La Ribera – Baja – East Cape

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LA RIBERA BEACH

I have a friend visiting from New Zealand so we decided to do a little exploring and go to the beach on the Sea of Cortez in La Ribera.  We found this beautiful beach in July but the day we were there, it was so windy that we could not get in the water or enjoy the beauty of this special place.  When we arrived on Saturday morning, the weather was perfect with a slight breeze and perfect water temperature.  This beach stretches for miles with white sand and mountain vistas and it was virtually empty except for a couple of families and their children.  There are small palapas dotting the beach as far as the eye can see which are perfect when you want to rest and read and be out of the sun.

La Ribera is a small town with a population of close to 2000 that is home to fishermen and a small number of ranchers and farmers.

If you enjoy a beautiful secluded white sand beach that you can walk for miles and that is perfectly swimmable and safe, the beaches of La Ribera will definitely impress you.

La Ribera Beach

La Ribera Beach

 

LA TRINIDAD  RV RANCH – RESTAURANT AND BAR

After a few hours of surf and sun, we went in search of food.  We saw a sign for La Trinidad RV Ranch and Restaurant so we followed that road and came to a large palapa restaurant with a full bar and menu.  This restaurant took me back to the “old” Cabo days that I remember with its photos, funny signs, fish reports and Mexican hospitality. The owner’s sense of humor was evident everywhere you looked.  la-trinidad-restaurant

la-trinidad-restaurant

Sadly, the beloved owner, Mike O’Dell, died in May of this year but his long standing Mexican staff/family have taken over and they are running the restaurant and RV ranch with pride and loyalty to their Patron.

We were greeted by Valeria Madrigal Montano who brought us cold beers, excellent pico de gallo, guacamole and homemade chips.  Unfortunately for us, they are not open for lunch on Saturdays – only Monday through Thursday – but they are open every night for dinner.  I will definitely return to La Ribera Beach and to La Trinidad Restaurant to sample their menu which includes a salad bar, burgers, fries, ribs, barbecue chicken, fish, shrimp, steaks and desserts.

Note:  The RV Ranch has great reviews and the property is beautiful. You can spend a night, a week, a month or a year/years.  

The beautiful town of La Ribera is located approximately a 50 minute drive away northeast from the Los Cabos International Airport.

La Trinidad RV Ranch and Restaurant:  
Hacienda Eureka Camino a Playa Colorada
23570 La Ribera, Baja California Sur, Mexico 
01 624 129 5836

LA CABANA VISTA

So with a beer and a little nourishment under our belts, we set off to find some place to eat a real meal.  We were told by a local boy on the beach to try La Cabana Vista on the road just outside of town heading towards Cabo Pulmo.  It was very easy to find and not only is it a lovely restaurant and bar, but there are 4 casitas for rent with a pool, spa and amazing views.  We ordered shrimp fajitas and sweet potato fries – everything was delicious and beautifully presented.

If you spend the day in Cabo Pulmo or La Ribera and need a place to spend the night, I would highly recommend La Cabana Vista.

La Cabana Vista

La Cabana Vista

La Cabana Vista Casita

La Cabana Vista Casita

Carretera La Ribera Cabo Pulmo, Km. 13.5, La Ribera, BCS, 23400, México, 001 (877) 783 6839

When The Temperatures Soar

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Every summer, there’s a shift that happens when our preferences switch from hearty food to lighter fare. Fish is a good choice because what little heat cooking is involved is fast. On these very warm summer days, the last thing I want to do is crank up the oven so to beat the heat, I have created two light fish recipes that are my go to meals for hot Cabo summers.

Fish with Pico de Gallo (2 servings)

  • 2 firm white fleshed fish fillets – any good quality firm white fish works such as Cabrilla, Snapper, Flounder, Halibut
  • 2 cups of pico del gallo: (dice 4 roma tomatoes, 1/2 small white onion, 1                   jalapeno, juice of 2 limes, pinch of minced cilantro and a little salt)
  • 3 T butter
  • 1 cup dry white wine

Directions:  Prepare the pico de gallo and cook in a medium sized skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes, add the butter and cook another 3 minutes finally adding the wine. Once the alcohol aroma dissipates (about 2 minutes), add the fish fillets and spoon the sauce over the top.  Cook for approximately 3 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets), turn off heat and put the lid on.  Let the fish set for another 5 minutes or until it pulls easily apart with a fork.

