Monday, December 29, 2008


El Quelite, redux.

Well, it's crow for dinner - metaphorically speaking, of course, and for me only. Robin can have whatever he wants.

You may recall that we visited El Quelite two years ago. Our friend Ian, the Londoner we met in Mazatlan, drove us out there one day, and we took dozens of pictures of the very picturesque village, including some from a tower-cum-chapel way up on a hill. Then we walked around, bought coffee and muffins at a little sidewalk cafe, looked around some more, and ended up on the patio of El Meson de los Laureanos, a very popular restaurant.

There ensued an episode that left me fuming, snarling, and writing a very unflattering review in this journal (See February 9, 2007 - the easiest way to get there is by clicking on "El Quelite" on the Labels list over there--------------->) Today, we had an entirely different - and much more pleasant - experience.

We had fallen into the habit of hanging around in Mazatlan, and it wasn't until Kristin brought the matter up that I remembered our plan to go back to El Quelite with her and TJ. Watching Kris at work with her camera, I was sure she would love the place, and I really wanted to show it to her. So today was the day. We got off to a rather late start - close to noon- and we had to go to the Pemex station for gas (a couple of kilometres in the opposite direction from El Quelite, of course) before we could really get under way. I was curious to know how far away it really was. It seemed like a long drive, but I thought I remembered that it was really only 30 kilometres back up Hwy. 15 Libre. As it turned out, it's about 40 km - still not very far, but the road is not meant for fast travel, as the signs alongside kept reminding me.

We drove our RV, and Kris and TJ rode with us. We parked in a vacant lot near the edge of town, because I wasn't sure there would be room to turn around once we got in there. That was interesting. One of the local residents kindly watched me in, smiling and waving me forward until TJ, looking out the window, said "Whoa!" We were in some danger of taking out a power line, but we stopped in time, thanks to TJ's quick eyes.

We strolled up the high street and were immediately adopted by a thin but obviously cared-for German Shepherd, who was determined to act as our guide. Dogs know an easy mark when they see one.

TJ was quite hungry. Somebody had recommended a restaurant called Doc's, so we went looking for that. I pointed out El Meson de los Laureanos as we went by, and I said that I would be willing to give it another try if we didn't find the place we were looking for. This time, I knew we were arriving at the hour of the comida (2ish), the main meal in Mexico, and I was prepared to have my comida (When in Rome, and all that).

We soon gave up trying to find Doc's, as nobody in town had heard of it. Instead, we retraced our steps to the infamous El Meson de Los Laureanos.

Well. The place was bustling. Customers were plentiful and chatty, and there were plenty of servers, as well. Everybody was very cheerful, including the macaw that ran up and down the banister of the short flight of stairs to the next level. We sat down, ordered beer (and lemonade for the DD, me), and perused the menu. We ordered three plates of carne asada - and one of carnitas (cubed pork) for the odd woman out (me again). Our appetizers arrived, and we nibbled happily until, quite soon, our meals arrived. Each meal came with frijoles, guacamole, and nopalitos, and there was pudding after. There was too much for even me to finish, so we asked for a doggy bag.

The meal was delicious. The service was excellent. The owner was gracious. At first, I didn't think it was the same man - but he did look familiar - so maybe it was. I was seeing so red the last time, that I may simply have distorted his face in my memory.

Anyway, I can say without hesitation that El Meson de los Laureanos is well worth visiting, as long as you're prepared for a feast. I've gleaned a couple of links:

http://www.senormazatlan.com/elmeson.html (This is the menu.)

http://tinyurl.com/7k6qfm (another glowing review)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzcvKyfQzc4&feature=related

The YouTube link shows the macaw.

Oh, and the German Shepherd got the contents of the doggy bag.

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