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Los Cabos Mexico

Organic

Hierbabuena Restaurante – Devoted to Local and Organic

July 21, 2016 by Akiba 2 Comments

 

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

Posted in: About, Eat, Learn, Shop Tagged: farm to table, Guadalupe Valley, Hierbabuena Restaurant, Hierbabuena Restaurante, Huachinango, Mexican wine, Organic, Pescadero

Green Goddess Bistro

June 22, 2016 by Akiba 1 Comment
Cafe

Green Goddess Bistro located in El Encanto Hotel, San Jose’ Historic Art District

Green Goddess Bistro serves a sprightly array of veggie dishes that even the most dedicated meat-eater would happily devour.

The menu is split between veggie and non-veggie dishes so there’s no need to feel guilty about inviting carnivorous pals along.

Daily Specias

Daily Specials

Set in the peaceful courtyard of the El Encanto Hotel, the stylish Green Goddess Bistro grew out of a desire to make it easy and affordable to eat delicious healthy local organic food.  With a certified vegan chef, an organic chef and a health coach, they are promoting the well-being of people and the planet and providing an avenue to support healthy choices and sustainable practices.  Everything served at Green Goddess Bistro is made with organic ingredients whenever possible.  The food is unfussy, unrefined and gluten- free. The produce is seasonal from the local farm, Los Tamarindos, the poultry and eggs are free range and organic from Baja Natural and the breads and wraps are from our local bakery, Panaderia Punta Espiritu. Everything served is made from scratch in their kitchen to ensure freshness and quality. Items range from freshly made juices and smoothies, fritattas, salads, sandwiches, wholesome grain dishes, poultry and 100% organic house-made raw vegan pastries and desserts.  The broad menu aims to provide outstanding food with options for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike. They believe what one puts in their body affects health and long-term well- being of self and environment. We are creating a new chapter in the way we eat and Green Goddess Bistro is in the forefront of a new food revolution and an ethical way of life which includes non-violence for all living beings and changes to how animals are seen and treated.

Health Coach Isabelle Gagnon is a Professional Health Coach and Certified Lifestyle Educator in an ongoing private practice, in addition to being Managing/Brand Development Partner at Green Goddess Bistro.  You will find her there most days greeting customers with her sparkling smile that exudes her love of life and healthy living.   When she is not biking or swimming at sunrise, she is inspiring and motivating people to get to their best and healthiest self by choosing highly nutritional food for increased energy, vibrancy and optimal body composition. Her motto is: eat less, but eat nourishing real food and move!!Isabelle

Chef Maria Amore is passionate about animals, nature, books, holistic health, meditation and cooking. She graduated from the Living Light Culinary Institute in Fort Bragg, California where she was certified as a raw vegan chef and a nutritional instructor. Before moving to Mexico, she taught vegan cooking at McGill University in Montréal. She is working to create a new chapter in the way we eat at Green Goddess Bistro. She is in the forefront of a food revolution overtaking the world with an ethical way of life of non-violence for all living beings.  Before Maria was a vegan chef, she was a corporate lawyer and she got sick from the stress.  She decided to change her diet and researched nutrition and Ahimsa. Ahimsa is the practice of refraining from violent words, actions and thoughts. Ahimsa is the total and complete absence of violence from one’s mind, body and spirit. Maria published a cookbook, Cooking With Amore, with over 100 vegan recipes and feels she is making a difference in the world through her true love: vegan cooking!

Maria Amore with her Vegan Cookbook, Cooking with Amore

Maria Amore with her Vegan Cookbook, Cooking with Amore

 

Chef Omar Hernandez started out the hard way as a busboy and eventually worked his way  into the kitchen, where he discovered his passion for cooking.  He went back to school and graduated from a  2 year International Chef Program at Vancouver Community College (BCC). He then  went on to become a head chef before opening his own restaurant.  As much as he loved to cook, one of the downsides was the pressure to make the food taste delicious at the expense to the health of the consumer. He lost touch with his roots and what it takes to create healthy food.  He was born in the State of Chiapas in a farming community and is completely inspired by growing his own food to be used from seed to table.  His passion at the moment is growing 19 different exotic species of chilies from all over the world with no GMO so that he can make his fiery sauces.  He believes he is living in a very interesting time creating honest food that is not fancy but still tastes delicious and is healthy.  Omar is excited to be involved with the new breed of young chefs who let the food shine in its most natural state.  His motto is:  Be true to yourself and eat more thoughtfully.

