Dia De La Muerte Sugar Skulls

Food & Liquor Festivals, Fairs and Fun Things To Do in August

The amount of fairs, festivals and showcases taking place across the nation during the upcoming month of August are astounding. From Sac-town to San Diego and everywhere in between, people can be found celebrating everything from homemade brews and wines to corn, soul food, crawfish and grapes. The great state of California has a climate unmatched by many places in the world and with that come some incredibly delicious delectable’s, drinks and custom creations that cannot be found anywhere else. 

Below is a list of upcoming events that are surely not to be missed. The even better thing about each and every one of these events is that they are family friendly (yes even the ones that serve liquor) and all take place in areas that are surrounded by historical landmarks, beautiful beaches and people that just want to have a good time. Another great thing about August is that it marks the end of Summer and soon all of the kids running in the streets will back in school and out of the way of us serious eaters.

August 1, 2013  An Evening on the Beach - Santa Monica, California
Notable Los Angeles chefs each preparing a signature dish on an open grill set directly on the sand. Guests will sample tempting summer menus, enjoy freshly shucked oysters and taste the wines of select boutique vintners. Live music. The silent auction will feature an expanded selection of very special luxury travel. Benefitting St. Vincent Meals on Wheels 

August 1-4, 2013  18th Annual Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza
Mammoth Lakes, California
Mammoth's Festival of Beers features more than 70 of the country's best microbreweries. Along with the beer and blues, a "Blues-style" BBQ and plenty of other food will satisfy the heartiest of appetites and keep the party going. Don't forget the Sunday Morning Hangover Party.

August 2-4, 2013  65th Annual La Habra Corn Festival - La Habra, California
Food, Rides, Games, Music and Fun for the Whole Family. Meet Miss La Habra and her court when you purchase raffle tickets for a New Car or other great Prizes. Enjoy hot buttery Corn on the Cob, great Sandwiches, sweet warm Funnel Cakes and other Tasty Treats. Be sure to visit the new Corn Festival Marketplace.

August 3, 2013  Plate by Plate Annual Tasting Benefit - Los Angeles, California
This signature gala will once again showcase savory food and dessert delicacies prepared by talented chefs from the best restaurants in Los Angeles, as well as samplings from premier wineries and beverage companies. 
 
August 3, 2013  5th Annual Soul Food Festival - Stockton, California
Live music, great food, carnival rides, pony rides, classic car shows, free prizes..and much more.

August 3, 2013  Outdoor Hunting Expo - Stockton, California
This event, The Outdoor Hunting Expo is a one day hunter extravaganza for all ages. It includes FREE target shooting, Vendor Booths, Food Booths, swap meet and a JR trap Shoot. Proceeds from this event help fund the California Hunting Hertage Program and the Stockton Sportsmen's Club Junior, Women & Disabled Hunting Programs.

August 3-4, 2013  626 Night Market - Arcadia, California
The 626 Night Market is the largest Asian night market in the U.S. featuring over 150 local restaurants, food vendors, entrepreneurs, merchandise vendors, artists, musicians, and non-profit groups. Night markets are a staple in Asian societies with the primary focus on hundreds of different Asian street food and merchandise vendors. The 626 Night Market brings the energy and spirit of Asian night markets to Los Angeles. June 8-9; July 6-7 & August 3-4, 2013.

August 3-4, 2013  20th Annual Long Beach Crawfish Festival - Long Beach, California
The Long Beach Crawfish Festival serves Cajun Crawfish dinners that include red baby potatoes, buttery corn on the cob and delectable remoulade dipping sauce. You can dance to Cajun and Zydeco Bands, join the Second Line Dancing Parade, enjoy the beach bars, culture and Big Easy atmosphere. General Admission is $15, with Crawfish Feast and Crawfish Buckets ranging from $38 to $48. Presale discount tickets available. Children under 12 free when accompanied by an adult. The festival is located at Rainbow Lagoon, 400-403 Shoreline Village Drive and is open from 12pm to 11pm on Saturday and 12pm to 10pm on Sunday. For additional information call 562-495-5959.

August 10, 2013  Yorkville Highlands Wine Festival - Yorkville, California
Boar And Lamb BBQ, Over 30 Local Wines, Live Music, Grape Stomp, Silent Auction

August 10, 2013  California Beer Festival--Santa Cruz
Aptos Village Park, Aptos, California
Beautiful Aptos Village Park will be the site of the festival, with over 70 craft beers, three bands, mouth watering food, and bocce ball. The CBF's main goal is to shine a light on the craft beer movement and celebrate great beer. 

