Puerto Vallarta Prepares to Celebrate High Holidays

Commonly referred to as the “Jewish New Year,” Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holidays, days specifically set aside to focus on repentance. To celebrate this important date, PV Mirror Editor Allyna Vineberg has generously offered to host a special celebratory dinner, on Saturday, September 19. The traditional menu, which will include homemade challah bread, dates, beets and leeks, along with roasted chicken with a pomegranate glaze will be prepared by chef Seth Cloutman. “I can think of no better way to celebrate this date than sharing a table with our friends,” said Cloutman, who has garnered a following among local food connoisseurs who have savored his creations at any of his ongoing private dinners. “2009 has been a challenging year for those of us in Puerto Vallarta and this will be a perfect time to celebrate and anticipate the successes of the new year.”

Seating is limited and reservations for the $350 pesos-per-person event (all food and wine included) are strongly suggested. For more information and reservations, email chef Cloutman at seth@foodbyseth.com.

By Paco Ojeda for Virtual Vallarta

Why I try never to shop at Sam's, Walmart or Costco

Perhaps the only place you will find Washington Black Cherries right now is Costco. More often than not I can only find fresh dill at Walmart. And often times Sam's is the place I buy pots and pans and caviar. So do not get me wrong, I shop at these establishments but only out of necessity. I try always to use local products and make every effort to only use what is in season. The reasons for this are numerous.

First of all, I use seasonal local products because they taste better as they are so fresh. If you are shipping tomatoes in from afar, they are refrigerated and loose their flavor. Secondly, that shipping uses immense amounts of fuel to get the product to your table. Third, that fuel use creates more pollution to the environment and issues of health, global warming, etc. are no fooling matter. And lastly, and extremely important I think, if I choose to use items that are local and in season I am supporting local farmers and ranchers … the people with whom I share a community and whom I feel obligated to support by giving them my commerce.

This is a personal goal but I would encourage you the next time you want to drop off at a wholesale club you might think about looking at the label and seeing where the product comes from. I would then hope you think that if it says product of Oregon, you might reconsider the health of our planet and of the producers who may well be your next door neighbors.

Vallarta Culinary Corner .... the first show

I shot this recently at my friend and fellow chef's restaurant, Trattoria Michel. The two of us had a great time talking food and I hope that as we continue to shoot that the shows will become even better. Please give your input.

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The Beginning

For quite a long time now, friends have encouraged me to write my ideas about food, dining, ingredients and life in Mexico. It has taken one particularly close friend, who blogs regularly about myriad items, to actually get me to do it. So this first post is about why? For those who know me or read my columns or eat my food, the basic why? is an intense and passionate love affair with everything food. I can walk into a mercardo and find an item I have never seen, speak to the people who work there, come home and research the item and then test it out in the kitchen and this kind of experience is what spins my propeller.

Just yesterday, a friend picked me up to go do some food shopping for a dinner I am cooking this weekend and asked, tienes hambre? (are you hungry) to which I promptly responded that I was. The next thing I knew he was driving us what seemed an immense distance to La Cruz to a taco stand he knew. Again, he asked, do you like carne asada to which I had to reply ... not really. I find beef so generally overcooked, flavorless and tough here in Mexico that I seldom order it. His response: wait and see.

When we finally arrived my friend pulled out a good bottle of Mexican red wine and explained that this was one of the few taco stands that was byob. We walked in and a very large, not at all my image of a taco stand, surrounded us with probably 30 tables. Then he introduced me to the owners, all family, who somehow managed, each one of them, to be stunningly beautiful. Two of the men had the most green eyes I have ever seen and while I attempted to be respectful and only speak my broken Spanish, they responded in almost perfect English.

So where was I? It turns out that this taco stand is famous and I had no idea. In high season there is a line around the block to get in and it is not uncommon to see Alejandro Fernandez and his friends and family at a table or sending in his people to order 100 tacos. Because at that time we were the only people there, we chose to sit on the street .. hence the name of the restaurant ... Tacos on the Street. My friend ordered for me: carne asada taco, carne asada tostada, carne asada quesadilla. Immediately the required condiment plate was brought out and included my favorite raw radishes, a red chili salsa and two grilled fresh chilis - one I know and love as Hungaro (a pale yellow and moderately spicy chili) and jalapenos.

Soon after, our meals arrived and I have to admit, I was shocked. The carne asada, while bien cocida (well done) was so moist and tasty that I immediately had to rethink my opinions on this dish. Ever since I woke up today I have been craving more of these tacos.

Once I had seconds we left and I went and purchased whole ducks for a dinner I am preparing this weekend - more on that later. But this is what I will be writing about on this blog. Inspirational moments of food. I am never happier than when I am sharing a meal with the people I love. And all kinds of food! While most of my cuisine is French based, I love all food that is delicious and thought out carefully. What we have here in Mexico is an amazing array of flavors and product with which to create memorable moments.

• Tacos on the Street
• Huachinango St. 9
• La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico
• Phone: (329) 295-5056