Category Archives: Restaurant, Stores, Bars

We don’t “do” reviews, per se, but when a place really captures our fancy, we might write about it.

Bento Grill: Worthwhile East Asian Food

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If you read this blog you know I crave Asian food. I make it at home, but finding good Asian food in a restaurant here (I know you all have your favorite Chinese place) is not easy. My favorite sushi place (Mahi Sushi), which opened with huge success, has sadly fired their chef in an effort to save costs, and the food is definitely not what it was originally. Bummer!

This past week we visited a new place, owned by a Korean-American guy from Orange County, Brad. He also owns the yoghurt place in La Comercial Mexicana/MEGA. It’s called “Bento Grill,” “box lunch” in Japanese, and is housed where Boba Tea/Saigon Sandwiches used to be. Sad loss of great noodles and bubble tea now that that’s gone!

Anyway, Bento Grill is offering up a few different kinds of bento-box lunches that include a deliciously spicy miso soup, and in the box lunch itself salad, kimchi, fried shrimp, white rice, and your choice of main dish. I had bulgogi beef (ribeye) and Greg tried the spiced pork, which we both very much enjoyed. The menu also includes short ribs and chicken bento boxes, as well as okonomiyaki/seafood pancake, and tacos made from the same Korean-spiced meats. The bento boxes were 120 pesos and very hearty and tasty, and we really loved the soup, too. Greg and I both took some home as there was too much food.

Spiced pork bento
Bulgogi beef bento

Bento Grill is well worth checking out if you have a craving for some Korean flavors in your day. They have indoor, air conditioned seating, which is so important this time of year, both upstairs and down. Brad told me we are all welcome to bring our own bottle (wine, alcohol, beer) to enjoy with our meal. The restaurant is open noon to 10:00 pm every day except Monday. Located at Camarón Sábalo #552, just north of Munchkins and across from and north of Dairy Queen. Telephone 669 913 0787

FINALLY! Love from a sushi-snob, right here in Mazatlán

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Photo from the Mahi Sushi Facebook page

It all began with a photo on Facebook, similar to the one above, posted by my friend Gaby. Since she lives much of the year in southern California, home of some awesome sushi, her message definitely got my attention:

“Deliiiiiiiciosoooo! Vengan a #mahisushibistro. Hiper recomendado! #visitamazatlan”

“Where is it, Gaby?” I quickly texted, and it turns out this magical Mahi Sushi Bistro (01 669 983 2801) is practically right next door to me, on Avenida del Mar in the former coffee shop site between the Hotel Don Pelayo and Hotel Amigos Plaza. Because today I am mourning the departure of my cousins who were visiting us for Christmas, we attempted to cheer ourselves up by trying this place.

And—oh my—what a place it is! Everything we were served was a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds! And SUCH generous portions! We waddled out, as the taste was so good we couldn’t stop ourselves from finishing all that we were served.

With the abundant fresh-caught fish and seafood we have available to us here in Mazatlán, it makes sense that we have sushi shops on every corner. But I’ve tried many of them, and am in love with none. I will admit that, after living so many years in Japan and commuting there for over half of my life, I am a bit of a sushi snob. Cream cheese does NOT belong in quality sushi, IMHO, and sushi menus should NOT be comprised of all cooked rather than raw fish! Don’t even get me started on the mayonnaise and kamaboko (surimi) that most Mazatlecos put in sushi rolls.

While Mahi Sushi is most definitely not the traditional sushi I know and crave,  I definitely agree with my friend: do yourself a favor and check it out!

They advertise themselves as a fusion of Japanese cuisine and Sea of Cortés flavors. The menu includes fresh sashimi, some standard nigiri, a few cooked dishes, and a creative variety of sushi rolls filled with lobster, prawns, crab, mahi-mahi, sword fish, tuna, octopus, eel, oysters, marlin, masago, and roe. Add to that mango, avocado, chambray onions, and cilantro; topped with sauces such as ponzu, Thai-style green curry, or ginger dressing; and garnished with peppers (jalapeños, serranos, habaneros, Caribbean escafaldo), garlic chips, green tea salt, or black and white sesame seeds… the heady combination of international flavors made me feel that I’d died and gone to heaven! I owe you, Gaby dear!