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo

Fish with Lemon and Capers (2 servings)

  • 2 firm fish fillets such as Cabrilla, Snapper, Flounder, Halibut, Salmon
  • 3 T butter
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 medium white onion minced
  • 1 small jar of capers with brine
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 – 3 T  finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 – 3 T finely chopped fresh dill (optional)
  • 1 lemon – juice and zest
  • Fresh chopped parsley and dill for the garnish

Directions:  Dice the onion and place in a cold medium sized skillet with olive oil and butter (see note below) turn on the heat to medium and slowly melt the butter; cook until the onion is transparent.  Add the capers and the brine from the jar and cook for 3 minutes and finally add the wine.  Once the alcohol aroma dissipates (about 2 minutes), add the parsley, dill, lemon zest and juice along with the fish fillets.  Spoon the sauce over the fish and cook for about 3 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets).  Cover and let sit for 5 minutes or when the fish pulls apart easily with a fork.  Garnish with fresh parsley.

Cabrilla with Lemon, Caper, Parsley Sauce

Cabrilla with Lemon, Caper, Parsley Sauce

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Both of these dishes are great on their own but also work well served over rice, wheat berries, bulgur wheat or quinoa because they are quite soupy.  If you use salmon, another option is to toss it with pasta.

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NOTE:  The legendary Italian cookbook author, Marcella Hazan, wrote:

ALWAYS START COOKING ONION (OR GARLIC) IN A COLD PAN.

Marcella taught that starting those aromatics in a cold pan means they cook up more gently and gradually, creating luscious, tender onions and light-gold garlic that never tastes overwhelming or acrid.

Hierbabuena Restaurante – Devoted to Local and Organic

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Welcome to Hierbabuena Restaurante

Welcome to Hierbabuena Restaurante

While Los Cabos is not want for great restaurants (it’s easy to frequent the busy towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo), for those who venture out, the pay-off is discovery of a diverse and passionate dining culture. I had been hearing glowing reports about a restaurant located in the small town of Pescadero near Todos Santos.  After a day at Cerritos Beach, we headed for Hierbabuena Restaurante which is set in a beautiful and bountiful organic garden where almost all of the ingredients are sourced for creative and healthy dishes. Beyond the modern outdoor façade, an airy rustic space awaits.  It has a casual feeling as there are no walls or windows and it is cooled by Pacific Ocean breezes. The seasonal menus shines a spotlight on what’s fresh right now and you can expect crisp, fresh salads, seared vegetables, locally caught wild fish, organic chicken, steak, brick-oven pizza and traditional Mexican dishes.  What they don’t grow, they source from their local neighbors, independent farmers, where there is an abundance of organic produce such melons, strawberries, figs, guava and sapote.   MenuGardens

The garden is brimming with vegetables and flowers that flourish under the watchful eye of the owner, Marcos Ramirez, who brings his culinary and gardening skills to Hierbabuena from years in Napa Valley.  He was raised in his mother’s Mexico City market restaurant where he was influenced by an array of fresh products from all over Mexico.  At 15, he went to work as a dishwasher and throughout his young life, he experienced nearly every position in the restaurant business and was introduced to many different types of cuisines.  This led to his ultimate goal of being a restaurateur.

Produce for Sale

The concept is very basic: to offer the freshest, ingredients with little manipulation so the natural flavors shine.

Marcos menu page pescado

Wild Yellow Tail Caught Locally

Pizza

Fresh, ripe tomatoes and spicy basil for a killer pizza

Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

Marcos menu page berza

Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan, Nuts and Pomegranate

There is a full bar that is separate from the dining area where fruit and herbs such as mint, basil, rosemary and cilantro are muddled, infused and simply snipped for pretty and fragrant garnishes.

Mojito with Fresh Mint

Mojito with Fresh Mint

Marcos proudly offers Mexican wines from Ensenada, Guadalupe Valley and Guanajuato but he also includes wine from Italy and Spain.  Marco’s project for next season is to do a wine tasting one day a week with all Mexican wines – Mexican terroir – which are concentrated and complex, full-bodied and aromatic, generally with a higher alcohol content than European wines. The northern end of the Baja California peninsula is, in fact, one of the New World’s oldest wine-growing areas. Jesuit priests cultivated vines here in the 18th century, and the first commercial winery, Bodegas de Santo Tomas, opened in 1888.

Hierbabuena Restaurante is a celebration of the very finest of our regional food products. Marcos takes the concept of “farm-to-table” seriously, working with the freshest ingredients from his gardens and the nearby farms to design the seasonal menus.

Directions:  Turn just past the Pemex/Oxxo on the road to Rancho Pescadero. Hierbabuena is about 2/3 of the way to the beach from the highway.

Open from 12:00 noon until 9:00 pm – Closed Tuesdays

Closed month of September

Chamomile