, but I can't remember the name of the place that was here last year. This place has a nice modern, although somewhat austere, decor and the three of us were the only ones in there. It looked like they might just be setting up for the evening.
One last shot of tequila and it was time to go home, although we stopped to get hotdogs from the famous hotdog lady on the way.
All and all a very good day in some respects, not the least of which we were all still standing at the end of it. Just 734 left to go.
260) La Palapa
Probably the classiest beach-front restaurant and bar in Puerto Vallarta. The hurricane that hit here a few years back did a lot of damage to these bars but they have all been rebuilt and are much fancier, and more expensive, than they were. And they were pretty nice then. The bar had a golden-tan ceramic front and a multi-hued marble top. Mirrors behind it let you see the beach even with your back towards it. There are nice acrylic shaded lamps over the bar, kind of tan with little dots. The barstools are plush and have backs to them. There is a nice little lounge behind the bar where you can sit and have a drink while listening to live music, when they have it. They have a state-of-the-art temperature controlled storage bin for the wines they serve by the glass.
I had a Modelo especial at the bar before we sat down for breakfast. It was 30 pesos for a beer which is a bit on the pricey side, but they served it in a nice frosted pilsner glass. De classe all the way.
261) La Margarita
Down the beach a bit is another place with tables and loungers out on the beach. Inside is a fairly large bar but only three stools. It looks like it is more of a service bar because the bring the drinks out to you if you are sitting on the beach, like most people would do, unless you are on a quest. The bar area itself is up a short flight of steps so you have a nice view overlooking the beach. Traditional Mexican tiles underfoot. The bar itself is brick with a dark wooden top. There was a very pleasant breeze. The decor itself was pretty sparse, most of the action, as I mentioned, taking place outside on the beach. A few ceramic dolphins and a ceramic seahorse adorning a peach-colored pillar and a poster of pink flowers on another wall. There were five dozen eggs in cartons over our left shoulder. Although we were advised that the tequila we ordered was too good for a lime, we were offered a bowl of lime-slices anyway. The scantily-clad Chinese woman at the end of the bar took some of ours and thrust them into the narrow neck of her beer bottle.
I had a generous pour Don Julio Reposado tequila in a large snifter.
262) Meson de Calderon
Over the bridge into the north-side of town this place is on a sidestreet right across from the flea-market. There was a piano player which was quite nice. The place had light-pink wals and a fishing-net canopy was hung over the bar. Garlands of brightly colored artificial flowers were draped behind the brick bar that had a light-tan formica top. There were pictures of old mexico, some move posters of Liz Taylor, John Wayne, and Marilyn Monroe. There was also a large autographed picture of Carlos Rondero and some picture, not posters, of bull-fights and bull-fighters. On the wall seperating the bathrooms from the rest of the place were serveral carved, realistic and somewhat spooky-looking, heads.
I had a el Jimador Reposado that they served in six-inch minatures of the yard-of-beer glasses that you sometimes see. The actually had two of those larger glasses (but I think only the half-yard variety) on the bar ready for action.
263) Hotel Rio
Next door and up a few steps was this wooden bar that had a nice, sturdy bar-rail. It had 5 stools with acrylic cushions. There was a large sailfish mounted on the ceiling for some reason. I guess to give you something to look at if you toppled backwards off of your barstool. This place had a piano, but no piano player. It was kind of austere with a grey tile floor and white-washed walls. It was very nice and sunny though. There was a ceramic replica of an old diver's helmet in a niche in the wall.
I had another shot of el Jimador Reposado.
264) Papi Chulo Bar
Things took an interesting turn here. Before I could order my first shot of tequila my buddy, sitting on the otherside of a small partition, managed to down two of them. This was kind of a local bar tucked into the flea-market. It looked like a lot of the customers were off-duty timeshare hustlers. The ones that get you to show up a a timeshare presentation with offers of money, discounts to festivals, etc. Nobody approached us, however, so I guess they were on break. We were pretty much surrounded by tee-shirts on display so you would kind of have to say this place had a distinctly unique ambience. A friendly bartender and a total lack of will-power on our part resulted in us drinking way more than we should have.
I had at least 5 shots of tequila and my friend had a few more than that.
265) River Cafe
We managed to make it over the wooden-slate and cable bridge to get to the island in the middle of the river and stopped by the River Cafe. You may recall I said I had eaten here with friends before but there were too many of us to sit at the bar. This time with just the three of us the number of bar-stools was perfect. This is a really nice looking place right on the river.
I had a shot of tequila but I don't remember what kind. My friend wrote it down but I can't read it. I wonder if the fact that we have now had at least 10 shots of tequila has anything to do with this?
266)Opium Garden
Still on the island but heading toward home we passed this place. It is fairly new, but I can't remember the name of the place that was here last year. This place has a nice modern, although somewhat austere, decor and the three of us were the only ones in there. It looked like they might just be setting up for the evening.
One last shot of tequila and it was time to go home, although we stopped to get hotdogs from the famous hotdog lady on the way.
All and all a very good day in some respects, not the least of which we were all still standing at the end of it. Just 734 left to go.
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