Casa Domenech

Address: Zaragoza 109,  Ajijic

Phone: 333 150 6940

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Hours: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9am -2pm and 5pm - 9pm; Closed Sunday and Monday

Cash Only; Accepts US $$

Directions: From Walmart, drive through Ajijic and turn left at Rio Bravo. Make first left onto Zaragosa and drive 1 block past Danza del Sol. The restaurant is half block further on the left.

Café Domenech

First Impression 

Inviting. Cool. Funky. I love this place. The owner claims an Argentinian/Mexican background and after talking to him for a while he also admitted that he is the son of San Antonio, Texas restaurateurs. So, the restaurant business is in his blood. I could sense it when I walked in the door. Central Texans have cornered the market on funkiness.

I have to admit that we knew almost everyone in the small café on Sunday afternoon. This was a good omen. People who love good food had already found this place and eat here regularly. 

Café Domenech Dining Room

The atmosphere is inviting and friendly. The chef/owner, Raymond Domenech, moves between the kitchen and the dining room, greeting guests to make sure their needs are met, then moving to the kitchen to oversee the food preparation.

The décor is colorful and eclectic. Local artist Cesar Guzman created the mural on the front of the building and painted the chairs in a variety of pastels, giving Casa Domenech its unique character. Who doesn't love a restaurateur who says, "I am opening a restaurant, I must call an artist"

A mix of modern Mexican and classic rock music plays in the background at a low enough volume not to intrude on the conversation - something I appreciate.



Salmon Raymundo, with pineapple marmalade

Chef Domenech explained to us that he has started small, but that he has enough room in his current location to expand as his business grows. I think he's going to need that extra space in the high season.

Menu

Casa Domenech offers a menu inspired by the many influences on the chef's own life. It is an Argentinian/Mexican/European fusion with diverse offerings that reflect the theme of the café.

Starters include gazpacho, provoleta, onion soup, vegetable soup and a selection of salads - Caprese, spinach and avocado, and mixed salad.

Camarones la Bruna

We began our meal with a side dish of guacamole
and an order of provoleta. Provoleta is a new dish to us, a thin slice of firm white cheese, baked in olive oil and herbs. The guacamole is freshly made with large chunks of avocado, tomato and onion.

Perhaps the chef can include bread with these starters to give diners something to hold the guacamole and to sop up every last bit of the very flavorful oil that covers the provoleta. We ordered a basket of bread and it fulfilled this function.

For the main dish, we chose from Crepes Domenech, Shrimp Bruschetta, Salmon Raymundo, Shrimp la Bruna (served in a mole sauce), Shrimp in Cilantro Sauce as well as steak and pasta dishes.



Crepes Dulce

We finally decided on Shrimp La Bruna and Salmon Raymundo, a filet of salmon on a bed of guacamole and topped with a house made pineapple and chili marmalade.

The salmon was cooked just to point of flakiness, and the marmalade - an original recipe created by Chef Domenech - was superb, the sweetness of the pineapple mitigated by the heat of the chilies.

The Shrimp la Bruna features small shrimp cooked until tender, served in a thick, spicy-and-sweet mole sauce and accompanied by rice and fried bananas. If there was a complaint to be made, it would be that there could be more shrimp in the serving, even if this meant raising the price of the dish.



Tim and Cathy helped create the Café Domenech mural

We ordered wine with our meals, an excellent Sauvignon Blanc from Baja California. I love Mexican wines and this was a good one.

For dessert, we could not resist the Crepes Dulce. I have to admit we didn't even ask if anything else was available. Guests at a table next to ours ordered this scrumptious looking concoction and dared us to try it for ourselves. This dessert is made with a thin, folded crepe topped with caramel sauce and ice cream. Muy rico! 

Service and Price

Service is friendly, accommodating and evenly paced. This is a small café and the atmosphere is cozy and casual. No one is in a hurry, but the service proceeds at a comfortable pace. We never waited long for any request to be fulfilled. The chef visits every table to welcome his guests.

Prices at Casa Domenech are reasonable, between 85pesos for the most inexpensive main dish to 160pesos for a steak dinner. The total for our meal came to 535pesos, which is less than $30US. We had 4 glasses of wine, 2 appetizers, 2 main dishes and split a dessert.

Recommendation ****

Casa Domenech is a great find. The chef is an engaging and enthusiastic fellow with an artistic flair that is evident in his cooking and in the décor of his restaurant. He already has a loyal following of satisfied customers.

