Top Tables

As hard as it is not to overindulge in any one choice, try to save room because they are all delicious.  In turn you’ll be offered Pican, a Top Sirloin, New York Steak, Rib Eye Steak, Arrachera, Filet Mignon, Brazilian Sausage, BBQ ribs, Roast Pork Loin, Lamb, Chicken, and the tastiest smoked turkey.  Your waiter will provide three sauces (pesto, jalapeno and fiery chile de arbol) although the meats are already seasoned and cooked to perfection.  If you still have room, a small dessert menu is available.  The colorful murals and tropical décor are striking.  The ambience is friendly, the service efficient.  Long a favorite of the local crowd, Brasil is sure to be one of the more memorable meals of your vacation.  Brasil is located in downtown Cabo San Lucas on Emiliano Zapata (between Hildago and Vincente Guerrero.)  Open daily from 1:30 until 11 pm.  The fixed price is $14 US for lunch and $28 US for dinner.  Seating for groups up to 150, full bar available.  Phone (624) 143-8343, (624) 143-8357.  Reservations suggested in season.  MasterCard, Visa, and American Express accepted.   C.B.

Brennan’s

Adjacent to the Irish castle perched above downtown Cabo San Lucas, with a panoramic view of Land’s End during the day and of the sparkling bay and city below by night, Brennan’s Bar & Grill merges Irish pub hospitality and sophisticated dining, resulting in an experience that is at once elegant yet understated.  The location of Brennan’s is considered by many as an important part of Mexico’s varied history.  When you come to the restaurant and inn, you may feel the vague specter of the Saint Patrick's Brigade.  Inside the castle’s walls, there is a legendary monolith with etchings attributed to the Gaelic alphabet and language, considered proof of the presence of the Irish people here in Los Cabos centuries ago.  The muted stones that pave the impressive approach and floors of this picturesque inn and castle restaurant were painstakingly transported from the surrounding mountains of Cabo San Lucas, surely an arduous yet impressive labor.  Mexican and international cuisine, along with some casual “pub” fare, is offered for your dining pleasure.  From a selection of meats, poultry, fish and pastas, Brennan’s fare is as good as its view.  For an appetizer try the tortilla or seafood soup.  Continue with a selection from the well-planned menu.  The prices are extremely reasonable, averaging only $15 US per dinner entrée.  An open-air, very comfortable full bar and ample on-site parking are bonuses you get with a visit to Brennan’s. Open daily from 8 am to 10 pm.  Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Brennan‘s has a seating capacity for 225.  For reservations, call (624) 143 2160.   P.M.K.


Buon Appetito

Buon Appetito, a charming little Italian bistro with a menu of traditional Italian dishes prepared with its own twists, sits in a unpretentious courtyard patio of the Marisol boutique hotel in San Jose del Cabo.  Ambience is a special appeal of this bistro with open air dining, a modern well-equipped kitchen visible from the dining area, and the soothing sound of a fountain as lovely to see as to hear.  When you are seated, your server will bring you a perfect piece of bruschetta to enjoy while you are waiting for your beverages.  Two Italian chefs, one from Naples and the other from Milan, prepare a nice selection of flavor-rich Italian dishes.  The Ensalada Invernal is a refreshing combination of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, mixed bitter greens, and perfectly ripened pears.  A combination of savory and sweet is unbeatable.  The traditional Chicken Parmesan is tender chicken and crisp steamed vegetables, but not an overabundance of cheese, making it healthier as well as delicious.  The Pasta Puttanesca sauce was thick and rich, the pasta perfectly al dente.  Your choice of pastas and sauces range from simple to complex.  Fresh baked foccacio complements your meal.  Many wines by the glass are offered, including the time-honored favorites of Chianti and Pinot Grigio.  Above, there is an open rooftop bar with wonderful views of the Sea of Cortez and the lights of San Jose del Cabo.  Buon Appetito is open Monday through Saturday, from noon to 10 pm.  The bar is open Thursday through Sunday.  Entrees from $7 to $21 US.  Family-friendly with great choices for the younger diners.  An intimate seating capacity for just 43.  Call (624) 142-4040 for reservations.   P.M.K.


