Mexico Comes To Toronto - Part 1

Earlier this month, I received an email from Carmen, the owner of El Arrayan, one my favourite restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. She and her partner, Claudia, were coming to Canada on vacation and I made her promise to contact me with their itinerary. The email came with a request for help. Could I find them a hotel for one night and also help them get tickets for the train between Toronto to Montreal? No problema! I booked the hotel for their late arrival and met them for lunch the next day with train tickets in hand.

A week later, they returned to Toronto and we arranged to meet for dinner. As they were staying with friends in the Beaches, I took a streetcar out there one night last week and we had a marvelous dinner! I think I ate the BEST guacamole I've ever had in MY LIFE -- it was chunky, not pureed. (I hate that mushy stuff!) The conversation was in English and Spanish and I'm happy to say, I've retained a lot of my second language since April.

Anyway, I can't resist another plug for Carmen's absolutely AMAZING restaurant in Vallarta. There's a reason they were voted #1! Her filet mignon with mole sauce is one of the few things I miss about living there. Here's a pic of Carmen and me enjoying a local brew: