So we got off at the airport, grabbed a cab to the hotel and checked in. Way earlier than expected. After examining the hotel room for snakes and spiders, and finding none, we changed into our swimwear and huaraches and hit the beach. I recall thinking that we were starving to death, but the water distracted us…the water on the island’s west side is amazing. It was so clear, so blue with just a touch of clear greenness to it. The island itself is just a big flat rock, with very little surface water, i.e., no rivers or lakes…it’s just a great big plateau sticking up no more than 49 feet above the sea. There is some soil, lots of trees, but it’s really not very habitable…the drinking water comes mostly from a desalinization facility located on the island’s south shore. All the food is flown in from the mainland. The hotel served an odd kind of cuisine, food that wasn’t indigenous to the island, cooked by local cooks who were…to be eaten by tourists who, by and large, weren’t all that interested in local food or not local food to begin with…and yet, it was quite good…grilled beef steaks marinated in Dos Equis beer, slabs of grilled onions, canned diced tomato and canned pickled jalapenos, mixed together with fresh cilantro into a kind of de facto pico de gallo…long curly yellow fried plantains, fresh panela cheese from the mainland, packaged white flour tortillas and fried jalapeno poppers (the manufactured chile popper product having come from a box)…K. and I were surprised at the dearth of local culture here, but when you follow the tourists, that’s what you get. We stayed in the water till we were burnt to bacon. Next morning we got back in the water again. We still had a lot of Mexico to take care of but being in the ocean here, with its subtropical weather and underwater visibility like maybe a hundred feet, maybe 200 feet…swimming in this crystal water seems more like flying…it’s hard to just get up and get out, put on your sandals and simply walk away.

The plane skimmed just above the dark green carpet of lush treetops and I stared out the window. The jungle goes all the way to the horizon when you’re at such a low altitude. Telephone poles appear. Soon, a few dirt streets showed up on the scene, papayas, mango trees…a whitewashed plywood sign advertised Pepsi from where they’d gotten it propped up against a gray cinderblock wall in the tan dust. The plane released it’s landing gear and then the wheels touched down on the quote runway, if you could call it that…funny what passes in other countries, we wouldn’t even think about permitting…it was just a broken up concrete strip with grass growing up through the cracks that you might do a better job of making on a Saturday morning with a trip to Lowe’s and a garden hose in the back yard. I mean you wouldn’t want to drive your pick-up truck on it, let alone land a plane…and yet land we did…you could hear the ‘Captain’ stomping on the brakes and spitting out Spanish expletives. It was a pretty fine piece of airline pilotry, really… 

K. and I got out and wandered downstairs through the cement interior of the tiny Mexican airport. It was under construction at the time. We walked out into the sun and within seconds we had a local quote tour guide. He said where you going? Are you going across to the island? I get you tickets.
Thanks but we have tickets.
For when? How long do you want to wait here? I can get you there right now. A plane is leaving in like ten minutes.
Yes, but I’m not in any hurry. Are we in any hurry, K.?
No.
How long you two wanna hang out here to get bothered by guys like me? Come on give me 20 bucks each and you be on a plane over to the island in like fifteen minutes.
Well, how do I know you’ll come back? I stupidly asked.
Come on man, what are we talking about? 40 bucks? You a rich guy.
I gave him 40 bucks.
K. says what are you doing?
I go why not?
The ’guide’ said follow me, so we did. We never even put down our bags or took off our backpacks. We just followed him. Next thing you know, we’re in a plane that’s skimming over the sea to the island. The water goes all the way to the horizon at those low altitudes…we haven’t eaten anything that didn’t come out of a Mexican vending machine for days.

Every Friday and Saturday the Sonora Grill flies in fresh fish from Hawaii. Fish so fresh that when you come down to get your ceviche, it’s really going to blow you away. Chef Courtney is creating exciting new dishes utilizing this seafood that has been out of the pacific literally about 20 hours. You’ll be able to taste the freshness. My favorite today is the seared Tasmanian salmon with achiote, lime and honey glaze…It’s crazy how delicious this thing is!  So delicious! So crazy!

MARGARITA SPECIAL – ECLIPSE MARGARITA, IN HONOR OF THAT  TWILIGHT MOVIE COMING OUT. YAY! JOSE CUERVO, BLUE CURACAO ORANGE LIQUOR, FRESH LIME, CRANBERRY JUICE, CHATEAU MONET RASPBERRY LIQUEUR. ONCE YOU STIR IT, IT TURNS BLACK LIKE A VAMPIRE`S HEART! WE STILL HAVE HEINKEN LIGHT FOR THREE DOLLARS. GO TEAM EDWARD!