Capitan Fish

Overlooking the glistening waters at the Cabo Marina, on the second level of Puerto Paraiso, is Capitan Fish, the casual seafood restaurant where anyone from dinner dates or a gathering of friends to the entire family will enjoy both ambience and food.  Seated inside the air-conditioned dining room with a beautiful wood design or on a comfortable terrace, diners will be pleasantly taken with the very reasonable prices.  Spicy tuna dip, salsas, and chips are complimentary while you read over your extensive menu and decide on your selections.  The menu boasts everything from a variety of seafood tacos, including shrimp, lobster, and marlin, to fish combos and lobster, prepared as you like it available in no fewer than five ways.  Entree prices range from $6-$55 US.  Gigantic bowls of shrimp soup are rich with meat and fresh cilantro, while New England clam chowder arrives piping hot in a sourdough bowl, each $9.50 US.  Coconut shrimp are placed over a to-die-for mango chipotle sauce and served with rice and veggies ($18.50 US.)  The breaded fish combination ($14.50 US.) is enough for two people to share.  Kids can choose from a nice selection of special menu items as well.  Try the flan, bananas Foster, or Kailua parfait for dessert.  All major sporting events are played daily on the big screens, making this a great place to pull up a seat at the bar and watch your favorite team win.  Open daily, 12 p.m.-11 pm  All credit cards accepted.  Air-conditioned indoor dining or terrace seating with awesome views.  (624) 144-4966.   K.F.


Casa Rafael´s

Whether dining in the intimate ocean room or alfresco next to the sparkling pool, Casa Rafael´s staff members cater to each person as if no one else exists.  This elegant and eclectic dinner house takes customer service to another level.  Culinary indulgence begins with fried calamari, golden and 100% grease-free ,with a wild dipping sauce.  The creamy seafood bisque has loads of shrimp and scallops, perfect for spooning over warm bread on a breezy evening.  The Scampi and Chicken Sonia combination is served with a salty and a bold wine sauce.  Accompanied by vegetables and fabulous mashed potatoes, topped with chives and crispy bacon, this is a very satisfying meal.  Fish fans can have their dishes prepared with a choice of several interesting sauces, including a caper and white wine specialty.  The new beer menu with more than 40 varieties, and a selection of wine from a list rivaling the best cellars in Los Cabos, are fantastic by any standard.  In addition, rum, sake, and scotch tasting menus are available; you’ll find a staggering martini variety, too. You should not leave without succumbing to a sweet temptation.  Mango cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate cake, and flan ought to be enough to do just that.  If you want to try one of Cuba´s finest in the modern cigar room, complete with leather sofas and a big-screen TV, this is the place.  The cigar and liqueur cart, boasting even cappuccino cordials, will come to your table.  Dinners range $16-$41 US.  An acoustic group performs live music in the piano bar nightly from 6:30 pm-12:00 am.  Closed Tuesdays.  Visa and MasterCard accepted.  Located just up the hill from McDonald’s in Cabo San Lucas, one block from the beach.  (624) 143-0739.   K.F.


Casanova

Robert and Sylvia Cardazzo have opened Casanova, a new Venetian restaurant in Cabo San Lucas. The menu features recipes from Venice, many heirlooms passed down from chef Robert’s ancestors.  What makes Venetian cuisine stand out from other Italian fare is the prominence of fresh seafood, explain the owners who note that like Cabo, Venice is surrounded by water.  Venetian chefs have long incorporated abundant seafood into their dishes, so it’s a natural style to try to bring here to Los Cabos where there is an equal abundance of fresh seafood.  Difficult to choose just one appetizer, the Capesante Gratinate Suprema alla Roberto, a large sea scallop baked in its own shell topped by a golden crust of savory cheesy seasonings, is priced at $16 US.  Another traditional recipe of old Venetian fishermen Sarde in Saor, crunchy sardines marinated with Italian raisins, pine nuts, onions and seasonings, goes for $13.50 US.  For lighter appetites, Casanova also offers soups and a variety of salads including the classic Caprese, with either sliced or cherry tomatoes, for $13 US, and Caesar salad for $10 US.  Entrees all sound interesting and wonderful. If shrimp is your choice, Chef Robert suggests two of his favorites: Tagliatelle Paglia e Fieno con Gamberoni e Granchio or Jumbo Gamberoni alla Griglia.  The Tagliatelle blends fresh shrimp, zucchini and cherry tomatoes in a light sauce.  Served on a bed of white and green pasta and topped with fresh crabmeat, it is a unique combination for $22 US.  The Gamberoni alla Griglia is mesquite-grilled prawns served with home made pasta and topped with a delicate wine sauce ($30 US.)  Familiar pasta dishes, such as Spaghetti Bolognese and alla Cabonara, are also offered.  Homemade ravioli are stuffed with your choice of lobster or shrimp.  Casanova also serves a variety of chicken and beef dishes, including mesquite-grilled certified Angus steaks.  Lighter fare includes Petto di Pollo alla Griglia, grilled chicken breast with rice and vegetables ($16 US) or Spiedino di Pollo, a skewer of roasted chicken and vegetables on a bed of rice ($16.50 US).  Mama’s secret recipe for creamy and light Tiramisu rivals any you’ve ever tried ($7.50 US.)  The Tete de Moine Formaggio is a very strong and pungent Italian cheese carved into delicate paper-thin white roses and drizzled with honey.  This is only for a true cheese aficionado ($14 US.)  Casanova is located on Paseo del Pescador in Cabo San Lucas.  Like any new restaurant in Los Cabos, Casanova faces start-up “growing pains” and should be ironing out some initial wrinkles.  Dinner only.  Open 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm, seven days a week.  Seating for 120, groups welcome. MasterCard and Visa accepted.  Full bar on premises and extensive wine list.  Reservations suggested, phone (624) 143-2377.   P.M.K.


