![]() ![]() Infinitely curious, he has few peers when it comes to culinary anthropology. And that’s where Manta stands apart because there is no greater student - or teacher - of Mexican gastronomy than Enrique Olvera ( renowned for Pujol in Mexico City). The arrival of Enrique Olvera’s Manta at The Cape in 2015 marked a profound recalibration of the area’s longstanding flirtation with Asian fusion.įusion gets a bad rap because most often it comes from a place of boredom - either the chef’s or the diner’s - rather than from a source of deep understanding of one cuisine or the other. Zarandeado style fish at Enrique Olvera’s Manta at The Cape in Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Pasilla chile and mushroom ramen at Enrique Olvera’s Manta at The Cape in Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Nopales and edamame at Enrique Olvera’s Manta at The Cape in Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)Īsian inspired chips and salsa at Enrique Olvera’s Manta at The Cape in Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)įresh local tuna served sashimi-style at Enrique Olvera’s Manta at The Cape in Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Soft-shell crab taco at Enrique Olvera’s Manta at The Cape in Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. But for right now, these four restaurants are the ones most authoritatively rewriting the definition of Los Cabos’ unique regional Mexican cuisine: Various chefs over the years have lurched the region closer to this moment. It makes sense its gastronomic timeline would diverge from the rest. Baja’s lower peninsula was Mexico’s last frontier. Mexican cuisine is inherently regional, and every notable locality from Oaxaca to the Yucatán has been influenced over time by cultures that have risen and fallen or simply passed through temporarily. Strong undercurrents of European technique and Asian ingredients endure. Today there are probably as many decent sushi bars between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo as there are Mexican restaurants of similar quality.īut what it means to eat Mexican food in Los Cabos is evolving rapidly. ![]() Although earnest, this local cuisine was almost always more French or Italian or even Japanese or Chinese than it was Mexican. It’s a term that become widely adapted and accepted as the region’s signature cooking style. Johnson)Īlthough a wide-reaching farm-to-table revolution swept through the lower peninsula in the early ’00s, the region’s culinary identity remained loosely defined as Mexiterranean, a clever moniker coined in the ’90s at the posh Rosewood Las Ventanas resort. Olvera’s culinary team offers a four-course tasting menu for $55, which is very reasonably priced, but we opted for an a la carte celebration.Enrique Olvera’s Manta at The Cape in Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. The name manta refers to manta rays, which swim in nearby waters, and to the Spanish word for canvas, symbolizing creative freedom. We sat at a wood-rimmed white table, immediately ordered a cocktail, our highway anxiety disappeared, and we managed to enjoy our standout dinner. The glass-fronted restaurant overlooks Cabo’s rock formations and a palm-lined, illuminated beach. Somehow, despite my questionable planning, we scaled repeated mountain passes and coasted into a gas station below the final incline, coasting to the pump on fumes.īy the time we reached The Cape, an ultra-modern Thompson property located past a guard gate at the end of a cul-de-sac, I had a sheepish look and was grateful I didn’t submarine my wife’s landmark birthday. I was hoping our dinner would be memorable, but the experience soon centered on a white-knuckle drive through the pitch-black night. Three small problems: I forgot to fill up our rental car’s gas tank, we had no cell phone reception, and I spoke minimal Spanish, which would pose a real challenge if we ran out of gas. We’d driven that route before and expected a relaxing 43-mile drive through the mountains. It was a straight shot on newly completed Highway 19 from Rancho Pescadero to Cabo San Lucas for my wife’s 40th birthday celebration at Manta, the modern Mexican restaurant with Japanese and Peruvian flourishes from vaunted chef Enrique Olvera.
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