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EL ANCLA


gringal

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For a while, El Ancla was having serious change problems and we stopped going there.  So did practically everyone else, since the parking lot was almost empty or all empty when we drove past during lunch times.

Lately, more cars were appearing, so we decided to give it another try.  During its first incarnation, they had a Poblano chicken I loved, so we both ordered that.  I'm happy to say it was as good as it used to be, so I ordered it again yesterday and asked for "extra sauce", which arrived with same, and it was even better.  My companion ordered the salmon and was very happy, too.  Service:  very good. Prices: reasonable; about the same as most other mid-level restaurants in the area. My chicken was $140 pesos and included excellent vegetables and mashed potatoes (from scratch).  The salmon was $200 pesos and included the same sides.

So...if you haven't tried it lately, I'd recommend giving it a new try.  There is nice, quiet and comfortable inside dining and also outdoor dining.  I prefer to be well off the highway, so our lunch was indoors.  Good fan coverage there, too.

Location:  West of Ajijic, on the lake side, well before you get to Arileo's.

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I watch prices at many restaurants, and they continue to rise. However, to me $140 for chicken is not mid-level. It's chicken. And $200 for salmon is just too much, but I am sure... knowing Gringal's palate... that they must have been very good. However, I won't be testing those waters. I had a massive monkfish dinner at Tabarka yesterday for $130p. This is a fish that in cut and taste could almost be mistaken for a lobster tail, and it was perfectly cooked with two delicious sides (perhaps the best ratatouille I've had) and a sauce of my choosing.

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3 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

I watch prices at many restaurants, and they continue to rise. However, to me $140 for chicken is not mid-level. It's chicken. And $200 for salmon is just too much, but I am sure... knowing Gringal's palate... that they must have been very good. However, I won't be testing those waters. I had a massive monkfish dinner at Tabarka yesterday for $130p. This is a fish that in cut and taste could almost be mistaken for a lobster tail, and it was perfectly cooked with two delicious sides (perhaps the best ratatouille I've had) and a sauce of my choosing.

I had that same dish from Tabarka last week, and it was absolutely delicious!   I had the monkfish with ratatouille and potatoes, and a garlic pesto sauce!   Yum!

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Tabarka is one of the best value restaurants in the area.  Their monkfish is good, but I wouldn't mistake it for lobster.  On the rare occasions that they have salmon, the price goes up.  David said that is because it is costly to buy.  It's one of the higher priced items on most menus. It's a little less at a few places, but not nearly as good as at either Tabarka or Arileo's.  There,  it flakes; no mushiness. Having been fortunate enough in the past to buy it off the wharf in CA, I know what the good stuff is supposed to be like.  Yum.

Now, about that chicken:  it's "just chicken", but the preparation of all the items on the plate is elaborate.  The veggies are steamed, then lightly fried with seasonings.  The mashed 'taties are from scratch and also seasoned and smashed "just enough".  This is all more complex than just tossing the bird on the barbie.  If the latter is what I'm in the mood for, it's cheap and delicious from the "dusty chicken" place on the Libramento.  Prices are related to the method of preparation as well as the cost of raw materials.  If being thrifty is an objective, I don't dine out.  I cook at home.

As for really high priced dining, there are a few restaurants in the area that I don't patronize since they are more about the snob factor than the food.  A nice environment is a plus...but not appealing to me unless the meals are outstanding as well.

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52 minutes ago, Mainecoons said:

We'd try Tabarka again if we could figure out when David is there.  Because when he's not....

He's been there more often lately, but last week he wasn't when we were there. Both the food and the service was excellent.

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Of course I agree that quality of cooking and value of presentation is often worth a higher price, and I am willing to pay... but chicken hasn't gone up in price for years, and I think a menu should reflect that. I cannot fault you for enjoying it... there is a certain feeling of satisfaction when you finally find a place that is good, and it helps one to overlook higher prices. And that is great. Plus, you providing your review has saved me from going there and paying that kind of price, which is part of the benefit of this forum. And I can only thank you for that.

No, the monkfish is certainly not lobster, but size and flavour for me were good enough to make that comparison. And of course the price compared to chicken for the quality of the food has me standing firm. If I really wanted to be picky, I'd mention that no one has apparently ever wiped down the plastic menus. They are covered wtih spots and sticky stuff. The whole purpose of a plasticized menu is to make it easy to clean. So when we say service is "good", we're only talking about time-to-table and no elbows in the face. Because truly quality service would be clean menus... something everyone handles over and over again. Also, a girl trying to set out six flatware servings and six drinks should never, ever stand beside me and reach in front of my head to do it. Just an aside.

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Then I guess my review had value in saving you from the chicken!  Since you're a long time resident, you may have noticed that  the price of just about everything has gone way up from ten years ago.  Wages, cost of services and dining out.  Fortunately, so has the ratio of dollars to pesos, so our pensions go further.  Let's hope things don't go in the opposite direction.

I assume you're talking about the menu stickiness at Tabarka.  Hadn't noticed, since my ordering there has pretty much consisted of  "what kind of fish do you have today" and picking one plus the sides I remember and like.  But you're right:  plastic menus should be sticky stuff free.

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23 minutes ago, gringal said:

Then I guess my review had value in saving you from the chicken!  Since you're a long time resident, you may have noticed that  the price of just about everything has gone way up from ten years ago.  Wages, cost of services and dining out.  Fortunately, so has the ratio of dollars to pesos, so our pensions go further.  Let's hope things don't go in the opposite direction.