Don Emiliano

Experience true Mexican haut cuisine at Don Emiliano Restaurant.  Owner/chef, Margarita Salinas brings her twenty plus years of culinary experience to San Jose del Cabo.  She is a pioneer and champion of the “slow cook” philosophy of dining.  The slow cook approach began decades ago as an alternative to the fast food phenomenon and industry.  Its international movement advocates dining in an unhurried atmosphere, food prepared with local ingredients, and the preservation of a culture’s food heritage.  Dining at Don Emiliano gives you a fine example of this fare’s celebrity.  To begin your feast, try the Lapa Abalone shavings with a delicate chili sauce.  Exquisite!  The Fiesta of Tamales represents four regions and four flavors.  The nineteenth century convent recipe for Sopa de Natas will make you want to bless the cook.  Fideo Seco Luz Catalina is a unique dry soup of Mexican vermicelli, Tolucan chorizo, and grated aged cheese.  Grilled scallops on organic greens are a delicious choice for a balmy evening’s meal.  Try the fresh catch of the day prepared with chili pasilla and blended regional cheeses.  Ahi tuna is pan-seared and served with a rich aromatic ten-chili sauce.  Carne dishes include mouth-watering rib eye, grilled Chihuahua style, and pit-barbequed lamb from Hildago.  The Chili Relleno San Jose, stuffed with shrimp and goat cheese in a suave cilantro sauce, is a wonderful example of slow food cooking at Don Emiliano.  Elegant table settings, the palmed courtyard under the stars, soothing ambient music, and soft lighting create a romantic setting.  Personal attention and an informed staff are at your service.  Chef Salinas is enthusiastic to explain slow cook history and approach, and her involvement in its nurturing.  Entrees range from $16.50 US to $17.50 US.  The six course Chef’s Specialties tasting menus are a wonderful way to sample several selections.  Groups up to 150 can be accommodated.  Dinner only.  Located at Blvd Mijares 27, one block south of the central plaza in San Jose del Cabo.  (624) 142-5130.   D.M.


Fish and Shrimp Restaurant and Bar

If shrimp is your heart’s desire, this is the place.  This establishment makes a Caribbean splash on the waterfront with its décor of aqua blues, greens, exotic lighting, interesting wall-hangings, and music.  Dine in air-conditioned splendor or outside overlooking the marina.  Enjoy your favorite mixed drink and order the coral colored shrimp pâté served with tortilla chips and decorated with julienne peppers to go along with it, all as you enjoy a Cabo sunset through the masts of the boats docked in the marina.  Our tuna sashimi appetizer arrived accompanied with a just-right chili oil sauce.  Glad we ordered this dish!  Shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp can be prepared in so many tantalizing ways.  Fish, crab, octopus, and other fresh selections from the sea are all available in an ample variety of preparation.  There’s an incredible Shrimp Festival prepared six different ways from coconut to beer batter.  Three dipping sauces served along with these shrimp are Caribbean mango, red seafood cocktail, and classic tartar.  Families or a group of diners will enjoy the Fuente Mariscos (Seafood Fountain) for four people, a cornucopia featuring ceviche, sashimi, scallops, shrimp, calamari, lobster and more.  The seafood stew was made with generous amounts of shrimp, fish, calamari, and more topped with succulent crab claws in a piquant broth.  The clam chowder was prepared in a white sauce with a touch of cheese and served up in a hollowed-out bread bowl.  Try the fish filet smothered in a velvety shrimp sauce.  Irresistible.  For dessert, the fried ice cream takes the cake!  Open for breakfast at 7:30 am, lunch and dinner with final seating at 10:30 pm.  Seating for groups up to 80.  Entrees range from $8 US for fried calamari to $68 US for the Fuente Mariscos.  Visa, MasterCard, and American Express accepted.  Location: below Marina Fiesta Resort, facing Dock ‘A’ in the Cabo San Lucas marina’s Golden Zone.  Reservations: (624) 145-6020.   D.M.