Friday night Casa Domenech hosts lotteria - a game similar to bingo - with free drinks awarded to the winners. If you plan to go on Friday night, call for a reservation. And, tell them you read about Café Domenech on Lake Chapala Restaurant Guide. Buen Provecho!      

El Jardin de Ninette's

Address:Carretera Oriente 52 b

45920 Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico Phone: 376 766 4905

Hours:  Tues: 5pm - 9pm; Wed - Thur. 12pm - 9pm; Fri - Sat 12pm - 10pm; Sun 12pm - 8pm
Accepts Visa and MasterCard.
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Directions: From Walmart, drive west on the Carretera. Jardin de Ninette's is on the right before Donas Donuts. There is a small parking lot in from of the restaurant.

Jardin de Ninette's

First Impressions  

Jardin de Ninette's moved last year to a new location on the Carretera in Ajijic and made their restaurant more accessible for their customers.

The new venue has the ambience of a rustic country inn. The main dining area is pleasant and cozy. Light filters in through the skylights and large windows keep the space from feeling closed in. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, like an embrace.

An outdoor dining room arranged under a large old tree in the back of the property provides additional space for guests.


Menu Board at Jardin de Ninette's

Though Jardin de Ninette's is in a new space, it has retained its special brand of excellence across the board - in service, food and atmosphere - that sets this restaurant above the rest.

The chef has crafted a carefully curated menu with selections that never disappoint. Some dishes were brought from their previous location, and others are new to the menu.

We visited for a late lunch, arriving before most dinner guests and after the lunch crowd had already left for a siesta. We were met by the waiter and offered menus that echoed the selections on the chalkboard out front, but with more detailed descriptions of preparation style and the accompanying side dishes.

Menu

A brief description of the menu on the chalkboard in front of the restaurant gives diners a hint of menu offerings and prices. Is there any other restaurant lakeside that serves foie gras? Jardin de Ninette's does, along with a limited but tantalizing selection of unique dishes.



Zucchini Appetizer at Jardin de Ninettes

For the appetizer, we ordered zucchinis paired with a good Sauvignon Blanc. A basket of fresh bread was served with our wine. The zucchini appetizer featured slices of zucchini broiled with tomato and cheese and dressed with olive oil and spices.
Pork Chops and Tequila Shrimp were the choices for our main dishes. One of the joys of eating at Jardin de Ninette's is the pace of the meal. Every course is perfectly spaced so that you neither feel rushed nor neglected.

Our meals were preceded by a dinner salad. This is not your usual salad-from-a-bag so common at many area restaurants. Rather, it is made from fresh organic greens, apples pieces, cheese and almonds and topped with a house-made dressing.

Our entrees arrived on hot-to-the-touch plates, the pork chop dark and sizzling, prepared with a  coffee rub that enhanced the aroma from the perfectly cooked 1 inch pork chop. The chop was served atop mashed potatoes and graced with a delicious sauce.

Coffee Rubbed Pork Chop at Jardin de Ninette's

The Tequila Shrimp has long been one of my favorite dishes at Jardin de Ninette's and I was happy to find they had retained it on the menu.

Large shrimp cooked until tender, covered in a tequila enhanced cream sauce and served with brown rice. This is one of the best shrimp dishes lakeside.

You might think we were too full to eat any more by the end of this meal, and we were. But, that did not stop us from ordering dessert, chocolate cake with ice cream and chocolate sauce. We split one dessert in order to be able to walk to our car at the end of the meal.


Tequila Shrimp



Service and Price

Enter Jardin de Ninette's and feel like an old friend of the family. At some point during the meal, the chef greets you at the table to ensure your meal met your expectations.

Of course, at Jardin de Ninette's, the food always exceeds your expectations. This is one of the true gourmet restaurants lakeside. Jardin de Ninette's sets the standard for excellence. The menu choices and the quality of the food is always superb. Que rico!

Postre at Jardin de Ninettes

Our bill came to a little over $700pesos for 4 glasses of wine, appetizer, two main dishes and dessert, around $40US.

Recommendation *****

If you want a truly gourmet experience, then eat at Jardin de Ninette's. There is no equal in the Lake Chapala area. This is the restaurant for a special romantic dinner, the place to bring guests  you want to impress or the restaurant of choice when you are in the mood for really fine dining. 

