July 8, 2016 Albuquerque to San Miguel de Allende. Dinner – Sirena Gorda.

July 8, 2016 Albuquerque to San Miguel de Allende. Dinner – Sirena Gorda.

After an arduous day of travel beginning at 3:30 in the morning with a 6:20 flight to Houston connecting to a flight to Mexico City.  After we picked up the car at the Mexico City airport at 4:00, we stopped to fill the tank and bought cookies, juice and water to nibble on during our 3 ½ hour drive from Mexico City north to San Miguel de Allende.  We arrived in San Miguel at 8:15.

We took cherries, grapes, chocolate covered raisins, and the three Roasted Pork and black bean burritos we made this morning to eat on the two flights.

When we arrived in San Miguel de Allende, we checked into the small Posada de Luz at 29 Loreta St. and asked the attendant where we could get fresh seafood.  He recommended La Sirena Gorda (The Fat Siren) and gave us a map of the downtown area and showed us how to get to the restaurant.  We walked for about ten to fifteen minutes through the center, stopping for a minute to listen to a brass band playing in the Plaza Principal in front of the main church and then we found the restaurant without any difficulty.

We liked Sirena’s festive tropical décor and plants.  The menu was small but adequate.  Suzette wanted something hot, but not heavy, so she ordered a bowl of Caldo Verde, which had an assortment of seafood in a strongly cilantro flavored caldo, which had just a bit too much salt for our taste.

I ordered the Vuelta de vida Coctel (return to Life) with octopus, shrimp, fish, and scallops in a large Cocktail glass with chopped tomato and slices of avocado.  We ordered and were brought tostadas and a wonderful spicy green sauce, again with lots of cilantro and a little olive oil and chile.

As we began eating a band of three musicians sat up and began singing old Beatles songs and then a mixture of American and Mexican songs and playing guitars.

I drank a Negra Modelo and Suzette drank two glasses of an interesting drink made with mescal, chopped cucumber, and ginger.  Suzette is in the midst of a cold she caught from me and I am nearing the end of my cold hopefully.  Thus the Return to Life Coctel and hot fish caldo were perfect choices for this evening’s meal.

Bon Appetit