El Leñador ~ Hermosillo, Mexico

First visit: Feb 2025

And we have arrived. Thursday was a pretty brutal day for the eating routine. We had to be at the Denver airport too early for a normal breakfast and we had a short layover time in Phoenix. Though it turned out we had more time in PHX due to unknown delays - which the airline didn't even mention until much later. How about Make Flying Great Again? MFGA. Trump's approval ratings would go through the roof if he could pull that off...

In any case, we're talking snacks throughout the day. Chips, cookies, etc... Great diet. After we all finally got to the hotel, it was time for dinner. As I knew before going on this trip, no one took the lead on planning. I had no intention and since we had native speakers among us, I had hoped someone would have emerged. Wishful thinking. But mentally Mrs. RJG and I prepared for chaos, and that's exactly what we got - chaos. I was determined to "go with the flow" no matter what. I put my road warrior consulting hat on essentially. There were nine of us family members coming from Colorado (we all get along great and travel well together), and we know dozens more from Arizona and Sonora itself. There were promises of "great places to try" and yet that list never materialized. Eventually we did things the old fashioned way - grabbed a recommendation from the hotel. El Leñador (Lenador if searching in English) was that place.

We grabbed various Uber rides, plus some of the folks from Arizona drove down and the locals had their own set of wheels. Let me tell you something folks, in case you didn't know: Uber is dirt cheap in Mexico. At least it is in Hermosillo. Rare is the ride that costs more than $3. We would usually tip more than the cost of the drive.

I really liked the look of this place. It reminded me of my childhood traveling around with my dad in the 1970s. The entrance has that old motel feel, and this would have been the adjoining coffee shop. And essentially that's what this place is - a Mexican coffee shop complete with desserts and with an extended dinner and drinks menu. At any one time, there were probably 20 at the table, with the "Colorado 9" intact.

A lot of narrative for how we got here, but won't have much to say about the food. I ordered three tacos, a ribeye, another ribeye with green chile and bacon, and arrachera. I had meant to get the chicken breast and / or sirloin instead of the plain ribeye, but I was hungry / tired and prone to make mistakes. Unfortunately the ribeye was tough, chewy, and fatty. A good flavor though. I didn't really like the green chile much either - seemed a bit old. The arrachera was my favorite. I didn't know what it was, though Mrs. RJG and her sister tried to explain it to me. They used the word "dry". Looking it up just now, it means "skirt steak". It was delicious and it wasn't really dry. I think the photo indicates dullness, and that's pretty accurate. Though it was at least very filling. The salsas weren't noteworthy either.

The beer selection was boring, full of Mexican macros. Our heavier alcohol drinkers weren't impressed by the tequila. So overall it was a decent start to the trip, but not a great one. Fortunately this would be the weakest meal of the journey (other than the wedding reception, but that's typical of wedding catering unfortunately).

After this we went back to our hotel. The Colorado 9 all stayed at the Hotel Lucerna. It's like an old Hampton Inn with a nice lobby, restaurant (that Mrs. RJG and I didn't eat at, but others did), and a bar area. It rates higher than the nearby Marriott outlet and Hotel Ibis. If somehow we have to come back to Hermosillo, we'd stay here again. Oh, and the bar was great. Finally got to try some Mexican craft beers.

2/6/25