Reviews of restaurants.

[Pane e Vino Ristorante]

Totally agree with you about Flavios- what a waste of money. Puesto del Sol, mediocre at best and way gringo. Love La Cita. Love Pollo Lucas. Want to try the Papa Rellena but haven't yet. Great fish tacos at Viva Mexico on the Malecon. No view but great tacos, great service and they let you bring your own beer in. Haven't tried Azul Bar yet. I really wanted to try Pane y Vino but heard from a couple of people that the Chef treats his Mexican employees really badly.

Hello Mis2810,
My name is Luca Appendino, I am the owner and chef of Pane e Vino Ristorante and for that reason I'll ask you... who told you that I treats my mexican employees really badly? it seems the couple of people who told you so, are trying to put me in a bad situation.
I have nothing agaist mexican people, actually I am very happy with both of my teams (at Pane e Vino and Azul Bar) they are awesome, it would be impossible to get a lot of very good reviews or comments about the food and the service in both locations, if they were not happy working there.
Best regards,

 

[Pane e Vino Ristorante]

Dear Lightlystarched,
Thank you for your fine comment of Azul Bar, we are so glad you enjoyed your meal. Looking forward to seeing you there!

 

[Pane e Vino Ristorante]

Last night here. My reviews of restaurants!

Gas station in Ajo (Chevron?): we stopped here because we had a 40 minute wait to get through the immigration checkpoint at Midway. There was a medical emergency and they were landing a helicopter to get someone out. This gas station had Amazing burritos at the register. We tried chorizo & egg and steak & potato. They also had green chile and red chile. I thought those might be too messy for the car.

Tacos Brissas: Very good food, although limited menu. The Papa Rellena lived up to its reputation, and I liked that they served lots of extras - beans, the grilled jalapenos & onions, and the whole tray of different salsas & accompaniments.

Something Something con Flavio (along the water in the Malecon). Yucky. Expensive. Ordered mixed seafood grill and everything was rubbery. The ceviche was not chunky - it was ground together and almost a paste of fish. Breaded fish filets were thin and dry and bland. Should have known better than to eat there - there were only gringos in the place!

Puesto del Sol at Playa Bonita in Sandy Beach. Great view, and good for the kids who played on the beach while waiting for the food. Very overpriced. A canned Tecate was $3.00. Our lunch for 4 was $53 before tip. Good food, but not worth the price. It seemed a little tame (gringo-ized). Wouldn't go there again. There's too much other good food.

La Cita. Excellent. Chicken mole was tender and flavorful. It came with tortillas so thin you could see your hand through them. Also had the best shrimp cocktail I've ever had in Rocky Point. The breakfast menu looks really good and its either there or Ruby's tomorrow before we head out.

Azul. The pool bar at Bella Sirena. Much better than anticipated. Had 2 for 1 drinks happy hour. Ordered a shrimp basket, fish basket, shrimp tacos and fish tacos. The shrimp were HUGE and the serving on the basket was easily 1/2 pound. Very well cooked. The fish was flounder and it was delicate and moist and delicious. Also a HUGE serving. Easily 7-8 large pieces of fish. The tacos were 3 tacos each for $6 - a real bargain. The shrimp and fish baskets were $9 and $8.

I had a great time reading these boards to get some idea of where to eat. Thanks for the help and I hope my experiences help someone else.

Oh, also had Pollo Lucas. Good. An easy meal when you just want to sit "home" and eat on the deck.

Super Ley grocery store had really good produce and was better than the Fruiteria on Sinaloa.

Coke at the Oxxo is cheaper than the grocery store.

2 questions - what is the typical rate to tip at a restaurant? And ... Hmm, I forgot the other question. Oh well.

Dear Lightlystarched,
Thank you for your fine comment of Azul Bar, we are so glad you enjoyed your meal. Looking forward to seeing you there!

 

[mis2810]

Hello Mis2810,
My name is Luca Appendino, I am the owner and chef of Pane e Vino Ristorante and for that reason I'll ask you... who told you that I treats my mexican employees really badly? it seems the couple of people who told you so, are trying to put me in a bad situation.
I have nothing agaist mexican people, actually I am very happy with both of my teams (at Pane e Vino and Azul Bar) they are awesome, it would be impossible to get a lot of very good reviews or comments about the food and the service in both locations, if they were not happy working there.
Best regards,

Hello Chef Luca, I'm not going to give you the names of the people who told me that because it would be in very poor taste to do so. I have always wanted to try Pane e Vino, because of all the fantastic reviews and because I am of Italian descent. I will admit that being told that made me hesitant to try your restaurant, but I assure you, that one of these days I will stop by and have dinner. When I do I will introduce myself to you. Thank you.

