Restaurant Number 4.

We have a very trendy new restaurant in town.

That means we all have something new to talk about! Whoohoo!

Seriously, since most of the English-speakers here are Canadian, we've had more conversations about Restaurant Number 4 than about Barack Obama.

Like every other restaurant here, it's indoor/outdoor. Other than that, you could see it thriving in New York or San Francisco. (Oh, if only those cities had better weather!) It's really gorgeous. The piano bar provides elegant, live background music. The linens are linen, not paper. The avocado tree in the courtyard is dripping with fruit. The booths in the back are lined in velvet.

What's more, the food is fantastic. It's elegant Italian. Very yummy. And I dare you to get a better filet mignon anywhere.

No one has a problem with any of this.

The conversations are about the prices. They are higher than anywhere else in Ajijic. Shocking! They're not New York prices, or even Seattle prices. But some vocal people have a problem with paying $10 for a plate of pasta. Even if it is handmade pasta with prawns the size of your fist. Served by a very well-trained waitstaff. (It seems like you get two waiters per customer.)

Anyway . . . it's kind of amusing how seriously these folks take this. I guess it's upsetting to have a restaurant in town that you feel you can't afford. But does that mean the restaurant should lower its prices for you? If the prices are too high for everyone, they'll go out of business. No need to take it personally. But some people are furious!

In the meantime, it seems like there are plenty of people going there and enjoying it.

The trendy part: It has a unisex bathroom. I haven't run into this in Seattle. Only on Ally McBeal. I was washing my hands and a guy walked in . . . looked at me . . . looked confused . . . I had to say, "Yes, you're in the right place."