La Huerta BBQ Bar and Grill is a Fun Spot To Spend The Afternoon Eating, Drinking and Dancing Along The Rio Cuale in Puerto Vallarta at the Former El Rio BBQ Location

The Circle Bar Has Moved From Their Old Location on  The Puerto Vallarta Malecon to Isla Cuale  we Visit with Owner Carlos Rodriguez

Bar Frida Has Moved to a New Location in The Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta, We Visit With Owner Tom Findley To Talk About His Restaurant and Bar Frida 4.0

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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 introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico.

That music you were just listening to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants. Those are La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta’s Oldest Restaurant on the famous Los Muertos Beach, and The El Dorado Restaurant and Beach Club right next door so you can enjoy that

fantastic view of the Los Muertos Pier all lit up at night in beautiful colors, or during the day in its grand splendor for breakfast, lunch or dinner, seated with your toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. It’s so romantic, it’s so, Puerto Vallarta my friends.

This week we are visiting some old friends who have moved to new locations and new friends who have moved to old locations. We’ll meet Jesus Adolfo Garcia Plascencia, one of family at La Huerta BBQ, where El Rio BBQ used to be. Jesus will give us a little bit of history of the place, so stay

tuned. We also had a chance to listen to the band, The Stixx while we were at La Huerta for the afternoon. I got Fher Aguilera, their drummer and vocalist to sit down with me to talk about the band and their upcoming schedule. We will be visiting Carlos Rodriguez, the owner of The Circle Bar, an

old time bar that just moved to the Rio Cuale. Then we head up into the upper reaches of the Romantic Zone to visit with Tom Findley at Bar Frida 4.0. , so another old bar moving to new digs there, we will have Jamie Burton Chamberlin talking about a cool event tomorrow at Qulture, Vallarta news

and more, let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta the 4^th of December, 2023…

Pilgrimages and Processions in Puerto Vallarta December 1st till the 12th

If you are in Puerto Vallarta you probably already know that it’s Guadalupana  pilgrimage time in Puerto Vallarta. Processions began on the 1^st of December and will continue for 12 days. The town goes all out and different groups participate in these processions. They are social groups, Hotels, restaurants, Civic Clubs, Charity organizations, religious clubs and neighborhood organizations. And they all get an opportunity to participate during the 12 day event. It’s quite a sight to see. The processions begin Cinco de Diciembre at 31^st of October Street around Woolworths, and move along Juarez to the Church. It’s a sight to see for sure. The streets in downtown get pretty tricky and traffic is diverted, so be aware. It’s a lovely time in Vallarta during the holidays.

Allyna Vinberg Owner/Editor of The PV Mirror Passes Away

I heard some sad news that Allyna Vinberg passed away. Allyna was the editor/ owner of the PV Mirror. Allyna went by the name Anna Reisman as the editor of the paper, and one day I sat and had lunch with Anna, Allyna at Coco’s Kitchen. I had invited her for breakfast actually and was hoping to get an interview from her. So, we talked for a while, and she determined it would be difficult for her to come on the show, because she had two identities. One as a newspaper editor, and one as a real person. Which was a shame. I mean, when I buy you breakfast, I’m hoping for an interview, but none the less I did have an interesting conversation with her. We talked about what she does and what I do. She talked dirt/ Thinking back, she told me a lot of things I really can’t repeat about places and people that weren’t well…very flattering if you know what I mean. Maybe if you get me drunk enough I’ll tell you, but not on this show.

My buddy Marsha Blondin has taken over the reins at the PV Mirror, and is doing a smash-up job. Follow her and the PV Mirror on Facebook to get the latest on food, culture and entertainment in Puerto Vallarta. And to you Allyna, rest in peace my dear, your secrets are safe with me. Unless someone ply’s me with enough raicilla.

Cat Adoption at Isla Cuale

Isla Cuale Kitten Care Fund Link to Donate

Guy Weeks needs our help in Isla Cuale. You know that that place has always been a dumping ground for stray cats and kittens. Here’s the scoop…

From their Go Fund Me Page…

Unfortunately, no getting around the fact that despite our best efforts to prevent “kitten abandonment” people continue to dump kittens on our Isla Cuale.

We have signs throughout the Island prohibiting this action.

I personally want to help encourage heathy kittens for adoption because many people are not aware that they are available for adoption.

Several local caretakers for the cats and I have created a team to help.

Our goal :

1. Help fund current spay and neuter program by Tracie y Laura. They and a few other volunteers work diligently to careful capture and care for the cats.
2. Prevent contagious diseases from spreading with vet care.
3. Adoption . Adoption is a critical step for the care of the little creatures but tends to be the most challenging. Your donations will help us implement a few news ideas to get the kittens into local forever homes.

