Del Pueblo al Pueblo, north side of Agenda Insurgentes, just east of the malecón
The Estero del Camarón, the estuary along Avenida Insurgentes, just east of the malecón, has long been a muse for me, a natural reprieve amidst the urban activity. Back when I drove Danny to school I passed by it daily, and, living so close by, we still pass by it almost every day in the course of our activities. The reflections of the sky in the lagoon, and the sight of the birds sunning themselves, make for an oasis in the middle of the city.
A few of years ago a restaurant went in on the north side of the road. Gradually, Del Pueblo y Para el Pueblo has encroached on the estero, much to my dismay. Such seems to be the way of things here. We ate at this small restaurant a few times after they first opened. We loved the location, the nature surrounding us as we ate, the sound of the birds in the trees and the water. The food, however, was nothing to rave about. I took photos, but never blogged about it; it just was not good enough.
View from the terrace
The egg white omelet
Huevos rancheros
Machaca
View from the terrace
The shrimp chilaquiles are my recommendation—huge shrimp
View from the terrace
The last couple of times we’ve eaten here, however, it’s been for breakfast. And their breakfast rocks! Maybe their food overall has improved. Lord knows they have developed the space very well. At first it was just the small building with a couple of outdoor tables. Then they put up tarps to separate the space from the street and give diners some privacy. Then they put up a tarp roof, followed by pavers for the patio, and, finally, a more permanent (tarp fastened to beams) roof. Next came a sound system, and now they have two full hot tables for breakfast buffet on Saturday and Sunday (8 am till noon), plus a rolling grill on which to cook eggs to order. The chilaquiles de camarón/shrimp chilaquiles are to die for! And they have a healthy plate as well (egg white omelet with nopales/prickly pear cactus, salsa and a bit of queso fresco)!
Breakfast is served from the buffet (95 pesos) or off the menu (average price 75-80 pesos, including juice or coffee and fresh fruit). The lunch menu includes the standard items you’d expect in a small roadside place. The bathroom is indoors, and has a functioning sink, soap and towels. One of the waiters speaks English well, and the owner does a bit.
The views are really pleasant. We definitely enjoy having breakfast at Del Pueblo al Pueblo. If you’re looking for a simple place, with a gorgeous view, something a bit different than our killer ocean views, Del Pueblo al Pueblo may just fit the bill. Check it out and please, let me know what you think.
Last year we fed 2300 families, in Mazatlán’s poorest colonias: La Felicidad, Ampliación Felipe Angeles, Universo, Quinta Chapalita, Nuevo Milenio, Jardines del Valle, Villa Tutuli, Nuevo Cajeme, Montebello, Francisco I. Madero, Ladrillera, El Basurón, El Conchi 2, and the Ex-Hacienda de Urias. It’s a Christmas tradition dating back to 1990, spearheaded by our friend Yolanda Medina. It is the absolute BEST way we’ve found to celebrate the holiday here in Mazatlán. We are so grateful for this annual opportunity—locals and expats coming together, working shoulder to shoulder, to reach out and bring a smile to those less fortunate. I’ve met so many wonderful people through Desayuno de los Pollos, and have witnessed such strength of spirit. 2014 will be our eighth year participating. You can view photos of last year’s event here.
How did this whole effort start? And why in the world is it called “chicken breakfast” or desayuno de los pollos?
“It was Christmas Eve, and daughter María Yolanda’s days were numbered. Yolanda and her late husband, Modesto, were in no mood to eat, let alone have a Christmas dinner with all the fixings. But that night, a woman knocked on the hospital room door and peeked to see if there was someone with the patient. She came in to hand Yolanda and Modesto a box with a hot Christmas dinner — roll and all — and told them Merry Christmas and that God was with them. Yolanda never forgot that gesture.”
Yolanda, her husband and extended family started repeating that gesture for others, and over the past 25 years the project has morphed into two main parts:
The handing out of whole chickens, 10 days’ worth of food, plus clothes, toys and candy, to inhabitants of Mazatlán’s poorest communities. This event takes place each December 24th.
