The Lighthouse is a new restaurant, bar, and nightclub up on the point next to La Casa del Capitan. Although it's been open only a few weeks, it's already very popular
We went there first at about 2:00, hoping to get some lunch, but we learned that the restaurant doesn't open till 6:00. As we entered, a breathtaking view of the ocean filled our vision --a wide circular expanse of turquoise water with pangas fishing in the foreground. All this was seen through a floor-to-ceiling wall of windows opposite the door. Sunlight sparkled on the water and filled the room, which is built in levels so that everyone can share the view. The bar is at the back on a level with a section of the dining room. The main dining room is a few steps down, and a few steps lower is an outside deck.
We were welcomed cordially by Mike Ensinger, one of the owners. He told us it was happy hour from 2:00 to 6:00 and asked if we wanted a drink, but we said we'd come back later for dinner, drinks, and music. Meanwhile Mike sat down and chatted with us, giving us some of the background of the enterprise.
The Lighthouse is a project of five people: Mike, his wife Susan, her sister Iva, Iva's husband Armando Noriega, and Armando's brother Pino. So there are two brothers, two sisters, two husbands, and two wives. Another family enterprise.
Armando and Pino Noriega are musicians, and so the Lighthouse was built with acoustics to accommodate a live orchestra. The room has a high ceiling under a pitched roof, creating a spacious feeling. The orchestra occupies a raised two-level platform in one corner. The floor is white ceramic tile, and the tables are set up to allow plenty of room for dancing.
When we returned in the evening, just at sunset, the whole ambience of the room was different, but equally striking. The wide expanse of water was now dark blue with a coral sun gradually sinking into it.As we were enjoying our drinks and waiting to order, a young boy came to our table and lit our candle. We asked him his name, and he told us it was Armando Noriega and he was the son of one of the owners. He said, "You can call me Chico." (Chico means Junior in Spanish.) He was obviously fluent in both English and Spanish and seemed very mature for 12 years old. But in Mexico a family enterprise includes all members of the family no matter what their ages. Chico is certainly a good addition to this one.
Our hostess was a tall blonde young woman with blue eyes. Chico told us she was his Aunt Susie. She is the wife of Mike, whom we had met earlier. Our server, an equally attractive young Mexican woman, was named Nereyda. The service was excellent, and the food was too.
The Lighthouse has a limited menu, but a very good one. There were about ten dinner entrees, all at very reasonable prices. John had Steak Tampiqueña with burritos, enchiladas, beans, and rice. I had broiled flounder with vegetables. Everything was fresh and delicious.
As the light outside faded, the interior lights were turned up just enough to see clearly but low enough to create a romantic atmosphere.Then the music started. This was what we had really come to hear, and we were not disappointed. The orchestra consisted of Armando Noriega on the flute, Pino Noriega on the keyboard, and Chuy Uriarte on drums. Later Armando exchanged his flute for a saxophone. At some point during the evening, the musicians were joined by guitarist Valdemar Arrieta, a local artist whom we wrote about last month.
The Lighthouse owners have realized that there is an audience in Puerto Peñasco for a different kind of music, and they played to it. Cool jazz relaxed the customers. The nostalgia of romantic '40's songs drew couples to the dance floor. The blues melted into the sea outside.
Susie, our hostess, came over to ask if everything was all right. We told her we were writing an article about the place. She asked if we would like to talk with Armando, and we said of course we would. He came over during a break and we had a good conversation Armando was warm and friendly, not at all unapproachable. He gave us some details of his life and his musical background.
Armando grew up in Puerto Peñasco. His father played the saxophone, and Armando studied music from a very early age. His first instrument was the clarinet, but then he learned flute and saxophone and still plays both of them. When he became a professional musician he had to travel a lot. "A musician goes where the jobs are," he told us. He lived in Mexico City for years; then about 10 years ago he came back to Puerto Peñasco and stayed for 3 1/2 years. But the time wasn't right for him then, and he left again. Although he has enjoyed his travels and the experiences he's had all over the world, this time he hopes to stay permanently. He has traveled and played in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and New York as well as all over Mexico and has worked with such artists as Vicki Carr, Tony Bennett, and Doc Severinson. He has written and arranged many musical pieces and has made numerous recordings. Now he wants to stay put. This restaurant is a way of doing what he loves in the place he wants to be. He plays all kinds of music, but his heart belongs to jazz.
Pino Noriega has had a somewhat different kind of musical career. While Armando was traveling all over the continent, he had his own musical group in Mexico City, but he too was now ready to come back to Puerto Peñasco. We didn't get a chance to talk to him, so we know fewer details about him, but his musicianship speaks for itself. Chuy Uriarte, the third member of the group, the percussionist, used to play with Armando, and when he heard he was coming back here, asked if he needed a drummer. The three of them play very well together, creating a harmonious and pleasing presentation. We wished they had played more jazz, which we really like. Maybe next time.
Before he left us to go back to the platform, Armando brought his wife Iva to talk to us. Iva is an American, a tall blonde like Susie with the same attractive smile. Her role in the Lighthouse is to oversee the kitchen. She doesn't do the cooking, but she supervises it, and she does much of the buying of food. She told us that everything they serve is absolutely fresh. It's always bought the same day. That must be why it tasted so good.
Iva met Armando when he was playing in the U.S. and is probably his biggest fan. It was she who told us some of the details about his career that he was too modest to mention. They have been married 13 years and have one son, Chico.
Iva and her sister Susan grew up in Wickenburg, Arizona, where their father had a hardware store. Susie and Mike were high school sweethearts there, got married after graduation, and have grown-up children. Mike is a retired tile setter--well, almost retired. He did the tile floors in the Lighthouse and is often called back to Wickenburg to do special jobs for former customers. The behind-the-scenes story of how all these diverse people got together is as interesting as the details of their current enterprise.
We were having such a good time during our evening out that I said to John. "You know that our 25th wedding anniversary is coming up in a few days. I've been thinking we ought to do something special to celebrate, but I didn't know what it should be."
"We're doing it now, aren't we?" he said. And indeed we were.
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