Mi Cocina at Hotel Casa Natalia

Dinner was at Mi Cocina at the Casa Natalia Hotel in San Jose del Cabo.

Green Ceviche--Mex$250 ($13)--catch of the day in a tomatillo green sauce with jicama, avocados and mint. This was a large portion for an appetizer and quite good.

Beet Root Salad--Mex$340 ($17.50)--beets, fennel, green onion, lettuce, French dressing with goat cheese and nuts. This was quite good but a little pricey for a beet salad.

Grilled Octopus--Mex$320 ($16.50)--roasted tomatoes, guajillo peppers, garlic, green onions, butter and herbs. This was quite good--the octopus was tender and the sauce was tasty.

Argentinian Flank Steak--Mex$580 ($30)--chimichurri sauce, organic vegetables, potato & cauliflower gratin. The steak was chewy and the chimichurri didn't have enough vinegar taste but the gratin was delicious. Adding the cauliflower lightened it up and it wasn't too greasy.

Catch of the Day--Mex$615 ($32). The fish was well prepared and served over risotto.

Jumbo Tequila Shrimp--Mex$750 ($39)--served with risotto with wild mushrooms. The dish was good but $10/shrimp was a little pricey.

2019 02 17

San Jose del Cabo

San Jose del Cabo is a charming town located near the airport. It has a population of less than 100,000 and felt more "local" than touristy. There were plenty of shops but on a Sunday, we saw mainly families enjoying the plaza. There were few tourists in town.

The wide main boulevard reminded me of our trip to Cuba.

Flags with Christmas motif were still up.

The Mission of San Jose del Cabo was founded in 1730 but the current building was built in the early 20th century. It's the main attraction in town.

Two hours spent strolling the town and visiting the shops is plenty of time.

2019 02 17

Cocina del Mar

Cocina del Mar is located at the water's edge at the Esperanza Resort. We had a fabulous dinner there.

Scallop Aquachile--Mex$403 ($21). Cilantro-arugula, heirloom tomato, radish, serrano chile. The scallops were sliced thin and delicious.

Seared Scallops--Mex$659 ($34). Corn "esquite" sauce, carnitas, cotija cheese. The scallops were perfectly cooked but there were only 3.

Live Organic Lettuce--Mex$345 ($18). This was a head of lettuce with roots that hung through a hole in the bottom of the platter. Crispy shallot, avocado, sun dried tomato adorned the platter. The dressing was herbs and lemon and quite good.

The star of our dinner was Farmed Totoaba (a fish found only in the Sea of Cortez)--Mex$1752 ($91). This was a 13-oz portion meant for 2. It came with 3 sauces and blue corn tortillas. The fish was amazing--so tender. I'm still thinking about the fish.

Oven Grilled Ribeye Steak--Mex$965 ($50). 12 oz steak served with roasted garlic, rosemary, beef jus and creole salsa. This was good but I preferred the totoaba.

2019 02 16

Esperanza

Our villa was located in the Esperanza Resort complex, touted as the only private beach resort in Cabo. It's an Auberge Resort and rooms at the resort are ridiculously expensive. Take advantage of package deals or rent a villa.

The resort is on the Punta Ballena coastline. There's a nice walking/running trail along the coastline.

In the distance, you can even see Los Arcos, the famous arches of Cabo.

The resort is studded with cacti.

But, it's also quite lush.

There are several pools in the complex. Since we were staying in a villa, we didn't have access to the pools. Who needs them though when we had our own pool?

Adult only pool at the resort was an infinity pool.

Setting up for a wedding on the point. Wonder how much that costs? I guess if you need to ask, you can't afford it.

2019 02 15

Casa Maravillas, Cabo San Lucas

Went for a Girls' Weekend in Cabo San Lucas over Presdients' Day in February.

On the way to our villa, we stopped at Costco and picked up groceries. The Cabo Costco had the same items as can be found in our local Costco. I was disappointed because I was hoping to find some unique items. As we exited, 2 guys came running up to help us push our cart to our van then helped load the van. Of course, they expected a tip.

We rented a 4 bedroom, 4 1/2 bath villa at the Esperanza Resort. Our villa was Casa Maravillas and it had a great ocean view. We could even see whales from the back yard.

We had a private pool and a jacuzzi.

It had a small outdoor dining area.

The back doors opened completely, making it an indoor/outdoor living area.

Living room with seating for 8. The TV had Netflix already installed.

The kitchen was nicely set up. I was surprised there was All-Clad cookware.

The villa had 2 master bedroom suites with king beds and ocean views.

Each bedroom had an attached bathroom, which were huge.

A 3rd bedroom had 2 queen beds and an en-suite bathroom.

The 4th bedroom was located in its own casita. It had a king bed and an en-suite bathroom.

2019 02 15