The Real Deal

Now this is what I go to Mexico for... the REAL Mexican food... not the Americanized Taco-Bell take on this south of the border cuisine. Every year we think we'll branch out and discover some new favorite restaurants but then we mostly end up at the places that have become our favorites. This year one of our past favorite restaurants had closed for renovation but we did find another wonderful new one to add to our list. So in case any of you are going to Cabo or San Jose del Cabo in the near future, here is a list of our favorite eateries:

In Cabo: Ponchos - the best Tortilla soup anywhere! (it is also known for it's world famous selections of Tequila but since we don't
drink, that doesn't mean anything to us)
Mi Casa - a more upscale restaurant that you really should make a reservation at to guarantee getting in. They make
the flour tortillas right there by hand in the middle of the dining room and then serve them warm off the
grill. Be sure to get the queso fundito which is the yummiest melted cheese with sausage appetizer.
Basil - this is a Brazillian restaurant much like Rodizio Grill where they have all kinds of meat grilling on huge skewers and
they come around and cut you off some slices. I always come out of there so stuffed I don't want to eat again
for another month!
Pescadora - this is one of the more authentic, locals-kind of restaurant with a concrete floor, no windows or doors, plastic
lawn chairs and plastic tables but outstanding, reasonable food. And in case you didn't understand from the
name, it specializes in seafood. You can get a steak and lobster combo for $15. What it lacks in ambiance it
makes up for in quality and quantity.
The Sleepless Lobster - this place is across the street from the Pescadora and it is excellent also. When we went our deep
sea fishing and caught Dorado (tuna) we brought our fresh-caught fillets here and they cooked them up for
us. They prepared them 3 ways: sauteed in garlic and butter, breaded and blackened. Wow! so good!
Baja Cantina - this place is located right on the marina which is just a great place to sit and watch the boats coming and
going and then to do so while drinking a pina colada (virgin) and eating the shrimp combo platter is just
a little bit of paradise.

In San Jose del Cabo: Jazmin's - we love this place! It is kind of a combination of casual restaurant with 4 star food and presentation.
The first photo above is from Paul's meal there. Alot of the restaurants in San Jose are more upscale so this
is a nice alternative.
The Tropicana Inn - this is one of those more upscale places but again excellent food. If you are there are the right time
(I'm not sure when that is exactly, we just lucked out) there is live music with a group of about 4 or 5 singers
playing guitars and dressed in fancy, traditional clothing (not a Mariachi band).
The French Riveria - this is a fabulous French bakery (I'm not quite sure what it is doing here in Mexico) but it has
to-die-for pastries! My favorites are the cat-eye cookies with jam filling and the coconut macaroons with
chocolate covered bottoms! We went back several days in a row!

One of the funest aspects of my culinary adventures is eating from the offerings of the street vendors. This year I came across a churro stand! Here where I live there are a very few places to get churros - Costco or Lagoon! I have never eaten such a delicious churro before. I watched as the vendor fried the dough in hot oil and then rolled them in granulated sugar and then as if that wasn't going to be good enough already, he had this device hooked to his cart and it had a spout that he shot hot carmel into the center of the whole length of the churro -- Holy smokes... what a treat!!! - you could chose strawberry or vanilla sauces too. Every time we went downtown I wanted to go back for another one but we weren't there at night again and he wasn't open during the day. That gives me something to be looking forward to for next year.

Another street vendor that we came across really made me laugh... here is the mobile candy store. Yes, he has probably 20 different kinds of candy there on that wheelbarrow and he just rolls around the streets and people would crowd around him. I could hardly get a clear picture of him and the wheelbarrow because of all his customers. We didn't buy anything but it sure looked inviting. I think I'll get one of those and go up and down the streets in my neighborhood this summer.

Now you know the real reason I love to go to Mexico... yea, I think I might have gained a few pounds while I was there too!