La Bodega Steak & Wine House

Owners Sergio de la Sierra and Juan Calderoni decided to open the first steakhouse in San Jose del Cabo in August 2006.  Be glad they did.  Now you can savor some of the finest beef in Baja.  It is fast becoming a favorite of many.  “Bodega,” meaning “wine cellar” in Spanish, is the perfect name for this establishment.  Peek in the front window and you’ll see a temperature-controlled room full of international wines.  The sophisticated main dining room is long and narrow with an extensive bar to one side and wooden tables along the wall facing it, creating a passage to the cool rear patio.  The ceiling and walls are a muted chocolate brown; the bright modernistic art panels positioned on the walls add the color.  An incredibly grand, ageless tree that resembles a banyan, which in Hindu means “wish-fulfilling divine tree,” is the focal point of the large patio, offering a romantic setting for evening dining.  The chef, in open view of the patio, serves inspiration with the food.  The menu is as sophisticated as the ambiance, and is not overwhelming.  Starters may include mussels, fried risotto and crab cake, duck brochettes, or octopus and mushrooms with garlic.  If you’re hungry for a great steak, you’re in the right place.  Certified Angus Beef in cuts of flank, rib-eye, New York, or filet mignon are served with a choice of sauces: three pepper, borracha (with beer) or a spicy chile.  Ask for a sampling of all three on the side so that you can enjoy the full flavor of the fabulous steak.  Their steak may just melt in your mouth!  If you’re a not a meat-eater, you may find the catch of the day could be wonderful Hawaiian butterfish.  Also on the menu are smoked chicken breast and pork porterhouse.  Most dishes are served with colorful roasted vegetables from the grill.  There’s a choice of additional sides of wild rice with spinach and mushrooms, shoestring fried potatoes, or cauliflower purée.  Save room for the heavenly dessert of chocolate sabarin (somewhat like a brownie) with cinnamon mouse and ice cream.  The wait staff works unobtrusively, anticipating every wish, making dining at La Bodega a lovely experience.  The wonderful wines contribute their own magic to the meal.  La Bodega is the perfect place for entertaining.  Prepare ahead and make your own selections from a list of fixed menus.  Located on Zaragoza between Morelos and Guerrero in downtown San Jose de Cabo, one block from the historic cathedral.  Seating for 40 inside and 40 alfresco.  Entrée prices $18 US to $32 US for some varieties of steak.  Open for lunch 1 pm to 5 pm, dinner from 6 pm to 11 pm.  Closed Sunday.  Visa and MasterCard accepted.  Call  (624) 142-6619 for reservations.   S.B.


La Casa Country

La Casa Country fuses Mexican character and American western music that creates an atmosphere of celebration.  The extensive menu offers delicious Mexican dishes cooked to perfection using local and mainland recipes.  Nothing fancy or pretentious here, but a Mexican family ranch feeling with mouthwatering home-cooked flavor and an authentic cowboy taste.  The house specialties are juicy steaks and fresh seafood.  But the Mole Oaxaqueño (chicken with delicious mole sauce, made with 32 different ingredients) or the Burrito Yucateco (seafood burrito with shrimp and fresh fish in a spicy guajillo sauce) is just as tempting.  As you enter the restaurant, you can watch salsas being prepared from scratch in a molcajate bowl (lava rock bowl) and order it to match your personal taste.  A festive country western dance show presented in the circular setting assures that every table has a wonderful view of the performance.  The rustic ambience resembles a typical ranch house, with cattle antlers on the rafters, cowboy saddles on the walls, and an enormous deer horn chandelier hanging above it all. Multiple television screens playing country western music videos add just the right vibes.  Giddy’up yourself into a cowboy frontier-world unlike any other restaurant in Los Cabos.  La Casa Country has a seating capacity for 124, a fun setting for weddings and private parties, and a private parking area for restaurant patrons.  Most entrees range from $17-$45 US.  There’s also a special children’s menu to guarantee all ages enjoy the experience.  La Casa Country is open from 6 pm to 11 pm daily, and is located in Plaza California on Lazaro Cardenas, across from McDonald’s in Cabo San Lucas.  Call (624) 105-1999 for group reservations.   P.M.K.


