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Cafe Magana - Riberas


jkgourmet

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For the sake of full disclosure, let me state that I was ready, maybe even wanted, to dislike this place. I read all (most?) of the posts which complained about the owner's lack of courtesy to customers, that he was direct, blunt or rude (depending who was writing the post), his highly questionable taste in signage, and various other issues.

More personal to me was that several posters seemed to give the guy a pass because he was from Manchester, England. I am half-English (the "better half" my mother would have said). I've visited England more times than I can count to see relatives and travel. I've visited Manchester. Furthermore, I grew up on Long Island, New York. Without trying to insult anyone, I think I know about brusque and direct behavior - as well as English manners. Which brings me to this point: I don't care where the man or woman is from. Treat your customers with respect and manners, or I don't want to do business with you.

However, some recent reports on the forum indicated that some of these issues had been adjusted. Some posters wrote that perhaps Jeff had been reading this forum and recognized that his eccentricities were turning customers off. And, generally, the reports on the food were good. So, rather than refuse to go visit based on rumor or my own principles, and with my usual sense of wanting to find good food, off we went for lunch to Cafe Magana.

First, points for the window screens. Nice to have a meal without dozens of flies. Second, many lost points for the signage on the first two booths that we saw as we entered the restaurant. I wish I had written the exact wording down, so I could do a perfect quotation, but it read (approximately) Do not use these tables unless you are a party of three. Parties of less than three will not be served. Okay, I get that you want to hold the larger tables for larger groups - good decision. But how about a sign that says the same thing nicely and professionally, like Please reserve these tables for parties of four or more. Is there a need to be this off-putting?

Nevertheless, we sat at a small booth for two. Quick service from a gentleman who delivered menus and took our drink order. Red wine for husband ($35 pesos for a smallish serving of drinkable red in a jam jar) and ice tea for me. The iced tea came from an unlabled plastic bottle and may have been a misorder on my part. It didn't taste like any iced tea I've ever had, nor would I want it again.

I spotted an announcement on the menu stating that shared plates were not permitted. Again, poorly worded, and from what I've seen in Lakeside, very likely a business mistake. I see many couples ordering and splitting plates around here. It's common practice. I admit, when we do this in the states, we often pay a couple of bucks extra for the 'privilege'. If the place is full, okay. But if the restaurant is empty and still charges us extra, we take our business elsewhere. In Lakeside, where this sharing is so common, I really think it's shortsighted. At the least, it's a bit tacky. However, I'm not a restaurateur, so maybe I'm ignorant of the facts.

But that's the sum total of the negatives. From there on in, we were VERY pleased with our orders and have zero complaints about the service or anything else. The menu was extensive enough to keep us interested in return visits, and even the smallest servings were large. Husband ordered one of his favorites, fish and chips - one fillet $60 pesos, I think. In England and the US, the fish is usually cod or plaice or some similar white fish. Here is was dorado. Unusual, but well prepared, fresh and delicious. The tartar sauce was tasty, but the malt vinegar is the real deal. The chips were fine, not great, not bad, just french fries.

I ordered the small order of ribs, 2-3 bones, according to the menu, with the hot chili sauce (there are a choice of six sauces). $70 pesos, I think. Cole slaw on the side. What arrived was a bigger hunk of meat than I figured on, with a good spicy (but not too spicy) BBQ sauce. Not drowned in the sauce, thank goodness. Meat was moist and tender. I eat my ribs with a knife and fork (English - remember? :)) and this was easy with these ribs. I never even used the little bowl of soapy water that Jeff thoughtfully provides for cleaning up afterwards. The coleslaw was unusually good - large chunks of green and red cabbage, with some shredded carrot. Not too sweet or vinegary. Individual tastes rule when it comes to BBQ sauce and coleslaw, but IMO, these were very good. (and I am a big coleslaw fan.)

So, even though I really was a bit predisposed to dislike this place, I just can't do it. The food was excellent, the menu interesting and the service just fine and friendly. I like that you can figure out how to make your order as large or small as you want - order 1 or two sides, order different amounts of meat or fish, order an entree that's meant for two, and then splitting is available - and quite a bargain. I saw the fried shrimp which looked very good. And the fish taco's would certainly be worth trying. The hamburgers and sandwiches looked quite good too. Frankly, I didn't see a plate returning to the kitchen with more than the little carrot and leaf garnishes.

So yes, we'll be back. You can see the menu here: http://www.cafemagana.net/

Located just past the Riberas animal shelter.