Sous chef Jorge

Sous chef Jorge and a sample of the generous portions

Chef Ricardo worked at Nick-san in Los Cabos. We are so fortunate that he has brought his eye for flair and his excellent taste to Mazatlán! He has taught his sous-chef, Jorge, who prepared all our food today, impressively well. Mahi Sushi is owned by Carlos Moreno, who is currently out of town for the holiday.

When we sat down, so many things on the menu looked so good that we were befuddled what to order. The waiter brought us over a tasting of the Sashimi Currican: spicy kani (the imitation crab made from fish cake) and avocado topped with thin slices of mahi-mahi, yuzu (soy sauce mixed with yuzu citrus fruit), and black and white sesame seeds. Oh so good! Next up were the dumplings we’d ordered as an appetizer—filled with ground smoked pork and vegetables, covered in a house sauce, served on a bed of lettuce with a beautiful fresh beet garnish.

Sashimi Currican
Pork Dumplings

I ordered a Mango Roll (below): spicy crab and prawn tempura wrapped in colorful soy paper, topped with fresh mango and serrano pepper. I would add that this roll did include cream cheese, which it did not need, and which was not noted on the menu. The sous chef told me it’s their only roll that includes cream cheese, unluckily for me. Other than that, the dish was superb.

Mango Roll
Mango Roll

Our son Danny, who always orders the best thing at the table, did so again today (below). Every one of us sopped up the incredible sauce from this dish! Crab, shrimp tempura, cilantro, mango and  avocado in a soy paper-wrapped rice roll, placed on a bed of Thai green curry sauce. This was completely to die for!

Green Curry Roll
Green Curry Roll

Greg ordered fried rice, which was also very good. All of this was obviously way too much food for three people, though it was all so good that not a grain of rice remained on any plate. The waiter, however, brought us a second tasting: Sashimi Black and White—thin slices of sword fish, black and white sesame seeds, purple onion relish, a crisp-fried slice of garlic, and a bit of curry oil, served on a bed of ponzu. This too was awesome.

Sashimi Black and White

Sashimi Black and White

The interior of Mahi Sushi is simple, clean, bright and pleasant.

Interior
Interior
Interior

The views from the restaurant are direct to the ocean, the islands, and downtown, looking past the cars on the Avenue, of course.

Views to the ocean
Views to the ocean

I was enthralled with Mahi Sushi, and hope it will succeed. It is a wonderful addition to our local restaurant scene. Because it’s a new place, and the staff seems dedicated and enthusiastic, I’d like to offer a few small (nitpick but important) suggestions in hopes that they might be helpful.

  1. With a place of this caliber and this price point (on the high end for Mazatlán), please purchase some chopstick rests (or chopstick “pillows,” as we say in Japanese). Otherwise the waiters have to touch our chopsticks as they clear the dishes, which is far from ideal. The rests would also add a quality look to the table setting.
  2. The climate here in Mazatlán demands coasters for cold drink glasses, or the table quickly becomes flooded. I improvised both the rests and the coasters for us today (photo below).
  3. The generous dish of shouga/pickled ginger and the beautiful serving of wasabi were terrific. I was disappointed, however, that just like every other sushi place in town, I had to ask for wasabi in order to get it. If these gorgeous dishes were served without the customer having to specially request them, wouldn’t that be wonderful? Maybe that’s too wasteful for those who don’t eat them?
  4. PLEASE purchase some green tea and a teapot! 😉
    My homemade chopstick pillow and coaster
    Gorgeously detailed wasabi and generous portion of shouga

I do hope that Mahi Sushi Bistro meets with much success. They already appear to get quite crowded in the evening, and with a young, hip crowd of clientele. Let us hope!

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NOTE: Each time we write about a restaurant, we receive requests and suggestions for other restaurants to review. VidaMaz does not write restaurant reviews. We write about our every day life here, as expats in Mazatlán (“la vida Mazatleca”). If we happen upon a restaurant, bar or shop that we love or think is noteworthy, we often publish about it (if our busy lives permit). We trust you’ll understand.

Las Barbikiu de Cochi – Great ribs right here in Mazatlan!

