Guasacate Beach Treats – Popoyo

Recently, there was a 3 week period when my path stopped and all I did was hang out in the Popoyo Beach, Guasacate, Nicaragua area. The time was spent with a buddy either going to the beach, doing little things around the pad, eating or going to get some more beers before going out to eat again. It was pretty terrific and as much as the insects, reptiles, barking dogs and heat can be annoying it was far better than the traffic, homeless issues and silly political news games presented to US back home. My heart rate easily decreased by 15 beats a minute after a few days of adjustment.

As mentioned there are a number of really good places to eat in the area. They are all run by fine people who create quality foods of all kinds. There is a variety of places to choose from and below are some of the places that stood out the most to me. They are listed in alphabetical order and show no preference by the place in order. Read each listing to find out more about the places.

https://goo.gl/maps/aPEzYy5FLo8skJFi8 This link will take you to Guasacate’s main beach road on Google maps and will help guide to some mentioned eateries.

Amahula Hostel – This place is located on the south end of the main beach street. They have nice rooms, a cool staff, a big open bar/cafe/board stash-shower/hang out area and organize parties in the area. They can be found on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amahulahostel/

Amaros – Amaro is a really nice guy who just opened a new restaurant in town. Located in a central spot on the main road near the salt flats this is a great place to eat breakfast. The huevos rancheros is the best in town. The staff is sweet and I loved going here.

Casitas Pacific – This place offers nice rooms and has a cafe you’ll be happy you discovered. If you want to enjoy lunch at a table looking out to the beach while sipping a cool drink in the shade, then you should find your way to this spot and enjoy. https://www.casitaspacific.com/cafe-restaurant

Dutchy’s Deli – Always cheerful and welcoming, this is a place I like to see the doors open at. You can change your spirit simply by walking in, saying hello and having a refreshing smoothie in the patio area. The tuna sandwich, roast beef sandwich and hamburger are all winners. If they have the homemade lox you must have it. They also make good fresh bread and have menu items for those who choose not to eat meat. There might be a dog sleeping in the bathroom and chances are he’s not gonna move so aim carefully. Lastly, if you notice the place has a nice charm, it is most likely because the owners wife is a very talented designer with a great eye. Both are very cool people who host an excellent staff that helps them run an awesome establishment. They can be found on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/dutchysdeli/

La Loma Del Sabor Restaurante – This was the first place I ate in the Guasacate/Salinas area and was always happy to return. The banana con leches were so good I would ask for 2 every time. The menu offered many good options and were more of a locally known spot. They aren’t on the main beach road but on the main highway. They are on Instagram too. https://www.instagram.com/la_loma_del_sabor/

La Tica #2 – This place is located at the end of the road and everyone knows Jessica. She is super cool and besides being the hostess that holds down the hostel she is the cook that manages the nightly BBQ on the grill outside that is a big hit for everyone in the neighborhood. They offer none meat, chicken, cow or fish options along with a plate full of salad and potato star things. The nights they offered Dorado as the fish option were my favorites. This place is just good all around. Not sure why Trip Advisor has the ratings it does but you can be assured Jessica has got it handled. Eat, drink, surf, sleep and be happy. https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1025477827/la-tica-playa-guasacate-popoyo-nicaragua/

Magnific Rock – This place is an awesome location perched on the point above the surf break and when the waves are firing this place would be the bar where the judges would be sitting. It is priced more on the higher end of the scale like a couple others on this list but what you get in return is worth the extra couple dollars when you are enjoying the coffee in the am or a refreshing drink at sunset. https://magnificrock.com/drink-dine/magnific-rock-cafe/

Restaurant Kathere Abierto – This one you may have to keep an eye out for as I don’t remember seeing a sign and it looks like it’s part of something else. It is located on the main beach road right next to and on the north side of Vibra Guesthouse. The patio, which from the street you enter the center, runs sort of parallel to the road with the kitchen counter towards the back of the patio away from the street. This place can seem odd at first but be cool, act patient and enjoy the food. Trying to get fancy or act touristy will not help. The menu is typical Nicaraguan food and is done properly. We ate here on several occasions and one night I enjoyed the fish special which was called like citrus fish or primo fish or something like that and it was worth every penny.