Your donations will help our team care for these precious animals.

Isla Cuale Kitten Care Fund Link to Donate

And I have a link to that go-fund-me page in the show notes, or go to their Facebook Page Amigos de la Isla Cuale: The Green Heart of Puerto Vallarta

Amigos de la Isla Cuale: The Green Heart of Puerto Vallarta Facebook Page Link

for that link, as well as to all the events, the workshops, the planting and the weed pulling parties. Get your hands dirty. And if you love furry animals, see what you can do to help. Thank you to all you volunteers on the Isla Cuale.

Listener Emails

I have a couple of Emails that I’d like to share with you. One is from listener Colleen who sent me this…

Hey Barry, we just came back from PV. This was our second trip to Paradise and love it. I started listening to your show last year before our first trip there. We are so happy that we listened to you and booked a tour with Javier of Off The Grid México. Javier is great and we highly recommend him. He is an awesome guy and very knowledgeable. He picked us up from our condo and took us to a beautiful place to hike and enjoy a dip in the fresh mountain water. There was four of us and he did a private tour. He doesn’t push you with a time limit, he lets you enjoy your time and provides you with great information.  You definitely don’t want to miss the experience and should book a tour with him. Also he is a great photographer of nature , check out his work at Off The Grid Nature Photography. You can buy some of his gorgeous prints. I can now say I have a new friend in PV, Javier, and plan on keeping in touch with him.

Thanks Colleen! Javier does hikes as well as the hidden beach tour at the Islas Marietas. He is one of the good guys, that’s for sure.

I have links to his Off The Grid Tour page as well s his Off The Grid photography Facebook page in the show notes. So glad you got a chance to take a tour with Javier!

Listener Rick writes…

Hi, I read Rio BBQ is finished. Have you heard if a new owner is coming in?

Thanks

Well, I have the new operator of the space where the El Rio BBQ coming on the show. They are now La Huerta BBQ. And La Huerta, you will find is just as good as El Rio…

I have another email from Wayne. Wayne writes…

Hey Barry,

You talk a lot about buying pot in Vallarta.

It’s like you don’t care that you can go to jail or at least get into trouble buying and smoking the stuff. Haven’t you ever gotten yourself into trouble or a situation?

Just wondering.

Take care, Wayne

Well Wayne, no. I’ve never had an issue in Mexico with weed. And thinking back, there has only been one time where I got myself into a bind, but that was back in 1977. I was 18 years old, just graduated from high school, and me and a friend flew to Hawaii with our backpacks full of freeze dried food, and we hiked and hitchhiked around the Island if Kauai for a Month.

So, it was near the end of our trip, and we had seen a lot of strange things, hitchhiking everywhere and being picked up by every pervert, every bible thumping crazy lady, every nut job on that Island. It was a spin of the wheel of misfortune every time we would pull up our tent stakes and stick out our thumbs.

We had been hitchhiking all day with no luck. It was a Sunday and all the bible thumpers were busy I guess, but we ended up paying for a cab to take us to a camping spot, close enough to the airport to catch a cab easily. So we headed to a campground at Poi Pu Beach.

When we got to the campground, we looked around and found a very secluded campsite complete with a picnic table, surrounded by bushes. So very secluded. So Jim and I set up our tent, and started to get settled in when a young Hawaiian guy comes up and asks us if we wanted to buy some weed. So we look at each other and say sure. Now we had some travelers checks. Remember those? So we told the kid we’d meet him back at the campsite in an hour, and in the meantime, we hiked over to a close by hotel, where they cashed our checks, and went back to meet the kid. He was there with a young girl, a big Samoan dude and the Samoan dude’s girlfriend. So, we bought the bag of weed, excellent Hawaiian weed, and I pulled a little plastic bong I was packing around, and filled it up, and offered it to the big Samoan guy who pulls a machete from his waist belt and knocks the bong out of my hand. Which was a big surprise for me and everybody else in the campsite.

Before long everybody else kind of melted away, as it got darker and night set in. The kid who sold me the weed and brought this guy back with him disappeared with his girlfriend, and so did my buddy Jim. It was jus me, this very intoxicated Samoan, shorter than me but twice my weight and probably 15 years older than me. He had a ¾ finished pint bottle of Jim Beam on him. His spaced out white girlfriend was a wacky born again Christian. For a couple of hours he would threaten to kill me. Said he did it all the time there in the park. Now I had a bayonet in the top compartment of my backpack. And I knew I could totally kill him before he could kill me. He was pretty plowed. But I didn’t want to do that. He walked to the picnic  bench and jammed the machete into the center of the table, sat down next to me. So I straddled the bench and faced him, put up my hands and grabbed his, and challenged him to a wrestling match. I figured I could wrestle this dude and tire him out to a point, where he just might give up on trying to steal all my stuff by scaring me off or worse, killing me. I had spent my last semester of high school PE, on the wrestling team, so even though this guy outweighed me by 100 pounds, I mean I weighed like 170 pounds back then. 6’ 2”. I was tall and skinny. And as it turned out, my plan worked. In the end, he was so worn out he decided to give me a break, and he and his spacy girlfriend stumbled off, to sleep off the Jim Beam.