August 10, 2013  7th Annual San Rafael Food & Wine Festival - San Rafael, California
Festival-goers will enjoy food from area restaurants and sample wines from 25 of the region's outstanding boutique wineries. In addition, there will be a chef demonstration area featuring a number of area restaurants. Admission to the event is free.

August 12-13, 2013  Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition - San Diego, California
Internationally recognized industry experts, in a blind tasting, will select which brands will be awarded the coveted 2013 Spirits of Mexico Medals. Please note that this is not a public event.

August 16-18, 2013  52nd Annual Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival
Pasadena, California
Watermelon carving demonstrations, recipe, eating, seed spitting and wearable art contests. Live music, bazaar market place, arcade and watermelon themed games, an array of festival food favorites and beverages. Fun for the whole family. $10 for adults, $5 for children. Festival times are Friday from 4pm to 10pm and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10pm. 

August 16-18, 2013  3rd Annual Long Beach BBQ Festival - Long Beach, California
The best BBQ Chefs from around the country gather to grill award-winning ribs, chicken, sausage, pulled pork and other delicacies. Judging and trophies are awarded to both amateur and professional participants. Two stages provide entertainment for adults and children with artisan exhibits and cantinas. General admission tickets are $15.00. Food items range from $2.00 to $25.00. VIP tickets are $75.00. Children's tickets are $10.00. Presale advance tickets are available through the website. 

August 17, 2013  LA Taco Festival - Los Angeles, California
Join us for the 3rd Annual LA Taco Festival, welcoming back our Pinches Tacos, Tacos Candelas and the addition of ten new taco vendors! Featuring live music, artists, community resources and more!

August 17-18, 2013  4th Annual Sausage & Beer Festival - Cherry Valley, California

August 17-18, 2013  18th Annual Grape to Glass - Russian River Valley, California
Created, organized and hosted by the people of the Russian River Valley, Grape to Glass encourages you to live like a local as you indulge in a weekend of Northern California wine country living.

August 18-20, 2013  Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo - Los Angeles, California
The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo is the only all-encompassing event in California for the restaurant and foodservice industry, making it THE one-stop source for everything you need to succeed in today's market.  We are pleased to co-locate the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo with Expo Comida Latina.

August 18-20, 2013  Expo Comida Latina - Los Angeles, California
Expo Comida Latina is three days of total immersion in authentic, specialty gourmet and mainstream Hispanic American food and beverages.  Expo Comida Latina and the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo will both take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2013

August 22, 2013  3rd Annual Noe Valley Wine Walk - San Francisco, California
The tasting event will be located throughout 24th Street from Diamond to Chattanooga and will include restaurants and merchants offering wine samples, finger foods and special treats. There will be a free cable car shuttle making designated stops to pick up and drop off attendees during the event.

August 23-25, 2013  Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge - San Diego, California
Since 1991, the annual Tuna Challenge has raised over $2.6 million to make wishes come true. The event is the largest tuna fishing competition in the continental United States, and the largest fundraiser of the year for Make-A-Wish San Diego. 
(also: www.makeawish-sd.org/calendar/ )

August 24, 2013  Taste of Brews - Long Beach, California
Taste of Brews is heading to Lighthouse Park in Long Beach on Sat., August 24th, 2013 for a summer festival featuring dozens of seasonal, craft and micro-brews paired alongside cuisine from local eateries. Admission includes craft beer tastes, snacks, water and more. Food trucks will be selling delicious beer friendly food and local restaurants will also be on hand sampling their best.

August 24-25, 2013  19th Annual Bodega Bay Seafood Art & Wine Festival
Bodega, California
Featuring a wide array of seafood entrees from various restaurants and catering companies, along with a large wine and microbrew tasting. The wine tasting will feature 30 wineries from Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties. A juried high quality art and craft marketplace, and lots of great entertainment. The event benefits the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods and the Bodega volunteer fire dept.

ROTD: Elote (Grilled Mexican Style Corn On The Cob)

In my opinion, California has without a doubt the best food that can be found on the face of this planet. I know regionally everyone feels the same way as I do about their home-state, but when you get down to the nitty gritty, no where else can you find the food that can be found here in the Golden State. I know New Yorker’s claim that they have the best pizza, the best Chinese food and so on and that is fine, but hands down California cannot be touched because of the great culinary creations given to us by our friends south of the border in Mexico. 

