Ladies Lunch at Casa Country

On Wednesday the Ladies were off to La Casa Country for lunch. 

 "La Casa Country, rated 4.5 of 5 on TripAdvisor and ranked #16 of 496 restaurants in Mazatlan.

La Casa Country restaurant is characterized by offering delicious entrees of the finest American Cuts of Angus Beef, tasty Mexican food combos & steaks, table side hand made to taste fresh salsas & a variety of sea food platters; all served in a fun and friendly western style atmosphere.Our staff is trained & committed to La Casa Country principles: Quality, Attention & Festive atmosphere; this ensure that customers will savor an unforgettable experience."

I, of course had not heard of this restaurant located in the north of the Golden Zone just south of El Cid and we were all in for a treat.  Ruth had eaten here before, perhaps on many occasions and hoped that we would be entertained by having the cowboy waiters perform for us.  Unfortunately in the middle of the day they are light staffed and that didn't happen.  What did happen was a very peaceful upscale experience in one of Mazatlan's best restaurants.  

 Beautiful decor and a Christmas Pinata.

 All seated and ready to order drinks.  Our waiter's name was Caesar and he was quite entertaining.  Linda and I shared a little smile and when I said " who does he remind you of?" she agreed when I said "Manuel" from Fawlty Towers.  Same accent except Manuel was supposed to be from Barcelona!  No one else seemed to have heard of Fawlty Towers except Linda and I...odd to us.

 Today I had my usual lunch time drink of Pina Colada.  After all it is almost Christmas time.

 I did notice today that the elegant restaurant had all the ladies talking quietly in almost hushed voices.  Also, there was carpet on the floor and lots of wood surfaces so the sound was dimmed unlike most Mexican restaurants with tile floors and hard concrete surfaces.  Very nice!

 Here Caesar (aka as Manuel to Linda and I) making salsa for us all. Very good. 

 Nice stone wall inside the dining area.

 The salsa is ready!  Funny enough Caesar was prone to bumping into things and almost knocked the metal purse stand over....these are traits that always had us laughing at Manuel in Fawlty towers. 

 First up my meal and today I splurged and had filet mignon, medium rare surrounded by roasted vegetable and garlic parmesan bread.  Just the right size for lunch and delicious.

 Linda had the Mexican plate with an enchilada, chili relleno, beef arachara and salad.  She said it was all good except the poblano pepper in the chili relleno was quite hot which sometimes happens. 

 Another chili relleno and as this is one of Eric and I's favorite dishes it's something we would have ordered. 

 Fettuccine with chicken on top.

 Ruth ordered the fillete mignon the same as I did.  When we compared notes later I asked who won for the best meal ....El Presidio or Casa Country.  We agreed definitely El Presidio although Casa Country was close behind.  At El Presidio the beef is served on a bed of garlic whipped potatoes, with poblano pepper sauce and roasted vegetables.  Hard to beat!

 For Diane who has just joined us for the winter " seafood molcajete (hard to spell) and it looks yummy. 

 Pat's salad.

 Yes Sandi I think Linda is enjoying her lunch!

 Medium rare and very tender...just the way I like it.

 Sandi ordered a shrimp cocktail.

 Chicken fajitas for Anita and Jeannette.

At this point I must have stopped taking pictures.  I did get Diane to take a picture of Ruth and I but...she must not have pressed the button hard enough and ....no pictures.  Doesn't matter... you know I was there.  So....a very good lunch although not a cheap one.  Most entrees are between 200 and 300 pesos and my bill with a drink and a tip was over 500 pesos.  Still that is under $40 for an excellent lunch just before Christmas.  A good time was had by all. 

At this point Linda and I were off to Mega/Sorianna to get some cleaning supplies for her maid and a ham for Christmas dinner.  By the time we were done we had enough packages that we needed to take a pulmonia home.  Too much for the bus.  When we went out front we were surprised that there were no pulmonias, taxis or red trucks.  It only took a couple of minutes for a one to show up and he was in a big flap that there were people waiting and no one there to pick them up.  He frantically waved and honked at other pulmonias on the way home trying to send them back to the grocery store.

"Native to Mazatlán, pulmonias – open-air taxis that resemble golf carts – are the most plentiful form of transportation in the area, and undoubtedly the most fun. Travel between hotspots while enjoying the boardwalk sights and warm breeze on your skin in what have become a tourist attraction in their own right.

Pulmonias were first seen on the streets of Mazatlán in 1960, when a local named Miguel Ramírez convinced the government to allow a parade of these peculiar vehicles. Modified golf carts were used at first and later replaced with fiber-glass structures, which are still in use today. The origin of the name is unknown, but rumor has it it derives from a concerned Mazatlecan expressing his fear to catch pneumonia – the english translation of pulmonia – if he rode in an open-air car. The name promptly caught on, and remains in use to this day.

A must while you’re in Mazatlán, there is nothing quite like our pulmonias."

 This was a very old one and he spent all his time holding the glove box lid closed or readjusting his side view mirror that went out of whack every time he hit a bump.  A fun ride home!

Linda was giggling at him at this point.   All in all a good day but a tiring one for me as I'd already been down to Centro at 8:30 this morning to get bread.  Never a dull moment!