Mover Mike

What a night! Tuesday night Bev and I were at Pedro Y Lolas in Mazatlan on Plaza Marchado. We were late for our reservation so we had to sit inside. As we are eating I heard this wonderful clarinet music coming from the sidewalk. I got up from my seat and checked it out. I met Jock Faulds playing Hoagy Carmichael’s Star Dust. Oh, it sounded good and all the memories I had of ever wanting to play that song came flooding back.

When Jock was done I chatted with him just a bit and told him how much I enjoyed his playing. I went back to our table and Bev asked if he had a CD. When we were leaving, Jock was having dinner with friends and we stopped to ask about a CD. He introduced us to his love, Anita from Manhatten and suggested we visit him at The Sea Farer the following night. He starts to play at 6:30. Jock described the place as a lighthouse surrounded by an estuary and the water flows around and under the restaurant.

You know we almost blew it off today. I said late this afternoon, “Why don’t we stop by for an hour and then head for The Shrimp Bucket.” Bev said, “Great!”

We took the pulmonia from the hotel to the restaurant for 50 Pesos. The place was magical. It was set in a marina and large boats were moored within feet of the salmon colored adobe restaurant built over a large aquarium. I asked if the water was connected to the sea, but was told it was a closed system with natural sea life. Large and small perch and grouper, even a Manta Ray swam right by our table. There are no walls, just arched pillars in adobe holding up the roof, All the tables were set around the outside of the circular building with an opening in the middle to view the fish. It was like an island in the bay.

Jock Faulds began playing in 1947 at 16 years old with Billy Eckstein, Sarah Vaughan and Peggy Lee and for over sixty years has enjoyed being a professional musician. Jock wandered around the restaurant playing the clarinet, sax and flute while we drank and dined. Bev ordered Emperor shrimp and a mixed-green salad and I ordered Filet Chianti, a filet mignon with a reduced chianti sauce on top. It was the most flavorful dish I’ve ever eaten. The caesar salad lettuce leaves stood upright in a thick slice of baguette bread. The bread sat on a bed of caesar salad dressing. The food was a ten, the atmosphere was a ten and the waiters were a ten. The evening was topped by Jock sitting down with and sharing memories of his career and a brief history of night life in Mazatlan.

Jock and The Sea Farer were a “find” and our tab came to 900 Pesos including tip. No more expensive than the typical tourist stop that we hear many rave about when sharing dining-out tips around the pool.

Tags: Travel, mexico //
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