Slumming in Puerto Vallarta

The whales were breaching, the iguanas were rutting, but unfortunately our camera situation just was not working. Crazy how things work out like that, you know, sometimes….uh.



Starting in Puerto Vallarta, we loitered around the Playa Los Muertos, soaking up the sun, drinking sangria, enjoying the local flavor. An exciting city, P.V. is full of great restaurants, art galleries and for those people that just can’t get enough, foam parties just about every night. For us, the Senora and I, most importantly, lazy beach living and quite romantic evenings spent watching the fireworks over the Banderas Bay.





After a few days of the easy P.V. life, we rented a car and trekked north along the Pacific coast, past Sayulita to our final destination, the tiny town of San Francisco (San Poncho). Our days were spent drinking cold beer and laying in the sun. And when the fancy took us, head in town for a serving of red snapper from the Café Del Mar or maybe a massive 16oz Argentinean rib eye cooked to perfection from Mar Plata.



Back on the near empty San Poncho beach, giant shrimp filled cocktails, enjoyed with shots of Don Julio 1492 tequila ($4), forget the $20 Don Julio shot at Vivo in Austin, and always the endless sound of the sometimes 6 foot waves, breaking on the shore. San Poncho was just that tranquil sort of place the Senora and I needed. A well deserved vacation away from the sounds and smells of the cityscape.






Sayulita proved quit a surprise. We parked the car and slowly made our way down to the beach only to discover upon arrival a vibrant hippy crazed surfer movement going on. An amazingly beautiful town, Sayulita is tucked into a cove of small jungle covered hills dotted with inexpensive hotels and condos. Sayulita is a true haven for the budget minded soul that reads High Times and digs surfing, then all combined with a love for a fantastic beach to lie around on. Cool man.



We had a tasty margarita pizza from Don Pedro's (nice crunchy crust, kinda like Austin's own East Side Pie), washing it down with a mojito or two. After that we just kicked back and relaxed checking out the beach from our perch at the restaurant. Hard living, folks!

Chango's - Austin, TEXAS

Just a quickie….I stopped by Chango’s (3023 Guadalupe) on the drag, next door to the Wheatsville Co-op, for some breakfast tacos around 9am. Mrs. Food and Polly were hungry and had put me to work fetching food. If you haven’t been to Chango’s, that’s ok, it caters to the UT crowd, mostly. It has its own parking lot and on this morning it was not a problem for me to find a spot.

The inside is nice and open. Big windows face out to Guadalupe making for good people watching. I was the only person in the restaurant at that exact moment so I had the complete attention of everyone that working….or so I thought. I placed my order of 6 tacos, 4 with flour and 2 with corn. Chango’s is known for making its own tortillas both flour and corn. It’s always a good time watching the tort lady do her thing. After 10 mins or so, I had my breakfast tacos and headed down the road.



When I delivered Mrs. Food her tacos, we realized that all six where flour……noooooo. I was so disappointed, I could have cried. I was the only person in the restaurant, how could they have missed my order? I had ordered 2 egg bean and cheese tacos, which I liked very much. Not giant but not small, the beans tasted great and the flour tortilla……o yes, so good. The six tacos cost around $13.50…give or take a nickel.

Mr. Food gives Chango’s One spoon up. Sorry guys, but how do you miss your only customers order? The food I received was just fine, the torts where fantastic. I also felt the cost was a little out of hand. I am use to paying about a $1 each per taco from my favorite taco shack…the Tamale House on Airport. Check Chango’s out; let me know what you guys think. I also understand that Chango’s is WiFi…..cool. Other people have also told me that the fish tacos are worth the tip to Chango’s.

Chango’s
3023 Guadalupe
480 8226

Cafe Any - Zihuatanejo, Mexico

On our recent trip to Mexico, Mrs. Food and I had the opportunity to sample some really amazing food. I ate so much, at times I thought was going to pop. We took photos of most of the food that we ate, and as the photos become available I will post photos blogs with a brief description of the meal and the serving restaurant. Some of the plates are truly beautiful, real artistic endeavors…..so sit back and enjoy.

Café Any, located in the central shopping district of Zihuatanejo, is a must stop for people that truly savor a good tamale. Famous for its food, Café Any is always busy with a steady stream of world travelers seeking, what some consider, the holy grail of tamales. But this day, I decided to try Café Any's Pozole and Mrs. Food had the consommé.



The traditional Pozole Verde, served with chilies, onions, radish, avocado, Mexican oregano, dried red chilies, pork rinds, and chips. That is some meal! Chicken and veggie consommé, served with chilies, onions, and lime. We also tried the queso fundido (melted cheese) with poblano peppers and corn tortillas. Absolutely dee-licious!



One of our favorites...Tamales y Atoles Any. A great local restaurant in downtown Zihuatanejo.