The Mexicuba Band performing at the La Cruz Market. These guys were top-notch.

JANUARY 29

Today was NFL Championship Day. I am embarrassed to admit that I was interested enough to plan my day around the Kansas City vs Cincinnati game. Normally, I am too hyper to sit through an entire 3 1/2-hour game, but this turned out to be a pretty good one. I like both teams so I didn’t have a dog in the hunt. It was almost worth pissing away the time in front of a TV. Since we don’t have a TV that is hooked up to a TV service at our house, I accepted Jeff’s gracious invitation to watch the game at his place.

All this meant that I owed Wanda the morning and afternoon. To pay off that debt, Wanda and I returned to the fabulous Sunday La Cruz Market. That was easy. I like the market for the high-quality hand-crafted products they sell and the great musical acts that the market operators dig up. We were not disappointed. On the main stage, the excellent Mexicuba Band, a Cuban salsa band, knocked it out of the park. I was especially enamored with the complicated off-beat rhythms that the piano player effortlessly wove. They were so good that they squeezed an extra large tip out of my money-tight hands.

The highlight of our trips to the La Cruz Market is trying out a new craft food vendor. Last time we tasted the Spanish Paella. This time we crossed the Pyrenees Mountains to sample the French crepes. Their menu features a half dozen dessert crepes and another half dozen savory crepes. We ordered one breakfast crepe and one mushroom veggie crepe. Both were scrumptious. Dessert was handmade strawberry cherry almond ice cream. Yum!

The following are scenes from the La Cruz Market. As I stated in a previous posting, this market is the premiere market in the entire Bay of Banderas. Most of the arts and crafts are handmade by local artisans.

At 300 pesos ($16 US), these painted hats are a decent buy.

Above and below: Some of the artisans work on their arts and crafts at the market. It is hard to believe that the lady below will weave a basket out of that tangled wad of strips.

The best cuban band that we have seen has been in Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula. That was a big band with an entire horn ensemble. For a smaller version, the Mexicuba Band was terrific.

This husband and wife duo used tracks to play traditional Mexican folk songs. Her voice was strong. He played the Cajon drum box.

We enjoy trying different food vendors each time we go to the La Cruz Market. This time we chose French crepes. We purchased one breakfast crepe and one mushroom crepe. Both were awesome. They also make dessert crepes.

Above and below: Next time we are going to try this food vendor. The tortillas are freshly made and the finished product is huge.

When we get a craving for grilled meat, we will definitely try this vendor's food.

Again, the La Cruz Market is located at the marina in La Cruz.

Playa la Manzanilla is located next to the marina in La Cruz.

JANUARY 30

This was another dentist day for me. These dentist appointments wreck the day for exploring new towns or attractions. I have been craving to go to the magic town of San Sebastián in the mountains all month. So far it hasn’t happened. I also want to return to the Botanical Gardens which we haven’t been to in three years. Then there is Playa Los Comitos. All these things require a whole day. Bottomline, we still have plenty to look forward to if we can just overcome these appointments. 

With our abundance of half-days, we have explored many new corners of Bucerias. We have found some neat pockets, including some new restaurants; a laundry service that washes, presses, and neatly folds our clothes for $3 US; and one of the first craft breweries in all of Mexico, the Buclas Brewery.

Below are photos taken during our walks around Bucerias in between our dentist appointments. Although we yearn to travel to other towns, Bucerias is a nice town to be stuck in.

Samo's, a one-lady operation, is a great burrito gem. The mushroom veggie burrito was incredible. We tried Samo's bubble tea. It is a sweet milky tea with big balls of tapioca. As goofy as that sounds, it was delicious. Samo's is the spot. (Address: Avenida Héroe de Nacosari, Bucerias).

Above and Below: Samo's kitchen.

The Red Apple Place is a rooftop restaurant. Wanda, for some reason, was craving pancakes. The Red Apple served the most amazing cranberry, banana, and pecan pancakes that were at least two inches thick. One would imagine that these thick monsters would be heavy and dense. One would be wrong. They were light and fluffy as if filled with helium. The cranberries were ingenious. Their tartness played off the sweetness of the bananas and syrup. (Address: Calle Lázaro Cárdenas 36, Flamingos, Bucerias).

Above: The second-story open-air Red Apple Place.

Below: The steps leading to the restaurant.

We loved this rooftop open-air restaurant.

Check out the thickness of those pancakes.

This oriental-style building is an icon in Bucerias.

Above and below: The posh La Negra Restaurant is hiding behind a thick tree on a quiet side street. The outdoor seating is a trailer parked on the street. Every evening, tables and chairs are set out for the diners. (Address: Abasolo 11, Bucerias).

