Two For The Table : Puerto Vallarta : El Arrayán

El Arrayán

El Arrayán has been a fixture in the Puerto Vallarta restaurant scene since 2003. It's received many "best restaurant" awards, and deservedly so. It's located in the downtown area, three blocks up from the north end of the Malecón. We'd dined there multiple times, by ourselves and with friends.

The atmosphere is bright and cheery, traditional Mexican, with primary colors. There's a courtyard with an open roof at the center of the restaurant, but this isn't obvious at night, as the décor is all the same.

While El Arrayán's atmosphere is traditional Mexican, their menu is not. Their website states they are "arduously dedicated to changing Mexican food stereotypes, such as the belief that all Mexican food must be deep fried and must have lots of melted cheese on top."

Marlene ordered a glass of white wine, but I was drawn to the Mezcalitos, which our waitress told us were new on the cocktail menu. I'd recently been introduced to Mezcal by the crew at Taste when they replaced half of the cachaça in my caipirinha with the smokey Mexican spirit. Now it's the only way I'll drink them.

There were three Mezcalitos to choose from - tangerine, cucumber/lime and hibiscus/rosemary. I had two - the tangerine was very good; the cucumber/lime was outstanding, refreshing on a warm night and not too sweet.

For starters, we shared two of the ceviches offered on the menu. Both were excellent. The mahi-mahi in its spicy tomato sauce was a nice contrast to the more subtle scallops and avocados.

Ceviche Guerrero - Fish marinated in lime, with tomato sauce, olives, avocado, onions, cilantro and Serrano peppers ● Ceviche Colima - Baby scallops, marinated in lime, with avocado, onions, cilantro and Serrano peppers

For our main course we both ordered what we always order at El Arrayán - the duck carnitas, the specialty of the house. The moist meaty duck with it's crispy skin is as good as we get anywhere, as is the sweet, rich sauce. And the sautéed potatoes are more than just garnish. Each cube is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. An outstanding dish.

Duck Carnitas - 1/3 duck, slow cooked with Guajillo-orange-arrayán sauce and sautéed potatoes

El Arrayán is a staple on our Puerto Vallarta dining repertoire, as is their duck carnitas. Perhaps next year we'll dine there a second time and try something else on the menu!

Layla's