Moving Up the Food Chain

The perfect antidote to the spicy cazuela was a cool glass of Ostioneria's homemade fruit salad, which you can order with fresh crema ($3.50) or without ($2.95). I recommend the version with cream, of course. The fruits change with the season, but on our last visit we got a huge bowl -- big enough for two or three people -- of cantaloupe, honeydew melon and apples, drenched in cream and topped with raisins, crunchy bits of granola and sunflower seed kernels. Or try the tres leches cake ($3.25), rich with rum-scented cream and slathered with chocolate icing for a total sugar overdose; it'll keep you buzzing for hours.

So maybe I missed the less gentrified edition of Ostioneria Puerto Vallarta. So what? I'm glad to have found this place at all. It may not qualify for the dive list anymore, but it's a valuable addition to the late-night cravings list: The doors are open practically round the clock, from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on weekdays, and until 4 a.m. on weekends. The next time I'm sleepless and need to "vuelve a la vida," this is where you'll find me, in a bright red booth right under that picture of young Elvis.

Ostioneria Puerto Vallarta, 6827 Griggs Road, (713)926-6344.