La Golondrina Restaurant

Have a romantic dinner at one of Cabo’s signature dining spots, La Golondrina.  At this decades-old well-respected restaurant, you’ll spend a lovely evening under trees wrapped in twinkling lights, stars overhead, and strolling mariachis to complete the experience.  Ancient mesquite trees form a canopy over the tables with large glowing lanterns hanging from the sweeping branches above.  The food is fresh and portions are large, so be warned when ordering from the 100-plus-item menu board that lists every combination of prawns, lobster, crab, fish, steaks, ribs, or chicken imaginable.  The bar features over nine margarita concoctions, from mango to strawberry.  It may seem that after a couple of these your Spanish will improve - or at least you’ll think so!  Caesar salads are expertly prepared tableside.  Organic green salads come topped with goat cheese, walnuts, cranberries, or your favorite seafood.  Over 25 classic appetizers are featured from coconut shrimp and tacos to frog legs.  You can select lobster with choices such as prawns, steak, ribs, and more to complete your over-sized plate.  Entrée selections feature their famous Dynamite, Diablo and Wow sauces (spicy cream, cheese, and sweet and sour).  Chocolate lovers take delight in their Oaxacan Mole sauce.  The Seafood Fest For Two platter arrives covered with jumbo butter-flied prawns, fried calamari, grilled snapper, scallops, a whole Dungeness crab, all crowned with a medium-sized lobster, and of course, plenty of drawn butter.  You’ll also be served rice, a tostada, grilled Bolillo bread slices, and cole slaw.  Desserts, including flan, a very moist tres leches cake, a wicked chocolate cake, and others, will surely put a smile on your guilty face.  Prices $10 US to $60 US for combos.  Reservations suggested.  Groups to 400.  Visa and MasterCard accepted.  Located on Paseo del Pescador next to City Club off Marina Blvd. in Cabo San Lucas.  Open nightly 5 pm-10:30 pm.  (624)143-0542   D.M.


La Panga Antigua - San Jose del Cabo

Enjoy a perfect intimate dining experience at La Panga Antigua restaurant and bar in San Jose del Cabo.  The sensational combination of soothing background music, ambient lighting, secluded private booths, and a trickling waterfall makes this restaurant truly magical.  The beautifully landscaped terrace with a full view of the starry sky completes the romantic setting.  Each item of this restaurant’s fine cuisine is freshly prepared in an open-air kitchen.  La Panga Antigua offers an array of seafood appetizers, including a seafood medley, fried calamari, and tuna timbale ($10-$29 US.)  You can also ask for a sampler plate.  There is a tempting selection of delicious soups and salads, including regional shrimp soup with avocado leaf essence and arugula salad with Asian pear, walnuts, bacon bits and a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette ($9 to$13 US.)  For the main course, La Panga provides generous portions of fine meats and seafood prepared to one’s liking.  The Ahi tuna and prime rib eye steak are nothing short of scrumptious.  For the perfect conclusion to an unforgettable experience, check the dessert menu of creative dishes like the irresistible molten “Callebaut,” chocolate tamas baked in a cornhusk and topped with tequila caramel and ice cream.  La Panga has a fantastic international and Mexican wine selection.   Wines served by the glass are all just $9 US, and bottles range from $29-$290 US.  The noble staff prides itself on personal attention and care.   La Panga Antigua in San Jose del Cabo seats about 70 patrons with additional terrace setting below, and a second bar for private parties and events.  It is located in Zaragota #20 across from the cathedral in Col. Centro, San Jose del Cabo.  Reservations are encouraged. (624) 142-4041.   L.G.


Las Palmas Restaurant

Relax on Medano Beach’s soft sand with a full bay view at Las Palmas Restaurant, Bar and Beach Club.  Las Palmas offers a wide selection of Mexican and seafood dishes.  Appetizers such as the fish ceviche, shrimp cocktail, and fish fingers are fairly priced from $5 US to $12.50 US.  The seafood bisque, tortilla soup, and shrimp salad range from $6 US to $12.50 US.  For the main course, jumbo shrimp and fish filet are prepared in a number of styles, including scampi garlic butter, breaded, grilled, mango, or diablo.  The whole red snapper comes highly recommended at $19 US.  A combination platter, which gives you the opportunity to create your own superb pairings of different items like lobster, shrimp, fish filet, barbeque ribs, arrachera steak, and chicken breast are $30 US.  The menu also offers the “You catch it we cook it” option. Las Palmas’ casual environment provides the perfect setting for vacationers who want to unwind with friends and family.   There is upbeat music, live acoustic entertainment most nights, and an engaging staff guaranteed to make you smile.  The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The spectacular happy hour generously offers 2 for 1 beers and domestic drinks every day.  Patio seating is available as well as table seating right on the sand.  A full bar and comfortable lounge seating around the nightly bonfires is a favorite place to spend the evening.   Las Palmas is located next to the ME by Melia on Medano beach.  Open daily from 7 am until 11 pm.  Visa and MasterCard are accepted.  For reservations or to plan your next big event there call (624) 143-0447 or (624)143-6554.   L.G.


