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Maria isabela (old Posada)


traderspoc

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Gringal, in an earlier post you stated there was "No point in talking to the owner about that kind of issue". Why not? If I ate somewhere and I knew that was what made me sick I would certainly tell the owner. I've eaten there about 5 times now, including today, and I've never had a problem with the freshness of the food. If there is a problem I'm sure he would want to know. There is nothing that will kill a restaurant's business faster than people saying they get sick from eating the food.

Normally, I would talk to the owner, but in this case I'm sure he knows the freshness policy since he's also seen preparing the buffet table. That's a different situation than complaining about a poorly prepared dish .....which the owner would not know about unless he's also the chef.

I'm glad you're having a better experience eating there. I hope it continues that way. I'm not dismissing what you're saying; but I've always been leery of buffet food for the reasons given earlier, so we're just planning to continue going to the other favorite places on our list where we've never been sick afterwards.

I didn't get the full tourista effect, but I didn't feel so good either.

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Gringal, I am truly on your side, but goodness, week-old food is going to change colour, smell bad, wrinkle and dry up, and so on. My suggestion is that was more likely to be bacteria from unwashed hands or something similar. Old food actually has to go bad before it can do anything to you.... and I believe you would see the green or fluffy growth long before you got it into your mouth.

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Gringal, I am truly on your side, but goodness, week-old food is going to change colour, smell bad, wrinkle and dry up, and so on. My suggestion is that was more likely to be bacteria from unwashed hands or something similar. Old food actually has to go bad before it can do anything to you.... and I believe you would see the green or fluffy growth long before you got it into your mouth.

If you are looking at spoiled food with fluffy green on the side, you're absolutely right. How about the stuff that's

"peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot, nine days old" sort of dish in a spicy sauce gusto? They've got some dishes so full of peppers and onions that the mere steam will cause your eyes to water copiously.

Anyway, none of us will ever know what the culprit was; bad handling, bad food, old food........but I will mention this: How can you run an elaborate daily buffet scene with fresh dishes daily for 69 pesos and make enough money to pay the help, the general overhead and make a modest profit without cutting some corners?

We all love a bargain, but there are limits as to how cheap things can be in a reasonable world. I think Mel's charges quite a bit more for his Sunday Buffet, and those restaurants serving a holiday buffet charge much, much more.

So here's wishing you all luck with your tummies. May the only runs you have be on the pavement. :016:

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When I was young I worked at a cafeteria in the States. After the cream pies were 2 days old and started drying up and cracking, they were all mixed together with a little milk and serve for 2 more days as the "pudding special". In another Mexican food restaurant they kept the guacamole in a plastic trash can ... they sold so much ... problem there was the staff would stick their finger in it for a bite when getting in the cooler for other things. There is so much that goes on in any restaurant that if we knew we probably would not eat out at all. Most of our systems can take it now but every once in a while they may just get overloaded trying to knock out the germs we injest.

As to the price for this buffet ... when we saw it we thought the same thing ... way too cheap. Either someone is going to wind up sick from food being saved for the next day after sitting out for several hours or they would be going out of business sooner than later. We have been planning on trying it since it has had good reviews but I would not be the first ones eating as it is reasonable that the last food left the night before is going to be the first food out the next day. Much better to get there in the middle of the cylcle on a busy day. :)

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I have to say that if you go into a place that offers a 69 pesos buffet, you can't eat it, leave, and then say: "You can't serve good food for 69 pesos". And be expected to be taken seriously.

I'm quite sure I've done the same thing.

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I have to say that if you go into a place that offers a 69 pesos buffet, you can't eat it, leave, and then say: "You can't serve good food for 69 pesos". And be expected to be taken seriously.

I'm quite sure I've done the same thing

In that case, eat, save money and enjoy. And good luck. :016:

However, I'll gladly admit that your reasoning above is correct, in that perhaps we should have known better than to try a 69 peso buffet lunch. We didn't expect much in the way of expensive-to-create food choices; we expected a lot of typical Mexican dishes; lots of "filler", but we did expect it to be healthy. Too much of an expectation? Evidently.

On the other hand, we've had delicious and healthy lunches at a few other restaurants for even less: 55 pesos at Bruno's, around 70 at Roberto's, 75 at Nuevo Posada and even Tango has a bargain menu at lunch.

All those plates are prepared hot and fresh: no buffets. Maybe that's the rub. Too tempting to keep the pots going.

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Perhaps the price argument is one that should not be used here. I still get lots of Mexican meals under 50 pesos, often under 40, some at 55 with all the extras including an agua fresca. (When I said "I've done the same", I meant I've probably eaten cheaply then complained.) Because the price argument really shouldn't have anything to do with the stomach problem, anymore than getting 6-peso tacos at the stand beside MailBoxes should.

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It seems there is one factor that is left out when talking about other restaurants where the food is inexpensive. In most of those the quantity is limited. At a buffet there are many people that pig out big time .... that is the reason I think it would be hard to day in and day out provide that amount of food for a low price. Most every buffet type set up we have eaten at we have sat and watched people eat an amount of food that would normally be served on 2 or 3 plates.

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It seems there is one factor that is left out when talking about other restaurants where the food is inexpensive. In most of those the quantity is limited. At a buffet there are many people that pig out big time .... that is the reason I think it would be hard to day in and day out provide that amount of food for a low price. Most every buffet type set up we have eaten at we have sat and watched people eat an amount of food that would normally be served on 2 or 3 plates.

Exactly. You said it much better than I did. I'm usually disgusted when I see the amount of food taken and often wasted in buffets. Oink, oink. Other restaurants hand out one plate. No seconds, let alone thirds and ........