We have interviewed musicians, artists, chefs and many other people from all walks of life and the one thing they agree on, CA has the best Mexican food there is to be had and it cannot be duplicated anywhere else. Every state has a hood salesman, whether they sell bootleg DVD’s, liquor, shaved ice or our favorite cart treat, Elote, the traveling salesman should be applauded for keeping the neighborhood stuffed full of spicy corn and saving the lives of numerous children over the years (ok so they probably haven’t saved any lives but it sounded good didn't it?)

The recipe for this style of Elote was given to me by a good friend’s Grandmother, who has lived in East Los Angeles for 70 years and refuses to let her favorite treat go uneaten, especially during the upcoming hot Summer nights we enjoy here in the Southland. If you are wondering why today of all days we are pushing you to eat this delicious treat, well that be because today is NATIONAL CORN ON THE COB DAY, a food holiday that should be celebrated worldwide. 

Enjoy this alongside a cold beer and some other grilled foods such as Carne Asada, Pollo Asada, BBQ’d Baby Back Ribs or even by itself, you wont be mad you did.

Ingredients
4 ears sweet corn, husks removed
2 TBS corn oil
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp chili powder

Pinch of cayenne powder
1 tsp garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, quartered
Special equipment: grill pan or bbq

Directions:
Preheat a grill pan.

Rub corn with oil and place on the grill pan, turning corn so all sides are charred, about 6 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together mayonnaise, chili powder, cayenne powder, garlic salt, and black pepper.

Remove corn from grill and brush with the mayonnaise mixture.

Serve with lime quarters to squeeze over corn.

Recipe Of The Day: Caldos De Siete Mares (Seafood Soup)

This twist on a classic Rick Bayless recipe was given to us an old friend of ours Grandmother, who cooked for our entire neighborhood for many years. She took her Great Grandmothers Recipes and mixed them with updated ones she found helpful at either time saving or using ingredients she could easily use to replace some hard found ones (which arent so hard to find any more.) We used to get requests left and right for this recipe, which has been posted on our site for years. Unbeknownst to us, the recipe was mislabeled and thus was not giving the proper credit to the two individuals who helped to put it all together.

Rick Bayless & Ingrid Lopez-Osuna. Sorry for any confusion.

Ingredients:

Sauce Base:

3 cloves Garlic, unpeeled

8 medium-large dried Gualillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

½ tsp dried oregano

A pinch of Cayenne powder

¼ tsp black pepper

A pinch of Ancho Chile Powder

A pinch of cumin

1 TBS vegetable or olive oil

Soup:

3 quarts fish or chicken stock

2 large sprigs Cilantro (washed thoroughly & stems removed)

Kosher salt to taste

A little sugar, if necessary

20 medium-large shrimp

6 small boiling potatoes (medium dice)

2 cups vegetables, such as zucchini, carrots or squash

4 ears of corn cut in half,

1 lb tightly closed fresh mussels or clams, well scrubbed

12 oz boneless skinless red snapper filets (cut into ½ inch pieces)

2/3 cup finely chopped white onion (Garnish)

¾  cup loosely packed, chopped cilantro (Garnish)

1 large lime, cut into wedges (Garnish)

Directions:

Sauce Base (1 cup):

Roast the unpeeled garlic directly on a heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until soft.

Let the garlic cool off then peel it.

While the garlic is roasting, toast the chiles; 1 or 2 at a time, open them flat and press down firmly on the hot surface with a spatula.

In a small bowl, cover the chiles with hot water and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even soaking.

Drain and discard the water.

Combine the oregano, black pepper and cumin in a food processor or blender, along with the drained chiles, garlic and 1/2 cup of broth.

Blend to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring the sides as needed.

Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl.

Heat the oil in a heavy, very large (8-quart) pot over medium-high.

When hot enough to make a drop of the puree really sizzle, add the puree all at once and stir constantly until it reduces to a thick paste, about 5 minutes.

The Soup Broth:

Add the broth to the soup pot and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes.

Taste and season with Kosher salt and a little sugar, if necessary, to balance any bitterness.

Finishing the Soup:

Peel the shrimp leaving the tail.

Add the potatoes.

Simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are nearly tender, about 5 - 7 minutes.

Add the diced vegetables, cook 3 minutes, then add the corn, mussels or clams and simmer until the shellfish open, about 2 minutes.

Add the sliced red snapper (or whatever fish you are using,) cook 2 minutes and then stir in the shrimp.

Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Serve the soup in large, warm bowls with the onion / cilantro mixture and other garnishes on the side.

