Eating BIG in Cabo

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties 
- Bachelor Party in Cabo San Lucas

For as much as I love Mexico I never had much interest in visiting Cabo San Lucas but friends come before food so I made my way there to celebrate the marriage of an old friend last March. With Cabo being a big time resort city it’s more-so known for its beaches, water based activities and nightlife than it is for its food. But it’s still Mexico and it’s also in Baja which has an incredible food culture thus there’s still good food to be found for those willing to leave the resorts. Here’s where to find it.

Sights from Cabo

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El Arrecife

First stop in town was a rooftop mariscos bar called El Arrecife. “The Reef” caught my eye when I saw they were serving Callo de hacha which means scallop in Spanish. This specific breed of bivalve is known for its hatchet-shaped shell and is commonly found in the Sea of Cortez and used in various dishes like ceviche, tostadas, and aguachiles - they serve a super fresh version here. It’s sweet and tender and a bit more intense than a regular scallop in terms of the ocean flavor it gives off.

Callo de Hacha at El Arrecife
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Birreieria Los Paisas

We just so happened to be passing Birrierria Los Paisas which was packed with locals so we decided to stop in and get a taco. They had a huge pot of beef birria cooking out on the open and it smelled so good and there was an empty table right in front allowing us to pop right in. I got a quesabirria which went from good to really good when dressed with all the salsas and condiments that it came with.

Quesabirria at Birreieria Los Paisas
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Salvatore G's

Next stop was not my call but I’m including the details on Salvatore G's in case any of my readers have to play along with a meal from here. This is where the bachelor and his uncle with a house in Cabo wanted to go for our first dinner. A few of us weren’t happy we were eating Italian food on the first night in Mexico but we played along. “Uncle Bob” ended up doing most of the ordering which ended up being entirely too much food for a group that was more interested in drinking than they were in eating. Honestly I thought this place was pretty mid but both Uncle Bob and the bachelor liked it as did one of the bachelors friends from Arizona who called it the best pasta he’s ever had. I got a nice laugh out of that and did enjoy the mound of lasagna so it wasn’t a total loss in terms of a nice meal.

Lasagna at Salvatore G's
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La Esquina Choyera 1

The next morning I was asked to find a legit spot for a real Mexican breakfast to make up for dinner the previous night. I found us a spot away from the hustle and bustle in a quieter part of town. La Esquina Choyeria 1 is a real locals place. It's basically the Mexican equivalent to a diner. I finally felt like I was in Mexico when we sat down in the open air dining room. Even though Cabo is all the way south in the local food scene here reflects the North in terms of the common dishes you’ll find at local establishments. The menu at La Esquina Choyeria is made up of burritos, empanadas, quesadillas and Huevos with options like Machaca and chorizo as far as the fillings go. I got a couple of burritos which are the classic Norteno variety made up of a slick lard laced flour tortilla spread with beans plus the filling of your choice. Size wise these are like large tacos and not the huge burritos we’re used to in the States. Both the Machaca (dried beef) and the desabrada (shredded beef) hit the spot.

Breakfast Burritos at La Esquina Choyeria 1
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Los Cabos Fish Tacos

Let’s say you’re stopping thru Cabo on a cruise and you only have time to seek out one spot - make it this tiny taco stand hiding behind the marlin statue at the marina. The menu at Los Cabos Fish Tacos is small but mighty. Everything is cooked to order with cheese quesadillas joining grilled or fried fish tacos served on wonderful made to order corn tortillas. Baja California is home to many great fish taco stands and Los Cabos Fish Tacos is among the very best. The tacos here are served bare and meant to be dressed at the salsa bar which is loaded with a bunch of different topping options including a few different types of cabbage plus lots of salsas. Fish tacos are a daytime snack so this place makes for a great lunch. These might’ve been the best tacos I ate on this trip which included a stop in CDMX.