Los Corsarios

Informal by day, with sporting events on big screens and casual cuisine, and romantic by night, with chandeliers, seafood, and engaging service, Los Corsarios Steak House & Sports Bar is a chameleon of restaurants.  Situated on the marina along the Golden Zone next to Puerto Paraíso, this restaurant can feature candlelight and music, miniature skeleton characters and pirate ship loot, without confusing the senses.  While enjoying wine from Mexico, Spain, Italy, France, Chile, or the U.S., patrons will find themselves fascinated by the mural of an ancient map of Mexico covering the entire ceiling, or eyeing the immense selection of alcohol lining the beautiful wood bar that occupies the entire back wall.  All entrees at Los Corsarios include a trip to the soup and salad bar.  More than complete, it includes two choices of homemade soup, plus extraordinary salad fixings like prime rib bits and other meats, cheeses, a variety of olives and nuts, as well as such standards as mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and peppers, plus macaroni and potato salad.  It’s just about irresistible, if not impossible, to overfill your plate, but every bite is fresh and pleasing.  Dinners range $20 US to 39 US, with the lobster tail and 14 oz New York steak topping the list.  The flank steak, served with a baked potato and steamed shredded vegetables, is unbelievably juicy and tender.  For diners preferring white meat, Los Corsarios offers several chicken dishes and a scrumptious boneless pork sautéed to perfection and topped with mushrooms.   Sexy live saxophone music Wednesday through Friday, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm.   In addition to good music, enjoy a free glass of wine with your entrée.   Two-for-one Corona from the barrel and traditional margaritas all day, everyday.   Open 11 am -11 pm.  All credit cards accepted.  Kid’s menu available.  Seating for 40 with indoor/outdoor options. (624) 145-6020, ext.8014.   K.F.


Olé-Olé
Tapas Restaurant & Bar

In Spain, the bullfight shout olé-olé means “Hooray.”  In Cabo San Lucas, it means good eating.  Olé Olé restaurant is located on the malecon of Cabo San Lucas’ marina.  It is the perfect place to people-watch, morning, noon or night, as they stroll along the walkway flanked by the luxury yachts and sport fishing boats on one side and a variety of eateries on the other.  Rope-lit palms and lively colors single out Olé Olé.  You can’t help but drool when you check out the sampling of specials on display next to the full menu set up in front of the restaurant.  This might be the evening for New Zealand lamb chops or barbequed pork chops prepared on the open-air grill.  Traditionally served in almost every one of Spain’s bars and restaurants, tapas are appetizers ranging from simple items to more elaborate plates that usually accompany cocktails.  However, for many, tapas can suffice for an entire meal.  Olé Olé is one of the few places in Los Cabos where you can find such a variety of tapas, as well as that refreshing gazpacho soup that has its roots in the Andalusian region in southern Spain.  Gazpacho, a mildly spicy tomato-based cold soup that is chock full of all sorts of fresh raw crunchy vegetables, is a fabulous choice on one of Cabo’s lovely evenings outdoors.  It too can be a meal in itself.  Paella Valenciana, an amazing Spanish dish of saffron-flavored rice combined with a variety of meats and shellfish, is so special that it is served only on Sundays, emulating the tradition in Spain.  While the delicious Kahlúa flan is usually my favorite desert, the whole baked apple with ice cream and chocolate sauce just may be my new one.  For 13 years, restaurateur and artist, Luis Rionda, has been making sure his patrons are well fed at a reasonable price.  Live music can be heard each evening (except Sunday) starting at 7 pm, creating a very lively atmosphere.  Olé Olé’s young male crooner hails from Spain and has a great repertoire of favorite toe-tapping ballads.  Be sure to catch the flamenco dancer Thursday through Saturday performing from 8 pm until 9:30 pm.  Plaza Bonita Mall on the marina side.  (624) 143-0633.   S.B.