 

[GV Jack]

Chef Luca.. I have been to Pane y Vino a number of times and have always found it to be enjoyable. The service is excellent and that would not be the case
if they were mistreated. I was there one night and there was a horse grazing in the field next door. I ordered one of your fine Filets and when it was served
I noticed the horse was gone. I pointed it out to the servers and we all had a great laugh. I believe that was the night I couldn't decide on the Pepper Sauce
or the Gorgonzola so you gave me both on the side. I loved both and still don't know which one I prefer.

Keep up the good work. Hope to see you soon.

 

[Pane e Vino Ristorante]

Chef Luca.. I have been to Pane y Vino a number of times and have always found it to be enjoyable. The service is excellent and that would not be the case
if they were mistreated. I was there one night and there was a horse grazing in the field next door. I ordered one of your fine Filets and when it was served
I noticed the horse was gone. I pointed it out to the servers and we all had a great laugh. I believe that was the night I couldn't decide on the Pepper Sauce
or the Gorgonzola so you gave me both on the side. I loved both and still don't know which one I prefer.

Keep up the good work. Hope to see you soon.

Hello GvJack,
That's right! Thank you sharing your experience with us. Of course we remembered that day with the horse in front of the railroad tracks and it was a very good joke about the filet.

Hope to see you soon,

 

[Pane e Vino Ristorante]

Hello Chef Luca, I'm not going to give you the names of the people who told me that because it would be in very poor taste to do so. I have always wanted to try Pane e Vino, because of all the fantastic reviews and because I am of Italian descent. I will admit that being told that made me hesitant to try your restaurant, but I assure you, that one of these days I will stop by and have dinner. When I do I will introduce myself to you. Thank you.

I asked you who said that, because it concerns me when somebody talks about my business and my crew, honestly I don't think is fair that someone says something so nasty about me and I don't have any answer, but I respect your decision. You are welcome to come to Pane e Vino or Azul Bar any day you want. Have a good day!

 

[AZ ROB]

If Luca is treating his employees badly then they are some great actors. Everytime we go in everybody is in a great mood the food is always top shelf. One of these days I will get my stuff together so I can pre-order the Osso Bucco again that was awesome. And Gv Jack go for the Gorgonzola that is some great eats. and you can never leave Pan e Vino with out a big tall Tiramisu...

 

[PitiquitoRosy]

Hello Chef Luca, I'm not going to give you the names of the people who told me that because it would be in very poor taste to do so. I have always wanted to try Pane e Vino, because of all the fantastic reviews and because I am of Italian descent. I will admit that being told that made me hesitant to try your restaurant, but I assure you, that one of these days I will stop by and have dinner. When I do I will introduce myself to you. Thank you.

Hey, Melissa...I'm looking forward to us going and introducing you to my dear friend, Luca, as well as his employees, Eduardo, Miguel and Victor. All three were upset when they saw this and right away, they came to his defense. Miguel said he's known Luca since long before he worked for him and considers him a fine person. One of the best things about Pane e Vino is that they make me feel that cooking for me...and waiting on me...is a labor of love. I often go in alone after work because once there...I'm never alone.

Now Melissa and her husband will come in to see what the fuss is all about, they'll love it will post on here about their experience and they'll bring others. Last week I had visiting VIPs from Chihuahua and they got the royal treatment from your staff. It was wonderful! And both desserts topped the evening off perfectly. Gracias!

 

[PitiquitoRosy]

I asked you who said that, because it concerns me when somebody talks about my business and my crew, honestly I don't think is fair that someone says something so nasty about me and I don't have any answer, but I respect your decision. You are welcome to come to Pane e Vino or Azul Bar any day you want. Have a good day!

Mi amigo Luca: Don't even concern yourself with who said it. Take it from me...every time some anonymous person comes in here to post that they didn't like ProAlliance Insurance, we get a boost in business. Whoever it was did you a favor. Anyone who gets to know you will see the big, sensitive teddy bear you really are. Besides, if you were a mean guy you wouldn't have attracted such a doll as Karina, right?

 

[marjielovesmex]

We love Pane e Vino. We go there at least once every time we are in RP. The waiters are always smiling and friendly. . They seem like they remember us. Don't know if they really do but makes us feel welcomed. Chef Luca almost always comes out to greet and be sure we are satisfied. The food is great. The place is beautifully decorated. The music is pleasing. We love it.

 

[Pane e Vino Ristorante]

If Luca is treating his employees badly then they are some great actors. Everytime we go in everybody is in a great mood the food is always top shelf. One of these days I will get my stuff together so I can pre-order the Osso Bucco again that was awesome. And Gv Jack go for the Gorgonzola that is some great eats. and you can never leave Pan e Vino with out a big tall Tiramisu...

