267747 Thu Feb 23 23:53:59 -0800 2006 2 26 International 0 1411344 We were in town for two nights. We tried to find a place downtown for dinner, but couldn't find anything really enticing (especially for the Vegetarian Domestic Partner) so we took a Taxi to Las Hadas and tried the Italian Place above the lobby. Our priciest meal of out ten-day Mexican trip, and a big disappointment. Our soups were served luke-cold, as was our dinner. My dish came with "grilled vegetables and polenta", the vegetables consisting of two thumb sized pieces of bell pepper, and the polenta was the size of my pinky finger. Dessert was some dull, tasteless gelatin concoction. Each dish was presented under a silver-plated serving dome, which was removed with a flourish and the words "abra-ca-dabra". This was repeated for every course, at every table, all night. When two waiters removed the domes they said "abra-ca-dabra" in unison. The overall effect was not as amusing as they hoped. The hotel is worth a visit, the swimming beach is small but delightful. Just don't plan to dine there. The next night we ate at La Pergola, a Mediterranean Restaurant in the Hotel Ejecutivo, in Salahua. This is about half way between Downtown and the Santiago Peninsula (where Las Hadas is), on the West side of the main road. Hot soup! What a delightful idea. Plates full of food! What a deal. The food was very good, the ambience delightful, the service attentive and unobtrusive. Thu Feb 23 23:53:59 -0800 2006 0 Travis Leroy 1 1411349 Too bad, you should have asked for recommendations before you arrived. Unfortunately Manzanillo is not chowhound friendly. You could have beeen warned away from the big hotels which since the advent of the all inclusive tourist just don't meet expectations of fine dining. Downtown Manzanillo best chance is the old Colonial Hotel. In the Hotel zone better to stick with the smaller seafood and steak restaurants which are not outstanding but acceptable. La Pergola with a German chef is one of the newer and better restaurants challenging the only other "good" restaurant Tuscana. There is also a sushi restaurant, a Spanish restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a French restaurant and a lot of small typical inexpensive Mexican restaurants which have unsophisticated menus. Fri Feb 24 08:38:34 -0800 2006 1411344 0 Tom 2 1411351 We looked at the Colonial Hotel. It did seem like the best bet downtown, but not for the Vegetarian. I was relying on my guide book, which was out-of-date, I guess. Fri Feb 24 09:15:06 -0800 2006 1411349 0 TravisLeroy