And my friend Jim, re-appeared from the bushes to tell me he watched the whole thing. From out there.

The next day, we took a cab to the airport, and flew back to Los Angeles, and so yes….I have had at least one bad experience, buying and smoking weed in a foreign place. Even though Hawaii is part of the US, I call it foreign territory. The locals were not very friendly to hitchhiking backpackers I’ll tell you that. And that was one of the main reasons we chose Vallarta over Hawaii when I first met my wife back in 1984, when we were looking for a romantic vacation spot to explore. And we ended up, in Puerto Vallarta.

I have one or two other emails to read, but I think maybe, let’s get to the interviews, shall we?

3 x 5 Art Event at Qulture PV December 5th at 5PM

I had a meet and greet last trip down and it was a very well attended meetup at Nacho Daddy. I was dropping in on JR’s Meetup and had a good turnout. One of those who stopped by was our friend Jamie Chamberlin from Qulture. He wanted to remind us of Qulture’s 5^th anniversary as well as to tell us about an event being held today, Tuesday the 5^th at Qulture. An art event that should be fun. Check out the event and have a couple of killer margaritas at the beautiful bar there at Qulture. Let’s hear from Jamie from Nacho Daddy at our meet and greet a couple of weeks ago….

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Thank you Jamie. Thank you for coming to the meetup and for reminding us how cool a spot Qulture is. Get to his event if you are in town or if not, put Qulture on your list for great drinks and as a solid choice for a meal.

Contact Information For Qulture in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

• Address: Venustiano Carranza 466, Emiliano Zapata 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
• Phone: +52 322 688 6944
• Website: https://www.qulturepv.com/?fbclid=IwAR2sNHg08JPSj5WutfHsXwFK7hmVDiZVZvpAFZ8herhXkJiZxnvWsxkGAxY
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qulturepv

Speaking of a solid choice for a meal, our next stop is not only a solid choice for a meal, but for entertainment, dancing and drinking by the Rio Cuale, and that’s La Huerta BBQ Bar and Grill.

La Huerta BBQ Bar and Grill in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

We’ve been following the happenings over the years at El Rio BBQ in Paso Ancho.

Contact Information for La Huerta BBQ Bar and Grill in Puerto Vallarta

• Phone: +52 322 121 4631
• Address: Felipe Angeles #245, colonia Paso Ancho 48373 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lahuertabbqgrill
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lahuertapv/
• Website: https://lahuertapv.com/?fbclid=IwAR3AZIRXeSeDBjCLPiF6IzzKcUrBZWguKhRr8CCzyYKp1zVNT8PdbmNORlM

And last year, was the final year on the lease, and we had been waiting for the new restaurant to open in it’s place, and it did. It’s called La Huerta BBQ. And I’ve been promising you I’d stop in to see the new guys in town. So, I did just that. I came on a Friday afternoon with my wife and Debbie and Ray from Pitillal, formerly from Canadia, and we had a blast. The food and the drink were awesome as were the staff.

I asked Jesus if he had some time to talk, and he agreed. So when the interview started it was pretty quiet. But then the band started to play, so I

apologize in advance if  you find it hard to hear us. I did my best to make it listenable. So, let’s meet one of the members of the family and hear their story, and let’s join them at that special  spot along the river Cuale, where soaring cliffs give the music playing there a special sound. Where kids jump and play in the river while you enjoy that music and dancing and good BBQ and friends, new and old, and good vibe and drinks, pitchers of margaritas and buckets of beer.

Let’s meet Jesus Garcia, Jesus Adolfo Garcia Plascencia to be exact, a member of the family. Let’s go to Colonia Paso Ancho, to the Garden La Huerta, La Huerta BBQ, Bar and Grill in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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Thank you so much Jesus. What a great guy and a very nice family. Put La Huerta on your list for places to listen to music, party and have good BBQ and more.

