Located on Manuel Herrera up the hill from downtown Cabo San Lucas, La Vaca Tinta is one of our favorite places for steak in Los Cabos. The owners, Ulises and Estrella are truly dedicated to creating a great dining experience for their guests. Ulises has been a restauranteur for over 30 years. The restaurant has parking in front and seating both inside and outside, including a wine room for small private parties.

We were given our choice of tables outside in the covered courtyard and provided with the menu. The outdoor area is very pleasant with a mural along the back wall, a lounge area at one end and a small stage for the live entertainment at the other. The menu offers a wide range of items from appetizers, cheeses and empanadas to soup, salads, steaks, burgers, and more. Our server, Sebastian asked what we would like to drink as we looked at the menu. Ulises brought the specials available that day in addition to the regular menu to the table to show and describe them to us. There were several special cuts of steak – rib eye, chateaubriand, filet, sirloin, and more. As Ulises gets only US Prime meat and often, cuts the steaks himself, using trim pieces for hamburgers and even beef broth, he makes sure that his diners are only getting the best. Ulises is also a sommelier and strongly believes that diners should be able to enjoy a good wine with their meal at a reasonable price. La Vaca Tinta’s wine list has dozens of bottles of good wine for less than $1000 pesos.

It was not an easy decision. I had tried the Chateaubriand when it was a special before and it was spectacular so Beth and I decided to share one (they are very large). We asked Ulises to cut it in half so that mine could be cooked medium rare and Beth’s medium well. He agreed and actually showed them to me at the outdoor grill when he was about to prepare them with the wood-fired BBQ. Chris and Tracy, our guests who had just arrived from the UK decided to share the Picanha, a Brazilian steak that combines a top sirloin with a thick, flavor-enhancing fat cap. Along with our steaks we ordered a number of sides – baked potato, grilled vegetables, French Fries. We were brought the special steak knives to prepare for our meal. The portions were large, the temperature perfect for each of us, the flavors amazing and we had left overs to take home for the next day.

During our meal, Maria Jimenez serenaded the diners with great Spanish and English standards that helped make the evening even more specials.

Ulises had just added some special ice creams to the menu for dessert. There are several different flavors – pistachio, dark chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, silk and a caramel. We had one of each to share. What a way to end a meal!