VALLARTA PEOPLE
|
Café de Olla
|
June 15th, 2003
By Anna Reisman |
 When
we first moved to Puerto Vallarta, this was a tiny restaurant
with only a very few tables, the most Mexican of all
the restaurants around the south side …and it
was always full. Even then.
Today, the locale has expanded, gradually
adding one dining room after another after another …and
it is still always full. There is a very good reason
for the continuing success of the Café de Olla:
the quality of the food is consistently good, the service
is fast, courteous, bilingual and fun, and the prices
are reasonable. Furthermore, the ambiance is just great.
It’s loud and lively. The hustle and bustle reminds
me of the lunch hour bedlam at one of those super popular
delis in the States or Canada.
 You
have to be lucky to get a table at Café de Olla
without having to wait outside, at least for a little
while. (They don’t take reservations.) But that
too has become part of the experience there. People
meet, they get to chat, to know each other, compare
things… all while they breathe in the rich aromas
coming from the outdoor grill where the Café’s
trademark baked potatoes disappear as fast as they are
made.
Naturally, you will find everything
you could possibly want on the menu, typical Mexican
appetizers, soups, salads, fish and seafood, chicken
and meat, finger-lickin’ great ribs, fajitas of
all kinds, and combinations of your choice. At Café
de Olla, the kitchen and its humungous grill are located
right in the front of the place, out in the open, so
that everyone can see how clean it is and how every
dish is made. By the way, the totopos are also made
fresh right there, every day.  (Those
are the deliciously crispy fried corn tortilla chips
we call nachos up north, the ones we use to scoop up
the salsa and the guacamole with...)
And of course, you shouldn’t
forget the desserts and the coffee. As the name of the
establishment implies, the latter is the traditional
“café de olla”, an aromatic blend
of coffee and cinnamon, simmered in a large clay pot.
Try it, it’s lovely.
A satisfying 3-course dinner will
set you back less than $200. pesos on average, not including
tax or tips. The Café de Olla is located at 168
Basilio Badillo, near the corner of Olas Altas in the
Zona Romantica. Please note that they’re closed
on Tuesdays and they don’t accept credit cards.
Tel.: 223-1626.
Anna Reisman visits restaurants anonymously.
She and her friends pay in full for all food, wine and
services. Any interviews of the restaurants' management
and staff are done only after meals and services have
been appraised. She does not accept invitations to evaluate
restaurants.
El Dorado Serves
Up Worldly Dishes Each Wednesday
By Ed Hutmacher
June 15th, 2003
The El Dorado Restaurant-Bar added
an international flair to their menu selection June
4th, called "Flavors of the World". Patrons
can sample featured foods and spirits from different
regions of countries around the globe each Wednesday
for the next nine weeks.
"We wanted to give our patrons
something special to look forward to this summer,"
explained Rafael Arciniega, manager of El Dorado. "We
already have an excellent menu to choose from. But by
adding a different international dish every Wednesday,
our customers can enjoy something different."
Chef Guillermo Wulff III, an alumnus
of the California Culinary Academy, prepares the cuisine.
The different menu each week offers a choice of salad
or appetizer, a choice of entrée, and the opportunity
to sample three glasses of vintage wine for $235 pesos
per couple. Music from the respective countries is performed
live during the evening meal starting at 6:00 pm.
El Dorado is one of the oldest restaurant-bars
in Puerto Vallarta and a popular place to lounge beneath
palm-thatched umbrellas on Los Muertos Beach during
the day or dine inside the sprawling restaurant just
a few steps away.
Built in 1961, El Dorado became a
gathering point in 1963 for the famous actor-celebrities
and crew working on the movie "The Night of the
Iguana." The restaurant suffered serious damage
from Hurricane Kenna in October last year and has since
been totally, beautifully remodeled.
For reservations or more information,
call 222-4124.
"Flavors of the World":
Mexico - June 4, Germany - June 11, Australia - June
18, Spain - June 25, Italy - July 2, Chile - July 9,
France - July 16, Argentina - July 23, California -
July 30, Portugal - August 6.
Archives
by date
| 
Current
Weather Report
