RIVIERA NAYARIT: A CULINARY ADVENTURE

Riviera Nayarit, MEXICO – From charming beachfront restaurants in tiny fishing villages offering authentic Mexican seaside cuisine to elegantly sophisticated gourmet restaurants with international chefs, the dining experience in Mexico’s newest vacation destination, Riviera Nayarit, is a unique fusion of tradition, contemporary innovation and local products. For the visitor, the result is a memorable and intensely flavored adventure in gastronomy.

Offshore from palm-fringed sandy beaches, tiny coves and sweeping bays, the tropical waters teem with red snapper, marlin, grouper, yellow fin tuna, mahi mahi, shrimp and oysters, guaranteeing the freshest of seafood for visitors and residents alike.

With all this to work with, it is easy for Riviera Nayarit’s chefs to prepare a wealth of favorite local dishes. These include “Pescado Sarandeado,” originating on the island of Mexcaltitan. Best with red snapper, this “nahuatl” delicacy is grilled over mangrove wood, served with handmade tortillas on palm leaves with garlic, fresh squeezed lime juice, salt and chiles and adorned with slices of onion, tomato and cucumber. Others include the ancient “Tlaxtihuilli,” a thickened shrimp broth and corn meal; fish “chicharon,” the deep-fried fish skin served as snacks; and enchiladas with oysters and shrimp; exquisite “sopes” or soups; tamales, and the ceviche-like “Aguachile.”

Where to dine in Riviera Nayarit depends on the visitor’s palate, whims or gustatory yearnings. Nuevo Vallarta is the region’s most developed area and offers a broad selection of world-class resorts and, of course, a wide variety of restaurants featuring everything from Sarandeado and “vacio,” a tender Argentinean steak, to cosmopolitan dishes from around the world. In contrast, vacationers can kick back and relax in Bucerias, which offers affordable inns and bed & breakfast lodgings as well as quality restaurants, many by the sea as well as some trendy and contemporary spots. inspired by the Mediterranean or Asia.

Punta Mita’s choice of dining experiences lives up to the area’s reputation as Riviera Nayarit’s most luxurious and exclusive resort destination. The variety, for romantic sunset dinners or leisurely lunches, includes chic waterfront establishments, elegant resort restaurants and casual eateries. “Mexiterranean” menus put a new twist on the blend of Mediterranean and Mexican influences, while distinguished chefs like Thierry Blouet of the award-winning, Café des Artistes del Mar or Ricardo Sandoval’s Ketsi, add an exciting hint of celebrity.

San Blas shares a colonial past with its restored fort and the ruins of its ancient cathedral. One of Riviera Nayarit’s finest restaurants, El Delfin at Hotel Garza Canela, is headed by chef Betty Vasquez who studied at The Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Paris and then worked under celebrated chef Juan Mari Arzak of Arzak restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain. Vasquez

captures the region’s nuanced gastronomic traditions by using Mexican ingredients fused with classic European cooking techniques.

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, with its luxurious 400-slip marina named “Riviera Nayarit Marina & Yacht Club,” offers a variety of restaurants with choices ranging from regional favorites and fresh seafood tacos to Italian pastas, even authentic German cuisines.

Bohemian Sayulita is a haven for an eclectic mix of surfers, artists and expats and offers a wide variety of bars and restaurants serving everything from Mediterranean specialties with Mexican and Californian influences to Baja-style fish tacos, homemade salsas, guacamole, empanadas, quesadillas and burritos.

The fishing village of San Francisco, also known as San Pancho, is famed for its natural beauty and Polo Club matches which take place between November and May. It also features seaside restaurants serving seafood “caught that morning,” steaks, and local produce.

Rincon de Guayabitos is a tiny unpresuming, utterly charming beach and fishing town. There is only one main street – Avenida del Sol Nuevo – where visitors will find a variety of hotels, shops, restaurants and lively bars. The main attraction is the beach, of course – over a mile and a half of it, lined with alfresco “palapa” restaurants serving seafood fresh from the town’s fishing boats. Among the goods served by the many beach vendors is grilled shrimp.

An important part of a vacation trip is the wonderful cuisine, which is one of the star attractions of Riviera Nayarit. Each year there is a Gourmet and Golf event in Punta Mita in spring and the well known Gourmet Festival each November, which attracts top chefs from around the world.

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About Riviera NayaritMexico’s newest destination, Riviera Nayarit, stretches along 192 miles of pristine Pacific coast framed by the majestic Sierra Madre Mountains just ten minutes north of accessible Puerto Vallarta International Airport. The region extends along the entire coast of the Pacific state of Nayarit including the resorts of Nuevo Vallarta, the historic colonial town of San Blas, exclusive Punta Mita, picturesque fishing villages, miles of serene beaches and spectacular Banderas Bay. Riviera Nayarit offers countless activities, such as: PGA golf courses, luxury spas, whale watching, turtle release, zip lining, surfing, bird watching, international cuisine, and the local artwork from the traditional Huichol tribe. Riviera Nayarit is recognized as a “Virtuoso Preferred Destination.” The region attracts and satisfies vacationers of all tastes and budgets with its wide range of accommodations including chic luxury resorts, eco-tourism boutique hotels and quaint B&B inns. For more information, visit www.RivieraNayarit.com or follow Riviera Nayarit's Fan Page on Facebook.