I assume you're talking about the menu stickiness at Tabarka.  Hadn't noticed, since my ordering there has pretty much consisted of  "what kind of fish do you have today" and picking one plus the sides I remember and like.  But you're right:  plastic menus should be sticky stuff free.

Yes, and in the last couple of years especially. Gone now are the days of cheap, value-driven small places.  I'd say 130-140p is the new normal for shrimp and most "fancy" dishes, but I balk at high chicken prices. Always have, and the truth is there have always been places that charge way too much for chicken.

 

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27 minutes ago, Tiny said:

The menu should reflect the  total operating cost. Not just one item. Maybe other costs may have increased. Any owner has to be so careful pricing their menu.

Perhaps, but when the majority of places reflect reasonable chicken prices compared to costlier fish filets or paella or chamorro... then no. As reflected in the discussion with Gringal, yes, prices have certainly gone up. I would never run a restaurant myself, because I am quite aware of what is involved. Even Adelita charges "only" $169 for salmon, which to me means it better be worth it. Of course, most people say it is. On the other hand, their burger is $149... which to me is just extreme. Onion rings or not.

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1 minute ago, ComputerGuy said:

Perhaps, but when the majority of places reflect reasonable chicken prices compared to costlier fish filets or paella or chamorro... then no. As reflected in the discussion with Gringal, yes, prices have certainly gone up. I would never run a restaurant myself, because I am quite aware of what is involved. Even Adelita charges "only" $169 for salmon, which to me means it better be worth it. Of course, most people say it is.

Let's continue to beat the chicken....why not?  This chicken dish was a very generous portion which I couldn't finish, so my spouse generously volunteered to do the job.  It was a very tender, all breast meat chunks, stuffed with cheese and spinach, and covered with hunks of a thick, poblano based sauce.  This was definitely not your regular chick.  This was a fancy gal. You pay more for those.:rolleyes:

I'd never want to run a restaurant, either.  There, we completely agree.

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14 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

Well now, that sounds like a pretty fancy presentation. My mistake in assuming it was a breast with sauce and sides. Okay, I'll have to think about that.

Hey, it's worth a splurge.  Absolutely rates a "double yum".  I'm pretty thrifty, too.

 

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We just had a very generous plate of three large beef tacos, with all the fixings, rice & beans, coffee + soft drink and a complimentary shot of tequila from the proprietor....$130 pesos plus tip. The serving is very large, so two of us shared the plate, and were full for the drive home.

It was just after our visit to our Mexican dentist in Nogales, Sonora; 90 minutes from our house in Tucson.  It always feels so very good to be back in Mexico, even a border town.

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32 minutes ago, RVGRINGO said:

We just had a very generous plate of three large beef tacos, with all the fixings, rice & beans, coffee + soft drink and a complimentary shot of tequila from the proprietor....$130 pesos plus tip. The serving is very large, so two of us shared the plate, and were full for the drive home.

It was just after our visit to our Mexican dentist in Nogales, Sonora; 90 minutes from our house in Tucson.  It always feels so very good to be back in Mexican even a border town.

RV....there was (is??) a Cafe Ajijic in Nogales....have you tried it, if it still exists?  From Bisbee 2003-2007 before we moved to Ajijic, we used to shop in Nogales and always stopped for lunch at Cafe Ajijic.  The owner was from Ajijic. 

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20 minutes ago, suegarn said:

This thread definitely took a few turns!  From discussing El Ancla, to Tabarka, to cafes in Nogales!   Anyone looking for information on cafes in Nogales sure won't find it looking at the title of this thread.......lol!

"Thread wander" at its finest, si!

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Just to put this into a bit of perspective, $140 pesos is $7.67 USD. I just got notice of my High School Reunion this summer. They are having a luncheon, 3 course meal, for $35 USD. Granted it is being held at a see-and-be-seen place that I didn't bother with when I lived there, but there, for $7 you can get a wild greens salad.

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IMHO, the word on filling your belly on inexpensive but healthy food is this: Whether it's 140 pesos or 7.67 US dollars, there is no way you can beat buying a chicken at the grocers, taking it home and cooking it yourself, plain or fancy.  If you're on a tight budget, you can learn to become a good cook. Been there, done that, way back as a grad student. I and others on budgets so tight they squeaked learned at least 25 ways to make hamburger and chicken into delicious meals. So what are we talking about?  I think it's about choosing to dine out at a restaurant where the price of a meal includes the overhead: the cooks, the waiters, the rent and finally, the food itself, and about what it's worth to us, personally, to have the experience.  It's really not about the price of chicken.

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A group of four of us had lunch at El Ancla today.  Three ordered the Poblano sauce chicken dish which I am happy to report was listed at $130 pesos, not the  $140 I had recalled and posted wrong (Oh, what was I thinking?:rolleyes:.)  The fourth person had the salmon: a big, flaky chunk perfectly done.  All of us were happy.

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We had dinner at El Ancla last evening and I tried a menu item that I haven't seen much of in the area; trout. ($150 pesos)  It was salmon pink, a delicate flavor and cooked just right, with a slivered almonds sauce. The mashed potatoes and vegetables described before were served with it.  In an area where you often get "mystery fish" served in the restaurants, this was a very nice change. For fish fans, this is well worth a try.

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