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As for myself, I have a cast iron stomach and after 6 years here, no problems and have tried most restaurants and roadside stands. I do not think it is fair to blame a particular restaurant when germs can be picked up from anywhere inclusing your own food from your refrigerator or even fresh food prepared at home in the same timeframe. This type of condition sometimes takes days to show itself. I have seen these accusations on this board before and take them with a grain of salt (pun intended).

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Absolutely. Right now, one of us is in such pain that the doc had to make a house call, hang a drip, administer a BUNCH of things... all due to a "sudden" stomach bacteria. We ate out on Saturday noon, and like gringohombre I have a cast-iron gut.... but we both ate exactly the same thing, out and at the house. And it hit her at 5 this morning. So can I/should I blame the restaurant?

EDIT: Doctor says this is an airborne bacteria, and that there are many thousands of people suffering in Jalisco right now, with severe stomach pain/dehydration, and/or respiratory problems.

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Yes, quite different. And then last night the news of 600 people suffering from perhaps the Norovirus on a cruise ship appears to be symptoms similar to los trots... there are so many ways the stomach can be attacked. (And I find a lot of docs down here are like me and computers: I don't have to know the exact cause, to fix the problem.)

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Or possibly, it's more than a day old. How about a week old? Who knows?

From now on, we're limiting buffets to those which are served only on special occasions and therefore, prepared fresh for the occasion, like Manix for Thanksgiving and Christmas or Roberto's for Mexican Independence day. Just don't want to have that experience again, no matter how tasty the fare.

Had lunch at Tony's today and had the pleasure of being able to see the cook, cooking the chicken for the sandwich. Comfort in food.

the cook may have been cooking the chicken fresh...however. One time while in Tony's I had to use the restroom. Since it was in use I waited outside the door. Finally one of the cooks came out and went back to work. When I looked at the sink inside the restroom it was bone dry. That is how people get sick. I think I have only been there once since then when some friends wanted to go there.
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You get exactly what you pay for (or deserve) the world over. 69pesos is just over $5.00US. There are limited food handling regulations and an obvious lack of enforcement here in Mexico. Look at the proliferation of roadside stands with no sanitary facilities. Look at the buffet tables in restaurants with no "sneeze guard". Look at the lack of equipment to provide safe temperatures for prepared food. Look at the staff in many restaurants and realize that perhaps they've never been properly trained in the specifics of food handling. Give your head a shake and think about how much $5.00US or CDN buys you in a large chain fast food restaurant back in the rest of North America. Cheap food generally attracts cheap people and they get exactly what they pay for...or deserve!

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Right, tell that to the 3.3 million retirees in Florida, many of whom can only really afford to eat at those cheap buffets when they go out.

I'll bet they can afford to eat better and healthier meals at home. Yeah, yeah......they have to buy it, cook it and clean up after....but it's better than eating crappola.

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Why does it make a difference, though, whether people who are retired here eat at buffets, or there? So many are on a fixed income. If you think you can afford to go out to a buffet, that's up to you. What makes them lesser than someone going out for an expensive steak? Who wants to stay at home and cook every meal? Sometimes you need a little joy in life, and I think it's safe to say that's one reason there are so many restaurants the world over.

More to the point, people historically retire here for the lower cost of living, along with the weather. Many are people who say they cannot afford to retire in the U.S. or Canada.

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The difference between buffets "here" and "there", is that at least "there" are multiple health dept. regulations which the restaurants must conform to or risk being shut down. Not here, as pointed out by another poster on this thread.

I do understand the problems of those with budget constraints, but there are some good places to eat for less all over the Lakeside area, and getting out of the house is good for the soul.

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So you're saying that because Mexico doesn't have the health dep't standards enforcement that up north does, we should never eat at a place that offers an inexpensive deal? Otherwise we are bound to get in trouble?

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Once upon a time, I did a year as a health inspector. You would not believe the conditions of some of the most popular restaurant kitchens and the people in them. Add that to the fact that most places only get inspected every several years, in spite of an annual requirement, due to lack of budgets to pay more inspectors, and you will understand the scope of the problem and the many errors in the opinions above. In Mexico, things actually are generally cleaner and more precautions are taken. Experience is a good teacher.

It is often the case that inspectors who are strict do not last long; owners of closed restaurants are the first to buy off the county officials, and there are often financial/political webs.

Now: It is amazing what you can eat. Your stomach is very good at dealing with things that might not be just right for ingestion. It will eliminate what it cannot handle properly; sometimes with only slight discomfort or urgency. Beyond that, you may actually have contracted an airborne or tactile contamination or infection and they are often mistaken for being caused by a food source.

Then, there is the realm of parasitology, another topic than can offer more persistent symptoms and actually require medication.

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So you're saying that because Mexico doesn't have the health dep't standards enforcement that up north does, we should never eat at a place that offers an inexpensive deal? Otherwise we are bound to get in trouble?

I'd say that's an overstatement. Some of the most expensive restaurants have problems; some of the least do not. Your own personal experience will tell you which is which. One suggestion: whether you need to go there or not, it's not a bad idea to check out the restrooms for cleanliness. Good indication of general policy.

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I joined 14 other gals today at Maria Isabel Restaurant in celebration of a friends birthday. We all had the buffet and everyone enjoyed the food very much.!!! The waiters took good care of us and we all had a great time and plan to return. The buffet offered many choices and the margaritas were yummy! Leo, the owner, has done a wonderful job of taking that old rundown place and turning it into a fresh, light and bright, fun environment with a great view of the lake and a delicious buffet in addition to a full menu.

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