Pancho’s

Pancho’s Restaurant and Tequila Bar is a lively Mexican fiesta.  Its colorfully decorated rooms and patio almost dance with floral decorations, vibrant paper banners, and vivid plaid woven tablecloths.  It is here where Mexican revolutionary hero, Pancho Villa, is celebrated and brought back to life on the hand-painted murals and historical memorabilia that surround you.  Having created a truly Mexican fusion menu using the finest ingredients from treasured family recipes handed down through generations, Pancho's offers selections from every corner of the nation: Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz, Sonora, Guadalajara, México City, the Yucatán, and, of course, the Baja California Peninsula, thus ensuring that there is something for everybody in your party.  The house specialties are tortilla soup with crisp tortilla strips and the Mole Oaxaqueño (chicken with a delicious mole sauce, made with 32 different ingredients) and the Burrito Yucateco (seafood burrito with shrimp and fresh fish in a spicy guajillo sauce.)  Festive meets the romantic at Pancho’s where strolling mariachi and Mexican trios will serenade you .  The world’s largest collection of tequilas beckons from the famous tequila bar, with over 575 types of the native libation!  Restaurant seating for 150; inside seating or on the street-side patio, and can accommodate groups up to 100 (advance notice required.)  Dinner entrées start at $12 US.  Pancho's is located on the corner of Hidalgo and Zapata in downtown Cabo San Lucas.  Open daily from 7 am to 11 pm.  Pancho’s serves great bargain breakfasts.  For dinner reservations, call (624) 143-0973.   S.B.


Peacock’s

Peacock’s is a gem of a restaurant in Cabo San Lucas.  Enter through a softly lighted vestibule into the garden and you feel like you’re in another world.  Decorated with enormous candles and wooden icons on the walls, white tablecloths draped with woven red runners, tin star lamps swaying above, Peacock’s understated ambience is very inviting.  The palapa-covered indoor dining area features a cozy open fireplace and a glass-walled temperature controlled wine bodega.  A Cabo San Lucas eatery since 1990, the restaurant has been a favorite because of its imaginative menu of interesting dishes.  Appetizer offerings include Crusted Duck Patties and Sautéed Lobster Dumplings.  The original Organic Julienne & Granny Smith Apple salad has a surprising apple agar, mint, and balsamic vinegar dressing.  Something I’ve never seen on any menu is a Grilled Watermelon Gazpacho, very tasty and refreshing.  The specialty of the house is Shrimp “Sin Fronteras” that is an award-winning signature creation and an unrivaled dish in Cabo.  It is prepared with marinated jumbo shrimp, mashed plantains, and black bean relish infused with orange liquor.  Other fresh fish can be prepared in two styles, and meat dishes feature Prime Beef Medallions in an Adobo rub served over broiled potatoes with a balsamic, soy and chipotle reduction.  Prices from $7.50 US for soup to $33 US for the house specialty shrimp.  Dress is casual but not beach wear.  Seating for 200 and for groups of 50 in a private area.  Full bar.  Located a few blocks from Medano Beach on Calle Pescador.  Visa and MasterCard accepted.  (624) 143-1858.   P.M.K.


Sunset da Mona Lisa

Truly a magnificent setting and a superb meal, Sunset da Mona Lisa is one of the choice restaurants in Los Cabos.  Perched above a small private beach, with astounding views of Land’s End, picture-perfect for sunset photos, you can choose to be seated on the comfortable promontory or inside under the softly lighted palapa roof.  From the very first, you know you are someplace special.  The parking valet gives a warm greeting and directs you to the maitre d’ who will ask your preference for seating and graciously escort you to your table.  The wait service is impeccable without being intrusive.  However, the best part of Sunset da Mona Lisa is the excellence of the food.  Executive Chef Emanuele Olivero creates such extraordinary dishes as giant scallops served with a Valrhone chocolate, pancetta and green bean sauce; pumpkin-filled ravioli with a creamy cinnamon and La Paz blue crab sauce; and a succulent lobster salad on organic mixed greens with hazelnut vinaigrette and julienne of preserved habanero chili.  More traditional, if you call it that considering the expertise of your chef, selections include grilled New York strip loin with Yukon Gold potato pave, creamy asparagus puree and choron Hollandaise; and local farm-raised organic chicken with tomatoes and taggiasca olives, Peruvian purple potato puree, and grilled baby vegetables.  If you simply can’t decide among the individual items, Sunset da Mona Lisa offers a magnificent and gratifying option of tasting menus for the table, in selections of three or six courses.  I highly recommend them.  An extensive wine list includes many Italian specialties, as well as reds, whites, roses, and sparkling wines from France, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Mexico, that will be perfect accompaniments to your meal.  A full bar upstairs has another beautiful view over Cabo San Lucas and offers wine tastings and tapas.  Entrees range from $15 US to $36 US; tasting menus from $51 US to $92 US.  Restaurant capacity is for 300.  Sunset da Mona Lisa is located along the corridor at kilometer 6 in Misiones del Cabo.  Visa and MasterCard accepted.  Reservations recommended.  (624) 145-8160 or 8133.   P.M.K.


