An Interview with Chanan and Natalie, Owners of Tre Piatti Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Also Hurricane Patricia and Kenna in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
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Hello fellow travelers, welcome this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be to introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
That music you were just listing to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants. Those are La Palapa, The El
Dorado Restaurant, and at night for dinner The El Dorado transforms into The Vista Grill. That’s The Vista Grill that used to be up on the hill overlooking the city? Well now it has a new vista and that is right on the beach where you get the same Vista Grill Menu, and the fantastic Vista Grill service and it’s right there on the beach with a dramatic view of the Los Muertos Pier all lit up at night in beautiful colors.
Of course at La Palapa you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner, with your toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. ! It’s so romantic, it’s so Puerto Vallarta my friends!
Today we have a special show but first, what’s happening in Puerto Vallarta this week, the 31st of August 2017.
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We are entering what is traditionally the slowest time of the year in Vallarta. September is traditionally the month, actually September and October are the months when many restaurants close up and take some time off before the tourist begins again in earnest the first of November. So if you are coming to town right now, or if you are already in town, you may be noticing some of your favorite restaurants closing up for the month.
It’s a good time for these restaurateurs to just shut the doors and take some well-deserved time off. Others have plans to renovate the properties and improve them for the coming season.
Whatever the case, this kind of behavior puts those who are looking for a bite to eat in a kind of a pinch.
I was reading an article written by my friend Emily where she gives this time of year a particular name, it’s Septi-Hombre. Septi, for September, and Hombre, which in Spanish means hungry. Septihombre.
She writes…
A friend and I were having dinner together on this particular night, and we were talking about how it seemed that every restaurant in Vallarta would be closed in September. We were joking that we’re gonna starve, because neither of us know how to work a kitchen anymore.
Also, we’re both writers. So we thought we were super clever when we came up with “Septi-hambre” (a mix of Septiembre + hambre ‘hunger’), to describe
our month upcoming.
“We’re gonna starve, it’s gonna be Septi-hambre!! LOL” Lyrical gymnastics. Our personal fave.
Anyway, turns out that’s already a thing. Has been for a long time actually.
You see, since many of the restaurants close during the month of September, and a lot of people here in Vallarta also work in the service industry, a good percentage of the locals happen to *also* call it Septihambre, because they are actually friggin’ starving during that month.
So. Yeah.
I guess it’s funny/ironic that we’ve all come to describe our least favorite month using the exact same bastardized fake word? Funny/not funny. At best.
There is no reason anyone in my immediate sphere should starve. So this week everyone is getting ridiculously huge tips, and I hope it’s enough to help tide them over.
I don’t have a ton, but I can share a bit.
Septihambre is actually not funny at all.
Isn’t that sweet?
So yes Emily has it right. It’s sometimes this time of year it’s hard to get what you want to eat, where you want to eat, but it’s even harder for those employed in those closed establishments, because they aren’t being paid to work. So they get pretty hungry too. Anyway, I love Emily’s work and I have a link to where she posts some of her essays in the show notes to this episode of the podcast.
And speaking about restaurants, I have had some of you contact me about some of the restaurants that I review and are complaining that they take cash only. What’s with that? Look, if I go down my list of restaurants that I have featured on the show, I must admit, most are cash only establishments, but what have I been telling you? From the very start what have I always told you guys? My friends, My buddies, listen to uncle
Barry, Tio Barry has been telling you to use cash. Pesos. Do I have to give you guys another lesson on money here in Vallarta? Click To Review. Carry Pesos. I never, I repeat, never use credit cards when I pay for meals or bar tabs in Puerto Vallarta. Now if you have to use one in a restaurant, ask if they have one of those portable scanners. For me, I just don’t risk having my credit card on the loose in Mexico, in the hands of a server, or a cashier. It’s just too risky. So, Chenando’s, cash only, Una Familia, cash only, I think Bella Napoli is cash only too but hey. Bring pesos amigos. Pesos.
It’s hurricane season here in Mexico and I thought that with Hurricane Harvey running amuck in Texas, and you listeners in Texas, we are thinking about you all, and praying that all will be well with you. I thought I would talk about hurricanes in Puerto Vallarta. The last hurricane to sweep by Puerto Vallarta was Hurricane Patricia. Patricia came in October of 2015 and I was in Puerto Vallarta with Debbie at the time. We were staying in a place called Casa del Puente. I have a video of the place in my show notes if you want to see it. It was pretty wild, we didn’t even know about the hurricane until it was almost upon us. The evening before Patricia was to make landfall, Debbie and I came out of our apartment and we were hearing the strangest sounds. All around, we could hear the sound of packing tape, the clear plastic stuff that the get in rolls? Well, we were watching all these people stretching packing tape over all their windows. We start looking at one another and thinking, what the hell is going on here? So I ask someone with tape what he’s doing and he looks at me and says, getting ready for the Hurricane. What?
We walk down the Malecon and they are boarding up the large windows of the shops, they are emptying out the merchandise from the shops and loading the contents into cars and trucks to haul away to safety, over at the nightclubs, they are trying to figure out how to protect these large crystal chandeliers hanging in Mandela Nightclub, it was controlled pandemonium.
We headed back to our apartment and turned on our computer and were just dumbstruck were looking at the news reports, the BIGGEST STORM EVER was bearing down on Puerto Vallarta.
We looked at each other and thought we better have a plan. We looked at where we were, on the river, 4 blocks from the beach. They were reporting a 40 foot surge and 20 inches of rain or something like that and well, if the worst were to happen like they were reporting, we really weren’t in a good place to wait out a hurricane.