Fish Tacos at Los Cabos Fish Tacos
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Tacos Marissa

When the fish taco spots close for the day, the grilled meat spots open. Tacos Marissa specializes in steak which is grilled over charcoal in their open kitchen. You can try the flame grilled bistec in a variety of ways including these awesome little grilled burritos they make stuffed with meat and cheese called ‘Chuy-Kun’. As I mentioned earlier the food in Cabo reflects that of Northern Mexico so the tacos here are served on flour tortillas. Whatever you get here make sure to pair it with a cup of the Frijoles Alterados which are charro beans with carne asada and cheese - simple but sensational. 

Snacks at Tacos Marissa
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Taqueria el Paisa

Taqueria El Paisa is located right in the middle of the chaos in Cabo so it’s a popular stop post drinks as it’s open until 3am during the busy season. I stopped in here a couple times when we were in the area as you can do much worse when you're in these parts. They slice the pastor to order and make a tasty batch of frijoles charros. You can also get a pretty good Vulcan here. Vulcans are similar to tostadas but the tortilla is grilled instead of fried and topped with meat and cheese resulting in bite that’s both crisp and chewy. If you must eat late night in the downtown area El Paisa should suffice.

Late Night Snacks at el Paisa
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Burritos el Miguelon

Burritos el Miguelon is another good option for a locals breakfast. I came here with a few others and we all ate well on the cheap in the form of breakfast burritos, eggs with Machaca, and Chilaquiles.

Burritos at Burritos el Miguelon
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Mi Compa Chava (Todos Santos)

Our group took a daytrip to Todos Santos where a few of us were able to sneak away from lunch at the tourist trap that is Hotel California for some of the freshest and most flavorful ceviche and seafood tostadas in all of Mexico. Mi Compa Chava was about a 15 minute walk from the main square in a very residential part of town. It's very cliche to say eating somewhere felt like being at someone's house but this open air restaurant sits in the backyard of the family that runs it so it really is like going to somebody's house. The kids were even running around in the yard right next to the dining area. We started off with some fantastic mixed seafood tostadas before moving onto two different types of ceviche. First up was the Pescado Especial which was made up of different types of fish, cucumbers, peppers, and more. This was one of those dishes where your eyes roll back a little bit upon first bite. That's how good it was. It tasted about as fresh as it gets and it only got better from there.

Mixed Ceviche at Mi Compa Chava

The Ceviche Lavantamuerto is the best ceviche I've ever had and I just got back from a trip to Peru. It came recommended by our waitress when I asked in Spanglish what the specialty of the house was. As far as I could tell it was a mix of thinly sliced fish with equally thinly sliced red onions and jalapenos all mixed with a darkish red sauce - likely a combo of soy sauce and Maggi Jugo. "Levantamuertos" or sometimes spelled as two words, levanta muertos, translates to "raises the dead" and is a Spanish colloquial term, primarily used in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, for hangover food. Mi Compa Chava is the type of spot that might get me back to Todos Santos. It's destination dining. 

Ceviche Levantamuerto at Mi Compa Chava
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El Mirador (Todos Santos)

We spent a good chunk of the day hanging out at Faro Beach Club in Todos Santos and that was a ton of fun. They had a pool and all sorts of lounging opportunities right there on the beach plus bartenders to serve you whatever it is you want. From there we had dinner plans up the mountain at El Mirador. It started off wonderfully as we had drinks and good times while watching the sunset over the ocean but I suspected something was off when everyone but us left once the sun went down. We were the only group of people eating there. The truth is I feel like this is the type of spot you come to for a drink and then go elsewhere for dinner. I thought the food was average at best. We got a grilled fish dish that just wasn't all that well cooked. I could tell the temp of the grill was low just by how it looked. I had a creamy seafood pasta that was very average as is but not bad when I added the salsa macha they had at the table. The company and the views here were great but the food was just ok. 

Grilled Fish at El Mirador
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El Pollo de Oro

The smell coming out of El Pollo de Oro pulled us in for some ribs and chicken. We managed to grab a table right before the lunch rush which seemed to be mostly locals. Both of the grilled meats were good as expected at these Mexican grilled chicken shacks commonly found throughout the country. The chile rellano was a pleasant surprise. This place is just a couple blocks off the strip and worth walking over to for lunch one day if you want some stick to your ribs type of food - no pun intended.

