Jitomate Restaurant.

Gerard has recently added to his menu with 5 or 6 pasta dishes and 3 panzarotti dishes.
Both home made pastas and panzarottis range from 120p to 170p and are very tasty. Well worth checking out.
Gerard is celebrating their 2nd anniversary on April 15. Some free giveaways including margaritas and snacks.
Their regular  menu is available plus they will have live music until 9pm

next door to Ancia

Out west, just beyond the BP and the three topes, next to el Ancla restaurant

SunshineyDay wrote:next door to Ancia

Jitomate is next to El Ancla which is just to the west of the neighborhood La Reserva.

Our meals were not good, and we told Gerado. We were not charged for one of them.
We will not be going back.

"Our meals were not good" is somewhat subjective. You did not like? Did not meet your expectations for the dish? Spoiled meat? Overcooked? Under cooked? What did you eat? Please tell us more. Gerard (note spelling) is very particular about his food and cares, he did not charge for one meal. Tell us what you ate and why you considered it was not good. I do reviews for Trip Adviser and your review would be tossed.

This is not Trip Adviser, and I agree the last time I was there was not very tasty and crust was burnt but I am not on a first name basis with the owner. That makes you review questionable even by Trip Adviser standards

Well actually, Dave P, our conversation was with Gerado. He agreed that the food served was not properly cooked. Do not try to push me into a corner. Most of Trip Advisor's revues are worthless. The person that needed to know our opinion knows, and he agreed. Most restaurant reviewers do not have the courtesy to address the problem with the chef or owner. We did. Enough said.

I take most restaurant reviews with a dose of salts unless I know the reviewer.  That includes Trip Advisor.

What I do appreciate in any restaurant review is information about the comfort level in general, the good or bad of service, the quality and preparation of the food and the specific reason why the reviewer liked or didn't like it.

The first, re "comfort" would include things like music level as well as seating. For instance, there's a pizza parlor where the recorded music level is so loud that it overcomes the value of the good pizza.

The owner has been told, but nothing has been done. We are left with calling ahead with the order so we don't have an ear assault waiting for the cooking, taking it home for dining...or going elsewhere. Tough call in this case.

I agree Gringal. I have slowed down on my Trip adviser reviews for the same reasons
We look for, food quality, portion size (getting smaller these days at many restaurants as prices go up) and most of all consistency.We eat out a lot but our favorite restaurants are getting less as prices go up and portions reduce. We just don't go to places with loud music.
Lack of a lunch menu is a reason we don't go to some any longer. We are not big eaters but I am not happy if I am paying more for a meal and still hungry when I get up from the table. Pre-diabetes is not conducive to desserts.
We do not however go into a new to us restaurant, and walk out dissatisfied specially after the owner has adjusted the bill and then publicly slam the restaurant. We go back maybe 2 or 3 time before we write it off.

Mrs. Rupert wrote:Well actually, Dave P, our conversation was with Gerado.  He agreed that the food served was not properly cooked.  Do not try to push me into a corner.  Most of Trip Advisor's revues are worthless.  The person that needed to know our opinion knows, and he agreed.  Most restaurant reviewers do not have the courtesy to address the problem with the chef or owner.  We did. Enough said.

You say you had a conversation with someone at the restaurant, that he was the one who needed to know, and “enough said.” But you posted a slam against the restaurant here without having the courtesy to say why you considered the meal “not good.”

Gerard is a very good cook and really enjoys his work, and being creative. He has some unique dishes, and from what I can see is trying both to innovate and give his customers what they prefer. That's a hard row to hoe. I would eat there more often, but for the prices. Ironic, no? If the old axiom "You get what you pay for" still holds, and we use Jitomate as the measuring stick, then from many restaurants lakeside that charge noticeably less, we should expect mediocrity.

ComputerGuy wrote:Gerard is a very good cook and really enjoys his work, and being creative. He has some unique dishes, and from what I can see is trying both to innovate and give his customers what they prefer. That's a hard row to hoe. I would eat there more often, but for the prices. Ironic, no? If the old axiom "You get what you pay for" still holds, and we use Jitomate as the measuring stick, then from many restaurants lakeside that charge noticeably less, we should expect mediocrity.