One of the most commonly searched out foods in Mazatlan is great ribs. Most of what passes for great ribs in town are not, they are just relatively better than what everyone else has. Well, the bar has just been raised. Oswaldo Cordero opened his new barbecue stand on Saturday Sept. 28. These are meat packed ribs with incredible smokey flavor and a homemade sauce. Oswaldo lived in the Bay Area for over 12 years and is happy to speak English with you. Click through the pictures to learn more, like how to find him!

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/barbikiudecochi?fref=ts
Phone 669-932-89-39
Deliveries available for orders over 3 kilos – but then you miss the chance to talk to the Sheriff!

Open seven days a week beginning at 1:00 until around 5:00. Rain or shine!

Finger lickin’ good – provecho!

Sheriff Oswaldo!
Don’t these look good?
This is the sign to look for on Rafael Buelna
Just off of Rafael Buelna, across from the bull ring, under the large billboard currently advertising for dportenis.
The Sheriff’s got his own secret sauce recipe – it is very good, but he happy to not put on sauce – just tell him.
The smell from this smoker it awesome!

La Nueva Generación/New Generation of Mazatlán Restaurants

We love seafood. Ceviche, filete al ajo, camarones a la diabla, callos de hacha…. all those terrific and typical dishes we have the pleasure of eating deliciously and cheaply here in Mazatlán. We acknowledge that it’s an incredibly spoiled thought even to have quickly pass through one’s mind, but sometimes we crave something a little different. We want something a little less “standard,” a little out of the ordinary.

We were in luck last spring when a group of new restaurants, run by a younger generation of Mazatlecos in their 20s and 30s, opened. The owners have traveled; they’ve lived and studied outside Mazatlán. They love our port city, and they are excited to take the “best of” what they like in Mazatleco food and prepare it in a way that creates something a little different. First they started adding mango, pineapple and coconut to the traditional ceviches. Then they added pastor spices to the grilled fish. Then they starting searing (hooray!) ahi with Asian sauces and sesame, and pretty soon, we had complete menus of a really innovative, fusion cuisine that are keeping our family very happy.

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Our favorite of these is the wonderfully named Barracruda’s (for those of you who don’t speak Spanish, the name is a play on words: barracuda, the fish, and “raw bar”). Run by a group of hipster surfer-types, the upscale beach-hut-in-suburbia is filled with young people, but the owners are friendly, outgoing and always very welcoming of our family. They serve up seared fresh tuna that is to die for, and ceviches, quesadillas, burritos and tacos unlike anything you’ve eaten. You will love it! Greg has even taken the guys there for compadre night, and those old-time Mazatlecos loved it, too. They serve wonderful tajin-rimmed micheladas, mixed with lime just the way we like them. Their service is fast and efficient and the prices are a real bargain. Sports fans will find some nice large flat screens as well.

The one downside for us is that they are usually crowded. Fortunately they are building a second location right across the street (Avenida de la Marina at Durango 335, north of Insurgentes about seven blocks), which they hope to have open in November. While we speak Spanish with them, you can be confident the owners and most of the staff speak English quite well. Many of you no doubt are already fans, but if you haven’t checked out Barracruda’s, please do.

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149045_554355397938192_36127251_nThe great news is that just down the street is another of our favorites: Todos Somos Santos (“We are All Saints”). Todos Santos is much more open, so in the summer you get more natural breeze blowing through. It’s a much bigger place, so you don’t have the crowding issues (although it is also very popular, especially with families on the weekends). They have just added really gorgeous new roofing, to keep the rain and sun at bay during this time of year. The owners and staff here are extremely hospitable. The crowd here is also young, but with a whole lot of families and groups. You will love it.

The chef (Manny) speaks English perfectly, having worked a long time in Texas. He makes up a variety of fresh sauces daily that will blow your mind. Then he puts them over fresh seafood mixed with avocado, mango, coconut, pineapple… You can have tuna chicharrón or callos/scallops like you have not had them before. The tostadas are huge and filling. Waiters here will bring out funny hats to amuse you as they sing happy birthday to a nearby guest, so you get a bit of the party vibe, too. Compared to Barracruda’s, Todos Santos has more cooked food and more “entree” type items. Whichever you choose, you won’t leave hungry.  It’s on Avenida de la Marina 800, in El Toreo. You can’t miss it — it’s right on the corner behind Soriana, bright and airy.

