Feature

---

Wonderful Evening Supporting the Local School

The event was well organized.  The food was good and plentiful. The Mexican dancing entertainment was very colorful and interesting to watch but the best part of the evening was our new friends.

The four of us from La Penita RV park were sharing a table when we realized that there was a Mexican couple sitting at the next table by themselves. With our very limited Spanish and their very limited English we invited them to pull their table over and join us. We all started a little shy but as Alfredo said "My English will get better after more beer".  Alfredo and his wife, Sandi were on vacation from Guadalajara.  Everyday, they took part in a small turtle release on the beach in front of their hotel and that is where they had purchased their tickets for this event.  Don't think the 2 events are related but with limited English/Spanish it was close enough!!  Part way through the evening Alfredo excused himself and ran back to his hotel to get us each a business card so when we came to Guadalajara on Thursday we can phone or email him. 

As the evening drew to a close, Alfedo once again disappeared.  Shortly, he arrived back at our table with the MC of the event.  He asked the MC to tell us in English that we were very nice people and when we go to Guadalajara to please phone him and make arrangements for he and Sandi to meet us somewhere. Tequila was part of the parting conversation about meeting in Guadalajara but English/Spanish!!

Larry and Nancy Schnurr, James and Karen Franklin

---

Restaurant Review

---

El Campanario Restaurant on the Retorno Tabachines in Rincon Reviewed by the Kitchen Goddess

 

Away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Rincon sits an elegant Mexican restaurant.  The furniture is painted bright colors and there are beautiful aged Mexican tiles through out.  Selected hand crafts and art decorate the small spaces of the restaurant.  I would have been happy sitting on the curb as long as I could eat the Tropical Shrimp that was prepared by Guadeloupe.  You may eat on the veranda that surrounds the dining room or inside where you can watch the chef prepare your food in the open kitchen.

 

I started my meal with Aztec Soup.  A large pottery bowl was filled with an aromatic, rich chicken and tomato broth.  The broth was laced with tortilla chips, avocado, and sour cream.  A wonderful beginning.  Soon a plate filled with sautéed shrimp on top of a ruby red sauce was set down in front of me. My Tropical Shrimp had arrived.  The sauce was made with tamarind and fruit. It was spicy, sweet, tart, and utterly one of the best sauces I've ate.  A wonderful and different sauce that lingered on my palate long after I finished eating.  The vegetables that were served with the dish were plated in a pleasing eye arrangement.  There were beets, pineapple, and green beans al dente in a herb, butter sauce.  Desert was out of the question, but on my next visit I'll try one of their sweets.

 

The Kitchen Goddess's husband had Coconut Shrimp with a cinnamon, nutmeg laced sauce.  The only word to describe it was divine.  The sauce was the perfect accompaniment to the coconut and shrimp.  As usual, he didn't eat his vegetables, no matter how they were plated or how good they were.

 

The Sangria at El Campanario is unlike any that I've had.  They float a fruity burgundy on top of lemonada in a very large glass.  When you get your drink there are layers of burgundy and green.  It was the perfect drink on a hot, humid night. Delicious.  But I suggest you only have one and let someone else drive.

 

Miguel was a charming and attentive waiter.  Our glasses were always filled, he was never far away. 

 

El Campanario is a very special restaurant and I highly recommend the food, service and atmosphere.

 

Address:

Reservations:          Not required

Hours:                       Hard to determine but appear to be open every evening

Menu:                        Heavy on seafood, some beef dishes, fajitas, soups, salads

Parking:                    Street parking

Liquor:                       Beer, wine, liquor

 

(Editors Note: The Kitchen Goddess will be a regular contributor to the Jaltemba Express. She is also known as Lindy Binns to many of her adoring fans.)

---

Quotes for the Day

---

 

"Don't spend your precious time asking 'Why isn't the world a better place?' It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is 'How can I make it better?' To that there is an answer."

~Leo F. Buscaglia~
 

 

"Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak."

Ruehlen

 

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."

Dave Barry
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends
over and over again that you love them.
 

---

Dear Ms Maneras,

This is the first time I have visited the area and I love it however there is one thing that just gets me reeling. I can't get into this loo thing where you have to put your toilet paper in the basket. What gives? Don't tell me it is recycled?

Mary & Jack

Dear Mary,

Ms Maneras is very pleased you like our little piece of paradise. But even paradise can have it's plumbing problems.

Toilet paper and old Mexican pipes and septics just don't seem to work together, my dear. Quite simply they clog the system and well...you can only imagine the rest. As the saying goes, "when in Mexico do as the Mexicans do."

Simply place the soiled TP, clean side up of course into the trash basket beside the toilet.

If you don't you will be sorry. Can you imagine the consequences if you didn't? If the toilet or sewer started overflowing at a restaurant or friends home after your visit to the ladies room, most certainly they would know it was you. Hotels and RV parks get similarly upset with the repairs and expenses caused by toilet paper. It is very easy to pinpoint the culprit. Why one could be asked to leave if one didn't abide by the rules.

Ms Maneras

Dear Ms Maneras,

It is so wonderful that the doctors granted your release and that the Express hired you back.

My problem is this. My wife falls asleep over dinner. It's not that she is inebriated. I think it is because she is overly tired. It's very embarrassing when she does a face plant into her dinner plate. What can I do?

Terry C

Dear Terry,

Ms Maneras knows your wife and kindly suggests you are in denial. Why just the other evening she was spotted wearing a fashionable pizza on her cheek walking, make that stumbling, down the Avenida. Exhausted? Perhaps. But GET A GRIP. Ms Maneras kindly suggests you both deal with the problem.

Ms Maneras

Dear Ms Maneras,

My neighbor has a big diesel truck that he revs up every morning before 7 before he goes off to work. He warms it up less than 20 feet from my window and the fumes drive me crazy. How do I politely ask him to stop.

Dan

Dear Dan,

Ms Maneras believes that health issues supersede all else. If he is approachable speak to him gently and tell him about your health concerns and ask him very politely to warm his diesel up on the street. This should not be a problem.

Of course if he refuses to abide by your wishes you could always close your windows in the morning. Ms Maneras does not suggest the normal "guy" solution; Buy a bigger diesel, and rev up your truck even longer. This only begets bigger diesels yet and more fumes.

Ms Maneras

(Ms Maneras is a regular contributor to the Jaltemba Express. Her columns for Polite Living in Paradise will run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday)