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Mexican Lifestyles Food & Dining A Café Worthy Of A Dignified Space
Mexican Lifestyles Food & Dining A Café Worthy Of A Dignified Space | A Café Worthy Of A Dignified Space |
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| Written by MEGAN SMITH | |
| Saturday, 16 June 2007 | |
 'Come for the ambiance, stay for the coffee. John Davis and the managers of the Palacio de las Vacas Cafe in Guadalajara offer tasty fare in an unequaled, fairy-tale setting. ' - Photo By F. Sanchez "It is magical, exotic. Every corner of this place speaks with emotion," says Gabriel Ayala, one of the café's three owners. Ayala and his partners have succeeded in offering a menu worthy of the dignified space. A solid selection of coffee drinks at reasonable prices top the menu, along with natural fruit juices, frappes and shakes. A small selection of salads and baguettes from 40 to 60 pesos are fresh and delicious. The "Morisco salad," for example, is a charming, homespun platter of roasted chicken, garden salad with bell-pepper vinaigrette dressing and a side of seasonal fruit. For those with a sweet tooth, the "Vaquita Express" (23 pesos) is a decadent fruit plate smothered in chocolate sauce. But ultimately, it is the chance to sip and sup in magnificent surroundings that is the café's real draw. The Cow Palace is one of Guadalajara's more unusual treasures. Construction began in 1850 and the mansion's Moorish archways, giant windows, and expansive patios were all meant to reflect the opulent tastes of Segundo Diaz, cousin of Mexico's dictator Porforio Diaz. Xavier Guerrero, the famous Mexican painter, filled the interior with romantic murals. But Diaz vacated the home in 1910, and a series of inhabitants, including state and private schools, dairy farmers (hence the name) and squatters, have let the estate slip into disrepair. John Davis, a retired jeweler from the United States, fell in love with the property eight years ago and has poured all his financial and physical resources into improving the estate. It has been an uphill battle, as Davis has confronted burglars and bureaucrats, and has run up against multiple dead ends while seeking community support to continue restoration. Davis says he has always wanted the palace to be a community space. Opening the café is the first step toward realizing his vision, and the only current source of income to complete necessary repairs. "The main thing is to get it to where it can make some money – some might call this window dressing, but we can't fix the real problems of the building without money," Davis says. A dozen or so newspaper articles and word-of-mouth are starting to pay off. Davis says tours of the hauntingly lovely estate have been increasingly popular. A few Sundays ago 90 people showed up. Jose Luis Avila, another of the café's managers, says he hopes to expand the café into a full-blown cultural center, and promises that exhibits, concerts, wireless Internet and reading spaces are all in the works. "Everyone who comes here wants to find a way to make this place their home, and our hope is to satisfy that feeling," says Avila. Palacio de la Vacas is located at San Felipe 630. The Café is open 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Tours of the entire house are offered Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. A suggested donation of 50 pesos per person will be used for the Palacio's restoration. |
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