Above and below: A not-so-posh restaurant crammed into an indentation in a wall next to a sidewalk. That is Mexico.

Bucerias has tons of these little laundry services. With our washing machine still acting a bit goofy, we have used this laundry service. For $3 US, they wash, press, and fold a load. We receive the wash neatly packed into a bag (notice the bags of completed laundry on the back shelf). Wanda has been pleased with the results and she is finicky about her laundry.

I get a kick out these tortilla makers. When Wanda was in the 7th grade, she lived with her aunt in Del Rio, Texas. Every morning, her aunt would make 80 tortillas by hand without a machine. With a family of 9, plus Wanda and her brother, a lot of tortillas were needed for breakfast, dinner, and supper.

Above: Buce Hamburger joint is another small operation hidden on a side street. It seems to be some guy with a wood-fired grill making a go of it.

Below: I think the seating for Buce is across the street from his grill. I don't know if that is his house or if he has an arrangement with a neighbor. (Address: Guadalupe Victoria 50, Bucerias).

Yet another surprisingly fancy restaurant tucked away far from downtown on a side street. We haven't tried it but it has an excellent reputation. (Address: 5 de Mayo #32, Bucerias).

Tiny's is downtown. I guess Wanda didn't satisfy her pancake craving at the Red Apple so we ordered a plate of pancakes with strawberries. It also came two inches thick and it was also light and delicious. After that, Wanda announced that she has had enough pancakes for a long time. (Address: Miguel Hildalgo 10, Bucerias).

Buclas is the nickname for Bucerias. The master brewer and owner of Buclas, Jorge Toscano, gave us a complete rundown on his fledgling business. Since he was a teenager, he has worked in several of Bucerias’ restaurants. His mother has been the head chef at the well-known Karen’s Beach Restaurant for decades. He knows the hospitality business in Mexico. He attended high school in LA so his English is very good. This is another plus when catering to so many Canadians and Americans. Also, he went to law school in Mexico. This played an important role in his craft brewery endeavor.

Jorge watched as the craft brewery business has exploded in the US and Canada. It did not exist in Mexico. He expected that to change. He wanted to get in on the ground floor. He learned how to brew beer and experimented with different recipes.

Bar owners and restaurants that he grew up with encouraged him. They wanted a stout beer to sell at their establishments. He was afraid that most stouts would be too heavy for a warm tropical climate so he played around with some recipes and hit upon one he liked. It is a bit lighter yet still full-bodied. A nice trick that he was proud of. He also developed some IPAs and lagers that he felt were winners. One of his beers place 3rd in a Mexican-wide competition in Mexico City.

One problem remained. Mexico did not have a specific license for a craft brewery. He couldn’t afford the license for a large brewery like Model, Pacifico, and Corona. And a bar and restaurant license didn’t allow him to produce alcoholic beverages. Using his law degree and lots of research, he became part of a lobbying effort to introduce a new licensing law into the Mexican Congress recognizing craft brewing. 

When the new licensing became a reality, he brewed up a batch of stout for a couple of restaurants as a test run. The stout quickly sold out. With that success, he began to expand his wholesale business. The property he had was in the family for generations just waiting for an opportunity like this. 

As the wholesale side of things grew, he started planning to add a bar at his brewery. The bar we stumbled upon on a back street of Bucerias is this brainchild. His signage isn’t up yet, so the phrase ‘stumbled upon’ is accurate. Google Maps had the brewery in its database, but when it led us to a closed gate I was baffled. Fortunately, the owner saw me looking around and asked if we were looking for the brewery. “Si”, I said. “Well, here it is”, he gleamed. “The sign isn’t up yet,” he apologized. He ushered us in. Over a delicious Stout, he told us his entire history.

Technically, the pub part of his brewery isn’t officially open yet. Besides adding signage, he will slowly introduce snacks and perhaps some foods. We wished him luck. Jorge is such a wonderfully gregarious guy that I can’t help but think he will succeed in the retail end of the business. If his other beers are as good as his Stout, it will be a sure-thing.

There is one more brewpub in Bucerias. Jorge is friends with the owner and encourages even more craft breweries. Most Mexicans have not yet discovered craft beers. More craft breweries means more familiarity which translated into more business for him. We will have to look for the other brewery.

The wonderful Buclas Cerveceria. There is a place for beer-snobs to go to in Bucerias. (Address: 5 de Mayo 36, Bucerias).

Introducing Jorge, the owner and brew master.

Buclas' logo is a variation of the Bucerias iconic statue next to the beach. Bucerias is known for its free-divers harvesting oysters. Instead of oysters, this guy is harvesting bottles of Buclas Brew.

Jorge's operation.

Dave and Wanda

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