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We made a late lunch trip to Magana today, too. Our power was out and it just seemed the thing to do. Oh, yeah! It's a favorite of ours. Had the pasta with homemade sausage. It was terrific and the sauce....ohhh the sauce. Spouse is crazy about the Roast Beef Sandwich and swoons over the gravy. Love that cole slaw, too.

It started to come down in buckets as we were just finishing so the timing was just right to stay for dessert. Thank You Rain! We shared what looks to be flan but wait, wait...it's not flan...it's CHEESECAKE with a carmel flan type sauce topped with mandarin and apricot slices AND macadamia nuts and cashews. Hold on a sec....I'm having a flash back! ............... DANG IT WAS GOOD! Jeffrey's wife makes the cheesecake. Our compliments!

We exchanged a couple of books, had some good chats with Jeffrey and enjoyed a great meal. We love his style and sense of humor. And the food :D ...'nuf said.

Oh, when we got home...the power had been restored, finally, after 18 hours. Yippee! It's all good!

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jeanette--I'm glad you agree the food is good. About the signage and the "manner" of the management--you being half british--would probably agree with George Bernard Shaw when he said that "the UK and the US are two countries separated by a common language"--and he was Irish. I'd rather have Jeffrey "walk the walk than talk the talk".

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Guest EBurke

Moderator:

Haven't we already been here and done this?

There is no need to have deja vu all over again.

It got ugly the last time: Those who detest the scatalogical signs in the place refuse to return, no matter how good the food might (or might not) be; and those who find Jeff's sick sense of humor amusing will kiss up. We ain't in the U.K. and we ain't in the U.S.

Can we close this thread before it, too, gets ugly?

It appears that minds have already been made up and nothing will change. Enough is enough!

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Moderator:

Haven't we already been here and done this?

There is no need to have deja vu all over again.

It got ugly the last time: Those who detest the scatalogical signs in the place refuse to return, no matter how good the food might (or might not) be; and those who find Jeff's sick sense of humor amusing will kiss up. We ain't in the U.K. and we ain't in the U.S.

Can we close this thread before it, too, gets ugly?

It appears that minds have already been made up and nothing will change. Enough is enough!

EBurke, respectfully, I disagree with your viewpoint. Closing a topic that was a "been here, done this" is not in the spirit or purpose of a forum. Though I am relatively new here, I am NOT new to internet forums. The purpose of a forum is to share information about a certain topic. In this case, the topic is the Chapala area, and in this folder, specifically the restaurants and food of the Chapala area.

If posters become ugly or nasty, it is the moderators responsibility to police that poster, with warnings, possibly deletions and, eventually, suspension from participation. Is that censorship? Yes - keeping things on topic, civil and respectful is what a moderator is supposed to do. That's their job and when they do it well, it's a damn tough job.

That a topic has been discussed before (in this case, a restaurant review) should not eliminate it from discussion again. Certainly not when that discussion is started by someone who has never commented on that restaurant before. By their very nature, restaurant reviews SHOULD be updated with new information and new opinions. Restaurants change over time, for good and bad, and these changes should be part of a base of information. Restaurant reviews are incredibly dependent on each person's individual tastes, so that 100% objectivity or 100% agreement is impossible. Hence, the benefit of additional opinions and updates to prior reviews.

I hope that these comments are not offensive to anyone - that is not my intention. If I have ANY agenda, it is only to respectfully and openly share information, experiences and opinions on a topic that many people enjoy discussing: FOOD.

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EBurke,

what was your name on the last discussion about this restaurant? I notice you have just joined today under this name, apparently to volunteer as the "thread police".

It appears that "YOUR mind has been made up and nothing will change."

Jeanette has every right to bring this restaurant up again and if you are not interested you should simply not open the thread. There are other people, such as myself, who enjoy reading Jeanette's detailed reviews and she obviously puts a lot of time into them so just pass them by if you can not enjoy or appreciate them.

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Thank you Jeanette--very well said and I couldn't agree with you more. This forum discusses many things to do with the food and restaurant industry including quality, ambience, service, costs, and a host of other factors related to.

As long as we have discussions a/o disagreements good naturedly, why should anyone object. New opinions, or changed opinions (as the previous poster), will constantly come to the fore--so what? Mr EBurke seems to be the only one becoming nasty and ugly and thank goodness he is not the moderator. Just because I like Jeffrey doesn't mean I'm "kissing up"--everyone is entitled to their opinion of him and I respect that. My defense was not vicious nor mean spirited--just my opinion. All this aside, we all love your reviews Jeanette--keep up the good work, and if you get booted off this forum, I will be leaving voluntarily.

