Nightlife "Con Gusto"
By George Oxford Miller

Think casual dining in terrace and rooftop cafes; think gourmet cuisine in elegant eateries with strolling models that showcase the latest fashions; think menus that vary from regional specialties to Continental cuisine. Then after dinner, think music and dance clubs to fit all moods from rowdy to romantic, and libation lists that include martinis and imported wines that titillate the most discriminating palate.

With more than one hundred clubs along Banderas Bay to choose from, you won't have to venture far to find a restaurant that suits your mood or a club with your favorite music. Watching the sun dip into the golden Pacific from the terrace of Tequila's Café is a favorite way to begin the evening. A strolling mariachi band adds to the tequila-sunset mood. Then join the locals and stroll El Malecón, the oceanfront promenade that borders El Centro. The district offers an eclectic selection of dining options.

After the dining hour, about 11 p.m., El Centro starts rocking and doesn't stop until dawn. Carlos O'Brian's, a boisterous classic for three decades, serves up spicy food, rollicking music, and advertises "brawls highly unlikely to occur." O'Brian's, Seńor Frogs, and the Zoo attract the young, drink-and-meet crowd.

If an intimate meal or a pre- or after-dinner interlude is more to your liking, try one of Puerto Vallarta's popular wine bars. Relax and enjoy live piano and flute music at the Costantini Wine Bar, then dine at a romantic garden or terrace table at the neighboring Café des Artistes, which includes a cigar and cognac salon. Dolcetto, spread over two floors, serves a menu of Italian favorites, such as carpaccio, bruschetta, and risotto, with five white wines, five reds, and a rosé served by the glass.

In the mood for romance? Try El Panorama, Los Milagros, Trio, and Abadia Basso clubs. For a tropical atmosphere, dine and dance under the stars at La Bodeguita del Medio. Andale and the No Name Café feature classic American rock, while Mariachi Loco, El Arrayán, and the Iguana offer Mexican folk, ranchero, and mariachi at its traditional best.

In the Hotel Zone (between downtown and the marine terminal), Blanco y Negro features troubadour and jazz, while El Andariego and Benja's Bar specialize in Mexican guitar music with vocal accompaniment. Latin music lovers can boogie to the beat of salsa and merengue at the popular J & B, Jabalu, Mirage, and El Rincon del Piruli clubs. But be warned: many dance venues don't get rolling until midnight.

On the South Side, the River Café serves up jazz while Ibiza Restaurante offers a mix of blues, rock, and jazz. The gay crowd gathers at the Club Mańana disco, Garbo's cabaret, and Palm Bar, with drag shows and music revues.

After a night of sampling Puerto Vallarta's dining and dancing potpourri, more than one visitor has lamented, "So many choices, so short my holiday."

The Changing Landscape of Nightlife in Vallarta
By Josef Kandoll W

While Puerto Vallarta earned the moniker of "party-vallarty" in earlier years, signs point to some interesting changes in the ever hectic nightlife. La Palapa's Alberto Pérez, a musician by passion, notes that "one of the major shifts is that dining is one of the favorite pastimes of visitors. With some of the best restaurants in the country, everyone dines out at least once if not every night. When people are dining, they look for a place where they can relax and have a good time. Live music used to be hard to find. But the restaurants comprehend the electric combination of live music with dining."

"Most established restaurants stay open year-round, offering the same level of dining for residents as well as for visitors, and our summers are getting busier as well. There is a variety of choices that didn't exist before." At La Palapa, Alberto mentions that "people come in now just to hear the music. They sit in the bar area and enjoy a cocktail, while diners can relax without pressure of direct contact with the musicians if they don't wish it."

Alberto, who began playing the acoustic guitar in junior high, says he finds the instrument "very warm and romantic. People identify with it." Beginning with six nights a week, he eventually decided that two nights was enough to maintain his presence with the public without wearing himself out. He just produced his first CD ("Noches en La Palapa"), which he says is "not a commercial venture, but something for diners to remember the evening by." And remember it they will.
www.lapalapapv.com