I’m a vegetarian. México isn’t the easiest place for non-meat eaters. Meat makes everything more rich and tasty….but not to me. When we first arrived I ate more than my share of quesadillas and iceberg lettuce salads, but not any more! We usually eat vegetarian at home so when we go out it is also Paul’s chance to eat meat. Here’s a rundown of the meals I’ve eaten in restaurants lately:

• Wonderful roasted garlic pizza at Pizza Moreno in Centro. The owners, Linda and David, are amazing people and their food is wonderful. David makes their own sausage and has just branched out into baking specialty breads a few days a week. They have a salad and personal size pizza that is my favorite, plus that way Paul can have an italian sausage pizza of his own.
• Thai food at Zab Thai in the golden zone. These people came down from Washington State and have really made a wonderful addition to the Maz restaurant scene. Their Pad Thai with tofu is absolutely perfect, especially if you ask for it Thai spicy. Their normal spiciness isn’t hot enough for me. Last time Paul had a curry dish and it was awesome, too.
• Beautiful vegie stuffed chile rellenos at Topolo in Centro. This restaurant is kind of a special date night place for us, and their wonderful courtyard with dark red walls and palms adds to the special ambiance. Paul always has something excellent there, but I always stick to the rellenos since they are so good.
• Potato Tacos at El Túnel. This is a very old restaurant in Centro right across from the entrance to the Angela Peralta theater. It is inexpensive and very good! Long tables for sharing with others and a real family atmosphere. I love their potato tacos and a Pacifico beer.
• Vegetarian sandwich at La Cueva de la León across from the malecon at Olas Altas. This is a new restaurant and they have nice sandwiches on baguettes. The vegie sandwich has roasted vegetables, avocado, tomato, and garlic mayo. It’s a great place to sit in the sun and watch the world go by, too.
• The Papas Locas cart on Zaragosa. These folks do a booming business in the evening. Most people get their baked potato mashed with cheese with strips of beef on top, but I have it “sin carne.” Then you add all the condiments you could want and chow down at the long table alongside the cart. Not low calorie, but excellent.
• Both La Mona (a pizzeria) and Shrimp Bucket in Centro have excellent salads. Several different lettuces and nice vegies and dressing.
• La Guamuchilito is a favorite because of its marlin paté and shrimp. They actually don’t have anything vegie on the menu! But several times I have asked for a salad and I have been served a wonderful and artistically arranged salad. No dressing, but a few squeezes of lime and some salsa make it wonderful.
• Il Mosto at the Plazuela Machado has the most wonderful appetizer in the world. They roast zuchinni and then drizzle balsamic vinegar on it. They also have several excellent pastas.
• In the golden zone we like Villa Italia for its pastas. I love their pesto sauce and we share a salad and they have a nice Chianti, too. It’s just south of the El Cid entrance.
• Also in the golden zone is Gus Gus. I don’t know why we like it so much but the food is good and you sit under large ficus trees and it just feels nice. They always remember us and although I always end up with a quesadilla it is a good one – not greasy and they bring three different dishes of salsas which are all delicious.So that’s a rundown of some of the places we’ve eaten. I’m sure there are some good ones that I’m forgetting but it is possible to be a vegetarian in Mazatlán. There are also a few places we haven’t tried yet, such as Natura Besa on Ejército Méxicano, Bolero (a tapas bar) in Centro, and a vegetarian place that is in a neighborhood, but I need to get more complete directions.All in all, I do ok when we eat out, and now that our house is getting where we want it, we’re eating at home more, too!