bajabound2005
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Location: Punta Banda, BCN
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Mario's - Estero Beach/Chapultapec
Located on the road headed past the entrance to Estero Beach but before Faro Beach on the left-hand side (south of Ensenada). This has all the
potential to be a first class restaurant but the food is not up to par. Tastefully decorated with what appears to be hand crafted metal work on the
walls (all is for sale), real tableclothes. Service was excellent, the food not. I had a c-cktel de Cameron. For 85 pesos I got maybe 8 shrimp in a
mostly onion c-cktail sauce which I suspect was actually ketchup. The shrimp had the "old" taste. It was garnished with a couple slices of avocado
and cucumber. Hubby had the Mexican combo plate which consisted of a beef taco (he described it as OK), an enchilada suiza (that was quite tasty) and
a chile relleno. The chile relleno had no relleno of any kind and breading that was, no kidding, 1/2 inch thick. So it basically was a heavily
breaded chile. This entree was served with rice and beans. The rice also had onions in it! The salsa fresca was made with tomatoes that
were no where near ripe and lots and lots and lots of onions. Did I say it had lots of onions? I would describe it as chopped onions and pale
tomatoes with cilantro and jalapeno waved over it.
Mario's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and I suspect breakfast is pretty good. Breakfast is served until 12:30 and another guest ordered the
pancakes while we were there. The pancakes were huge, in fact the size of the dinner plates! The lunch/dinner menu was mostly seafood
with a couple of chicken items. All in all there was nothing special about the menu.
I would rename this restaurant Mario's Casa de Cebollas. Or as hubby says, "the chef never met an onion he didn't like."
[Edited on 6-22-2006 by bajabound2005]
see our new post on this place
[Edited on 11-13-2006 by bajabound2005]
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FARASHA
Senior Nomad
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:fire, sounds like a hell of a meal!!! a good method of birthcontrol  And keeps
bugs away as well !!!
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Roberto
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Well, at least the tables were clothed - I would hate to eat a naked table!
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FARASHA
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Roberto
Well, at least the tables were clothed - I would hate to eat a naked table!
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You could still use the HUGE pancake then as a cover 
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Mike Supino
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Registered: 10-16-2002
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So..............
You don't like onions?
Therianthropic
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comitan
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Bajabound gave a report on their meal which we all look forward to, why all this picky,picky?????????????
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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bajabound2005
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Location: Punta Banda, BCN
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Comitan, no entiendo (and that may not be proper Spanish!)...but I heard from some friends whose other friends recommended the restaurant that the
thing to order there is the Coconut Shrimp...caveat? It's not on the menu! You just have to KNOW about it and order it! We'll probably give it
another try and tell them SIN CEBALLO.
[Edited on 11-13-2006 by bajabound2005]
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bigboy
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I've been to this restaurant a few time and had wonderful seafood meals.
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lizard lips
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The owner, "Mario" was the manager at the Estero beach resort for many years and decided to start up his own restaurant. He worked for the Novelo
family for many years 20+ and there is is a big riff between Mario and them.
Im going to try this place soon. I sure hope I get a better meal than Bajabound.
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bajabound2005
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Punta Banda, BCN
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We had the pleasure of dining here again today and it was like a different restaurant from our first post on this place. It WAS the same restaurant,
same menu but Mario himself must have been behind the stove this afternoon. Three of us ordered the highly recommended by others Coconut Shrimp which
is NOT on the menu (you have to ask for it). The fourth ordered grilled fish. Each entree came with our choice of two soups, pasta or tortilla, or a
green salad. Two went for the tortilla soup and two of us ordered the salad with cilantro dressing. The soup was delicious and generously garnished
with a half an avocado and sour cream. The green salad had crisp lettuce, cukes, olives and ripe tomatoes (no onions!!). The dressing was out of
this world. Then the entrees were served up - what a presentation! Large white plates beautifully "decorated" with swirls of red and green on the
edge. Six plump, perfectly cooked shrimp drenched in coconut atop a citrus sauce of some sort, baked potato stuffed with butter, sour cream, broccoli
and cauliflower. Nothing went back on those plates! The grilled fish (corvina) was done to a turn and served up with rice and the same steamed
veggies. Each plate had a lime carved into what looked like a bird. Wish we'd had the camera! Next time we'll remember to take it along.
Like I said, this was like dining at a different restaurant. The salsa served up with the chips (a combo of corn and flour tortilla chips) did not
even resemble the unripe tomato/onion salsa of the previous visit. The tomatoes were ripe and roasted, along with the peppers with just the right
amount of onion added. Could have had a little more heat to it but it would please most people. The rice was not loaded with onions, in fact, I'm
not sure there were any in it!
The bill for the 4 of us was $680 pesos which included iced tea and club soda. We didn't want to risk alcohol with the circus (literally) in town on
the Reforma and all the extra traffic on Sundays headed to Costco (which, BTW was PACKED today.) We parked, walked in, saw the lines, turned around
and left.
So, put Mario's on your must try list. You won't be disappointed.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
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Sounds good!!!!!!!!!!, It's on my list
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Minnow
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Did you ask which days Mario works? Seems like every place I have every eaten in
Baja, when the chef is "in" es todo bien.
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bajabound2005
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Did not ask that but it's an excellent question. The first we went was early in the week and around 11:00 am. Today was a Sunday and we got there
around 3:30 or so. I would guess he's there most afternoon/evenings.
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