Lunch at El Pollo de Oro
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Los Claros

Los Claros is commonly mentioned in the conversation of the best tacos in Cabo so I marked it down as a possible stop and we ended up making it here for a snack on the last day. This place specializes in Tacos estilo Sinaloa which means plump fried shrimp paired with rich and savory smoked marlin and so forth. Not the best seafood tacos I’ve had but they hit the spot as far as a quick snack goes.

Seafood Tacos at Los Claros
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Tabasco Beach Bar & Restaurant

We did a ton of beach lounging on our last day in Cabo and that included taking a long walk from one end to the other and seeing what was going on. We met up as a group at Tabasco Bar & Restaurant as a friend of a friend insisted we stop in for some cerveza and the shrimp tacos that he and his wife stop in to get every time they come to Cabo. These tacos ended up being a good metaphor for a trip to this very touristy part of Mexico. Chopped up shrimp is mixed with peppers + onions in toasted flour tortillas and they it the spot as the setting was spectacular and the company kept was wonderful. 

Shrimp Tacos at Tabasco Beach
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Mother Flower

The restaurant scene in Cabo seems to be lacking in the creativity department. There’s just not a lot of spots doing interesting or at least elevated takes on the local cuisine. Mother Flower was the one exception I found to this. It’s a trendy but casual place with good sunlight and a cool open air kitchen parked right behind the bar where they make very good drinks. It feels like a Southern California spot. The menu is mostly made up of tacos but there's also items like clam chowder, burgers, lamb chops, and seafood pasta. Clam chowder is commonly mentioned in online reviews and it caught my eye seeing as how it’s not a dish you commonly come across at a Mexican restaurant. But it’s served with Salsa Macha drizzled on top and that intrigued me. It ended up working really well as Salsa Macha tends to do when used with a creamy base like clam chowder. The soup itself was a classic version that I think most New Englanders would be happy with. As far as the tacos go they were also excellent. The fish and steak tacos are about as good as you’ll get in Cabo and octopus tostadas are a must. I feel like Octopus can be hit or miss but these tostadas with chopped octopus, smoked oyster pate, avocado, and salsa macha were a big hit with the table. We walked in around opening time but you might want to get reservations here as it’s not a huge space and it’s rightfully popular.

Dinner at Mother Flower
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ICYMI:

Eating BIG in Baja (2016)

Eating BIG in Riviera Nayarit (2020)

Eating BIG in Mexico City (2025)

See ya next time @chibbqking

'atta girl

-Grubbing in Chicago
French-Canadian Favorites reappear in Logan Square

As some of you may remember I declared Logan Square the best food neighborhood in the city last year and that remains true here today. While restaurant closings have hit the neighborhood pretty hard over the last six months there’s no sign that the openings are slowing down. When Dos Urban Cantina (RIP) closed last June, ‘atta girl was open in the same space by the beginning of December. 

Recently Opened in Logan Square 

At first it was a joint project between the Table, Donkey and Stick team and a chef that calls themself “Bunny.” Chef Bunny was a chef at Cafe Marie Jean in Humboldt Park which closed in 2020 after a five year run in which they drew a cult like following for delicious French-Canadian-ish comfort food. The good news is many of the dishes on the menu at Cafe Marie Jean are now being served at ‘atta girl but the chef that calls themself Bunny has already left after an unknown dispute. According to the TDS team the kitchen is still being ran by many of the same cooks from Cafe Marie Jean who also worked under Bunny during their short collabo at 'atta girl. I’ve dined there a few times since it’s a short walk from my spot. The most recent of those visits was after they announced Chef Bunny was no longer a part of the operation and I didn’t notice a difference in anything. It was the exact same staff as when they were there as far as I could tell. I didn’t notice anything different about the beloved ham, butter and pickle sandwich that starred at Cafe Marie Jean either. It was as luscious as it’s always been with every ingredient of it coming from the top shelf of the respective food groups. 

