Chef Laurent DuPrat formerly of La Gasconade Café Restaurant in Ajijic has opened a new restaurant in the Casa Blanca Hotel in Ajijic on Calle 16 de Septiembre # 29 across from the Lake Chapala Society.

Their telephone # for reservations is 766-1500 and they can also be reached by email: laurentatcasablanca@gmail.com

Laurent is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12:30 pm – 10:00 pm and Sunday from 1:00 pm – 9:00 pm.

In a few days they are going to change their menu to include some cold weather favorites such as cassoulet but here is a sample of the current menu:

Soup and Salad

Caesar Salad (Deliciously prepared at your table.)

Chef Laurent Onion Soup

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad.

First Courses

Cassolette D’Escargots with Butter and Champagne

Crepes of Shrimp in Bechamel Sauce

Crunchy Rolls of Duck Confit with Blackberry Sauce

Blue Cheese Mousse

Bruschettas of Goat Cheese with Tomatoes

Foie Gras with Fruit Chutney and Duck Ham

Cheese Drip

Home Made Pate de Campagne (This is one of our personal favorite dishes.)

Second Courses

Fish

Salmon with Aioli and Chipotle Sauce

Filet of White Perch with a Red Sauce

Sea Scallops with Cauliflower, Capers ad Raisons

Vegetarian

Vegetable Tajine

Poultry and Meats

Marinated Chicken Breast Casa Blanca Style

Pork Loin, Apples, Tequila Flambe

Duck Confit Glazed

Lamb Loin, with Ginger, Raw Cashews and Mint

Filet of Beef with 4 Pepper Sauce

Tart of Rabbit with Tomatoes and Tapenade

There is also an extensive drinks menu and a lovely selection of French, Mexican, Chilean, Argentinean and US wines to pair beautifully with your various courses.

We were delighted to hear that Chef Laurent DuPrat was back in Ajijic as we thoroughly enjoyed all our lunches and dinners prepared for us by Chef Laurent at La Gasconade.

Hope to see you there. Bon Appetit o Buen Provecho!

A report of Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico Nightlife

Life is good Life in the day light hours is good. Life at night is k 9 hell.

This is more a confession that a whine because in “Ajijic” (Spanish word for loud insomniac dogs) the chain reaction of barking that occurs originates in my yard.

If you are a budding sneak thief don’t let the barking deterred you from breaking into my house because when people come to the house the dogs lie down and whimper like Lassie on Timmy’s grave sight.

On the other hand, cats, birds, opossum and large butterflies on the other side of the 12 foot wall had better beware. Every morning I have the grizzly task of raking up the remains of small otherwise healthy animals who have presumably died of heart failure

The problem is that my dogs only bark for a period of 20-30 minutes and then grab a nap. They are exhausted having only gotten 16 hours of sleep during the day. It is, however, long enough to rile up the neighbors dogs to the west, who have much better stamina (how proud their owners must be) and can go for hours The chain has begun but it takes several more hours to get around the lake until it finally gets back here at which point the donkeys and roosters join in who in turn wake up the fireworks man who does his thing which scares the crap out of our dogs who go nuts and insist on being fed at 5:10 am. This explains why everyone here goes to bed at dusk.

An excellent solution might be to replace this years Chili Cook Off with the first annual Filipino Cuisine Festival. I have a Doberman and a Dalmatian who (and I hope they are reading this), if they don’t get their act together could make some “right fine eatin’” as we say in Southern Ontario.

The good news is I now know how to get my motion detector light to work. I run full tilt at it arms waving and barking madly, when I am 3 inches away, presto, works every time. Except one evening after to much tequilla I ran at the wrong wall and got a face full of bouganvilla and mortar. It was, of course, the best night sleep I’ve had here.

Ajijic Lake Chapala Nightlife

Starting with restaurants…

La Nueva Posada not only offers fine continental cuisine, but it is also a charming inn located on the lakeshore. Offering gorgeous accomadations and old world charm, LNP is a landmark building that is a must see for those who visit the picturesque village of Ajijic. It is the only full service 4 Star hospitality establishment in Ajijic. Their hotel is highly recomended by all major travel books and magazines. Music for dancing on Saturday nights.

Number 4 is an excellent, upscale restaurant which is beautifully decorated and has an exquisite atmosphere, offering fabulous Eclectic cuisine, an extensive wine list and a piano bar every night. Without a doubt, anyone would be deeply impressed and delighted with the elegance and quality of this restaurant. The owners and staff are warm and welcoming, and they also have music nights with special guests which are very much worth attending.

Manuel’s is another fine restaurant featuring Nouveau Italiano cuisine in a charming setting.

Ajijic Tango is a Argentinian steak house purported to be the best steak in Ajijic. Also a cosy setting with outdoor fireplaces for winter dining.

There are a number of other casual dining places in Ajijic and Chapala such as The Beer Garden, Mariscos at Cozumel in Chapala and Ricki’s, a delightful undiscovered restaurant with wonderful food of a mixture of oritenal cuisines and Roberto’s with a varied menu on the lake in Ajijic.

Also in Ajijic Bruno’s will always please the diners with good char-broiled steaks, chops and the best baked potato in Mexico. Min Wah is a Chinese Restaurant with a full menu of oriental dishes to eat in or take out. More of what you would expect from an American Chinese restaurant. La Taverna is an Italian Restaurant with home made pasta and very delicious specials daily.

Pedro’s is a pretty outdoor restaurant which does a variety of meals very well and prices fairly.

If you’d really like to try authentic Mexican food the top favourites of the locals in Ajijic are Tacos Jessica and Cenaduria Memos.

On to the bars….

There are several bars in Ajijic. El Bar.Co, Exotica on the Plaza and Johnny’s in San Antonio to name a few. Music is available every night somewhere and there is a full listing of who is playing where in the Colony Reporter weekly.

Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, of course, has many wonderful restaurants and spectacular night spots for every taste and pocketbook which can rival any large city.

So if you are worried there will not be enough to do of an evening put that worry to rest, you can dance until dawn every night if you wish. If the children or grandchildren are coming down there are lots of younger people for them to meet and newcomers are always very welcome. A good time will be had by all.

I have only named a few places for you to explore but there are many others I am sure you will love also. There is a listing of restaurants in the Ajijic/Lake Chapala area in El Ojo del Lago.