A fundraiser breakfast (not chicken! Usually eggs, chilaquiles, beans, breads, juice, coffee), held to raise money to buy the food. This event takes place each year in early December or late November.
Would you like to join in this incredible effort? There are so many ways you can help!
Attend the fundraiser breakfast on the Saturday the 29th of November starting at 8:30 am (serving till 10:00 or so), at the cruise ship port (API on Agenda Emilio Barragán). Tickets are 150 pesos per person and include a full, home-cooked breakfast, a holiday bazaar of handicrafts and baked goods, a silent as well as a live auction, and a whole lot of socializing and fun. You can buy tickets by contacting me, Dianne Hofner Saphiere, or one of the many other people around town who sell them (Yolanda, Jorge and Isa Medina; Jeanette Leraand, Barbara Narvesian, Lana Reid…). If you can’t attend the breakfast, you can still make a donation. 100% of what you donate will go directly to helping, as everyone involved is volunteer. You can browse photos of last year’s breakfast here.
Help us gather great things for the live and silent auctions! Each year Jorge Medina makes at least one wrought-iron table for auction. We often have artwork, and many gift certificates to hotels, restaurants and shops around town. Last year we had an original artwork by Armando Nava, and a 2-night all-inclusive stay at El Cid Marina in the silent auction. You can view just a few of last year’s great prizes here. Many thanks to everyone who donates to support this cause! If you know a business that would like to participate, you can download blank gift certificates here. Once you fill it out, be sure to get it to me, Isa or one of the other key people so we can put it into the silent auction. Thank you!
Be a cook! Cut vegetables the night before the breakfast (November 28th), or be one of the cooks on the morning of the 29th! We’ve had several of our cooks move away, so we are in need. It’s a great way to learn to make some Mexican staples, and to meet some new local friends.
Help set up and clean up the breakfast (setting out plastic chairs and tables the night of the 28th, and stacking them up after the breakfast on the 29th). My husband Greg is still gimpy, so we will be short-handed this year and could use your help.
Help pack food into smaller packets (e.g., bulk rice and beans into baggies), during the week prior to December 24th. A group gathers at the Medina family home in Quince Letras nearly every evening.
Gather gently used or new toys and candy, to hand out to the children on the 24th. Last year we had so few toys, the sadness on the kids’ faces just broke my heart.
Gather your gently used clothing, shoes, blankets, and jackets to hand out on the 24th. Please get these to us ahead of time, so we can sort things in preparation for the big day.
Bring your truck or large vehicle on the 24th, to help us transport the frozen chickens, foodstuffs, and all the Santa-hatted people out to our poorer colonias. Again, please let us know ahead of time, so we can plan. Thank you!
Join us on the 24th, to be in one of the six or seven caravans of cars and trucks that go to the poor outskirts of the city to hand out food and goodies! Directions can be found here.
Donate any amount that moves you. We are all volunteers, so 100% of what you gift goes to help those who need it. Just click on the button on the upper right side of this VidaMaz blog.
It is a terrific event, and we very much look forward to joining in with those who participate in this annual tradition, as well as welcoming those who are new to it! If you have children or grandchildren with you, it’s especially important to teach them to reach out in this way, and to let them see how simply other people live. We look forward to having you join us.
THE best meal we’ve had in six years in Mazatlán. Really. Good food involves the quality of the raw ingredients, the talent and creativity with which it’s prepared, the setting and ambience in which you eat it, and the magnificence of the people with whom you enjoy the meal. Today was cien por ciento, 100%!
Farm to Table 2014—the very first event of its kind in Mazatlán and, we believe, in Mexico. As with the first time for anything, we didn’t expect much. We hoped, but we didn’t expect. Well intentioned but poorly executed is the norm for first-time events. But no! This team pulled it off incredibly! An absolutely beautiful setting, a gorgeously perfect day, a multicultural, integrated group of very interesting, and fun-loving, intelligent people, amidst healthy, organic and delicious food, were all ours for leisurely enjoyment this afternoon. Every course, every single drink (from tequila to two wines to coffee), and the outdoor setting were beautiful! Kudos, kudos and more kudos to the organizers, chefs and servers!!!