Ham, Butter, Pickle at 'atta girl 

On my previous visit in they were out of that ham and butter sandwich due to a busy weekend but that ended up being a good thing as it forced me to try the burger. It wasn’t really on my radar but after trying one it’s become one of my favorite burgers in the city. It’s a single smashed patty with smoked tomato jam, butterkase, thin sliced onion and housemade pickle on an everything bun. The smoked tomato jam plays so well off the beef as do the onion and pickle. It’s the most surprised I’ve been with a burger in some time in that I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. Chef driven burgers often fail to hit the way this one did. It was both beefy and smoky and it was greasy in a good way. 

Cheeseburger Marie-Jeanne at 'atta girl 

When I first heard there was a connection between ‘atta girl and Cafe Marie Jean I had my fingers crossed that the meat and frites dishes from CMJ would be included on the menu at ‘atta girl and of course they were as creations like the duck frites were one of the biggest draws to CMJ. So far I’ve had the chance to try both the smoked duck and the smoked chicken. I slightly preferred the chicken as it was a bit juicer and more substantial although the duck does come with a few pieces of foie gras pate sitting atop a plate of perfectly cooked fries. It’s all drenched in a semi sweet French style gastrique sauce which at it's core is caramelized sugar mixed with honey, wine and or vinegar. The sauce is outstanding and takes everything up a notch. It’s warm you up comfort food on the coldest of winter days so now’s the time to go. Although do be aware that the service seems to be a mixed bag, ours was fine on my three visits if not a little bit nonchalant but at the end of the day the food that I’ve had from here is reminiscent of Cafe Marie Jean and maybe the service is too. They also do brunch Sat.- Mon. and you can get the frites or more morning forward options like a breakfast sandwich. 

Smoked Chicken and Frites 

'atta girl
2829 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
Website

Nomonomo Japanese Pub + Grill

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Japanese Pub Grub in Logan Square

As we all know by now 2020 messed a lot of stuff up. Particularly in the restaurant industry. But three years later and we’ve got a little bit of normalcy back though it’ll likely never be quite the same. The pandemic forced lots of spots to close and many of them never reopened but Nomonomo Japanese Pub is no longer one of them. It first opened amid the pandemic and closed not too long after that.

Recently Opened in Logan Square 

If you're familiar with Ramen Wasabi this is its sister restaurant along with Menya Goku on Montrose too. I got to go once during its first iteration but it was all to go so all I had was a bowl of Niku udon that hit the spot on a cold winters night. I had looked forward to returning for more but they eventually closed and the space sat empty for more than a year if not longer. I pass by it all the time since it’s a short walk from my house and I always wondered if and when they would return and if not when another spot would move in. Then out of nowhere I passed by one day and they were suddenly open again. I was excited enough to go over there a day later and try some of the skewers and also the udon. They also have small plates featuring a nice selection of Japanese bar food. But it’s the skewers grilled over binchotan charcoal and udon that dominates the menu. We started with a few skewers including a shishito slathered in tare sauce on the rec of our waiter plus a few of the chicken options and a couple specials including a Tsukune (ground chicken) stuffed with cheese. I liked them all and have been back a couple times since my first visit. This is a good spot for solo dining. 

Yakitori at Nomonomo Japanese Pub

I like the fact that they decided to do udon instead of ramen since you can just go next door if you want ramen. Udon is becoming really popular with places that specialize in it popping up across the country. I fell in love with udon on a trip to Japan. Having enjoyed their Niku Udon before I figured the other udon options would be good here and they were. My recent visit was on a hot day so I focused in on the broth-less udons by pairing the Mentaiko Udon with their yaki udon mixed with kimchi and pork. I preferred the Mentaiko udon which is made by tossing a spicy cod roe into the housemade udon noodles. You get a little bit of heat mixed with the taste of the sea. It packs a nice umami punch. I liked the yaki udon too but it was wetter than I would’ve liked. The little bite size pieces of pork were tender and the kimchi was crunchy while the noodles were slightly chewy which is how they should be. I'm really glad to have this spot back as it's a great place to go when I don't want to go far even though I would happily drive here if it wasn't near. But like I've said on the site before, Logan Square is the city's best food neighborhood and it just keeps on getting better. 

