Driving from our home in Zacatitos to San Jose del Cabo, for several years we watched the construction of a unique compound just before the roundabout going to Puerto Los Cabos from the East Cape Road.  We watched unique building be constructed, large sculptures being placed, and a gate and guard house being added.  There were rumors that it was going to be a cultural center.  We were surprised to learn that a magnificent new restaurant –Ballena would open at the top of the property.  Walking into the restaurant, you have a perfect view of the marina and the sunset.  There is both outdoor and indoor seating, each with their own well-equipped bar.  On the outdoor deck, there is a fire pit and a huge stainless-steel looking sculpture representing Pi, a mathematical constant, approximately equal to 3.14159, that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.  It is said that planes landing at the International Airport in San Jose del Cabo can see the reflection of the sun off of the globe.

I was led to table in the indoor section of the restaurant, which has floor to ceiling windows, letting diners see the Sea of Cortez and the sunset from their table.  The hostess offered me a menu and my server, Abraham asked if I would like some water and offered a grapefruit, lemon, lime, or orange slice to add some flavor to the water.  The wine steward, Raul asked if I would like a glass of wine and showed me their table with a special wine app that allows you to select your wine by varietal, country, or simply type – red, white, sparkling, rose.  I asked for a glass of Chardonnay and he brought me Natal from the Valle de Guadalupe.

I sipped the wine as I had an opportunity to review the menu.  Defying easy categorization, the menu is truly international with a mediterranean influence.  The starters included Tuna Tartar, Lobster Rolls and Beef Carpaccio as well as three different salads.  You can also begin with a Taco – shrimp al pastor, suckling pig with caviar of mustard, or beef filet.  The main courses range from pastas to Chinese and Thai influenced wok dishes to fish, octopus, chicken, steak and even a lamb burger.  It made the choice very difficult as I wanted to be able to sample a wide range of their dishes.  During this review of the intriguing menu, I was brought an amuse of beets, radish and greens on a small tostada.  It was delightful.

I decided to have the Tuna Tartar to start, followed by the Caesar Salad and finally, the Catch of the Day – snapper prepared Adobo Tikin Xic.  The Tuna Tartar has layers of fresh tuna, with a lemon-lime flavor and a separate bowl of crispy won ton tostadas.  It was very good.  I only ate half (taking the rest home) in preparation for my large meal.  Casa Ballena’s take on the Caesar Salad is a little different as the romaine lettuce is grilled and along with the Caesar dressing, the chef adds a little chipotle to give it a touch of spice.  It is also covered with freshly grated parmesan cheese and croutons.  A unique and interesting preparation of this traditional Mexican dish.  My main course, the Huachinango Adobo TikinXic was delicious. The fish was juicy and flaky, the adobo sauce and pickled onions added great flavors, and it was served with a small bowl of rice.

The Chef, Carlos Breton came out greeting guests and asked me how I had liked the meal.  I said that it was excellent and asked about his background.  We shared our common experience with restaurants in Playa del Carmen and I learned that he was trained as a mediterranean chef and had worked both in Cancun and in Texas.  He indicated that they were still working on the menu and that they were considering adding pizza – would I like to try a slice of the one he was preparing.  Of course, I said yes.  Chef Carlos brought me a small slice of pepperoni.  The tomato sauce was excellent (not acidic) and the crust was very good.  It will make an interesting addition to the international menu at Casa Ballena.

The Grand Opening of Ballena was held on December 6^th with great attendance in the outside dining area of the restaurant.  Guests were greated as the entered the dining room and offered a variety of different drinks – champagne, beer, cocktails – and servers passed a number of different canapes to the guests – tuna tartar, edamame hummus, mini lobster rolls, mushroom arancini, shrimp tostadita and a teriyaki bao bun.  The trio, The Delorean Band played continuous music with a light jazzy flavor to pop hits with two guitars and great vocals by Pamela, the lead singer.  Servers were constantly checking to see if we needed another drink or some more snacks.  It was a great evening to formally launch Ballena in Los Cabos.

Casa Ballena is the first restaurant in Los Cabos by the Hunan Group based in Mexico City.  Grupo Huan has 24 different restaurants with diverse orientations since opening in 1993 – its original Chinese restaurant- Hunan, Japanese (Nobu in Mexico), Mexican, several Italian restaurants.  While most are in Mexico, they also have restaurants in the United States.  For more information about Grupo Hunan visit their website at https://www.grupohunan.com/eng/index.php