Rocky Point is on fire, no not literally of course, but it is absolutely booming with new tourism highs, new businesses opening by the day, and lots of new construction and projects happening. Big new developments are being finished and new ones have, or are about to start like blue at Las Palomas, Sonoran Star and Encantame Towers brand new project, Soleil. The growth of Puerto Peñasco shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Laguna Shores Resort is finishing up their 2nd boutique hotel and they must have 15 homes currently under construction out there. I see tons of lots, condos, and homes for sale from Santo Tomas to north of Playa Mia. (I’ve been doing a lot of driving on the Coastal Highway lately as some of my favorite beaches are north of Peñasco.) If you are looking to purchase property of any kind in Rocky Point, please do your homework – ask lots of questions, do your due diligence, and consult an AMPI representative: AMPI is our real estate association – see their article in this edition. And remember…if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Back to the Coastal Highway…Yes, the potholes are still atrocious on Hwy 003 (the Coastal Hwy) and the sand drifts are ridiculous. Potholes seem to be worse going west (northwest) towards El Golfo de Santa Clara, but there are some doozies coming east (southeast) as well. Coming around blind corners can be like playing chicken so don’t be surprised to find a semi-truck or vehicle in your lane. Some of the super huge potholes have been fixed, but it seems they are chewed up as soon as they are filled so, please be careful and don’t drive at night. Heck, even driving in the daytime is dangerous if you’re not used to looking out for potholes.

Bits and pieces…As of last month, face masks are no longer mandatory in Puerto Peñasco, and it seems that the State of Sonora will be lifting restrictions for the entire State this month. Our Sonoyta/Lukeville border hours are extended this month for the Juneteenth Holiday Weekend, and it will be open from 6AM to 10PM on Friday, June 17th and Monday, June 20th ONLY! Next month we have the Independence Day Holiday Weekend so border hours will be extended again on Friday, July 1st and Monday, July 4th. (Normal operating hours every other day of the week are 6AM to 8PM.) If you don’t want to wait in line or worry about traffic, then don’t forget about Lynelle and her awesome drivers at Head Out to Rocky Point Shuttle…they get to the front of the line and provide door to door service. (You can find their ad in this issue.) We do have plenty of taxi’s so you don’t have to worry about getting around while in town  plus you save on gas and insurance.

I would like to give another shout out to The WhyNot Travel Store for being a great online source for keeping us up to date with border traffic. I check it all time even though I try not to travel with the masses, but these days one can run into traffic any day of the week and any time of the day – even 7AM…yikes! I would like to also encourage all of you to download and use the WAZE app. One of my So. Cal. friends turned me onto it a couple years ago and what a great app it is!! It has saved my bacon more than a few times for sure. The app is super easy to use and gives you everything like routes, location of road hazards such as objects on the road and roadkill, cars on the roadside, location of crashes, construction, and, most importantly, where the po-po are (sooo helpful). SOOO much better than Google Maps and it lets you input information in real time to help your fellow drivers AND it asks you to confirm what others have input, so the status of driving conditions is constantly updated. I so see a few people using it along Hwy. 85 and 86 (you are each a little icon on the map), but I would like to get a lot more of you using it – it would be very helpful for everyone especially since most of the way from Phoenix and Tucson are two-lane highways. (No, I do not have an interest in the app – just find it very helpful since I drive a lot.) As I said above, it has saved me so many times driving in California – mostly from traffic jams due to crashes and road hazards like big chunks of metal and concrete on the roadway.

June is going to be a lovely month weatherwise, and I suggest you get out on the Sea of Cortez – book a charter or take a sunset cruise. Two super fun boats are the pirate ship, Rey del Mar and the Señorita Rita – you can find both of these reputable companies in this issue. You can also go snorkeling, jet-skiing, paddleboarding, take an excursion out to Bird Island or even learn how to scuba dive – all right here in Rocky Point. This place is awesome! Oh, and fishing too! Take advantage of our beautiful ocean and awesome weather – time out on the water would make a great Father’s Day present as well!

Circus Mexicus is from June 9th through the 12th and a ton of people come down to see Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers as well as a lot of other musicians that perform around town. If you didn’t plan ahead, you can head over to Bandito’s on Sandy Beach for last minute tickets.

We’d like to give a big congratulations to Cruz Roja’s (Red Cross) new President Ing. Miguel Guevara Askar. You may recognize his name as he has been helping to shape Peñasco’s skyline since the Marina Pinacate Condos and is currently the developer of Encantame Towers and their new project Soleil. We look forward to lots of good things to come. On a final note, I’d like to thank Alonso Dominguez, the Administrator of our international airport – Aeropuerto Internacional Mar de Cortes – for making sure that the Rocky Point Times Newspaper is available for everyone at the airport. Thank you, Alonso, as we know all passengers will love having the latest information on Rocky Point during their stay. Photos for both of these tidbits can be found on our Social Media Page in this edition.

