Cruising the Neighbourhood, plus reviews of Wine and a Restaurant



Interesting new sculpture on west side of Isla

It's always fun to see what's new on the island when we are out walking in the early evening. 

We left our house around 4:30 in the afternoon and headed towards town, eventually wrapping around the airport to walk along the west side of the island.



New stamped concrete sidewalk and seawall on west side

We ambled along while I snapped photos of the seawall re-construction project, admiring the white stamped concrete walkways, white stone walls, and the new fishing boat sculpture.

When completed it will be a beautiful place to seat and watch the sunsets.

On our walk we eventually made our way to the new Bahia Tortuga Bar (Turtle Bay) just to have a peak at this new facility. 



new - Bahia Tortuga Bar

It is located about two lots north of the ever-popular Soggy Peso Bar & Grill.  Danny, the owner, has created a beautiful setting for the bar.  

And, some of you may remember J-J, the very tall and very pleasant young man who worked last year at the Soggy Peso as a bartender.  He's the new bar manager for the Bahia Tortuga Bar. 

Beautiful sunsets from this location as well.

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Wine!  by Lawrie Lock

The Curse of the Tropics

I know - you think all is perfect down here in paradise.  I assure you it's not!  Wine (my little vice) in the tropics has a shelf life that is decidedly short, especially white wine. 

My favourite white wine is a Sauvignon Blanc, and it's a good example of why I don't buy anything over two years old.  The fruit flavours and citrus overtones fade when the wine is too old, or has been mistreated in transit.  A hint for you, if you see a white wine that is lemon yellow in colour when viewed in a bottle or poured in a glass - stay away.  It is old, has no flavour, and just plain nasty to drink!  The exceptions are the big, oaked, Chardonnays from Australia and California.  French Chardonnays are typically not "oaked" and should be light in colour, not lemon yellow.



 Our favourite: Sauvignon Blanc, and a Chardonnay

So now that it's 2012, for white wine, I buy nothing older than 2010.  The date on the bottle is when the grapes were harvested.  And you have to remember that when you are looking at wine from south of the equator such as New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina, their seasons are opposite of ours.  Their winter is our summer and vice versa which means that the wine is six months older than when calculating for our northern seasons.  A good Chardonnay can be a bit older but will also lose its fruit characteristics with heat and rough treatment.

Recommendations for Sauvignon Blanc in Mexico

Argentina - Secreto

Chile - Santa Rita Medalla Real 

Chile - Santa Rita 120

New Zealand - Kim Crawford

New Zealand - Nobilo

For the reds, again use caution when buying.  Nothing over three years old.  Yeah, I know, in Canada, the US, and Europe this would be considered to be a very young red wine.  Remember the temperature in the tropics is hot all year around.  The bigger stores may be nice and cool with air conditioning, but the un-refrigerated truck that brought the wine to your city traveled over miles of highways and rough local roads pitted with pot holes, through temperatures of 120F or 40C.  Not good for wine!  Rough treatment will prematurely age wines.

Recommendations for reds in Mexico

Australia - Cabernet or Shiraz

Chile - Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

France - most of the reds, but watch the dates

USA - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

So, remember drink fast and often.  You don't want the wine to go bad. 
(Did I say that?)

(Lawrie, has in a previous life, managed several gourmet restaurants, and he managed a winery in the Okanagan Valley of Canada.  He wrote a weekly wine column in Canada for three years. He enjoys wine!)

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Restaurant Review:

This year there has been a rash of new restaurant openings, so many in fact that a group of us decided we would try one new place each week. 



Almar, recently re-opened

Almar Restaurante, located at Casa Suesnos on Carretera Garrafón. (It's on the southwest side of Isla.)

Out of a possible 1 to 5 Forks for each category - the results have been averaged for the 6 people who voted:

Food:                     4 Forks - mixed reviews, some good and some not

Ambiance:              5 Forks - beautiful spot on the west side of the island

Service:                  3 Forks - inattentive

Wine:                     2 Forks - a choice of one red and one white

1 order of Beef Fajitas - good

1 order of Fish and Chips - good

3 orders of Fish with Tamarind Sauce - okay, but not great

1 order of Quesadillas - good

Total for 6 people, with two bottles of Chilean wine, and 4 beers = $2200.00 pesos (before we added on the tip).