The River Café Presents “For the Love of Garlic and Mangos”
By Miguel Camacho F. The River Café is a beautiful restaurant located on the Cuale River Island, right in the heart of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Its terrace setting with gardens on the river banks make it an ideal place for a fabulous meal, any time of the year.
Puerto Vallarta has established itself as a top gastronomic destination; it is today number two in the country, only after Mexico City. This poses a constant challenge to Puerto Vallarta chefs, and elicits their creativity.
This is what we found last week as we dined at The River Café. A display of creativity resulting in incredible dishes that I would have never imagined. The restaurant offers, during June and July, besides its regular menu, a special season menu titled “For the Love of Garlic and Mangos”. At first glance, garlic and mangos did not sound as a very attractive combination, but I soon discovered I was wrong. It was a revealing experience.
The four-course menu includes appetizer, soup or salad, main course and dessert, for a fixed price.
The appetizer is a roasted garlic bulb with mango chutney and crostini. I would have never pictured myself eating roasted garlic cloves, but today I highly recommend it. The strong aroma that characterizes garlic disappeared to make way to a warm paste with an incredibly smooth texture that we spread on crostini, topped with mango chutney and savored with pleasure.
Letty chose Caesar salad with bacon, homemade croutons and traditional garlic anchovy dressing, and she had only words of praise for it. I decided to have double garlic cream of potato soup with Chipotle aioli. I’m going to have to ask the chef for the recipe. It was a rich cream with a delicate garlic aroma, accented by the chipotle aioli; simply brilliant.
There are three choices of main course, all equally appetizing. Letty had Penne with roasted garlic, pancetta and green peas with a creamy garlic Alfredo sauce. It was so delicious that she bragged about it and even allowed me to taste it. And boy, was she right! The perennial carnivore in me made me choose Filet Mignon marinated in fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme, grilled and served with roasted garlic mash potato and fresh grilled asparagus. This is a dish that invites to be enjoyed slowly. Again, garlic only perfumed the filet, delicately, along with the aromatic herbs. I paired my dish to an excellent San Lorenzo Cabernet-Tempranillo.
For dessert, there is brandy glazed fresh cut mango over vanilla ice cream. It is sinful, but goes very well with a cup of coffee.
This is a fabulous menu not to be missed. It will change the way you see garlic today and you will discover incredible combinations of flavors that will have your taste buds have a ball.
The River Café is open ever day from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Isla Río Cuale, local 4, Centro. Tel. 223 0788. www.rivercafé.com.mx
Its terrace setting with gardens on the river banks make it an ideal place for a fabulous meal, any time of the year.
not sound as a very attractive combination, but I soon discovered I was wrong. It was a revealing experience.
disappeared to make way to a warm paste with an incredibly smooth texture that we spread on crostini, topped with mango chutney and savored with pleasure.
Letty had Penne with roasted garlic, pancetta and green peas with a creamy garlic Alfredo sauce. It was so delicious that she bragged about it and even allowed me to taste it. And boy, was she right! The perennial carnivore in me made me choose Filet Mignon marinated in fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme, grilled and served with roasted garlic mash potato and fresh grilled asparagus. This is a dish that invites to be enjoyed slowly. Again, garlic only perfumed the filet, delicately, along with the aromatic herbs. I paired my dish to an excellent San Lorenzo Cabernet-Tempranillo.