Sometimes All You Need is A Quick Getaway - Carnival Inspiration

The start of a New Year can bring about such a positive charge of energy that people feel as if they can conquer any problem presented to them. You could go so far as to say that the world is their oyster and with that delicious bivalve mollusk they want all the pearls it may have to offer. Being a member of certain clubs obviously has its advantages whether it be your local mass grocery merchant or a vacation & travel line that rewards its customers with perks only a fool would turn down. If you follow our site, you know that we love traveling as should everyone, simply because it is relaxing and enlightening. Not everyone can afford to take the amount of time off that is needed to get anywhere they haven’t already been without it costing them dearly one way or another.

 A 3 or 4 day vacation is the kind of thing to look into when faced with timing issues and one of the best ways to maximize your fun is take a quick weekend cruise to Baja Mexico with Carnival aboard the Carnival Inspiration. Imagine being able to start having a blast from the moment you arrive at the port in Long Beach, heading to Catalina and enjoying a day of great eating, relaxing and drinking then heading to Ensenada for some great shopping and even better eating. 

While all of this is going on your still able to partake in all of the great benefits you would enjoy on a week long cruise such as; romantic gourmet dining, spa treatments, comedy shows and shore excursions.

The Shore Excursions offered for these trips come at an exceptional value, especially the Bufadora Adventure and the Baja Bandidos Horseback Trail Ride. 

Being a member of Carnivals VIFP club is where the benefits start to build up, because each day you cruise with them all adds up towards your being a higher ranked member in their program. The higher your rank, the more free goodies, bonus days and upgrades you receive. So think of it this way, take a few 3 or 4 day cruises here and there and the next thing you know, your entitled to a week-long stay for free in a marvelous suite.

The Carnival Inspiration features all of the 2.0 upgrades which has the waterworks area that is great for the kids, the Mongolian wok buffet area, the coveted Chef’s Table and of course their fully equipped luxurious spas that feature some of the most amazing treatments and massages to help erase all of your worries.

For more information check the Carnival Inspiration and it’s entire itinerary out at: www.Carnival.com

Avocados From Mexico Wish You Happy Holidays

The Essence of The Escape - Carnival Liberty 7 Day Caribbean Cruise

The energy you feel the moment you hit any port of call, prior to boarding a cruise ship is an astonishing feeling. No matter whether your boarding in Los Angeles, Miami, New York or Puerto Rico, to watch as the teams of porters & cruise ship staff members prepare that weeks guests for a “Bon Voyage” is like watching an action packed play unfold right before your eyes.

click to enlarge

The effortless process that Carnival has created for the thousands upon thousands of guest’s who pass through their numerous ports around the globe every few days, helps to set the tone for what everyone hopes will be an exciting, smooth running and relaxing trip. Once you go through the check in process you are given a sign & sail card (which alleviates having to carry cash everywhere you go while on the ship) and it is off to the races for just about everyone from that instant on.
 With so many culinary options to choose from, it shouldn’t take long to realize that the skilled and thoughtful staff that oversee the kitchens of this massive operation have everything under control. Every last detail, down to where they must stop and grab some quick produce while in the middle of the ocean should they be unpleased with this weeks melon and fruit selection has been carefully thought out.

If instantly getting to eating isn’t in your plans, you should slide on by the shore excursions desk. There you can get yourself properly informed about all of the amazing activities to do in each port (as well as score some cool promotional items that first day, many of which people know nothing about.) 

Cabo San Lucas, A Place To Lose Yourself & Love It

Cabo San Lucas, is the kind of place you can find yourself easily getting lost in. Not in any negative sense of the statement, more so what we mean is Cabo is the kind of place you Would Want to get lost in. Cabo is beautiful simply because of the array of cultures that come together every day on its shores to be amazed by its astounding landscapes. 
From the local restaurants making the food that is greatly responsible for creating the California fusion craze, down to the local shops making traditional clothing, Cabo San Lucas is a place to lose yourself and find yourself all at the same time.

We recently were in Cabo for sadly only a limited amount of time, while taking acruise through various ports on a Carnival Cruise. Having only a few hoursusually means you have to either do the tourist thing or find a place to eat and get back to the boat. In Cabo that is not that case as so many wonderful things to do are all possible as soon as you touch down on the land. From horseback rides and catamaran tours to fine dining and great shopping, a cab ride is almost not needed because everything is so close.