PIZZA – there are a couple of places you can find pizzas in town and all are pretty good. On the main beach road you will hear about pizza night and just follow the crowd. It can get crowded and you can wait an hour or they could even run out as once happened to us.

Club Surf Popoyo – https://www.clubdelsurf.com/ Good Italian in a chill spot.

Viento Este Popoyo – https://www.instagram.com/viento.este.popoyo/?hl=en Popular pizza nights.

Farther away from the beach is Mad Dog’s Pizza. They are kind of located in a spot by themselves but follow the sign and you’ll easily find it. The owner is a nice guy and they had a pretty cool set up where we watched 2 periods of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. The food was good, the beer was cold and the hospitality was genuine. https://www.facebook.com/maddognicaragua/

Well that is what I have to share. Muchas gracias to all the fine folks in the beach community of Guasacate y Las Salinas, Nicaragua.

Quick kitchen fixes – Broken Glass in Sink

If you ever have encountered the ‘stuff down the drain’ issue in your kitchen then maybe you can get a tip from this little kitchen quick fix tip video. The Dude of Food is here to help.

A good rule of thumb is to always have a catch screen in place. Also never toss coffee grinds or eggshells down the garbage disposal. Those items are for the trash or composting.

It is worth it to be aware of what you put down your drains and a simple catch screen helps a lot.

Click here to get your own LASSHSWA Kitchen Sink Drain Strainer, for Kitchen Sinks with Large Wide Rim 4.5″ Diameter (2 Pack).

As an Amazon Associate I can earn from recommending qualifying sales.

Check and measure your drain size to be sure this size fits.

Northern Costa Ricas ‘Hot Grill’ – Sal & Fuego

Recently I spent a few days in Playas del Coco in northern Costa Rica before entering Nicaragua. I found a room named ‘Casa Maria and Mario’ and was happy I stayed there. Maria couldn’t have been a nicer lady and made sure I was comfortable there. Another discovery was an excellent restaurant called Sal & Fuego.

The town offers a number places to eat on the main street but what I discovered by walking up one of the side streets was a real find. Most folks are on the main strip so it gets quieter when you leave the main drag which was the case of this well put together restaurant I discovered. The sign in front read Sal & Fuego and the master chef, Arturo, and his helper, Sebastian, were warmly greeting guests, serving drinks and proudly displaying their tomahawk steaks.

Arturo is a native that learned BBQ techniques in a place known for great beef and meat cooking skills, Argentina, where he became an expert in South American meat cuts. He is now a youthful 50 years old, an awesome chef and great host of a fine restaurant located a short walk from the beach.
Both Arturo and Sebastian will make you feel right at home and ensure that you have everything you need.

If you find yourself in Playas del Coco and are looking for an excellent dinner with a group of friends then you will need to wander up one of the side streets in Playas del Coco to discover the best steakhouse around, Sal & Fuego.

Gracias Arturo y Sebastian. Pura Vida.

Find them on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/people/Steak-House-Sal-y-Fuego-la-Aut%C3%A9ntica-Parrilla/100083568422156/

or on Instagram @salyfuegocr

Pasta, Angels, Family & the Dude of Food.

Cooking With Grandma Gina

The Dude of Food grew up an only child with a working mom who disliked cooking. Her 3 motto’s in life to me were:

‘where there’s smoke, there’s dinner’
‘you can never be too rich or too thin’
‘go play on the freeway’

The refrigerator to me was something to go look in at someone else’s house. That is how I learned about food, by looking in other peoples fridges and lunch boxes to see what they ate like. It took me years to get over just casually opening and looking inside of someones fridge.

On special Saturday mornings as a kid I used to make a can of Spaghettios or Franco American Macaroni with cheese sauce as a treat.