Chefs Maria Amore and Omar Hernandez

Chefs Maria Amore and Omar Hernandez

 

Breakfast Options Made with Love

Breakfast Options Made with Love

 

Immune Boosing Elixer made with fresh ginger and turmeric roots, fresh Jamaica, lime and organic mint

Immune Boosting Elixer made with fresh ginger and turmeric roots, fresh Jamaica, lime and organic mint – anti-inflammatory, antioxydant, energizing and detoxing.

 

Flat Bread Friday, Fava Bean Soup with Nopal, 3 Bean Lime Mint Pesto Quinoa Salad with a nice glass of wine.

Flat Bread Friday, Fava Bean Soup with Nopal, 3 Bean Lime Mint Pesto Quinoa Salad with a nice glass of wine.

 

Black Bean Burgers with Vegan Mole

Black Bean Burgers with Vegan Mole

Chef Omar's Mini Organic Veggie Fritattas

Chef Omar’s Mini Organic Veggie Frittatas

 

Future projects include vegan cooking classes and special dietary dishes prepared and delivered to businesses and homes.

Located in the Historic San Jose’ Art District at the El Encanto Hotel

Open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday – closed Sunday

Posted in: About, Eat, Learn Tagged: Ahimsa, Baja Natural, El Encanto Hotel, Green Goddess Bistro, historic art district, Isabelle Gagnon, Los Tamarindos, Maria Amore, Omar Hernandez, Organic, Panaderia Punta Espiritu, Sam Jose del Cabo, vegan

The Common Table – Urban Kitchen and Mixology

June 21, 2015 by Akiba Leave a Comment

Friends invited me to a restaurant last week they were really excited about – The Common Table.  It has a fresh menu, good service, a well thought out wine list carrying only Mexican wines and a full bar with Paco, the Mixologist at its helm.  Indoor seating with air conditioning is not only inviting, it’s almost a necessity for the hot summer months. The outdoor seating overlooks the Cabo Marina and is a great place to people watch.  The concept is urban kitchen – everything is made in-house with no preservatives and is organic, sustainable, prepared with pride in craftsmanship, respect for farmers and local, organic sourcing.

We wanted to sample the small plates and it has plenty to choose from:  ceviches, tacos, sliders, sashimi, spring rolls, rabbit, octopus and more.  We started with a daily special of tuna tataki that was spicy, served with scallions and avocado and topped with aioli and very finely slivered fried onions. Our table shared this and we all agreed that it was fabulous. The orange grilled octopus  wrapped in lettuce stuffed with red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, slaw and orange evoo was the best “pulpo” we have eaten.  Then we moved on to sliders and the braised short rib mini tostadas. The salad was substantial with fresh yellowfin tuna, shrimp, eggs, bacon, sprouts olives and lettuce. For dessert, the chef brought out a gorgeous carrot cake that was made with agave nectar instead of sugar.

Tuna Tataki

Tuna Tataki

Shrimp Slider

Shrimp Slider

Our group loves this new restaurant in the Cabo Marina and we can’t wait to go back.

Chef Miguel, originally from Tijuana with training in a French restaurant in New York, is a treasure.  He puts his heart and soul into the preparation and presentation – a real artist at work.  The Manager, Rene, is from Cuba and he was super helpful and informative.  Rene is excited about the music as well as the food.

The current live music lineup from 8:00 to 11:00 pm:

Wednesday:    Violetta Maria Poletek, Violin Maestra

Friday:             Kimbara, Fusion Spanish Guitar

Saturday:  Chaplin – Bohemian Acoustic Guitar Players

 

Drinks are 2 for 1 Monday thru Friday 2 pm to 7pm

Telephone:  (624) 143-5114          www.commontable.mx

Next door to Ruth Chris on the Marina in Cabo

Posted in: Eat Tagged: Common Table, farm to table, Los Cabos music, Los Cabos restaurants, Organic, Urban Kitchen
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