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Hound Dog

Nov 27, 2009, 7:38 AM

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Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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This city of somewhere between 700,000 and 1,000,000 souls, the capital city of Chiapas, gets no respect but that is one of its charms. It´s true that we settled in San Cristóbal de Las Casas straight up the escarpment from low-lying Tuxtla but there are times I regret that decision - especially when the clouds move into the high Jovel Valley and I need some heat.

Tuxtla is a tropical boom town. Frenetic. Anarchic. Lots of tropical foliage. Marimba music as a backdrop. Ice cold beer and tamales. Lots of very good restaurants. Rough but colorful tropical architecture.

Later, upon our return to Chiapas, I plan to write about the really good restaurant scene in Tuxtla but for now I just want to write of the venerable downtown restaurant in that city know as the Flamingo. Walk into this restaurant and you are transported to Florida circa 1955 in terms of the decor, the wait staff and the food but, in this case, I mean very good food - especially for breakfast. If you go to Chiapas, don´t miss breakfast here.

Tuxtla is underrated in many ways and the climate can be a bit on the warm side but you can also buy a very nice air conditioned home there for a song. It would be to your advantage to speak Spanish.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 27, 2009, 7:40 AM)

RickS

Nov 27, 2009, 7:36 PM

Post #2 of 9 (3590 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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Hound Dog

Nov 27, 2009, 7:58 PM

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Re: [RickS] Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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Well, Dawg, I know how 'we' find out about a single, obscure restaurant a city of 1 million souls, but how pray tell did you and the misses find it? Surely not from one of your neighbors in San Cristóbal.....

Rick:

This place was recommended to us by a San Cristóbal friend and architect who lived and studied in Tuxtla for a time and loved this charming , story-book place. You´d be surprised at the number of Coletos who admire Tuxtla and find it an attractive city. I know lots of other good restaurants in this city from taco joints to places that barbeque lamb and rabbit that will blow your mind. Unfortunately, I am too lazy to take notes. When I return I will name a number of places with good eats.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 27, 2009, 7:59 PM)

raferguson

Nov 28, 2009, 3:43 PM

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Re: [Hound Dog] Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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Hound Dog

Nov 28, 2009, 4:12 PM

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Re: [raferguson] Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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We spent a couple of days in Tuxla, and enjoyed it, almost wished for another day. The zoo was very nice, heavily forested, focusing on the local fauna. We ate a couple of times at a local restaurant with marimba music and folkloric dancers, I believe the name was Pichanchas. This restaurant had the best tamales...... The folkloric dancers were good, as was the marimba music.

I cannot hear marimba music without thinking of Chiapas.

Richard

I hear you Richard. Some people on another thread were putting down La Pichanchas as a tourist joint but we love that place. Fun music and dancing and great tamales - a specialty of Chiapas. We highly recommend that restaurant which has, I believe two locations in Tuxtla. A great introduction to Chiapas music and dance and very well executed regional cuisine.

As far as I know, Chiapas is the only state in Mexico where public marimba concerts are easy to find and very popular. In fact, in the heart of Tuxtla at the aptly named Marimba Park, large crowds gather to listen to outdoor marimba concerts on weekends while ejoying local food, ice cream and cold beer among other treats. In San Cristóbal de Las Casas where we live, I am often treated to free marimba music when walking the pooch in the morning played by the San Cristóbal Municipal Marimba Orchestra in the main plaza known locally as El Jardin. Fun stuff.

When I hear people putting down a fun place with very good food such as Las Pichanchas, I am reminded of the years we lived in San Francisco´s North Beach just up the hill from Fisherman´s Wharf and many locals refused to go to Fisherman´s Wharf claiming it was just for tourists. Well, I walked all over North Beach and Fisherman´s Wharf several times every week and there a number of excellent restaurants and fun attractions there interspersed among restaurants and bars catering to tourists. You just had to know where to go. Same as in Tuxtla,

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 28, 2009, 4:19 PM)

Anonimo

Nov 28, 2009, 5:06 PM

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Re: [Hound Dog] Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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Las Pichanchas: la Sopa de Chipilín was good, the carne and tamales were fine, and I was treated to a drink of fresh pineapple juice and vodka over crushed ice.
(This was in 1993, FYI)

Naive tourists that we were, we "thought" we enjoyed the marimba music and folkloric dancers. We still have pleasant memories of Las Pichanchas.

Saludos,
Anonimo

joannar

Nov 30, 2009, 6:17 PM

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Re: [Hound Dog] Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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The first time my parents visited, before we were married, we went straight to Las Pichanchas. I remember it being good, but I haven´t been back since. The second day we went to Flamingo, and will not forget that! I have since been back lots of times with my husband, and still love it. Lately our outings are limited to places where our kids can play, nothing to rave about there, but there is a nice, fancy, expensive restaurant called El Giraldillo that I loved. I think it would be good for a very special occasion, like Christmas, New Year´s, etc. Also, on the fancier side, but really good value is Balam (used to be part of Hotel Bonampak). Some friends love the cocinas economicas around Marimba park, good values and tasty.

Vichil

Dec 1, 2009, 7:45 AM

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Re: [joannar] Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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Thanks for the info! Where is El Geraldiillo located? We have not been to Balam yet as we have one in San Cristobal near Chedraui as well but we like to walk to the restaurants at night so we always get diverted by something closer to home.
I finally got the name! Hotel Bonampak Balam..the king not the cat or the jaguar. I was wondering was they called a steak house or restaurant by The cat or the Jaguar now I know , just the name of a Mayan king!

We never had a bad meal in Tuxtla, the Coletos say that the Cunejos are fat because they snack all day! I can see doing that if I lived in Tuxtla, the place is full of delicious like snack places no need to go to a fancy restaurant to get delicious food.

Hound Dog

Dec 1, 2009, 12:56 PM

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Re: [Hound Dog] Tuxtla Gutierrez as Rodney Dangerfield

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Tuxtla Gutierrez in a large city laid out on a grid with streets named sequentially among geographic enclaves. In that city, there is a traffic light system along major thoroughfares that digitally counts down the time remaining before a green signal on a traffic light turns red. Now, the practical effect of this is not to induce drivers to become more cautious and reduce speed but to incentive reckless speed among drivers attempting to pass the traffic light before the light changes so that what this system does is magnifiy dangers at intersections when the intent was to lessen those dangers. The world is filled with auspicious acts resulting in manifest disgrace.