One of the places I would wander over to visit was the house of the Italian family down the street. They had 3 older girls and a boy my age and they always had food. Their kitchen was the best. Something was always out on the table or on the stove top, warmed and ready to be eaten. Homemade pastas, sauces, pizzas, rapini and as we got older everything with onions in it so our lungs would stay healthier. This Italian mother even made liver taste good with thin slices and loads of onions.

When we would go back east to visit their Italian relatives I would be blown away that every Italian kitchen was the same, warm and full of food. We couldn’t go anywhere without eating a plate of food and sipping some homemade wine. By the third or fourth visit you’d be pretty full but the hosts would get offended if you didn’t eat their food and thought you liked the other family better so you had to eat, drink and be merry. It was great.

When I went to visit the youthful home of my buddies father in Italy I was blown away at the genuine love, hospitality and meals shared with me.

This love of family and food has never left me and recently I began preparing homemade pasta noodles after a lesson from my friends father’s sister, Aunt Mary, whom I’ve known since I was in 5th grade. I’m now 56 years old. In researching how to make a better noodle I was directed to Youtube and discovered the next best thing since beer was created. The name of this Angel is Grandma Gina Petitti. She has a food channel that you must see.

Grandma Gina is precious and I instantly fell in love with her. She speaks just like everyone in my buddies family and reminds me of the best of my childhood. If you are still reading this then you must go to visit Gina https://www.youtube.com/c/BuonAPetitti/videos and see for yourself.

Learn to make noodles, ravioli or whatever else you might be interested in preparing but be ready to get sucked in. You will learn to cook and have your heart warmed at the same time.

You can also purchase Gina’s cookbook online as well. It’s titled, ‘Cooking With Grandma Gina’.

Grazie Nonna Gina. May God continue to bless you.

According to Buzzfeed Pasta Facts, https://www.buzzfeed.com/jesseszewczyk/pasta-facts ,
the average Italian eats 60 pounds of pasta a year while Americans average eating just 26 pounds per year.

October 25 – World Pasta Day
January 4 – National Spaghetti Day

“Now I’ma gunna maykeh a pasta carbonarra.” the Dude of Food.

Discover Roasted Almond Snacks

M & W Gourmet Foods – Oxnard, CA

M & W Gourmet Foods of Oxnard, CA was begun in 2006 at 3 Farmers Markets with the desire to create “a healthy snack alternative.” Over the last 16 years these snack makers have grown into a really good thing keeping many people happily snacked up.

The Dude of Food discovered these tasty snack treats while being on set and finding his way to the craft service table. These roasted almond filled snack bags are a great replacement to donuts and potato chips. Over time more and more flavors became available with 11 roasted almond flavors currently available at their web page (https://www.mwgourmetfoods.com) including many creative tasty flavors. Some of the Dude of Foods favorites include Coconut Macaroon, Honey Cinnamon and Cappuccino.

For more information you can visit https://www.mwgourmetfoods.com or call 661.305-3515. They can also be found on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/mwgourmetfoods and on Instagram, @mwgourmet

Thank you M & W Gourmet Foods.
Enjoy.

The Dude of Food

Lakemaid beer drone goes flat.

Brewery’s Drone Delivery Plan Grounded

The Federal Aviation Administration has used its authority to shut down technology that helps people live better. The increased quality of life in small towns has been thwarted by ‘the system’ as the FAA grounds the Lakemaid Beer drone delivery program. Does this move say that capitalism is not for everyone?

You can see the drone in action in the following Youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmHwXf8JUOw

You can read all about the perceived issues the FAA has but in reality it seems that Lakemaid Beer has a great idea and this program would be a good beta test for Amazon delivery development. Or maybe Amazon has something to do with the demise of the program? Some things to think about as the hands of the clock get closer to happy hour. Prost.

What do Paris, forks, Dukes and Ducks have in Common?

In 1592 the rich folk of Europe used to wear fancy, albeit uncomfortable looking things called a ruff around their necks. See this picture painted in the early 1600’s called ‘Portrait of an Old Woman’ by Frans Hals of Antwerp. Popular King Henry IV wore a ruff too.

In fact in Paris 1592 King Henry IV inaugurated use of the very first fork ever because of his ruff. The food tool was designed to keep people’s dinner off of their ruffs. Henry may have been a slave to fashion but using the fork stuck, so to speak.