The Chef’s Table

An unassuming door on the main boulevard of San Jose del Cabo leads you into a restaurant of many delights.  Subtle lighting, clean crisp modern design, bursts of color, palapas, palms, and cactus, ambient music and gracious service are all trademarks of this secluded, dignified atmosphere.  The Chef’s Table is an elegant experience.  And the menu here is as remarkable as you may imagine.  Chef Gerald Blay has created such a diverse menu that time seems suspended as you delight in reading about the inspired creations.  From starters, such as Venison Carpaccio with asiago cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette, all the way through to the scrumptious desserts, you can rely on your wait staff to be knowledgeable and very forthcoming.  Soups and salads are imaginative and unique, too many to describe.  The entrée menu is divided into categories of seafood; fish; lobster; beef; game and fowl; lamb, veal and venison.  Seafood dishes include bouillabaisse ($36 US; with lobster $56 US) and Escargots Florentine ($38 US.)  Fish selections run from the elegant Sole Mariniere with parsley and lemon wedges, to salmon crusted with horseradish and salmon chicharrones (each $26 US.)  Your lobster can be prepared five ways, Alba Truffle and Foie Gras (pan fried, tequila flamed, foie mousse) perhaps the most interesting ($56 US.)  From the beef page, you can select from eight dishes, including the cuts you would expect but with new and wonderful sauces and garnishes.  Two dishes that are of note are the Kobe Beef with a smokey/sweet Zingara sauce ($78 US), and the Liver Anglaise, with bacon rashers and sautéed Granny Smith Apples ($32 US.)  As I read on, I found myself torn between the liver and the lamb, which appeared on the next page.  The lamb is prepared coated with Dijon, herbs, and mint jus.  I went with the lamb, but I sure would like to go back to try that liver!  In addition to the varied dining and lounge areas, The Chef’s Table also has a private room for 12, and a wine tasting room that boasts one of the finest wine collections in Cabo.  The softly lit room is flanked by a temperature-controlled bodega, and exhibits incredible original artwork and extraordinary furnishings.  The Chef’s Table is for a very exclusive sanctuary of fine dining.  A hidden gem in the center of the bustling boulevard.  Lunch, afternoon light repast, and formal dinner served. Boulevard Mijares, San Jose del Cabo. Reservations: (624) 146 96-98. Group reservations: (624) 178 53-37.   P.M.K.


Voila!

In the San Jose Art District, you’ll find many good restaurants and fine galleries.  Plaza Paulina, across from the El Encanto Suites, is one of those galleries.  However, it is also much more.  An inviting entryway leads you to a lovely courtyard, and voila! – a secluded garden bistro awaits.  Ancient palm trees, a magnificent Tamarind, Palo del Arco, a local indigenous tree, and an interesting bamboo palapa shade the trendy patio.  The classy enclosed “El Ciclon” room has preserved original adobe walls, part of an historic 1860s house, reputed to have been a cantina and “men’s club” in this former barrio of “el tilidillo.”  Voila’s Chef Roberto Valle, has trained at a number of renowned schools, including the Cordon Bleu in Paris.  His menu is limited to unique dishes of his creation with selections of seafood, beef and fowl to please any diner.  The world famous Lobster Burrito is made with Manchego cheese, avocado, cabbage, and mango-chipotle salsa, served with rice and black beans.  The pasta dish has a very generous number of clams in a wine beurre blanc.  The amazing sauces that compliment the pork entrecote, the seared scallops, the beef filet tournedos, the grilled catch of the day, and the grilled organic hen, are mouth-watering and flawlessly harmonizing with the entrée choice.  To me, that distinguishes fine food.  The wine list is limited but international and well chosen.  One of the scrumptious desserts should not be ignored.  Chef Valle likes to change his bistro menu every six months, so be sure to visit often.  This menu’s entrée dishes are priced from $14 US to $29 US.  Voila also serves a luncheon menu, provides catering and event design, and prepares “Gourmet food to go.”  Live Latin jazz by Sexto Sentido on Fridays.  Located within Plaza Paulina on Morelos in downtown San Jose del Cabo.  Reservations recommended.  (624) 130 7569.   P.M.K.