We chose to eat at the famous Lorenzillos Live Lobster House (in operation since1863) and we couldn’t have been happier. Huge, fresh lobsters are on display for your to choose from or just stare at / take pictures with. Not only is Lorenzillos famous for their lobster and shellfish dishes, they also make one of the meanest yellow fin tuna steaks (served over a pink peppercorn and cognac reduction, known as the “Henry Morgan.”)

After we ate a few plates of lobster croquettes and Bruja Del Mar (Angus Steak stuffed with shrimp & lobster, topped with Bearnaise Sauce) we had to roll ourselves out of the restaurant to go find a bar and have a few drinks.

We quickly stumbled upon Squid Roe, where we had more rum & cokes and freezin gcold Patron shots than we could count. It’s funny cause in bars in the States,yeah the goal is to make money off of the customer, but bar staff can sometimes have hilarious egos, but in Cabo, the staff all seem like they really just wanna chill with the customers, because if your having a great time, so are they.

That is unless you go in with a nasty attitude and in that case you wil quickly see where that gets you.

With a bit of time left to do some shopping (get your haggle on, its all part of the great game of life) we picked up some beautiful handmade choncletas, dresses and things of that nature for our loved ones as well as some great tequilas to take back on the ship.

All in all Cabo San Lucas is the type of place you could vacate too frequently or even retire too. Take our word for it, make a few phone calls before you arrive and see how friendly everyone is. 

 By saving the amount of time we did getting around in town, we were able to provide ourselves with a bit of real rest & relaxation by hitting up ME by MELIÃ Cabo (ME Cabo for short).

Now for those of you not in the know, ME Cabo is one of those places you simply must hit up in this lifetime, it would be like taking one trip to New York and not riding a subway, seeing The Statue of Liberty or going to Manhattan, (a sin of sins.) We had about 3 hours to kill, so we figured why not go and sip on exotic drinks while lounging poolside taking in the amazing weather.

We were able to get a cabana and consume enough libations (trust us even if you hate mojitos, you will fall in love with one of the many they have on their menu) and get enough Sun that we almost didn't want to go back to the ship.

ME Cabo or to put it better Nikki Beach is like the Sunset Strip & South Beachall rolled into one big show. Honeymooning couples looking to really start off their marriage right, college grads looking for a party worthy of bragging about or the couple in search of the love they have no time to tend too because life won’t allow it, all need to make reservations immediately at ME Cabo.

Nikki beach is great because they invite the party to them instead of pushing away the vibe that overcomes you as soon as you touch down in Cabo. Every night could be something different from their amazing White Parties, Tequila Parties, St. Patrick's Day Parties to whatever the day may be, they are ready to celebrate and do so with class.

Just look at the photos and understand why we sound like little school girls talking about Justin Bieber, the place is amazing in every aspect you could imagine and from the looks of it, isn’t looking to lose that label anytime soon.

Formore info check out the incredibly helpful: www.VisitLosCabos.Travel

                                                                            www.me-cabo.com/nikki-beach-en

The Supreme Plate Road Trippin' "Carnival Splendor"

The Supreme Plate recently took a little time to experience a 7 day cruise to Mexico, via the Carnival Splendor. The Splendor, a massive ship spanning over 3 football fields that’s able to carry over 3300 passengers was loaded and ready to set sail in just under 3 hours once in port from its previous week at sea. Known primarily as the beautiful new ship that caught fire and had to be towed to safety a few years ago, we were not concerned as we had heard nothing but great remarks from reliable sources who have sailed since that rare freak accident.

We left the Port of Long Beach on a Sunday afternoon, after about an hour or so of getting registered, going through customs and obtaining all the needed id cards for making onboard purchases and getting on/off the ship once in port.

Passengers are kept from their rooms for an hour or two once finally onboard the ship, as Carnival wants to ensure that everything is ready before allowing any of the 3300+ passengers to settle into their “homes” for a week.

Having all of the passengers on deck at one time creates a slight amount of mayhem, that Carnivals attentive staff keeps a diligently trained and watchful eye over. It seems everyone and we mean everyone is hungry 24 hrs a day on a cruise. The good thing about constantly being hungry is that there are various buffet stations that open early and stay open late enough to fill everyone’s appetite. Offering a wide selection of dishes such as traditional staple /standbys like burgers, hotdogs, salads, sandwich’s and the like on over to Tandoori chicken, a burrito bar, chocolate buffet, a traditional Sushi counter and much, much more, The Splendor is ready to fill any appetite at any moment of the day. And if that wasn't enough room service was available 24 hrs a day at the quick dial of the phone. 

The lines for the various buffet stations although long at times, moved rather quickly and you could take as much as you wanted, so getting your fill was never a problem.

