Food on the Rio

There is a story about a land where food is cheap and tastes delight your palate as never before. This land is full of colour and life, the chefs wanting to please every patron who comes through their doors. I was told about this promised land, and I was told that there were great culinary delights to be had. I don't know if such a place truly does exist, but I do know for sure that it is not here.

One thing I expected to find here was great food. I'm not sure why exactly, I didn't think the food was anything special last year, but I had high hopes for this place. Let's have a run down of all the food I've had since I was here. At least the stuff I can remember...

Bruno's - Hamburger and Fries
All the foreigners love this place, really it's just another pub, but it's like a country club to these people. But why do they come? I've had the food a few times, and it's simply bland and tasteless. Their burgers use only half a bun with a piece of bread on the bottom, and all the flavor comes from the mayonnaise. People must only come for the social aspect, because I make better burgers at home.

Rio Bravo - Pizza
I actually remember nothing about this pizza other than being good because I was really hungry...

Rio Bravo - Chinese
These guys don't even make the Chinese food, they just order from another restaurant and charge you more. The wontons were awesome, but I didn't like anything else they made.

??? - Conch Platter
I don't know the name of the place we got the conch from, but I certainly remember the meal. I remember that it seemed to come out of the kitchen way to quickly, but it was rather enjoyable. Soon after, I was incredibly sick, with effects still lingering on by a thread.

Vista Rio - Burrito
Can this really be, is this, flavor? Why yes it is! This restaurant ran by American ex-pats easily has the best food I've had since coming here. The flavor of the herbs really packed a punch, and the burrito really made feel at home. Is it bad that it made me think of Taco Bell?

Catamaran - Pizza
Where to start? These guys had good crusts, that's always a good point for a pizza, but everything else was terrible. The toppings seemed even worse than cold cuts from Safeway, the sauce tasted like Chef Boyardee ravioli sauce, and the person who made it doesn't know how to use a pizza cutter. I hate it when the pizza falls apart whenever I try to grab a slice. Whoever made those pizzas should feel ashamed of themselves.

I don't think it's asking too much for people here to have pride in their work. I wonder how anyone in a creative industry like the culinary industry can wake up and think that they're doing OK. I'm not asking for these guys to turn into 5 star restaurants, but I do want them make meals they can be proud of. When McDonald's seems like a better alternative, you know something is wrong.