Local First Ogden Kickoff Party

Thursday, July 1, 7:00 p.m.
Sonora Grill, 2310 Kiesel Avenue, Ogden
Tasty food samplers, a silent auction, and live, local music will be offered to celebrate the launch of Local First Ogden. Get to know the small-business community and come out to show support for buying local in Ogden. Sponsored by local eatery, Wing Nutz. Free to the public

Almost immediately upon landing I found myself in Spice Market with my uncles Gene and Roger. None of us had been there. I’d only read about it online. From Ogden, it seemed like it would be my kind of restaurant. These 2 live in NYC, but had never gone to eat at that place and it’s a kind of party scene so they really needed an excuse to go. This really isn’t where most 65 year olds go. Then again, my uncles are way beyond cool.
The menu was amazing. We ordered a prix fixe dinner, which included ‘5 courses with 10 tastes each’ in the words of our stunning waitress, who I later found out was studying to be an actress. The food was intoxicating. And there was so much food with so many spicy flavors. An abundance of decadence. I was lavished with essences, soups, salads, slaws and ingredients, components, hints, scents, suggestions, forks and knives. Lime leaves, galangal, taro,sumac, Thai basil, saffron,  lemongrass, ramps, papaya, eel, douchi, halo halo, the kitchen sink!…they had stuff coming out of all over Asia. It was amazing. Someone had told the maitre d’ I was the Executive Chef of the Sonora Grill, the Best Mexican Restaurant in Utah, USA, I think it was Gene, because the next thing you know, here comes the maitre d’, with another course of food, and followed by a young man, Felix, with more food, and then more food and more food. O this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been here before…Felix and the maitre d’…and they were really chatting me up too. I would have said something but my mouth was full of food! They were peeling grapes and stuffing em in my mouth!As it turns out, by the time several courses had passed, I found out that those two were studying to be actors too! I half expected Chef Vongerichten himself, you know, he could be an actor. He always reminded me of Martin Scorsese anyway, but then I came to my senses. I was suffering from sensory overload. I got a hold of myself. I saved room for dessert. I got a quick cab ride down to Union Square Park and went out for late night espressos with an old friend!… Sleep?… Sleep Shmeep bleeped the sheep. I’ll sleep when I’m dead!

Someone asked me about a particular Mexican food preparation yesterday when I was at the bank getting some cash. She said it was marinated roasted pork with lemon and oranges and it was totally delicious but she just couldn’t remember the name of the dish. I said it sounds like Cochinita Pibil.
She said O that’s it! It’s Cochinita Pibil.
I said I love that dish. It’s one of my favorite things in life to eat that dish.
She goes yeah it’s sooo good.
I ignored the person standing nearby who said ‘O that’s not Mexican food.’

Mexican food isn’t just one cuisine, though some people tend to imagine that it is. Mexico is a big place and it encompasses a large and varied culinary tradition. Cochinita pibil is, as the name suggests, a suckling pig, roasted in a Pib. A Pib being the Mayan word for a small shallow rectangular pit used for cooking seasoned meats, which are wrapped in banana leaves in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. The dish was made popular in this country several years ago when it was featured in the film Once Upon a Time in Mexico…

 BTW, Here’s a recipe for Cocinita Pibil

4lbs. Pork butt cut in 3 inch cubes
8oz. Achiote paste
10 cloves of garlic
2 limes, cut in half
2 lemons, cut in half
2 oranges, cut in half
8 dry bay leaves
2 t. ground cumin
½ t. ground cinnamon
1T. dried oregano
1T. Kosher salt
2T. ground black pepper.

Squeeze the citrus fruit juice out, add everything together and mash it up with your hands until you have a bright pink paste that you’re rubbing all over the pork meat.
Next you’ll need
1 lb. of banana leaves
2 white onions cut in quarters
5 roma tomatoes cut in half

Line a baking pan with the banana leaves, add the pink achiote and citrus marinated pork into the banana leaf  lined pan and top with the onions and tomatoes. Fold the banana leaves over the meat and roast it in your oven at 325 degrees for 3 hours. Or until this sweet and sour pink cochinita meat just falls apart when you put your fork into it. Serve it with fresh tortillas and avocado slices.

 And get ready to freak out because it is gonna be a flavor explosion in your mouth!

Still looking for the perfect father’s day gift for dad? Bring him to our sister restaurant, Rickenbacker’s bistro. We’ll be serving a BBQ lunch buffet from 11am to 4pm, Sunday June 20. Can’t wait to see you there!

Another great picture of me and Steve from Andrea Hanks. She’s good, no doubt.

our Seattle trip was awesome! We had several meals. Most of them were pretty danged good.