Once you get to your room you will find more than enough space to unpack all that you have brought for a weeks stay. We actually over-packed on purpose and still had plenty of room, even after purchasing a lot of things at the various ports in Mexico.

Our state room staff stayed on top of everything we asked for and even things we didn’t ask for. They kept us loaded with cold fresh ice, clean linens and the flyest towel animals we had hoped to see. Being greeted everyday by someone who deals with thousands of people in a month, and having them remember your entire groups names and likes / dislikes is what we were treated too. It was like dealing with family in that aspect instead of having someone act like they were put off by doing their job. A huge thank you to Agung for being around each and every time we looked for him.

View from the room while at sea

You will find a flat screen in every room playing pretty up to date movies as well as having access to a few different news channels, cartoon channels for the kids and the usual junk on TV.

You could also purchase access to the wi-fi network for pretty unfair prices. It kind of struck me as odd how they broke down the fees when everyone already paid to get on the ship in the first place. People who need access to the internet for work while taking 7 days away from their jobs would greatly appreciate something of that nature, especially when its free everywhere else on the planet.

Golden Pearl Restaurant & Dining Area

A few tips for those of you looking to eat gourmet food all day long, you will want to reserve as many spots as you can at the Pinnacle Steakhouse (which costs $30 per person but is worth triple that price,) eat more often at the restaurant where you are served your nightly dinners sit and avoid the buffets during the rush hours. Make friends with the buffet staff as they remain in their position the entire week.

A few passengers were just downright rude to the staff and if you had a connection with those employees, you would find yourself getting fresher food, faster. Now I am not saying that the Carnival staff gave anyone preferential treatment, but when your consistently a jerk to someone, you will get overlooked every so often. A fact of life some people have yet to accept I guess.

When dealing with as many people as this ship routinely does things happen and it is to be expected. What caught us off guard was more than a few times we found hair in our dishes or even worse a large chunk of plastic in the middle of a bowl of Sorbet. These mistakes were quickly corrected and we were given more than one or two apologies, especially when the managers of each location would come to our table and address the concern of the moment.

One of the many highlights of the trip were the times spent dining at the Pinnacle Steakhouse where everything was executed with the utmost of class and precision that you would hope to find on such an elegant ship.

The Pinnacle Steakhouse

Lobster Chowder Amuse Bouche

Filet Mignon & Lobster Tail

Filet Mignon Butterflied

Apple Crisp

Chocolate Sampler (Bittersweet Chocolate Cake, Banana Pannacotta,  Tiramisu & Chocolate Marquis)

Arriving in Cabo San Lucas early was a great thing to wake up too, which allowed everyone two days of much needed onshore activities such as shopping, drinking, parasailing, guided tours and just about anything else you could think up. The heavy police presence at the docks lets you know that no games will be played, especially when it comes to hassling any passengers coming from the cruise lines. The beautiful coastal lines and great authentic food was better than anyone could have expected and after the strong drinks found on just about every corner you were ready to hit the club, but after that we arrived in Puerto Vallarta another welcoming port with beautiful scenery.

Lovers Cove Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas as you approach the shore in a reliable tender

With more bars, restaurants and shops to buy local handmade goods at, Puerto Vallarta is truly a great stop and somewhere everyone should visit at least 3 times during the course of their life. With top notch restaurants such as La Leche, Punto, Casa Corazon and La Palapa all readily available you can’t go wrong taking some time to enjoy the recently rebuilt Malecon boardwalk, which was all but wiped away a decade ago, by stage 5 Hurricane Kenna. 

Malecon, Puerto Vallarta

After a long day of eating, drinking and hauling all of the stuff we bought from The Malecon, we headed back to the boat to enjoy more great food and a showcase of authentic Mariachis and dancers who got down and performed the Jarabe Tapatio, better known as the Mexican Hat Dance. By far the best show of the ship the live band blew away everyone else who performed during the week.

Overall the trip was a complete success by far. Sitting off to the side and watching as the staff were helpful to both the young kids who got on everyone’s nerves after a week onboard as well as the elderly groups of people who rightfully deserve that extra bit of attention was a beautiful thing. It takes a tremendous amount of patience to work on a ship of that nature, where unfortunately sometimes the worst thing about the trip itself is the guests who act pig headed or like they have no home training at all. A huge round of applause to everyone we came in contact with especially those who took the time to ask us how we were doing and if they could do anything for us, other than sell us a drink.

Check back next week for more detailed photos of our shore excursions and all the other good things we got into over the week.