Hello Az Rob,
Thanks! I only make ossobucco as special because it takes a few hours to cook, but if you send me an email in advance, we'll see if we can have for you. My email is [email protected]

See you soon,

 

[Pane e Vino Ristorante]

We love Pane e Vino. We go there at least once every time we are in RP. The waiters are always smiling and friendly. . They seem like they remember us. Don't know if they really do but makes us feel welcomed. Chef Luca almost always comes out to greet and be sure we are satisfied. The food is great. The place is beautifully decorated. The music is pleasing. We love it.

Hello Marjielovesmex,
Thank you for your comment, we all happy to know you come to Pane e Vino everytime you are in Rocky Point... our main ambition is to see happy customers come and go. Thanks again!

 

[Pane e Vino Ristorante]

Mi amigo Luca: Don't even concern yourself with who said it. Take it from me...every time some anonymous person comes in here to post that they didn't like ProAlliance Insurance, we get a boost in business. Whoever it was did you a favor. Anyone who gets to know you will see the big, sensitive teddy bear you really are. Besides, if you were a mean guy you wouldn't have attracted such a doll as Karina, right?

Ciao Rosie,
Thank you for everything, maybe you're right I don't need to concern about it. Karina and I really appreciate your friendship and we feel honored to know famous Rosie Glover

 

[Luna]

Long time visitors of PP and Love It! We usually bring most of our food, not because we do not want to eat out, but because we usually stay out at Playa Mirimar and travel with my big doggie! That being said, we have been to several restaurants over the years. Hubby love seafood, I do not (I know, but to quote Paula Deen - I is what I is :har:!).

Last time we were there he enjoyed the fish fry at Ramones @ Sonoran Sea. Not sure if that is still the same as things change so often, but it was very nice.

We have had dinner at The Pointe in Old Port and of course El Capitan - OK food, grande margaritas, fantastic views!

We have also been to Mar Blue on Sandy Beach and thought their food was very good (Yes, a little pricy). One time after a day of hunting for treasures from the sea at Cholla Bay, we were exhausted and hungry and wanted to eat out. Because the weather was beautiful we decided to leave big doggie in the back of the truck (with windows open of course). The staff saw us put her back there and told us because it was not very busy we were welcome to bring her out on the patio!! It was awesome. They allowed me to bring her water bowl and rug out, I put her leash onto the leg of my chair (not that she was going anywhere), and we had a lovely meal and cocktails, watched the sunset, and did not have to hurry back to the truck to take care of her. They even brought her a little treat!

This is one of the many things we love about PP and why are counting the days until our next adventure arty:

 

[marybna]

Every time I go stay at my place in Bella, I end up going to Azul. They have a great menu and the prices are good. I really would like to see something happen that would encourage all my renters to go there. Do the have any Happy Hour Specials or anything?

 

[El Gato]

Every time I go stay at my place in Bella, I end up going to Azul. They have a great menu and the prices are good. I really would like to see something happen that would encourage all my renters to go there. Do the have any Happy Hour Specials or anything?

'They normally have a happy hour and sometimes specials - they post them on the blackboard at the Azul Bar. I think they are planning on something for the 4th of July. I'll check with Karina. Quite often now they have a live band playing on the weekends - they are very good. I've suggested that they put their specials on the Bella TV channel but I don't believe they have done so.

 

[artisticdiva]

Hi Luca,

I feel I need to throw my hat into this ring about comments being said about you, since I own a couple of business's and am very much in the public eye in my community, I have read all kinds of CRAZY things written about me that were all lies. Keep your chin up, continue to provide a service you are proud of and I hope most people have enough brains to think for themselves. My husband and I will put you on the top of our list when we come down to PP. We LOVE good food, and great service will keep us coming back. When I hear a negative review it makes me want to try a place because from my experience people get back what they put out. That being said we look forward to trying your establishment out!

Cheers!

 

[Southbeacher]

We have had dinner at The Pointe in Old Port and of course El Capitan - OK food, grande margaritas, fantastic views!

Over 20 years I have yet to find another restaurant in Rocky Point where the food is good, the margaritas fresh and outstanding, and the view to die for. There are many places with good eats, but to me, nothing comes close to the total Casa Del Capitan experience.

 

[El Gato]

We had dinner at Pane e Vino last Saturday and, as always, it was excellent. As mentioned, the staff are always friendly and upbeat and they obviously enjoy working there. The place was full but there was no pressure at all to hurry up and free up your table. We ended up talking to people at some of the tables around us - comparing what we had to what they had - and everyone commented that their dish was 'the best'.

Luca and Karina were at a wedding but apparently called in and when they heard we were there they had our waiter give us their best. Talk about feeling at home