This establishment where the 1st fork thing went down with Henry happened at a restaurant known as Tour d’Argent. This place once made a menu for a dinner hosted by the Duke of Richelieu, who was the nephew of a French Cardinal, that consisted solely of beef prepared 30 different ways! I wonder if this is where steak tartare came from? In 1929, La Tour d’Argent prepared it’s 100,000th famous ‘Caneton Tour D’Agent’ dish. For the curious non French reader this translates as pressed duck. They began numbering the amazing dish in 1890 and served pressed duck number 1,000,000 in 2003. That reminds me of a joke that always quacks me up.

Q: Why did the duck cross the road?

A: He saw a Tour d’Argent chef ahead.

You can read more about the historic La Tour d’Argent and it’s history at https://tourdargent.com/en/heritage/ To read more about the famous chefs of La Tour d’Argent click to

http://www.foodreference.com/html/artlatourdargent.html

The Dude of Food discovers Shucks Pop up Oyster Bar in DTLA

It seems that oysters are a popular item on LA menus. The Dude of Food, a local LAist foodie, found himself working in downtown Los Angeles where next door was a bar that had a pop up oyster bar out in front of it called Shucks Oyster Bar. The oyster bar tender was a nice guy and the Dude of Food tried a couple of each kind of oyster to check them out. The oysters were fresh and reminded the Dude of Food of how well beers go with oysters.

If you are on Spring St. near 7th in DTLA then look for the Shucks Oyster Bar pop up.

Flippin Pizza in Long Beach is home to one of the neighborhood’s best pizzas.

If you are a pizza lover, like many folks who now live in Los Angeles are, then you will be happy to know the Dude of Food has picked up where the LA Weekly Best Pizza Search has left off in the search for Southern California’s Top Pizzas and has found another contender for the Top 10 Pizzas in the Area list at the Flippin Pizza location.

Upon entering Flippin Pizza it is apparent the place is fresh and clean. A friendly staff member greeted and informed me of the daily specials. The nice staff member turned out to be the owner, Anthony. We chatted and I learned that the restaurant had been open since August 2015 at 6269 East Spring Street, Long Beach.

They offer daily pizza specials and also offer a happy hour from 3-6p with $4. pints. (Hello, Pizza, Beer & NHL Hockey!) Besides carefully crafted pizzas you can find really nice salads too. The lunch specials offer various versions of slices, salads and drink options.

The Dude of Food tried a slice of the 4 Cheese and a slice of the Little Brooklyn and was satisfied with both. The crust is thin and lite. It is not all rubbery and sweet which is a good thing. Both slices could have been a little greasy but both showed signs of very little accumulation on top.

The two slice and a drink lunch special will run you $6.50 and will satisfy your pizza craving for the time being. Flippin Pizza is Dude of Food approved and will be appearing on the list of Top 10 as the survey works towards the Top 5 round.

If you are craving pizza in the Long Beach / Lakewood area give Flippin Pizza a call and have something delivered. 562/421-1111 http://www.flippinpizzalongbeach.com

The Dude of Food email – weallgottaeat on g mail

Wake up and love Butter Cafe in Munich!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/butter-münchen

According to Dude Food G. on Yelp, this Butter place found on Blutenburg Strasse in Nuehausen, Munich is really cool. You know right from the beginning that this is not your normal everyday cafe. Butter is the diamond in the ruff waiting to be discovered. This place has babies, art, coffees, music, food and is full of life’s positive vibrations. These guys are a couple of psychologists dressed as music loving ravers.

If you just need a coffee to blow out the cobwebs from the previous nights Augustiner Helles, then Butter is perfect. If you need a veggie or meaty sandwich to go with your coffee than Butter is perfect. If you need a ginger, apple, carrot fresh juice than Butter is perfect. If you need a shoulder to cry on and a doorway to block than Butter is probably not for you.

Stop in and say “Aloha dudes” to the guys from Butter from the Dude of Food.

Category: hospitality