Fine Dining in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
La Dolce Vita and The Iguana Restaurant and Tequila Bar
Get a Medicare Jet-Setters Groovy Review
On our nine-day adventure in Puerto Vallarta, one of the top priorities for the four of us was to enjoy the flavor of the foods on this trip. Luana and Neil have refined tastes. Ron and I like good food with serving sizes of ample proportions. This article will capture two of the fine-dining adventures you can enjoy in Puerto Vallarta.
What is the first kind of cuisine most people seek out when going to Mexico? Mexican food, of course. However, that was not the case for the four of us. Our first stop was an Italian restaurant in Mexico. Medicare Jet-Setter Neil Johnson had a recommendation from his friend Howie to try La Dolce Vita for fine Italian food. Another plus, this superb restaurant was just a few steps outside of our condo door.
The service at La Dolce Vita was spectacular and what made it even better is our server made the evening fun with his wit and charm. I had my first taste of Mexican wine. It was divine. You can be sure I had more Mexican wines for the nine days in Puerto Vallarta. Our Italian dishes were the finest any of us had ever eaten. Keep in mind; La Dolce Vita is an upscale restaurant when I share the cost of our meal with you. The two of us shared a bottle of Mexican wine, enjoyed an appetizer, added one cocktail, polished off the breadbasket, enjoyed two main pasta dishes, shared a scrumptious Italian dessert, and our bill was only sixty-eight dollars.
We went to the Iguana Restaurant and Tequila Bar to celebrate Medicare Jet-Setter Luana’s birthday. This restaurant needs to be on your bucket list. The Iguana is the legendary love nest of Richard Burton and Liz Taylor. The restaurant is surrounded by sweeping views of the Banderas Bay, the Sierra Madre Mountains, and the charming city of Puerto Vallarta.
There is a steep set of stairs you can walk up to get to the restaurant, or you can ask for the elevator. Ron was two weeks away from knee replacement; he took the stairs because we didn’t think to ask about an elevator. A large painting of Elizabeth Taylor greets you as you climb the white staircase. Her violet eyes capture you with each move you make. Ron felt the challenge of the stairs was worth the views of the city and having Elizabeth Taylor’s eyes follow him on his climb. When you reach the restaurant, it is open-air, the coastal breeze keeps it cool, and the mass of chandeliers sparkle with the setting sun. The Iguana is the first restaurant in many years that has taken my breath away by its stunning ambiance.
The dishes are a blending of traditional Mexican with modern culinary influences. Fresh and local are the guiding principles of the Iguana Restaurant and Tequila Bar. Anything you order off the menu will make you say, “This is delicious.”
If you are a tequila lover, you will find many rare labels of this beloved spirit.
It all began in 1962 when Richard Burton came to Puerto Vallarta to star in the classic “The Night of the Iguana.”
Richard and Elizabeth were in the middle of their scandalous romance. She was still married to Eddie Fisher, and he was married to Sybil Williams.
The spirit of the couple whose love put Puerto Vallarta on the map is personified in the luxuriant style of the Iguana Restaurant and Tequila Bar.
While dining there, I felt as if I was a movie star. The four of us also left something behind at this restaurant. We taught our server what the word groovy meant. An ornery grin washed over our server’s face as he tested out this new word. To our delight and the amusement of the other diners in their Medicare Jet-Setter years, we had to laugh each time he said groovy with his beautiful Mexican accent.
Our next review will feature two more fine dining restaurants in Puerto Vallarta.
La Dolce Vita and The Iguana Restaurant, and Tequila Bar get a Medicare Jet-Setter Groovy Rating.
For more information about La Dolce Vita check them out on face book at La Dolce Vita Romantica Puerto Vallarta | Facebook or go to their website at Benvenuti a La Dolce Vita – Restaurante Italiano
For more information about The Iguana Restaurant and Tequila Bar, check them out on Facebook at The Iguana at Casa Kimberly | Facebook or their website at Home - Casa Kimberly.