We decided to get a bite and go to bed. We would decide what to do in the morning, but in the meantime, we planned to cut out of town if necessary and take a bus to Guadalajara.
Woke up to the sound of sirens, and I looked down towards the shore and saw police vehicles and emergency vehicles traveling along the roads along the beach, and they were telling everyone to evacuate.
The authorities were going door to door evacuating tourists and residents living along the first 3 blocks up from the ocean,
So I said to Debbie, let’s go see where we get the bus to Guadalajara, and we walked down Insurgentes to the Southside, and came upon a stately looking Mexican man standing at the news stand. I asked him where I could catch the bus to Guadalajara, and he looks at me and askd de donde eres, whwere are you from? Los Angeles I say, then he says to me, in Spanish of course, go home to your family. There are planes at the airport to take you home to safety. The bus station you are looking for isn’t here. So Debbie is looking at me and asks, what did he say.
So I explained it to her and we both agree that we better pack and skiddadle. We packed pretty fast. We huddled with the caretaker at the property and asked her what she was planning and we agreed to evacuate to be on the safe side.
We caught a cab and said, take us to the airport, and he says, no planes at the airport.
So he takes us to the bus station.
This is where it got fun, It was packed with everyone in town, trying to get out to Guadalajara.
We caught a bus to Guadalajara, and as we sat down on the bed to turn on the t.v. To see hat was happening in PV, there was a newsman standing on the Malecon, microphone in hand, reporting no wind, no rain……”Really?” We were thrilled that Puerto Vallarta wasn’t blown away, don’t get me wrong but the BIGGEST STORM EVER, was the biggest …never mind. We looked at each other and decided to take the first bus back to Puerto Vallarta the next morning.
Since I missed Patricia, I thought I would ask JR about what happened in Vallarta while I was self evacuating to Guadalajara, and also to find out how he weathered Hurricane Kenna in 2002. Let’s go to JR right now.
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We finished the last two days of our vacation enjoying Puerto Vallarta with the grateful town. Empty of most vacationers chased away by the wind that never was, but grateful none the less. We bade farewell to Casa Del Puente, disappointed only in the two days we lost to an adventure. I was hoping someday soon to return. It is in a great location. We never had to take a taxi or a bus the entire time we were there. Except to evacuate. We were close to all the great restaurants, and 4 blocks to the beach.
Okay, that was fun hearing about Hurricane Kenna. Imagine playing chicken with the surf in Lazaro Cardenas Park. Wild.
All right , let’s get to our guests, Chanan and Natalie from Tre Piatti Italian Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta. Tre Piatti is a real treat. The food is spectacular and the setting is elegant, and the proprietors are absolutely charming and dedicated to their craft. They love their customers and their clients, many regulars, love them back. Gary Beck introduced them to me. He raved about them and their food. So let’s meet Natalie and Chanan in Puerto Vallarta, at Tre Piatti Restaurant.
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Such a great couple and what fantastic food you guys. Now I spoke with Chanan yesterday, actually I recorded the conversation but the phone line was messed up so I’ll just pass along the information he gave me. Keeping in theme of Septihombre, Sunday was their last night of the season at Tre Piatti, but they have some big plans and I’m really excited for them and They are closed for 6 weeks and they are doing some renovations and making a cool
Chefs tasting bar that seats 4 people Wine pairing for each course. and seven courses he will cook and describe the dishes, the bar is a large slab of marble, they have special stemware and tableware for this special Chef’s tasting bar. The tasting bar is elevated so the people can see into the kitchen and see the food being prepared. It’s going to be a great dining experience for those who are going to be lucky enough to be able to reserve a seat at the chef’s tasting bar. He already has the first three nights sold out.
One of my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas does that, it’s like a chef’s table in the kitchen, So Cool. So good luck to you Chanan and Natalie, we’ll see you soon and see what cool things you have done and will be doing. Only in Vallarta my friends!
What we Talked About
- Tre Piatti Means Three Plates
- Natalie Grew Up in San Francisco, Dad From Guadalajara
- Chanan From Israel, Trained in New York, San Francisco and Italy
- The Menu Changes Every Two Weeks
- 100 Year old Mango Trees
- Personalized Service
- Vegan and Vegetarian Options
- Chanan’s favorite dishes to Prepare are Pastas and Sauces
- Prepares a wide Variety of Regional Italian Dishes
- They Take the time to Select Only the Best Ingredients
- Coming in October 2017, A Chef’s Tasting Bar 7 Courses Wine Pairing
Places They Suggest
- Eat the Local Street Food
- Dianita’s for Comida Corrida, Fast Food
- Eat at Small Family Run Fondas
- Get away South Via the Bus To The Beautiful Beaches of Mismaloya, Los Arcos, Las Animas
- Walk The Streets Through Old Town and Romantic Zone
Well, that should do it for this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show.
Next week stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta Mexico, with travel tips, great restaurant and excursion ideas and more. Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message.
And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come on-board and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message.
And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Remember I made it easy for you to do just that with each episode I create. But if you haven’t been to my website, you really need to have a look there. I have the links to the places we talk about, interesting pictures and the more all right there in my blog-posts and show-notes for each episode of the show so check them out for sure if you haven’t already all-right? All right.
So, thanks to Natalie and Chanan from Tre Piatti Restaurant, I have all of their contact information in the show notes of this episode, at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com. And thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!
Tre Piatti Information
