El Quelite for lunch with Ian and Linda

Ian and Linda have been here in Mazatlan for two weeks now and so far we hadn’t managed to get out of town on a road trip.  Today it was a short one to El Quelite which is only about 24 miles north of us.   It is Sunday so we expected it would be a bit busier than a week day.

When we pulled into town Eric and I were amazed at the amount of traffic and cars lining both sides of the fairly narrow main street.  Mostly Mexican tourists. Looked like it was a national holiday!

At first we wondered if we’d even be able to get into the Los Arrieros restaurant where we usually have lunch.  By the time we got to the end of the main street the traffic had died down, we crossed the bridge and there wasn’t hardly anyone in the restaurant.

We ordered a beer (Tecate was all they had) and ordered food.  You are always started off with chips, salsa, fresh cheese and a little gordita which looks like a tiny pizza.

I ordered breaded shrimp (camarones empanizados) and as you can see they are very dark colored.  Overcooked and I think their frying oil must be old because I could taste it.  I really should have sent them back.

Linda’s stuffed shrimp which were really just breaded and covered in cheese.  She said her meal was fine. 

Ian had the shrimp molcajete.  The molcajete pot was smoking hot and the shrimp were good.  We were supplied with fresh tortillas (which Eric loves) and Ian could have dipped them in the sauce.

Eric had shrimp with peppers and refried beans.  Good but not really spicy enough.

The menu doesn’t change much here and could probably use a bit of a revamp.  In the end it is quiet, the service is good and you can sit outside in the cool breeze to eat.  Lovely ambiance. 

We left the truck by the restaurant and wandered back up the street.

I told Linda her top matched her car and she said thanks!  Just a joke, not really her car.

I could smell this shop before I got to it….lots of leather shoes and sandals.

The motos were whizzing by and Eric and Ian had to wait to cross.

The locals are taking advantage of the increase in tourists by offering horseback rides and this side street was filled with stalls selling this and that.

I see Daniel’s restaurant is now open in El Quelite.  I would assume it is the same one that we used to visit when we travelled to Copala.  When the new highway from Durango opened the majority of traffic that used to pass by Copala moved onto the new route and Daniel’s restaurant closed. 

This is the El Quelite Designer’s Bazaar.  We just visited it’s sister shop in Mazatlan last week.  Lots of different stuff in this one that is aimed at the tourist traffic.  There was a chatty guy inside who spoke decent English and I asked him what was with all the tourists.  He said they had no idea but that they were happy to have them there.

In the square this lady and the little girls were painting…what I don’t know.

At this point we walked back to the truck to find the guys who had bailed partway down the street.  It was a bit of a struggle getting the truck out of town as cars were parked on both sides of the street and the centre isn’t really wide enough for two vehicles. 

A nice afternoon but….note to self….don’t go to El Quelite on a Sunday. 

Ian and Linda are expecting company from home on Wednesday (Brenda and Basil) and they will be staying with them for the next ten days.  That will only leave Ian and Linda one day before they fly back to the USA to continue their winter in Palm Springs so we won’t be seeing much of them before they leave.  Too bad as we had lots more to do together.