Mentaiko Udon / Yaki Udon 

Nomonomo Japanese Pub
2115 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 697-4286
Website

Roadfood in Southwest Wisconsin

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Exploring Wisconsin's Driftless Region 

In my opinion the Midwest is at it's best during the summer months when you can really take full advantage of the Great Lakes and such. But fall is wonderful too when the colors start to change and cider donuts start to pop up at roadside stands and the likes. These are the best times to jump in the car and take a ride around a region typically considered a flyover zone. I did so recently with a weekend trip up to the Driftless region of Wisconsin which is a great place to visit in summer and fall. 

Pics from Wisconsin's Driftless Region

The area is a topographical and cultural region consisting of southwest Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois. It was never covered by ice during the ice age so it lacks the glacial deposits known as drift. It’s more like New England than the typical flatland of the Midwest. Our homebase was Cashton which is in the heart of Driftless Wisconsin located about 40 minutes east of La Crosse. The area is home to Wildcat Mountain State Park as well as the Kickapoo Valley Reserve plus a handful of cheese factories and Wisconsin's largest Amish community. It was pretty cool getting to stay at an Airbnb on a corn farm in the middle of it all. The towns of Viroqua and Westby were 5 and 10 minutes away and each of them are cute places worth staying in if you can find the right spot. Popular activities in the area include some super scenic drives through the rolling hills and canoeing, trout fishing, hunting and some snowmobiling during the winter. It’s also a great replace to sit back and relax. There was something very soothing about sitting on the porch of the airbnb and listening to the sounds of the Amish horse buggies riding by. Oh and the summer sunsets are absolutely spectacular in these parts.

Sunset in Cashton

Food wise this is a pretty desolate area and with that your options are a bit limited. But La Crosse (Pop. 52,000) is close and each little town has a handful of places plus there’s some great butchers and grocery stores carrying locally grown produce. We cooked a meal or two at our place each day after stopping in at Prem Meats in Spring Green and Mr. B’s Smokehouse in Hillsboro on the way up. We got some high quality stuff including steaks, brats, ground beef, bacon. The Viroqua Food Co+op grocery store was a pleasant surprise for local produce and quality products. Plus local farmers sell their stuff at roadside stands and such. You can also stock up on cheese at handfuls of creameries each of them producing something that's won awards somewhere. I should make note of the curds from Old Country Cheese in Cashton which are the squeakiest I’ve ever had. The key to these is staying away from the curds they keep in the fridge and buying the packages on the table up front. The squeak is at it's peak when the curds are at their freshest so you want ones that are still warm.

Pics from the Driftless 

Activities wise we got rain on a couple days but managed to check out most of the popular outdoor spots the highlight of which was a cruise down the Mississippi River from La Crosse into Prairie du Chien. I’ve always been fascinated with river towns especially those on the Mighty Mississippi and we had perfect weather that day. There’s plenty of state parks and places to sit on the river as well as some cool bars and restaurants found up and down both sides of Minnesota and Iowa and Wisconsin.

Pics from the Great River Road 
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Ring's Bar (Plain, WI)

First up was a return to Ring’s in Plain, WI. One hour northwest of Madison on the outskirts of the Driftless Region. It's one of a handful of candidates for my best burger in the state, and the country by extension. What makes these great is the old school broiler device used to make them. That and the fact the beef comes from directly across the street from Straka Meats. Also of note is the locally baked bun that’s soft but stable enough to hold all the liquid that seeps into it. These are thick and juicy and come with a hearty slice of Wisconsin cheddar plus house pickles, onion, brown mustard. Since 1951.

Cheeseburger at Ring's Bar
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Footjoy Farm (Cashton, WI)

It was a Friday Fish Fry when we drove up but the Driftless Region is home to a handful of pizza farms which are popular on weekends in the warmer months. So the truth is the best fish fry's are closer to the Great Lakes and not all the way over here near the Mississippi where most spots serve cod and a few do catfish but there’s no signs of lake perch and few when it comes to walleye. So I decided to check out a Pizza Farm which are popular in these parts. They’re exactly as they sound. This one is also a brewery and the beer is very good but the pizza is why I visited. It’s a base of sourdough made with Ingmar Red and Edison White Wheat sustainably grown on their local farm. Most of the toppings are also locally sourced while the pizza options range from traditional to chef driven. I’m a purist with pizza but will venture out of my comfort zone at places like this so I landed somewhere in the middle as far as the style goes. A supreme is served up with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, red onions, and mozzarella cheese and I mean no shade when I say that it reminded me of what Digiorno Pizza wants to be. Don’t get me wrong I’d eat this again without qualm but I haven’t had a frozen pizza in a decade and it’s been longer since I ate a Digiorno but that’s what I thought of with this. Maybe it was the supreme toppings or bc this pizza was one of the sturdier versions I've come across in the same way a frozen well done pizza comes out. 

