Playa Bruja, Mazatlan's best Kept Secret

Nestled in the corner literally at the end of the road in Cerritos, Mazatlan Mexico, is a well-kept secret.
Playa Bruja (Witch Beach) is a local stetch of Pacific beach where surfer's flock every day for some of the best waves in Mazatlan. You'll notice an orange wall with a painted witch and the words "Restuarant Mr. Lionso Playa Bruja".

Follow the path around and you will enter a quaint open-air resturaunt with a view that looks like something out of a magazine.

Not only is the view breath-taking, the food is equally as extraordinary...and cheap!
Happy Hour is between 5-6pm and all drinks are buy one get one free.

Chips and salsa always accompany the beverage of coarse. Seafood here is hands down the best we had in Mazatlan. Huge shrimp, tacos, tortilla soup and fish are only a few things on this vast menu to choose from. You can get anything from a chicken taco to a 3 coarse meal and nothing on the menu is more than $8 USD.

There is usually a mariachi band performing, but its hard not to just gaze out and people watch on the beach thats right in front of you.

Off the beaten path and not mentioned in the tourist guides, Playa Bruja and Mr. Lionso's is definitely worth checking out. Even though we aren't in Mazatlan anymore, we always think back to those breathtaking sunsets and margaritas we shared at Playa Bruja.
see a video of the beach and the band here

Its January, What did YOU spend your Christmas Gift Cards On?

Twas the season of giving last month. Inevitabley a lot of us probably ended up with at least one gift card. Then the question comes into play. Frivolous or Practical? In these tough financial times, its easy to lean towards practical. So many of these new "superstores" sell groceries, linens, and other necessities mixed in with fun costume jewelry, clothes and even electonic gadgets making that internal conflict that much more intense. This year, our 13 year old son bent towards frivolous, which made us say, whay not? Its Christmas!

Thanks to the magic of the internet and countless hours of contemplation, our son found the perfect website to enter that Visa Gift Card number that was sure to actually burn a hole in his pocket soon. A few days later, UPS delivered this:

A 26 pound Gummy Bear. For a minute, we all felt like 13 year old kids. Then the minute left and we actually realized the gross - factor of this ball off edible goo. The smiles were worth it as that gift card gave us a memory.
The next day I bypassed the grocery section and went for a new pair of pink converse tennis shoes. They're rediculous, and I love them.

Ceviche - A Splendid Way to Dip your Chip Dip Recipe

Ceviche is a popular dish across almost all of the coastal regions South of the Border. Its a salsa made with raw seafood that is actually "cooked" with the citric acids in lime or lemon juice. With the endless variations of this dish, its the perfect appetizer to try wherever you see it on the menu as it is always different. Its so good peru even has a National Holiday for it!

If you happen to be having a Belikin at a local beach bar in San Pedro, Belize, be on the lookout for these beautiful ladies:

This mother and daughters team frequent the local hangouts every afternoon with basketfuls of delicious homemade Belizean Ceviche. Its a bit spicy, but some of the most authentic and delectable ceviche on the island.

Not flying south this winter? No problem, below is a simple recipe to satisfy your craving. This recipe is based on about a pound of seafood and is just one of many ceviche recipes.

CEVICHE (Belizean Style)

Seafood of your Choice (shrimp, lobster, snapper, mahi-mahi, conche, scallops...okay, I'm hungry now...)

1 Finely Diced Chili Pepper of your choice (whatever you like, habenero, jalepeno, sorrano, etc. no seeds)

Finely Diced carrots, red onions and tomatoes(about 1/4 cup each for 1 pound of seafood)

Diced Cinantro - stems and all and as much or as little as you want

About one cup of Lime Juice

Rinse your raw seafood and pat-dry. Mix all ingredients except the cilantro in a glass bowl or casserole dish and pour the lime juice over it. The Lime Juice WILL cook your seafood. After a couple of hours in the fridge, take it out and give it a good stir to make sure the lime juice gets on all the seafood. Your seafood should be coooked within about 3 hours, but I prefer to leave it overnight. As long as its no longer pink and instead an opaque/white color, you're good.
Add your cilantro before you serve, and drain any extra lime juice if you want, serve with corn chips as a salsa dip, wrapped in a corn tortilla with some lettuce, as a garnish or as we like it, with a giant spoon. Salud!

