La Manzanilla’s Best Bites
At last count La Manzanilla had over 40 restaurants! I’ve sampled most of them and have discovered each has its own personality and particular culinary delights. If you are visiting our fair village by the sea let me suggest a few of my favorite dishes.
Ceviche Lola from Cato’s restaurant. One order will easily feed three people. Lola blends the perfect spices together to give her ceviche a kick that is delicious but not overbearing. Unlike other fish ceviches, Lola’s is juicy, the fish and vegetables are served in a healthy amount of liquid so the dish remains flavorful throughout the meal.
Traditional Fish Hamburger from El Rincon. I have to admit Fish and Hamburger in the same sentence never really appealed to me, but one sunny afternoon I was at El Rincon and decided to try something new. Restaurant owner, Blanca, takes two white fish filets and lightly breads them before frying. She then adds, cheese, mayonnaise, onion, tomato and lettuce to a soft hamburger bun and serves everything with a side of French fries. The sandwich has a delightfully light flavor and crunchiness that is irresistible.
Homemade clam chowder at Mariscos deli. Mariscos came to town a few years ago. Prior to its opening we had to travel to Melaque for things like sharp cheddar cheese, deli style lunch meat, and boneless skinless chicken breasts worthy of the grill. I discovered the chowder last winter. They make a wonderful traditional New England clam chowder, packed full of clams, potatoes, and carrots in a rich creamy base. Purchase a loaf of sourdough bread to accompany it for the ultimate chowder experience.
Marbella’s chiles rellenos at Palapa Joe’s. The rellenos are not on the menu and only available when the day cook, Marbella, is making them. If you are lucky enough to find them on the specials board head right in! Lightly battered, perfectly fried and served with a delicate red salsa, these are a real treat. You can get tasty rellenos all over town, but Marbella has some secret mojo she uses to make hers exceptional.
Fish taco’s empanizado at Pedro’s Taco. Pedro had La Manzanilla’s first food truck, he quickly outgrew that and now has a lovely little restaurant on the beach. Pedro serves Baja style fish tacos. You can get them grilled, but why when breaded and fried is available. He always has a delicate white fish as the base, the breading is never heavy handed, and once you top them with his in-house chipotle cream salsa, you have a truly unique La Manzanilla delicacy.
Huevos Rancheros at Mi Kasita. This is a tiny, literally hole-in-the-wall restaurant but they produce several of my favorite dishes. For now we’ll just focus on the Huevos Rancheros. In my opinion there are two things that make a great Rancheros, of course the salsa is one, but the second is how the egg is cooked. I don’t believe anything but the yoke should run and the white should have a nice crisp outside edge. Mi Kasita never disappoints, perfect salsa and perfectly cooked eggs combined on a crisp tortilla to define the sublime Huevos Rancheros.
La Playa Restaurant
La Manzanilla enjoyed the opening of a new beachside restaurant this week. La Playa is located on María Asunción at the “Y” as you enter the main part of the village. This is the newest endeavor of Rosaura Montes Garcia and her mother, Lupita Garcia Palmas. Lupita had a popular little place on the main road, aptly named Lupita’s. Rosaura could usually be found at the jardin on weekend evenings serving desserts such as homemade pies, traditional Mexican puddings and her delicious Nutella and fruit crepes. La Playa Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu features fresh seafood and traditional Mexican dishes. Soon they will be offering a weekly Noche Mexicana, Mexican Night, including traditional dishes from around the county and live music.
Queen of Queens Pageant
On Saturday, November 28 La Manzanilla will host a pageant to crown the Queen of Queens. Transvestites from Jalisco and Colima will descend on our little village and strut their stuff in a typical pageant format, each contestant will sport a bathing suit, evening gown, treat the audience to a talent show and wax poetically about why they want to win the crown. Eighty pesos gets you in the door to enjoy the show, there will be snacks and drinks available for purchase.
Proceeds benefit, Juan Ruiz Montes, a young man in the village who has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. He is an integral part of our community. His family runs one of La Manzanilla’s most well-known taco stands, every young girl wants him to choreograph their quinceañera, and he is tireless in his work bringing tolerance and education about the plight of gays and transvestites to La Manzanilla. The event will be held in the Casino and entertainment starts at 8 p.m. with a group of traditional folkloric dancers, followed by the pageant at 9:30 p.m. Advanced tickets are available at Magnolia’s Kitchen & Drinks and from his family’s taco stand, Chop Chops.
Tall Boys at Yolanda’s
The Tall Boys will be bringing their signature 60s and 70s style rock-and-roll to La Manzanilla on Thanksgiving evening. Yolanda’s offers a set Indonesian inspired three-course meal with choice of entre for 350 pesos per person starting at 6 p.m. Music starts at 8 p.m. There is limited seating so stop by and make your reservation. If you are coming just for music there is a 50-peso cover.
Thanksgiving Dinner
Palapa Joe’s serves a traditional Thanksgiving dinner including appetizers, roasted/grilled turkey, herb stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, grandma’s candied sweet potatoes, green beans with almonds, cranberry jelly/sauce, and dessert for 275 pesos per person. By reservation only, seating’s either at 3 or 7 p.m., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (315) 351-5348
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