Supreme Pizza at Footjoy Farm
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Neuie's Vogue (La Crosse, WI)

La Crosse is a river town and a brewing town which means there's a ton of bars. I can't confirm this but someone there told me they have the most bars per capita but lots of spots lay claim to that fact. What I can confirm is that at one time La Crosse held the record for most bars on one street in the Guinness Book of World Records. Before riding down the Mississippi we got some breakfast at one of the towns many watering holes. Neuie's Vogue had a nice setup paired with a typical menu that included at least one item you wont find elsewhere, their famous Flash Burger. It's a hamburger steak smothered with mushrooms, onions, green peppers, jalapenos, bacon and cheesy hash browns. Pic'd below is the medium sized offering (the entire length of a full size dinner plate). You could tell this was cooked with care. I ate half of it and was stuffed. Wisconsin bar food is in a weight class all it's own. 

The Flash Burger at Neuie's Vogue
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Pete's Hamburger Stand (Prairie du Chien, WI)

One of the main reasons for my visit to the Driftless was so that I could revisit Pete’s Hamburgers in the Mississippi River town of Prairie du Chien (seriously). Where do we begin with this one? For starters it’s what I believe to be the 2nd oldest hamburger stand in the country dating back to 1909. They make the burgers the same way today that they did back then as the stand and it's old time cooking method is grandfathered in with the town. Fresh balls of beef are cooked on a steaming hot flattop in a puddle of water and onions unlike anywhere else. The end result is a flavor bomb of grilled onions and beef that can’t be beat. No cheese here as cheeseburgers weren’t a thing when they opened 113 years ago. You can add ketchup, mustard, or horseradish mustard but they’re best enjoyed in an unadulterated manner. It was twelve years between visits but they were exactly as I remember them to be - the best hamburgers. I don’t care if the price has almost doubled ($3.25 in 2010) I would pay double today’s price as there’s nothing else like these limited edition burgers available weekends only while the weather is warm.

Hamburger from Pete's Hamburgers 
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Borgen's Cafe (Westby, WI)

The word Westby is Norwegian for "Western City" and Westby Wisconsin is a town where many Norwegians first settled going all the way back to 1848. The town of just 2300 celebrates it's Norwegian roots with statues, gift stores and restaurants like Borgen's Cafe. I decided to try their homemade meatballs in gravy served with lefse on what felt like the first day of Fall. Lefse is a Norwegian style flatbread that can include riced potatoes as well as butter, milk, and lard. This was pretty good comfort food but not anything worth going out of the way for. The lefse was pretty plain. 

Meatballs with Lefse at Borgen's Cafe
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Rockton Bar (La Farge, WI)

Our final stop was another spot I was very much looking forward to checking out. Sunday Charcoal Chicken in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve is a thing and that's bc at the end of every week this bar in the middle of the Driftless Region grills up anywhere from 100 to 200 lbs of chicken attracting bikers, canoers, campers and locals alike. I was a bit disappointed that there was no chicken on the grill when I arrived but the smell of it was was obvious as was the taste which was full of smoke in a way that can only be achieved with live fire being used. The chicken itself was a really good quality but I wanted some jerk sauce or nam jim jaew to go with it. Charcoal chicken dinners have become popular in these parts and I’m pretty sure Rockton Bar is the reason why. It was rather dead on my visit around noon on a Sunday and I soon realized that was because the Packers were playing at 3:15p. 

Pics from Rockton Bar's Sunday Charcoal Chicken Dinner
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Note: Click HERE for a Google Maps Guide to all the spots featured in this post.

See ya next time @chibbqking