Life in Mexico
The first thing you notice as you approach Pork Belly is the exquisite aroma of meat cooking slowly over hardwood logs, a seductive siren that pulls you in.
Pork Belly is the creation of Erick and his wife Carmen. Erick trained as a chef in Europe for several decades before returning to his native Mexico with a dream; “I just love the taste of smoked meat.”
The restaurant is located in a converted home on Stirling Dickinson, a few blocks west of the Minas Real hotel. The tiny patio gives way to a series of minimally-decorated salons arranged around the central open kitchen. A black-iron smoker adjacent to the kitchen puffs away, cooking the slabs of brisket, ribs and pork belly for several hours.
Although Pork Belly features a full menu catering to all tastes, I invariably order the brisket, which has been smoked for 8 hours. The moist and tasty meat, served on a fluffy French brioche bun, melts in your mouth. Linda enjoys the signature pork belly, which has been lovingly-prepared over three days for an amazing combination of succulent smoked meat with a crunchy crust.
I highly recommend Pork Belly!
Address: Stirling Dickinson 10
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10 am – 8 pm
(Also serves cocktails and tacos at it outlet on Cuna Allende 15, adjacent to the Parroquia).
TV Review
This is a wonderful TV Series produced by Masterpiece Theatre (Downton Abbey) for Britain’s ITV network. It tells the real-life story of the Durrell family, who moved from England to live in Corfu in the 1930s. It is based upon The Corfu Trilogy memoirs written by acclaimed naturalist Gerald Durrell.
The series features widowed mother Louisa trying to raise her four children under trying financial difficulties. Her eldest, Lawrence, is an aspiring writer, second eldest Leslie is obsessed with girls, Margo is fighting her way through teenage hormones and Gerald, the youngest, is besotted with anything that flies, crawls or wiggles.
They retreat to a decrepit villa on the shores of Corfu where Lawrence sets out to write the next great novel, Gerald creates a zoo from local creatures and Louisa tries to keep home and hearth together amid penury.
The appeal of the series arises from the idyllic setting amid Ionian seas, the warm and eccentric natives and the compelling interpersonal stories. Scriptwriter Simone Nye leans heavily on Durrell’s memoirs as well as his own gift for narrative to create a chronicle of lust, drama, heart-ache and prat-falls. It is in equal measures heartfelt, witty, reflective and charming. We were enchanted throughout all four seasons, and sorry when it finally ended.
I highly recommend The Durrells!
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A story of love, and war,
And how one person can change the course of history.
The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years, its citizens ground beneath the jackboot of fascism.
The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent. They do not know how the Germans will react, however. Will they retreat from Paris, or burn the city to the ground?
Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family. The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his affection.
James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.
D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty to the Resistance? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.
Recipe
Lamb Curry
This is a great comfort meal for those cold fall evenings – easy to make and very delicious!
Ingredients
1 kg of lamb, cut into pieces.
Three carrots, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
8 mushrooms, chopped
1tsp curry
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried coriander
1 Tsp garam masala
½ tsp clove
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp of ginger, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 chili pepper, chopped
3 Tsp of olive oil
1 cup of broth.
¼ cup of fresh coriander, chopped
Fry spices in olive oil for one minute. Add lamb and onion and fry until onion is translucent. Add carrots and mushrooms and broth. Cook on low for 2 hours. Add coriander just before serving.
Movie Review
Cinderella
Streaming on Amazon Prime
This campy musical, filled with both original and classic rock songs, is definitely not your childhood fairy tale.
Cinderella (Camila Cabello) may still have two ugly stepsisters and lives in the basement, but she isn’t searching for a prince to rescue her. Her way out of the proverbial ashes is to become a dress designer (albeit with the help of a trio of mice).
The kingdom is in a pickle because the young, handsome Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine) doesn’t want to marry the fiancée arranged for him by his father, King Rowan (Pierce Brosnan). The latter puts his foot down and demands his son pick out a bride at the annual ball.
When word gets out, Cinderella could care less if she is invited; she sees the fete as an opportunity to highlight her couture apparel.
Evil stepmom Vivian (Idina Menzel), is having none of it, of course, and bans Cinderella. Fabulous Godmother (hey, we said it was camp), comes to the rescue and she is off to the ball in a fantastic frock.
You know what happens next. Cinderella and the prince fall hopelessly in love, but she has to flee at the stroke of 12.
After that, everything goes off the rails (SPOILER ALERT!) Cinderella makes plans to head for Paris and tells Prince Robert if he doesn’t like it, tough.
In the meantime, everyone rocks to Queen’s Somebody to Love, Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, and Rhythm Nation by Jane Jackson. This is a wonderfully fun and rollicking movie that the whole family can enjoy. I highly recommend Cinderella!
Is Pork Belly in San Miguel?
Hi Julie Yes it is!