05 Feb Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Tamarindos Mexican Farm to Table in San José del Cabo, Mexico

When my friends invited me to join them in San José del Cabo, Mexico for the weekend to celebrate a birthday, I did not hesitate. A weekend getaway to relax was not something I would decline. While we relaxed during the day at the hotel, when it came time to celebrate my friend’s birthday, we went out to dinner. There are many restaurants to choose from in San José del Cabo and my friends chose Tamarindos Mexican Farm to Table. Freshly grown vegetables, locally sourced meats and fish, and friendly personalized service make Tamarindos Mexican Farm to Table in San José del Cabo, Mexico the Please The Palate pick of the week. Located only five minutes from downtown San José del Cabo, Tamarindos is set in a rural environment. To get to the restaurant, our taxi drove through dirt roads. When we arrived, we stood looking out at the large expanse of property. Originally a sugar farm dating from 1888, Tamarindos was opened 18 years ago by Owner and Chef Enrique Silva, who has other locations, one in downtown San José del Cabo and one in Tulum, Mexico. With freshness and quality at the core of the restaurant, Tamarindos grows all the fruits, vegetables and herbs that they use on-premises. Pasta is handmade daily. They raise their own Cornish hens and quails. The fresh fish they serve is caught daily by independent local fishermen and hand-selected by the chef and the lamb and pork are sourced from a nearby farm.

Upon arriving, we were greeted by restaurant manager Mauricio Dominguez. Personable and welcoming, he was at our service the entire evening.

We walked over to La Venia, the outdoor bar that overlooks the farm, for some drinks and appetizers. My first cocktail was a refreshing Smoked Pineapple Margarita.

My second cocktail was a spicy cucumber Mezcalita made with Chef Silva’s own brand, in partnership with master Mescalero Celestino Sernas Lopez of Oaxaca, of organic, artisanal mescal called La Venia. We also enjoyed a few appetizers, including tuna tatare made with freshly caught tuna and roasted zucchini and eggplant topped with pesto and tomatoes. The freshness of these dishes excited my palate and I knew we were in for a treat.

After enjoying appetizers and conversations, we moved to our outdoor table. Using the seasonal produce from the fields below our restaurant, Tamarindos serves up recipes that have been handed down through generations. Dish after dish, the fresh flavors shone. Roasted peppers with a pepper sauce and sesame seeds. Chopped up pistachio was mixed with the goat cheese and served with tender beets and cherry tomatoes. Fresh green salad perfectly topped with a balsamic dressing Lamb Barbacoa with grilled vegetables and sweet potato puree which we wrapped up in handmade blue corn tortillas Freshly grilled tuna Grilled prawns And then for dessert, we enjoyed freshly made churros, flan, and fruit popsicles. And we finished off the meal with some La Venia Mezcal. A beautiful evening and a wonderful meal but I have one tip when leaving the restaurant! Friends who had a rental car offered to drive us back to our hotel. We turned on Google maps and started following the “faster” way home. Unlike our taxi driver who had wound through neighborhoods, we ended up on dirt roads that led us to a dry river bed and got caught in the sand. After a few minutes of laughter as we tried to push the car to no avail. Luckily two local men drove by, got out of the car, and helped push us on out of the sand pit and back onto the road. What a memorable ending to a fabulous night!