Puerto Vallarta Information & Events
Complimentary Wine Tasting at Café des Artistes
The restaurant Café des Artistes in Centro Puerto Vallarta has announced a “fun and exciting promotion” that is not to be missed. Enjoy complimentary Wine Tasting from 6 to 7 pm in the Costantini Wine Bar in the Restaurant on Thursday evenings until May 14, 2009.
In its fifth year in a row, Vallarta Lifestyles Restaurant Week 2009 has begun. Sample the best of what Puerto Vallarta has to offer.
For 17 days, many of Puerto Vallarta’s best restaurants will offer spectacular three-course menus (with three options each) discounted by up to 50%. The cost of the fixed price menus are $169 or $269 pesos (beverages and tips excluded).
Restaurant Week 2009 is endorsed by local municipal authorities, Puerto Vallarta’s tourism bureau (FIDETUR), and Hotel and Motel Association.
Restaurant Week 2009 takes place May 15-31, 2009.
The participating restaurants include:
Mexican Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Festival
Tuesday, March 10, to Sunday, March 15, 2009
10:00am to 6:00pm
Vallarta Botanical Gardens will showcase their collection of chocolate and coffee trees plus vanilla orchids planted en mass during 2008. Educational and inspiring demonstrations, plus a menu dedicated to chocolate, coffee, and vanilla.
Well-known speakers to enlighten us on their specialty at 2pm each afternoon. There is no charge for admission to this Festival other than Garden Entrance Fee of $50 pesos (US$4.00).
The week culminates with a party “Food and Nectar of the Gods”
Saturday evening, March 14th, 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm
What is the “Food of the Gods”? Chocolate, of course. Nectar of the Gods? Fine Wine.
This delightfully informative evening with 6 pairings of wine and chocolates is co-hosted by Charlotte Semple & Carole Fast of Xocodiva Artisan Chocolates and Nina Goodhope of La Bodega de Nina Fine Wines. A gourmet Mexican buffet featuring chicken móle is included in the ticket price of $550 pesos.
Tickets must be purchased in advance at:
Free transportation provided to and from Lázaro Cárdenas Park in Old Town for this event. Bus departs at 5:00pm, returning at 10:00pm.
Throughout the City of Puerto Vallarta from Sunday, February 22 to Saturday, February 28, the 3rd annual Puerto Vallarta Wine Festival will infuse wine and culture to tourist and local, alike.
The Puerto Vallarta Wine Festival is not only a tourist attraction, but above all, a reward for the visitor’s loyalty. That is why it is organized during high season when there are lots of tourists on place, so they can find in Vallarta not only Sun and Beach but also superior quality events.
The Vallarta Wine Fest is a party for everyone; everybody is part of it and everybody is an organizer. It’s a party of the village, spreading the Arts & Wine culture to all of the social classes of the city.
Based in the success of 2007, for 2008 the chosen slogan is: LA CULTURA ESTÁ DE FIESTA. Along with the Wine-related events, the training and qualification centers for professional and amateurs, a true storm of cultural events is organized: a poetry contest, a photography contest, a plastic arts exhibition of the Centro 10 group, a youth wine-theme painting exhibition, concerts, country fairs…. Party. It is Party time for Culture.
PUBLIC SCHEDULE (Only events open to the public without cost):
February 22
FIESTA in PARQUE LÁZARO CÁRDENAS, 6 pm to midnight
- Music by the Municipal Band
- Vino ($10 & $20 pesos a glass)
- Bocadillos al costo
- Fiesta & Dance
- Open to the Public
February 26
8 pm – PLAZA PITILLAL & PLAZA DE IXTAPA
- Teatro Urbano Itinerante
- Open to the Public
9 pm – PARQUE LÁZARO CÁRDENAS
- Verbena Popular – Music
- Vino ($10 & $20 pesos a glass)
- Bocadillos
- Fiesta & Dance
- Open to the Public
February 27
8:30 pm at the Plaza de Armas (Presidencia Plaza)
MUNDO JOVEN, electronic music night with DJs Luis Flores, Carlos Rodríguez & Gybo Calderón
VIDEO OF THE 2008 WINE FEST PHOTO CONTEST:
[google 1263074770334809074]
INVITED COUNTRY: ITALY
HOSTING RESTAURANTS:
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” — Virginia Woolf
A NEW CLASS OF DINING
Many clients and friends have asked me to do a cooking class. A few nights ago I did a dinner and the guests pulled their chairs into the kitchen and watched me prepare their dinner. I was inspired because we talked about food: the origins of the dishes I was preparing, how one purchases at market and anecdotes about the various ingredients or where I had first tasted a dish in Europe….
Food is exciting. In fact, I can’t think of anything more interesting than food and I like to share this enthusiasm with the people I feed.
This class will be interactive. We will meet at a local market in the Zona Romantica and shop for our food. Then we will go to a beautiful private home and prepare the meal. At sunset we will sip wine on the terrace and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
I will teach some classical French technique and show participants how I think about flavors and combinations. The class will be limited to 15 participants.
The cost of the class is 650 pesos and includes all food, wine and instruction. Some may not wish to meet at market and instead come directly to the house for the preparation. This is fine. If you wish to attend please email me at seth@foodbyseth.com for a reservation which must be prepaid to insure attendance.
The class will be held on February 27th. We will meet at the market at 2:30 and then make our way to the home which is located on Pulpito a short walk from the market.
Bring an appetite! While the food we prepare will be market based – meaning we will choose what products look the best on that particular day – there is sure to be an Allium Tart (Shallots, Leeks, Garlic and Onion) and some classic French sauces to name but two items.
ABOUT SETH CLOUTMAN
Chef Seth was born in New England and many of his dishes reflect his love of the cuisine of the North East.
At an early age Seth made his way to New York and then to Paris. where he learned his love of food and dining. It was from his mother’s and grandmother’s friends in France that his love of food and dining was refined. It was also there that he took the technical classes to master the core principles of French cuisine.
After returning to New York City he began a catering business and worked in many fine restaurants before moving to the West Coast.
San Francisco saw his introduction to California Cuisine and, in particular, the food of Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley. To this day Seth’s cooking is heavily influenced by Waters’ philosophy of fresh and local products being prepared using classical French technique.
Upon returning to New York City, Seth worked in restaurants until he opened his own first restaurant, Lanesville Kitchen. He then later himself in Australia where he took on the challenge of running a Spanish Tapas kitchen before he opened his own restaurant there featuring French Bistro Fare.
Seth relocated to Puerto Vallarta nearly two years ago where he was the Executive Chef of the hit restaurant, Coconuts Bar & Grill. Today Seth does private chef and catering events solely. He loves Mexico and the foods that are offered here
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Of course, any type of glass can be recycled with lime wedges inside. At the recycling plant, the glass is shattered and melted at 1600 degrees, well above the flash point of cerveza-soaked lime wedges.
OK, so this question isn’t totally relevant down here in Mexico where the beer bottles are reused, not recycled.
Can the bottles be reused with wedges inside?
This question was answered rather obliquely late one night by a local bartender who used to work at a Corona Bottling Plant. He said that you will know if a bottle is cleaned and sterilized if it doesn’t have an old lime wedge floating in it before you open it.
And then there’s the old bar bet:
(Indicating an empty Corona with lime wedge in bottom of bottle).
(Rapidly swing the bottle down towards the floor with the opening facing downwards. The lime slides out like grease through a goose.)
If you’re the type of person who thinks that the way to win this bet is to break the bottle, you have perfect personality traits to hang out in a *real* cantina.
[youtube qeGkWJ2Y6fQ]