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Guest EBurke

Well, I guess the criticism on the other board is justified. I've been here one day and have been attacked numerous times for expressing my opinion. The "review" was a rehash of previous posts, and I believed it to be a resurrection of the distasteful discussion I had witnessed on another thread. I don't think it is in the best interests of readers to listen to the nonsense that went on before, and I expressed that opinion.

For that, I was accused of being a reincarnation of another person of similar opinion and in practicality asked to shut my mouth and get out of here. I don't think I was "ugly & nasty" as one poster has accused. I am entitled to express my opinion.

But I can oblige; this board is much too unfriendly and hateful for my tastes. You folks that like to drive away people of differing opinions can have this discussion board. I've found one much more to my liking.

PM me if you want to know the URL.

God, what a bunch of hypocrites!

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Well, I guess the criticism on the other board is justified. I've been here one day and have been attacked numerous times for expressing my opinion. The "review" was a rehash of previous posts, and I believed it to be a resurrection of the distasteful discussion I had witnessed on another thread. I don't think it is in the best interests of readers to listen to the nonsense that went on before, and I expressed that opinion.

For that, I was accused of being a reincarnation of another person of similar opinion and in practicality asked to shut my mouth and get out of here. I don't think I was "ugly & nasty" as one poster has accused. I am entitled to express my opinion.

But I can oblige; this board is much too unfriendly and hateful for my tastes. You folks that like to drive away people of differing opinions can have this discussion board. I've found one much more to my liking.

PM me if you want to know the URL.

God, what a bunch of hypocrites!

Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Your tone is unnecessary and rude. :018:

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Back to the topic at hand.

An FYI, you can buy bottles of Jeffrey's sauces for use at home. They are wonderful.

We enjoyed a great British full blown roast beef dinner complete with Yorkshire Pudding a while back.

Sure wish he'd make it again. It was fantastic.

P.S. You go, Jeanette. Your reviews are a breath of fresh air and we've need some around here for a while.

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Moderator:

Haven't we already been here and done this?

There is no need to have deja vu all over again.

It got ugly the last time: Those who detest the scatalogical signs in the place refuse to return, no matter how good the food might (or might not) be; and those who find Jeff's sick sense of humor amusing will kiss up. We ain't in the U.K. and we ain't in the U.S.

Can we close this thread before it, too, gets ugly?

It appears that minds have already been made up and nothing will change. Enough is enough!

When you wish to communicate with the moderator then please do so via Private Message. Your posting here is off topic and inflammatory given that this thread was all positive.

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I feel like I have inadvertently caused a bit of a ruckus. But I also appreciate everyone's compliments and recognition that I TRY to be as objective as possible.

Let's move on. The next time we visit Cafe Magana (and based on OUR experience there, we WILL visit again!!!!), I'll start a new thread, be careful not to mention previous threads or posters, and present my personal experiences as clearly and objectively as I can.

But let's be clear: Thoughts on restaurants and food are NEVER 100% objective. Everyone has different tastes and preferences. Chocolate and vanilla. White or red wine. Hot and spicy or sweet and salty. That's exactly WHY food reviews are such fun to discuss and 'debate.'

But this isn't WW3, and not something that should be continued. I hope that we can now return to our regularly scheduled program.

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I feel like I have inadvertently caused a bit of a ruckus. But I also appreciate everyone's compliments and recognition that I TRY to be as objective as possible.

Let's move on. The next time we visit Cafe Magana (and based on OUR experience there, we WILL visit again!!!!), I'll start a new thread, be careful not to mention previous threads or posters, and present my personal experiences as clearly and objectively as I can.

But let's be clear: Thoughts on restaurants and food are NEVER 100% objective. Everyone has different tastes and preferences. Chocolate and vanilla. White or red wine. Hot and spicy or sweet and salty. That's exactly WHY food reviews are such fun to discuss and 'debate.'

But this isn't WW3, and not something that should be continued. I hope that we can now return to our regularly scheduled program.

I appreciate your reviews so don't stop - BUT - when you go to Cafe Magana again, is it truly necessary to report on it? I think all possible angles have already been covered in the last two go-arounds, no?

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Guest Gringal

From Horace: Whatever advice you give, be brief.

980 words to find out the fish 'n'chips and the ribs were good!?!?!

Everybody's a critic? Even the newbie critic of the critic? Some people take more words than others to say what they need to say. This is not English Comp. 101. Why not just skip the topic?

