Two Amigos Find Ixtapa In Duvall . . . Somehow

Ixtapa , 104 Cherry Valley Road. Hours: Monday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Phone is 788-2235, but reservations aren't necessary.

-- DUVALL

It was a sure bet. As soon as the waiter at Ixtapa restaurant in Duvall told my dining partner, Steve ("Where's My Brain?") Clutter, that the plate was "very hot," I knew Clutter would have to touch it to find out if it was true.

At least this time he didn't use his tongue. I think Clutter learned his lesson the last time he tested the heat with his tongue. After touching the edge of the plate, he said something that sounded like "Ohh, wats wot!" This time around he just touched the plate and screamed. But with his fingers in his mouth, he did say, "Ohh, wats wot!"

In Mexican restaurants, the food comes on extremely hot plates and the waiter always warns the customers about the heat. And the customers always have to touch the plate to see if the waiter was just pulling their leg. They aren't.

At the Ixtapa in Duvall, the plates are so hot the food sizzles when it comes.

My dining partner has obviously forgotten his New Year's resolution to be nice to me this year. But I'm not surprised. He's the same guy who resolved two years ago that he'd quit wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve after eating.

Actually, I was a bit disappointed when we arrived at the restaurant. Johnston told me one afternoon that he was taking me to Ixtapa, and naturally I thought he meant we were going to the Mexican resort city. Which explains why he was looking at me sort of funny when I loaded my surfboard on his car before we headed to Duvall.

I wasn't disappointed by the food, though. I ordered the chicken fajita, which indeed arrived sizzling. Sauteed onions and peppers were mixed with the meat and the meal included rice, beans and a steaming batch of corn and flour tortillas. At just under $7, it was the most expensive item on the lunch menu. Most entrees were between $4 and $5.

The wait for the food wasn't long, either. I was glad about that. Johnston was just getting ready to tell me once again about his theory that his dog Duke is trying to form human words when he barks in his sleep.

While we were waiting for our food (I had ordered chicken flauta and enchilada; $4.25), we listened to recorded Mexican music coming over the speakers. I noticed that Clutter had a puzzled look on his face (OK, he always has a puzzled look on his face; only this was more puzzled) and I asked him what was wrong.

"This guy doesn't sing in English very well, does he?" he said.

"Si," I said, trying to drop a hint about the nationality of the restaurant.

"See what?" Clutter asked, looking under the table.

You can also order American and Mexican beer as well as margaritas and wine with your lunch. American beer is $2 and Mexican is $2.75. We didn't order any alcohol. A mental picture of Clutter with a beer in him and some snappy Mexican dance tune being played flashed through my mind. I was afraid he would start dancing around his baseball cap.

Ixtapa also serves dinners, ranging in price from $6.50 to $9.50. They come with rice and beans.

You'll notice that Johnston has not described the restaurant's ambiance. "I didn't see it on the menu," he shrugged. So I'll tell you about it. Ixtapa has the traditional art and paraphernalia associated with most Mexican restaurants. Its dining area is boxy, but cozy and clean, with ample seating. The waiters are friendly, but not ingratiating. On the wall, there's a colorful mural of the resort city of Ixtapa as seen from the sea.

The only thing lacking is my surfboard.

Restaurant reviews are a regular Thursday feature of the Seattle Times Eastside Life section. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant management and staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.