About 100 people, including the mayor and his beautiful first lady, were seated in a field on Chuy Lizárraga’s farm at kilometer 21, just north of town. It was an absolutely perfect day—sunny, clear, yet cool enough to be enjoyable. No bugs, nothing uncomfortable, just pure unadulterated enjoyment!
Organic wines, red and white
Eating in a field
Exit from the maxipista
The corn field
Decorations were perfect
The “gift shop”
Decoration or just farm equipment?
Registration for the event
Table was absolutely gorgeous
Table centerpiece, closeup
View of the long table
GREAT company!
GREAT company!
Chefs from seven restaurants dedicated seven days of menus this past week to the “Farm to Table” event: Diego Becerra from El Presidio; Marianne Biascotti from Rico’s; Sarah Emerson & Gabriel Ocampo from First International Seafood House (F.I.S.H.); Enrique Espinoza of Rosso Nero; Enrique Freyre from Raggio; Hector Peniche of Molika & Krema; and Alastair Porteous of Water’s Edge. The culmination took place today at dinner in a farm field.
Chefs preparing our food
Registration table
Janet and Sarah
Sarah announcing our opening
Janet with a bilingual welcome
Wait staff getting ready
Vero and her honey
Marianne, Rogelio and Hailey
Alastair, Janet, Sarah, Vero, Sylvia and Carlos
Mom and daughter gorgeousness
The 7 chefs
We were seated at long tables in the middle of a corn field, Italian style, decked out with fresh sunflowers, white linens, and all the wine and excellently prepared organic food the discriminating palate might desire. To top it all off, it was all in benefit of Avicultores Pérez Vidaña, an award-winning non-profit organization in Sinaloa that assists low-income families with severely handicapped children by teaching them to raise chickens and eggs for food. Proceeds from the event also support the Mercado Orgánico de Mazatlán’s educational programs.
Enjoyment, pure and simple!
Rogelio enjoys dessert and coffee
Sylvia is really suffering 😉
Enjoyment, pure and simple!
Chuy, Memo, me and Martita. Que viva Deportenis! Besotes!
Yuri hermosa! Gusto verte!
Chuy, the farm owner, and Memo
Memo and Marta
Sarah, girlfriend of Raggio’s Kike
Very nice music today 😉
Enjoyment, pure and simple!
Below is video of Sarah Emerson opening the meal.
Dinner (or lunch, if you prefer) consisted of eight different dishes, all prepared with organic ingredients and served family style: green salad, tabouleh, grilled veggies, chicken, quail, risotto, a dessert selection, and coffee with organic, artesanal ice cream. It was soooo wonderful to have so many vegetables, to eat one’s fill, and still feel healthy rather than weighted down! The sun was shining yet it wasn’t hot, the conversation flowed in several languages fluidly, and an excellent time was had by all.
Roasted veggies
Rissotto was to•die•for!
Rissotto was to•die•for!
Dessert coffee (yes, there were other desserts, too!)
Janet Blaser, the gorgeous, humble, hardworking, altruistic expat here in Mazatlán, has done sooooo much for our community. First she started M! Magazine, a bilingual publication we all love, which supplements other offerings and fills a much-needed gap here in town. Then she teamed with Verónica Rico, another absolutely beautiful, talented and intelligent woman, to establish the Mercado Orgánico, the MZT Farmers’ Market. None of us can imagine how we survived without the market all those years. And now, the two of them, plus a whole team of talented others, have given us the first Farm to Table Event! Below is video of her talk, just prior to dessert.
Jorge Luis Sanchez attended, a professor at UAS who also owns and operates his own organic farm. I learned soooo much by talking to him! Definitely want to take one of his classes! I suggested to Vero that they invite Jorge Luis to speak at one of the Saturday markets, so maybe that will happen. He knows so much about our environment, ecosystem, the human body, the origins of insecticides and herbicides and their impact on the world around us and our health, as well as having extensive knowledge about GMOs. With people like him in Sinaloa, our future is indeed bright!
May this be the first of many, many such excellent events. CONGRATULATIONS and thank you to all the organizers, chefs, wait staff and attendees!
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!
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.
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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The 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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Leaving 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.
¡VidaMaz! 