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I'm truly confused about the reason/purpose for this forum. Every other forum on which I have participated (whether it be wine, food, travel, health issues, WHATEVER), open discussion was encouraged and appreciated. Respectful debate is one of hallmarks of a an well run, active forum, providing information for interested participants. Synonyms for 'web boards' like this one include 'discussion forums' or 'web communities'.

For topics that evolve and change (such as restaurants or wine or hotels), comments on repeat visits are also encouraged and appreciated. Does a 5 year old review of a restaurant hotel have any relevance today? I'd rather have one from five weeks ago. If I previously liked a particular restaurant and posted about it, then returned and ordered something that I felt was badly prepared, isn't is reasonable to let people know? I certainly appreciate this information prior to plunking down my money.

For those who enjoy food, a comment of "It was good" or "this is the best" has little value to me. I want to know if MY FAMILY might enjoy this restaurant - and to make that decision, I like to have more details and opinions from several people. I can pick which opinions I listen to and read what I choose to read. I admit, food and dining has been a hobby of mine for my entire adult life. Perhaps even a passion. The result is that some would say I include too many details. To those I would say: don't read it.

The animosity around here astonishes me. We have found Lakeside to be such a friendly, open place - full of fun, interesting people with divergent interests, talents and, yes, different opinions.

To the kind folks who have posted or PM'd me, thanking me for taking the time to write complete and thoughtful comments on our experiences in local restaurants: THANK YOU. I especially appreciate those that have personally contacted us and invited us to join them for lunch, dinner or into their homes, and those people who have met me in a social setting or (amazingly!) in restaurants and thanked me for my posts. INCLUDING those who disagreed with my opinions.

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I'm truly confused about the reason/purpose for this forum. Every other forum on which I have participated (whether it be wine, food, travel, health issues, WHATEVER), open discussion was encouraged and appreciated. Respectful debate is one of hallmarks of a an well run, active forum, providing information for interested participants. Synonyms for 'web boards' like this one include 'discussion forums' or 'web communities'.

For topics that evolve and change (such as restaurants or wine or hotels), comments on repeat visits are also encouraged and appreciated. Does a 5 year old review of a restaurant hotel have any relevance today? I'd rather have one from five weeks ago. If I previously liked a particular restaurant and posted about it, then returned and ordered something that I felt was badly prepared, isn't is reasonable to let people know? I certainly appreciate this information prior to plunking down my money.

For those who enjoy food, a comment of "It was good" or "this is the best" has little value to me. I want to know if MY FAMILY might enjoy this restaurant - and to make that decision, I like to have more details and opinions from several people. I can pick which opinions I listen to and read what I choose to read. I admit, food and dining has been a hobby of mine for my entire adult life. Perhaps even a passion. The result is that some would say I include too many details. To those I would say: don't read it.

The animosity around here astonishes me. We have found Lakeside to be such a friendly, open place - full of fun, interesting people with divergent interests, talents and, yes, different opinions.

To the kind folks who have posted or PM'd me, thanking me for taking the time to write complete and thoughtful comments on our experiences in local restaurants: THANK YOU. I especially appreciate those that have personally contacted us and invited us to join them for lunch, dinner or into their homes, and those people who have met me in a social setting or (amazingly!) in restaurants and thanked me for my posts. INCLUDING those who disagreed with my opinions.

Of course food reviews are subjective; as are the opinions of those who read them. To say, if you don't like my posts, don't read them, sounds more like something the old critic would have said. Maybe thin skin is an attribute of all food critics.

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Of course food reviews are subjective; as are the opinions of those who read them. To say, if you don't like my posts, don't read them, sounds more like something the old critic would have said. Maybe thin skin is an attribute of all food critics.

Gener8 - that's a fair comment. My thin-skinned response was specifically to the poster who told me to "be brief." Brevity is not always the best way of conveying information.

I should also like to say that I've NEVER used the word "critic" nor will I. To me, that moniker implies that I am an expert, which I clearly am not, nor do I claim to be.

As this thread has gone way off topic (and I take some responsibility for that), this will be the last time I post to it and I would encourage the moderator to consider closing it.

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Guest Gringal

Before closing, I'd like to add: Anyone who takes the time to tell us about her restaurant experience is, IMO, to be thanked, not castigated for her style, length of post...or anything else.

Thin skin is not a problem unless one encounters the type of person who enjoys inflicting pain.

Crankiness adds nothing to the forum; it just displays a negative attitude. Who needs that?

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