I have trouble with that old axiom, since too many times I've seen that there's as good a chance as not that you'll get "less than you pay for."
Meanwhile, I have a tip on value: We were very disappointed with the restaurant that took over the old Roberto's. Had an awful lunch and didn't go back until a week or so ago when friends whose palates I usually agree with told us they had a good chef now and lunches were a deal. Since lunch, rather than dinner, is our preference, we went for lunch at what is now called "Janelle's Garden". They had a extensive menu of lunch choices in the 90 peso range. Val ordered the curry with chicken, was given a very generous serving and loved it. I had a chicken wrap with a creative salad on the plate including all kinds of items beyond lettuce. The chicken wrap was way more than my appetite could handle, and I took half home. It was also delicious. We went again and this time, Val had a burger which was, in his opinion, the "best" around and very large. I tried what used to be one of my favorites at the old Bobby's: the Chapala style white fish. It turned out that it was the same chef who used to be with Bobby in the early years and it was just as good as I remembered. Generous serving and only 90 pesos. We haven't been back for dinner as yet, but are certainly lunch fans. Negatives: the finances must be tight because maintenance of chairs and wall decor has been neglected. Service at lunchtime could use some improvement and training. All in all, well worth the price.

The calamari was charred, almost burned. We spoke not to just someone, but the owner, Lady Otter. And my entrée, which is long forgotten, was horrible. We will not go back. I do not care if he scrapped the bill. It was a terrible experience, and we frequented his restaurant in San Juan- La Bella Vita. Loved it. Satisfied?

I liked La Bella Vita. Jitomate not at all. The chairs are uncomfortable. Most recently the Friday prime rib was raw inside. If we were too early he should have said so. The bolognese was watery. I asked the waiter for a side bowl and poured it off. Granted Gerardo came to apologize but it had come to the table that way. And since there were only 4 people that early on a Friday someone shouldhave seen that when it left the kitchen. It also had a LOT of cubed carrots in it. A LOT.

I see he has gotten on board the "$900" per person, wine extra, special event meal train. We have 3 restaurants we frequent for those and that cost really adds up. The meals are super fabulous, the wines are paired wonderfully and the event is very well done. I hope he can do it well but we won't be giving it a try.

Mrs. Rupert wrote:The calamari was charred, almost burned.  We spoke not to just someone, but the owner, Lady Otter.  And my entrée, which is long forgotten, was horrible.  We will not go back.  I do not care if he scrapped the bill.  It was a terrible experience, and we frequented his restaurant in San Juan- La Bella Vita.  Loved it.  Satisfied?

You are such a pleasant person. I bet they are sorry you are never going back.

solajijic wrote:I liked La Bella Vita.  Jitomate not at all.  The chairs are uncomfortable. Most recently the Friday prime rib was raw inside.  If we were too early he should have said so.  The bolognese was watery.  I asked the waiter for a side bowl and poured it off.  Granted Gerardo came to apologize but it had come to the table that way. And since there were only 4 people that early on a Friday someone shouldhave seen that when it left the kitchen.  It also had a LOT of cubed carrots in it. A LOT.

I see he has gotten on board the "$900" per person, wine extra, special event meal train.  We have 3 restaurants we frequent for those and that cost really adds up.  The meals are super fabulous, the wines are paired wonderfully and the event is very well done. I hope he can do it well but we won't be giving it a try.

Thank you, Sola, for an excellent review that specifies what you did not like about your experience there. It is most helpful.

Thanks for that nice remark, Lady Otter. If you are unable to respect people's opinions, don't take it upon yourself to rip them apart. Two of you wanted to dig deeper into my initial remark. Actually, it was none of your business. I have learned, once again, that all are not equal when it comes to chat boards. I speak my mind and will not be intimidated by anyone- not even you, Lady Otter. Now, behave yourself and don't bother anybody else. Good girl.

If you think what I said was “ripping you apart” you are indeed a sensitive flower who has never in her life been “ripped apart.” Since when is wanting to know more about a restaurant than “the meal was not good” become “digging deeper”? Interesting outlook for someone who complains on a public web board. And, if you think what you post on a web board is nobody’s business why post on a web board? Just keep your business to yourself.

When the Queen said "off with their head", Alice was not allowed to ask "why?"

does anyone want to know why I will not date gringas? example above. Very nasty


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MichaelB wrote:does anyone want to know why I will not date gringas? example above. Very nasty


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Oh my god! Gringas all over lakeside are sobbing (sobbing!) at the missed opportunity.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!