Munchkins - Don't let the Name Fool Ya

When visiting Mazatlan Mexico and you find yourself famished and nothing but American - sized portions will do, look for Munchkins Saloon.

With 2 locations on Avenida Cameron Sabalo in the heart of the Zona Dorada, Munchkins offers all you can eat ribs for $99 Pesos (about $8 USD) and $12 peso beers every day that ends in "Y".

The ribs come with a cup of slaw, a 1/4 piece of corn a slice of garlic bread, and half of a large pig. Finish that, the other half comes out.

Lots of flat screen TVS, ice cold air conditioning and endless meat and cervezas makes it easy to lose an afternoon in this bar. Remember to save the bones. the 4-legged locals would appreciate your perro bag!

Underground Chinatown

In the heart of downtown Toronto, Canada lies Chinatown, the second largest Asian community in North America and probably one of the most eccletic areas as well. In just a few condensed city blocks, you will feel as though you are no longer in the western world. Every nook and cranny has something unique to offer, whether its resturaunts and shopping in the many markets, or bakeries, "cafes" and asian "massages", (note the quotes...) there's plenty to see, do and eat while visiting.

While exploring, you may be drawn to the extravagant appearance of the large resturants such as The Dumpling House. Unless you are all about the tourist trap and over priced food, don't go there. Don't get me wrong, the food is good, but while you are looking around and taking it all in, don't forget to look down.

Many of the best kept secrets are in the basements of Chinatown. We randomly wandered down a set of concrete steps into one for lunch. There was maybe 4 tables in the place and no decor (or customers) to speak of. A chinese gentleman appeared from the back with a giant white chef's hat and a big grin on his face.

Everything was in chinese, but thankfully, there were pictures. We pointed to a few items that resembled Chow Mein and Fried Rice. Our hosts hustles back to his kitchen (which may have actually been his home kitchen) and returns with mounds of the best chinese food we've ever had along with tea and a little sake.
Bottom line, half the price, a lot of culture and no bells and whistles. (No forks or spoons either, but being the gringos we are, I had a set in my purse, really just to annoy senor gringo). Exactly what we look for when traveling!

Mega Tacos Has Mega...Everything

Everything's not just bigger in Texas, travel south of the border to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and you'll find Mega Tacos, where everything is, well, mega. Of coarse, Ciudad Juarez really isn't on the top of everyone's travel list, many of us end up there by force, as this is where the United States has decided to open their Consulate.

So needless to say, Mega Tacos is located right next to the US Consulate. You can't beat the grilled carne asada tacos and salsa bar, and I swear its the only place in Mexico that offers free refills on soda. After being in Mexico for so long, our brat was in the mood for a cheeseburger. Naturally, we ordered the Mega Burger, seemed like the obvious choice. Here's what we got

Mega, yes it was (that would be a giant steak knife holding it together), it could've fed a family of 4. Good? After months in Mexico feeding on pollo y arroz and tacos, yes it actually was. Worth the risk of a trip to Juarez, probably not. However, if you are ever forced into visiting Mexico's warzone by the American Government, duck, cover, and run towards Mega Tacos.

Everythings Better With Queso

Tis the season of giving. Whether its a comfy new sweater, sparking jewelry, or a few extra calories disguised as a holiday cookie, we all love to give and receive all while consuming delicious food in mass quantities. below is my recipe for a great little snack to share with others, or to hoard for yourself this season:

Cheese Cookies

1 pound Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 Cups Flour
1 Pound of Margerine
Dash of Salt
2 Teaspoons Cayenne Pepper (more or less, 2 tsp. is pretty spicy!)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients together to form a dough. Role in small (tablespoon-ish) balls and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten each ball out with a fork (necessary to cook and gives them a cute design). Bake 18-20 Minutes.


Simple and Deelish. You can even cut the calories by using 2% cheese and light Margarine. These cookies are a nice change from the sweets that are usually around this time of year!