Forking Tasty

ATV, An Accident, Shrimp, Fun

Forking Tasty, El Shrimp Bucket, Mazatlan from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

The Southerner and I had a little ATV adventure around Mazatlan and ended up at the El Shrimp Bucket. It was a really fun day but there was a small incident on the ATV. We had a minor accident and needed to know how to reverse but the guy we rented it from never showed us how. After the southerner jumped off the ATV to proclaim her innocence I put the ATV in neutral and had 2 Mexican guys help me push it back. The entire event was really hysterical. We were making a u-turn in front of a line of cars at a red light. Lets just say we never made a U it was more like an L into a telephone pole. We were fine and had a good laugh after. It was fun cruising around town on the ATV.

Back For Seconds

I recently went back to Pipi’s in Puerto Vallarta because it’s been a while and it’s just so good. I decided on getting something I have not ordered there before and usually don’t order, the chicken and steak burrito. It was intriguing to have the uncommon combination of chicken and steak together. This was packed to the max with lots of meat, cheese, peppers, little rice (key for me), and lots of sauce as seen above. As I mentioned in my previous post about Pipi’s they make every portion huge. This burrito was no exception. This was not the kind of burrito you pick up with your hands. A fork and knife is mandatory for this meal.

It Started With Pistachio Butter

For months now I have been porting in Puerto Vallarta but we never stay late enough to get a good dinner. Well times have changed and we finally left Puerto Vallarta at about 8pm, plenty of time to get a great meal. Since the southerner and I are not at a late port to get a Christmas dinner this year we decided that this was going to be it. I had spoke to a few people on the ship for some ideas and decided on the Vista Grill. This was not going to be a cheap Mexican taco type of meal, needless to say we were both very excited having had typical Mexican food for months now…

Holy Shrimp!

Forking Tasty – The Shrimp Factory – Mazatlan from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

One of the great things about working on a ship is when you have family and friends visit you. Yes, they are vacation while you work but I find time to spend time with them. Thanksgiving week I had my parents come aboard and I took them to a bunch of restaurants around Mexico. Some of them I have already vlogged about like Pipi’s in Puerto Vallarta. There was a restaurant in Mazatlan that I have wanted to try since I came down to Mexico. I remember passing it in the taxi and salivating as we drove by. As hard as it was to hold myself back from going there, I was saving it to experience it with my parents.

Mazatlan is one of the shrimp Capitals of the world and what better restaurant to bring my parents than The Shrimp Factory. I’ll let the video tell the tail but the staff was super friendly and the food was delicious. I’m really happy I got to experience the multiple types of shrimp with my family.

Everything Is Huge At Pipi’s

Forking Tasty – Pipis in Puerto Vallarta from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Pipi’s has been the hot spot for the crew on the ship for really good Mexican food and dino size Margaritas. I have been here about 3 times now and it has not let me down. I walk out, I mean, roll out a happy camper each time I visit. I’m always greeted with a smile and the same waiters and Mariachi band is there every time. As for the food , well, you watch the video. I think it speaks for itself.

Now That’s Mexican Food!

My first time in Acapulco was a lot of fun. The day started off by being harassed by cab drivers wanting to take me anywhere for $10. Since I was by myself at the time I even had a cab driver ask me if he could drive me somewhere to get some, and I quote, “sucky sucky”. I had to laugh at his offer and told him all I wanted to do was meet my friends at the cliff divers…

A Mexican Headache

One of the stops on our repositioning cruise from the Caribbean to Alaska was in Huatulco, Mexico. There is not much to do there but sit on the beach and eat some lunch. The beach was just off the pier from the ship. I got off the ship a little later than everyone else. I met some friends at a little restaurant on the beach and they raved about the guacamole. I ended up trying one of their taco because they over ordered…

Freshipes: Rick Bayless

This book was send to me by my friend Allen. I met Allen in LA for the first time. I was behind the wheel of a rented black, Chevy Yukon and he was standing in front of the Roosevelt Hotel on his way to the Yahoo! Grammy party. Our short drive up the Sunset Strip solidified a few quick lessons. We were both creative guys and we both expressed it through cooking. Arguably, the single most important thing he taught me came years later as we both stood in my Brooklyn kitchen after yet another one of our Yahoo! projects wrapped. Now that might seem shallow but it’s not. The trick he showed me was how to heat up a tortilla. Put the stove top flame on med heat. Throw the tortilla directly on the flame. Flip in 5 seconds. Pull it. Stuff it. Eat it.

I had always heated my tortillas in a large hot pan. Not only did this dirty another pan in the cooking process but it took longer to heat the tortillas. So, why was this lesson so important? It is not about the tortillas as much it is about understanding a new or different way to do something. So often we look to solve problems from the perspective of what we have learned or how we were taught. Sometimes this is not the best or most logical way to do something. In this case, remove the middle man (the pan) and go directly to the source is more efficient in every way, not to mention it looks really cool. Apply this to creative thinking (in my case advertising) and watch out.

A few months back Allen took a trip to Mexico and happened upon a cooking class from famed Mexican chef Rick Bayless (Mexcian via Oklahoma). With our tortilla bond in mind, he picked up a copy of Rick’s latest book and sent it over to my BK kitchen. Inside are…