Portions at both of these places are huge, and the prices are generally 75-100 pesos per entree.

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399866_138666922986126_1737127503_nLeaving Avenida de la Marina and going down into the Golden Zone, in a place that has housed several different restaurants the past few years, is F.I.S.H. (Fresh International Seafood House). You will find it behind Rico’s coffee and Mary’s Hamburger in the spot where Mr. Ace’s stood for so long. The atmosphere here is completely different. Whereas Todos Santos and Barracruda’s are warm, friendly and colorful, F.I.S.H. is modern minimalist — clean whites and shiny aluminums. Here you’ll find wild rice, raisins mixed in the mango salsa, lobster and oyster po-boys, salmon burgers, kabobs, french fries in the burritos, ceviches served to you out of a mold, happy hour from 5 – 10 pm and live music a few times a week. F.I.S.H. has indoor, air-conditioned space, in addition to the terrace. It was started by one of the original founders of The Fish Market. We are happy to see the creative menu, but personally feel the execution is a work in progress and the atmosphere is still trying to find its way. Pricing in this restaurant has some real bargains and some over-priced basics. It’s a cool addition to our local restaurant scene, and hopefully the kinks will work out over time (this is the most recent of the four to have opened).

Overall, we love the trend. In most cities a radical influx like this would cause the old-line traditional restaurants to take a look at their menu, service and atmosphere and decide if they want to make a competitive tweak here and there. We have not seen this play out yet. Is this because they are waiting to see if these young guns will make a go of it, or are they happy to attract a different crowd? Only time will tell. Until then, we are happy to have some real variety available and will continue to enjoy all that Mazatlán has to offer in the way of seafood restaurants.

UPDATE 2 SEPTEMBER: Since we published this, Muelle 12 owners have confirmed that the restaurant will NOT reopen to the public. It will instead become a bar for Pacífico Beer, at least according to them. They have opened a new place in the GZ called XiBalba (behind Casa Maya/across from Hotel Las Flores). To prevent confusion, we’ve deleted the original Muelle 12 portion of this post.

Fine Swine

Where in Mazatlán can you get:

  • Pork loin that is lower in fat and cholesterol than a boneless, skinless chicken breast? (The pigs are fed yoghurt and a special mix of grains.)
  • Chorizo that’s low in fat and made with fresh chile, so it doesn’t give you heartburn?
  • Beef, chicken, fresh panelita cheese, marlin escabeche, as well as
  • Priceless advice on anti-cancer nutrition from a cancer-survivor with a masters in food science, accompanied by
  • A history of Mazatlán as told by long-time family business owners (many of our readers may remember Restaurant Doney on Cinco de Mayo, now the government library).

This multi-faceted carnicería is one we have been enjoying for a few months now, and is called Chikkowi. It is on the malecón, just north of the fishing pangas, right next to Pescadería del Mar (Paseo Claussen No. 97, telephone 193-0144). Alfonso Tirado Ibarra (Poncho) opened it in mid-June, and you can find him at work alongside his mother, Lourdes Ibarra Almada, Monday through Friday 8 to 3, and Saturdays 9 to 2. Poncho and Lourdes both speak excellent English as well as their native Spanish.

Theirs is the family that ran Doney Restaurant on Cinco de Mayo for over 40 years. After it closed, Lourdes sold Kowi pork out of her home to friends, neighbors and restaurants, delivering it all over town for 20 years. The Sonora-based Kowi company is owned by Lourdes’ brother-in-law, Manuel Santini. “Kowi” means “pork” in the native language from the Sonora area of Mexico. Kowi is a huge operation serving all of Mexico as well as the U.S., Japan and Korea. They are HAACP and USDA certified. They have various varieties of pigs and design custom diets to ensure the healthiest and tastiest pork products available.

With grandchildren to tend to and her son home in Mazatlán, Lourdes and Poncho decided to open a store where anyone could enjoy the great pork products brought down from Sonora. Being Mazatlecos they know that locals don’t eat a lot of pork; here it’s fish and beef, followed by chicken, with pork in a distant fourth place. So, the mother and son team sought out the best beef and chicken as well to round out their offerings. The beef they bring in is from Monterrey; Monterrey and Sonora are known for having the best beef in Mexico. The chicken is also from Sonora. Sadly for us, they don’t (yet) offer lamb. In addition to meats, they also have queso fresco from El Quelite and eggs from El Rosario.

