Octopus on the Beach, Bacon Cantaloupe, and Escargot Quesadillas: The Food of Puerto Vallarta Scott Shetler - Quirky Travel Guy
go to original July 15, 2014

Cantaloupe and cured meats may not go together in most people’s minds, but it only takes one imaginative chef to create that dish that you’re still talking about weeks later.

For some reason I wasn’t expecting the beach resort town of Puerto Vallarta to be a top-notch food city, but during my visit I found excellent restaurants ranging from upscale establishments to local dives, from Mexican cuisine to ethnic foods of all kinds. With apologies to the other fantastic restaurants in PV I may have missed, these are the dining experiences I can recommend based on my recent visit.

Let’s start with the bacon cantaloupe. This came from Trattoria Michel, an Italian restaurant in the Zona Romantica. It’s juicy cantaloupe topped with cured meats and cheese. The strange combination worked due to the contrast of the sweet and salty.

I also loved the fish topped with a veggie slaw.

One of the most unique places I ate was La Leche, which is considered one of the best restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, based on its reviews. La Leche utilizes a striking, entirely white color scheme. And I love that every chair in the restaurant is different – they were all collected from different places. These odd touches add to the cool vibe of the place.

The menu is written on a chalkboard because it changes every day. On this day, the most interesting item on the menu was the escargot quesadilla. Many in our group had never eaten escargot. After trying it, I discovered that it may be a little too refined for my average-joe taste, but I loved the creativity in the dish. Any place where I can get something I’ve never had before is a winner in my book.

Though La Leche feels upscale, the owner makes sure to keep several dishes under 200 pesos (roughly $17) each night. The dessert platter was fun and the margaritas were inventive, too – I couldn’t decide which I liked best between lychee, mango and guava.

Another unique dining experience came at Ocean Grill, a restaurant located on a private beach south of the city. The only way here is by boat, which immediately makes the meal a fun adventure...

Read the rest and see the photos at Quirky Travel Guy.