Contact Information for La Huerta BBQ Bar and Grill in Puerto Vallarta

• Phone: +52 322 121 4631
• Address: Felipe Angeles #245, colonia Paso Ancho 48373 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lahuertabbqgrill
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lahuertapv/
• Website: https://lahuertapv.com/?fbclid=IwAR3AZIRXeSeDBjCLPiF6IzzKcUrBZWguKhRr8CCzyYKp1zVNT8PdbmNORlM

Contact Information for The Stixx Rock Band in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078797655162
• Phone: +52 322 245 0349

Now speaking of more I had an opportunity to get our friend Fher Aguilera Drummer and vocalist for the band The Stixx, Spelled STIXX. Fher was on

the show many years back when he was the drummer for the Trez Cuartoz. These guys rock. A great dance band. Let’s hear from Fher and have him fill us in on the band and on their upcoming schedule…Let’s join Fher Aguilera with his band The Stixx, at La Huerta BBQ, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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Thank you Fher. This band is super good. You need to see them in person. Follow them. I have links to their Facebook and Instagram pages in the show motes at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com.

Circle Bar Isla Cuale Puerto Vallarta

Next we are going to an old bar that now has a new location and that is The Circle Bar. I promised you listeners that I was going to stop in and visit the folks at the Circle Bar, not just to test the margaritas in our quest for the perfect margaritas, but to check out their new location on the Isla Cuale, where they just moved from their place on the Malecon where they were for many years.

But we are going to let the owner of the Circle Bar tell his story. The owner’s name is Carlos Rodriguez, and Carlos was kind enough to offer us a margarita the morning I did the interview, but it was too early in the day, so I opted for a beer instead. So I can’t talk about the potency of their

particular potion, but what I can tell you is there is certainly some kind of magic spell on the new circle Bar. It’s hopping and bopping and has very quickly become one of the top sopts for day drinking in Vallarta. Right there on Isla Cuale in the shadow in the newly rebuilt Insurgentes Bridge. So

let’s get a little history of a new, old famous bar that made the move from the Malecon to Isla Cuale. Let’s meet the owner Carlos Rodriguez,  It’s The Circle Bar, Isla Cuale, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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Thank you so much Carlos. What a lovely spot you have there on Isla Cuale. And what a great addition to the Island.

Contact Information for Circle Bar Isla Cuale Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

• Phone: +32 2 274 56 45
• Address:  Isla Río Cuale 23, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pvcirclebar
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pvcirclebar_/
• Website: https://pvcirclebar.com/?fbclid=IwAR1XBwzoL_jXK__oTqJJckUdLIpCn02_BInJ9n9YuyATJzyjb6-B6ogESFs

I have a map and links and all the things you need to get you to Circle Bar, Puerto Vallarta.

Next, we go to another old bar, that had to find a new home, and that is Bar Frida.

Bar Frida 4.0 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Last time we visited Bar Frida and talked with owner Tom Findley, they were on Lazaro Cardenas. Now they have moved a block over and up. So I thought I’d stop over and see how the new place looked and talk with Tom. So I stopped in late one night and asked Tom if he would step outside on his little sidewalk bar table he has set up along the street, and he said he would. So we set up right outside the new Bar Frida, Tom calls it 4.0. Let’s go to the corner of Venustiano Carranza and Naranjo in Zona Romantica, and let’s talk with Tom Findley, Bar Frida 4.0, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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Thank you so much Tom. What a great spot you have there and what an up and coming area of the Zona Romantica. Great suggestions too Tom.

Contact Information For Bar Frida 4.0 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

• Phone: +52 322 222 5846
• Address: Venustiano Carranza 493, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 48380
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084292765898

I have links and maps and all that jazz in the show notes. You will find that at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com. Check out all these great places. La Huerta BBQ and Grill, The New and improved Circle Bar on Isla Cuale, and Bar Frida 4.0. Hit them all the same day. I dare you!

Okay, that should do it for this week, 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. Don’t forget his maps, his DIY tours and I have links to all of those in the show notes.

And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and follow share with a lover of Puerto Vallarta or give me a good review wherever or however you happen to be listening. 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.

Thank you to Jamie Chamberlain for filling us in on your art show 3 x 5 over at Qulture. Hope you have time to check out the show. I have links in the shownotes. Also to Jesus Garcia from La Huerta BBQ and Grill. Get out there and have a blast by the Rio Cuale in Paso Ancho. Like old times. Same place, same good food, same great bands. Pitchers of margaritas and buckets of beer to wash down the BBQ. What fun. Thanks for talking with us Jesus. We’ll be back every time amigo, of course. You have the greatest spot in paradise amigo.

Thank you to Carlos Rodriguez from Cricle Bar on Isla Cuale. You have a little gold mine there my friend . What a great place to enjoy drinks and make friends, right in the middle of town, on the Isla Cuale. And finally thank you to Tom Findlay from Bar Frida 4.0. Stop in Vallarta’s friendliest bar. Bar Frida 4.0. You will love the people and the drink and the food. I promise.

Once again check out the links and the maps in the show notes.

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.

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