The offerings in the store are too varied to be described in detail here. We primarily want to share with you that we love having these products so close, part of our daily walk, and we’ve really enjoyed getting to know Poncho and Lourdes. If you take the time to stop in and meet these two, we are confident you will leave with something. You can choose pork tenderloins, pork medallions wrapped in bacon, pork roast stuffed with fruits, BBQ baby-back ribs, carne adobada, turkey salchichas for grilling, bacon, Canadian bacon, black forest ham, NY steaks, rib-eye steaks, whole tenderloins, sirloins, machaca (best in town for sure), the list truly goes on and on. Many items are pre-cooked and ready to heat up, while others are ready for you to make wonderful on your own. To help in this effort, they gladly hand out a series of recipes.

They have wonderful plans for the near future as well. They want to add homemade, ready-to-cook meals such as meatballs, burgers, and marinated chicken breasts. And, in a throwback to Doney’s fame, they will soon be preparing cooked shredded chicken for enchiladas. They will package this with sauce made with the original Doney’s recipe for enchiladas suizas. This secret recipe is around fifty years old and has yet to be replicated outside of the family. It is a Mazatlán classic.

Poncho was born in Mazatlán, attended school at Anglo Moderno, graduated high school from Tec, and then moved to Monterrey to obtain his B.S. in food science. From Monterrey he went north to Washington DC and Miami, working for the nutrition-improvement NGO “Sustain.” They paid for him to get his M.S. in food science, sending the Mazatleco of all places to another beach paradise, Hawaii. He stayed in Hawaii for about eight years, working for a fresh, ready-to-eat food processing company (salads, fruit cups), and opening both catering (tacos) and surf tour businesses.

Two years ago Poncho came home for Christmas, but he had a fever and a cough. Mom forced him to go to the doctor, which led to a diagnosis of stage 3 Hodgkins Disease. The following year was dedicated to chemo and radiation treatments in Culiacán and León, plus a crash course in anti-cancer nutrition research. A year of juicing and focusing on regaining his health, and 35 year old Poncho was able to both open his new shop in June, and, just last week, swim in the Travesía Anual with 200 others out to Deer Island (he swam the distance in about two hours)! Talk about an accomplishment!

Doney Restaurant was opened by Poncho’s grandmother, Reynalda Velarde, or Doña Reyna, in 1959. It started out on a rented corner on Cinco de Mayo, becoming popular because she had the first rotisserie machine in Mazatlán. People would come to stare at it going round and round, fascinated, and this helped her business grow.

Reyna took over more and more space, eventually purchasing an 1800s-era Spanish nobleman’s house (Casa Echeguren) on Mariano Escobedo in which to house her restaurant. Her son, Poncho’s father (also Alfonso), was an architect, and he remodeled and updated the house (which had also been a hospital), roofing in the central courtyard. Doney was very popular for over 40 years; I remember dining there often when I visited Mazatlán in the 70s and 80s. Doney was famous for its home style cooking: enchiladas suizas, camarones gobernador, regional food, and homemade pies and cakes. As I remember the interior was gorgeous, with arches and open space, and the walls were covered with historic photos.

Sadly, the legendary restaurant closed in 1994, due to the economic downturn (you’ll remember that the value of the peso vs. the dollar halved in less than a week’s time) and the fact that Poncho’s father had been kidnapped (thankfully he survived the ordeal).

Their business is doing quite well in the few months they have been open. They have begun servicing many restaurants in town as well as walk-in clientele. So, who knows, you may have already had some of their great meat products!

Those of us who live here are always looking for something new and different. I think you will agree that Chikkowi fits that description. The pork loin at right is wrapped around a fruit center (plums, grapes, papaya, apricots, cranberries…) and is ready to heat and serve. We are excited for their early success and hope you will take the time to stop in and say hi. As they will tell you, there is perhaps no better view of Mazatlán than the view from their shop (featuring the pangas and all three islands).