If you go, tell them Lake Chapala Restaurant Guide sent you.  Buen Provecho!

Pasta Trenta Restaurant

Address: Constitucion 33A casi esq. Ramon Corona, Ajijic
Telephone: 376 766 1121. Call for a Reservation.
Email: pastatrenta@gmail.com
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Hours: Monday - Wednesday 1 PM to 10 PM; Friday - Sunday 9 AM - 10 PM 
Visa and MasterCard Accepted. Free Wifi.  

Directions: From Walmart, travel toward Ajijic and turn left at Calle Serdan, and then left onto Calle Ocampo, which will turn into Constitucion. Pasta Trenta is on the left, just before Calle Galeana. Park along the street in front of the restaurant.



First Impressions

One of the newest restaurants in Ajijic, Pasta Trenta, is located in a cozy nook on Calle Constitucion. The understated café entrance is easy to miss if you aren't watching out for it. But, don't just pass by without stopping, especially if you are hungry for authentic Italian cooking.

The daily specials are posted on the wall just outside the entrance and this afternoon they featured ravioli made in house and a coconut garlic bisque as specials. As we were standing outside, reading the menu and trying to decide to have lunch, two women who were just leaving told us what delicious meals they had and ensured us that we could not go wrong by eating at Pasta Trenta.

That is all we needed to hear to decide to venture in and try some of the interesting looking dishes on the menu. Word of mouth - especially unsolicited - really is the best kind of advertisement.

The intimate dining room may seat 20 guests. If you are coming for dinner, make a reservation so that you will not be disappointed if the restaurant is full. After our meals this afternoon, I predict that Pasta Trent will become very popular with local diners.

The Menu

Pasta Trenta's Dining Room

As their name suggests, the menu features at least 30 unique Italian dishes. Or, perhaps the name references a town in Southern Italy that inspires their cuisine. There are dishes on the menu I have never seen at any other Italian restaurant at Lake Chapala. Someone in the kitchen knows what they are doing.

The menu tempts you with a variety of starters, including a soup (today a coconut and roasted garlic bisque was the special), several fresh salads, bruschetta, antipasto and fried calamari, to name just a few.

A chalkboard on the wall above the table lists the mixed drinks available and several coffees. The waitress brought us a wine list with a decent selection of red and white wines served by the glass or bottle. The choices were almost overwhelming and everything sounded delicious. We decided to begin our meal with bruschetta and two glasses of Spanish wine, the Tempranillo.




Bruschetta

The serving size of the bruschetta was small, but quite enough for two, prepared fresh and arranged on two slices of toasted Italian bread. The tomatoes and fresh leaf lettuce were well seasoned and the dish was attractively served on a wooden cutting board.

For the main dish, we ordered 
POLLO E FUNGHI, prepared with chicken, garlic, and mushrooms in a cream sauce for

Prosciutto E Melle

$115pesos. At the waitress' suggestion, we also ordered PROSCIUTTO E MELLE, ham, apple, and choice of pasta served in a cognac and cream sauce, and priced at $115pesos. A basket of fresh bread and a small jar of garlic spread accompanied our meal.

Pasta Trenta's  entire menu can be previewed on their Facebook page.  

By the end of the meal we were stuffed but could not pass up dessert. We split a delicious lime tart which was not on the menu but offered by our waitress. I wish I had saved room for coffee because Pasta Trenta offers cappuccino as well as café latte and café Americano.

Lemon Tart

Service and Price

Our waitress was attentive and able to explain the menu selections to us and even made suggestions of her own favorites. I am always impressed when the wait staff can explain the menu items and describe how they taste. We each had two glasses of wine during our meal, a substantial glass for a mere $35pesos.

The total price, after 4 glasses of wine, starter, two main dishes and dessert came to $463pesos.


Those who read Lake Chapala Restaurant Guide  know that when we review a restaurant we do not skimp on our meals or drinks. Can you eat for less at Pasta Trenta? Yes, but you can also splurge and still spend less than $30US for two people.

Our Recommendation ****

Delicious Italian food prepared fresh by a knowledgeable chef. Attentive, intelligent service. Intimate, pleasant dining experience and reasonable prices. We highly recommend this new restaurant for a dining experience that is different from any other lakeside. Muy rico! Tell them Lake Chapala Restaurant Guide sent you.