I wanted to arrange a surprise birthday dinner for my wife Beth. As our daughter would be coming from Todos Santos, I needed to selected someplace in Cabo San Lucas. Casa Martin is one our favorite places in Cabo San Lucas, not only because of great food and service, but because of the very special atmosphere. Guests enter through a door cut in the middle of a large gate. The main dining is the courtyard of an old house with three special spaces as well as the open area patio. I arranged for everyone to arrive at 6:00 pm and told Beth that are reservation was at 6:15. We were joined by our daughter Chava, Bill and Tanya, friends who live in El Tule, and Tracy and Leann, two neighbors from Campestre.

Of course, Beth had a sense that some other people would be there as Bill and Tanya had just returned from Nova Scotia, but she was delighted to see everyone. Our server, Octavio gave everyone a menu with a cocktail menu and wine list for the table. He then asked what everyone would like to have to drink. Tracy and Leann had brought a bottle of red wine, which he opened and poured. Tanya asked for a glass of Chardonnay and Bill a Pacifico. Beth had mineral water and Chava enjoyed a glass of red wine, while I asked for a Diet Coke.

For appetizers, several people chose the Butternut Squash soup with shrimp (Chava had hers without shrimp). The soup was poured into the bowl at the table. Tracy and Leann shared a Caesar Salad. I asked for the Tuna Tartar, which was served with onions, avocado and tomato. The appetizers were delicious. After the appetizers, everyone was served an amuse – a four-cheese ravioli, which is a signature at Casa Martin.

For a main course, lots of different selections from the menu were chosen. Leann chose the Totoaba served with cauliflower hummus and organic vegetables. Tracy went for the Chicken Enchiladas. Beth and I both ordered the Breaded Chicken, which comes with angel hair pasta (which I didn’t have because of my high protein diet) and broccoli and tomatoes. Chava, a vegetarian ordered the Vegan dinner, a combination of hummus, farro, organic vegetables and nuts. Bill chose the Linguine Habanero with shrimp – he loves spicy food. Tanya decided on the Cowboy, a beef tenderloin with roasted potatoes and vegetables and a chimichurri sauce. Everyone was quite for a while as they devoured their entrées. While enjoying our food we listened to the excellent vocalist sing popular songs. A few drinks were refilled. The special device for aerating and measuring the glass of wine was very interesting.

After the table was cleared, Octavio brought over a special birthday dessert for Beth and vocalist came to our table to lead us in happy birthday. Then a few other desserts were ordered.

It was a great birth celebration with family and good friends. As always, Casa Martin did not disappoint. The food was excellent as was the service. Octavio did a great job of taking care of us with his team.