Dinner at Zumo; Friendly Faces at Garbo

Our overcast skies have vanished, leaving the morning cool, fresh, and full of starling chatter. A sleepy city is stretching and ready for a new adventure. I wonder how many people will arrive in Vallarta today for the first time and be absolutely smitten with the abundance we live with daily? If that’s you, then welcome to paradise!

I was sure Patrice would love Zumo, and she did. We did. Both of us are vegetarians, so we stuck with the regular menu over their Restaurant Week offerings. Zumo service, while leaning to the formal side, is refreshing rather than stilted and fussy; our heavily inked waiter effortlessly wielded brass tongs and divided the roasted veggies between us tableside, making sure to keep the scattered gold leaf on top. An exquisite mix of exotically colored veggies roasted just enough and served on a carrot puree. Heavenly and will be my main course next time! Patrice’s mushroom risotto sans brisket and my tricolored fusilli without the shrimp were augmented by teeny veggies and eaten completely, leaving plates naked and us in culinary bliss. Dessert was impossible; we were so perfectly full.

Two hours later, we went to Garbo Bar next door to join a pile of friendly faces and sing along with Sargento, who belted out Broadway favorites, ably accompanied by Bing Young on piano and backup vocals. Coached during the So, You Think You Can RISE?Talent Competition by Jan Dorland and Rob Burton, Sargento has landed his Wednesday night spot at Garbo’s for the summertime. Patrice said she felt like she was in someone’s living room. Overwhelmed with Zumo food and the late hour, we didn’t (couldn’t!) stay very long, but it was fun and different. Don’t know the lyrics? No worries; they are all downloadable easily on your phone with the handy QR code. It was another wonderful vacation day with my sister. It had great food, fun entertainment, long walks, and non-stop chatting with the best company in the world. Thanks, Trice.