I’m adding a “mini-Eats” to the Editorial this month as I want to tell you about one of my favorite new restaurants in town…well, a little outside of town and it has been around for a minute. I’ve actually been there a few times and the food has been excellent, the service top-notch and the view are outstanding – not to mention they have good wine, which always makes me happy. I even started sipping tequila…what!? If you knew my Mom, Sandy – that was her “thing” and I kinda get it now.

Santo Coyote Ocean Cantina is located at Encantame Towers at Playa Encanto and yes, it is open to the public – if you read this paper, you’ll already know that since our awesome contributing writers keep you up to date on the latest and greatest. I’ve eaten their numerous times, a few of them being with a bunch of friends where we all ordered something different and passed plates around, so I’m pretty sure I’ve sampled the entire menu. I will say right off the bat that my two favorites are the Caesar Salad and the Lomo with the warm strawberry and goat cheese side…OMG! (It’s a secret that Manuel turned me onto…and is out of this world…and not on the menu…trust me!)

At Santo Coyote (the first of its namesake being in Guadalajara and wildly popular I might add) you can dine inside or out and no matter where you choose you are treated to their version of “free chips and salsa” which is prepared tableside with fresh ingredients. Mild, spicy or super spicy you are asked…they are very conscientious about not burning your taste buds, which I very much appreciate…and you can watch the types of peppers going into your salsa, so you have the chance to say WHOA! Manuel, my favorite waiter always asks…are you sure? As he throws in another serrano. The ingredients are turned into yummy magic right before your eyes. I like to order the Guacamole Tentempié, which is also prepared tableside because Manuel is a fantastic waiter and a lot of fun. I usually add on wine and the Maestro Dobel Diamante flight and off I go for a night of culinary bliss…or just bliss…sometimes it’s a crapshoot 🙂

A diversion…I know it’s summer now, but some outside diners do get cold when the sun goes down or inside diners with the air conditioning on (ahem, Mary) so they offer blankies. How cool is that? The first time I ever had one offered to me was at a super cold, but very delicious steakhouse in a vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina and I loved the idea…it’s the little things!

Back to the menu…after Manuel is finished with the salsa and guac, I then order the Caesar Salad, which is also prepared tableside – from scratch – the traditional way with anchovies. (I’m definitely not an anchovy fan so the dressing is just perfect the I imagine they will add more if you like it really strong.) The Caesar was like nothing I’ve seen before so don’t expect your typical Caesar Salad. Once the dressing has been prepared it is then layered over crispy romaine leaves and then topped with josper grilled vegetables. Their menu description is very underwhelming because the dish IS super unique and absolutely delish…and big! Oh, and you can add josper grilled chicken or josper grilled shrimp – or probably both if you want. The Arantxa Salad (baby spinach, cranberries, nut praline, goat cheese and honey mustard dressing) is excellent as well but have a friend order that so you get the majority of the Caesar – themz the rules! The Shrimp and Bean Tacos are also a big hit, but I let Mary order those :).

I’m going to whiz by the other menu items like the catch of the day, tacos, salmon (which everyone raves about), tuna, rib-rye, octopus, shrimp, chicken, various molcajete’s, chamorro, arrachera and some others because I am running out of space, and I want to get to an item that is the best…the Lomo (tenderloin). OMG! It reminded me of being back in Argentina…SOOO delicious! Especially with a good wine…just sayin’. The first time we ordered the big one which I think was between 700-800 grams – it was huge. (The menu says a different gram weight so be sure to ask what they have that night.) The next few times I didn’t want to share so I opted for the smaller one which was around 300 grams…no, of course I didn’t take notes. The Lomo is prepared to your liking and is started in the kitchen and finished…you guessed it…tableside. The bring it out on a sizzling lava stone where they cut it to make sure it’s cooked to your liking and then you get the choice if you want to set it on fire with Bacanora…proper people call it flambeed…this cooks it a little more. I always opt in because I think it adds a little flavor and Manuel gives an excellent presentation. As it sits on the lava stone it continues to cook a little while you’re eating it – pure magic. Coarse chunks of salt are also on the stone and really enhance the meat…as does the wine…just sayin’ 🙂 Grilled vegetables are served on the side. and you can plate it yourself or have them plate it. Now, the strawberry and goat cheese sauce. Don’t get it on top – get it on the side. You have to ask for it as it’s usually not offered (I love secret menus). A little skosh of the warm strawberries and cold goat cheese with a chunk of the Lomo…pure heaven! Your belly will thank me. (They also have a portobello topping/side you can ask for, but you’ll want the strawberry side.)

If you haven’t been to Santo Coyote and want a fabulous dining experience, make your reservation. They are open every day except Tuesday from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM and you can make reservations by calling locally at (638) 388-3502, from the U.S. (480) 542-5942 or WhatsApp at (+52) 331-974-4902. If you don’t have WhatsApp and visit Rocky Point a lot, I suggest you download it as we all use it personally and a lot of the restaurants will take orders and reservations from the app. Very handy!

Happy Father’s Day and have a super June!