As we are spending more time in Todos Santos (and even more once our condo is built), we have been exploring restaurants. One of our recent favorites is Tre Galline. When told Sam Pogue of The CO-OP Baja, she recommended that we try Il Giardino as we love Italian food. Located on Calle del Huerto (the last right turn before you leave Todos Santos toward Cabo San Lucas), driving down a dirt road for about a quarter mile, you arrive at a parking lot and a small restaurant on a hill with views of the Pacific Ocean and all the way down the valley toward Pescadero. The restaurant has seating under a palapa as well as other outdoor seating with umbrellas to protect from the sun. Il Giardino Restaurante is surrounded by interesting trees and plants.

The menu offers a complete range of Italian fare including appetizers – bruschetta, focaccia, carpaccio, oven baked provolone and portobello mushrooms – salads, pastas, meats and seafood and pizza prepared in a wood-fired oven. We were presented with a basket of different fresh breads, oil and balsamic vinegar as well as three different salsas, while we looked over the menu. I ordered a glass of the medium-bodied white wine, which turned out to be Casa Anza Sauvignon Blanc from San Miguel de Allende and was very Chardonnay like (I will buy some it was so good). Beth had a Topo Chico.

For appetizers, I ordered the Bruschetta and Beth selected the special Caprese Salad with Burrata cheese. The bruschetta came with thin pieces of toast and was a huge bowl of large pieces of tomato smothered with garlic and olive oil – delicious. The Burrata on Beth’s salad was so light and creamy that she also loved it. We both ended up taking half of our appetizers home with use. For main courses, Beth selected the Fettuccine Gamberi, which had four large shrimp in a white wine and red sauce with tomatoes. I couldn’t resist the Fettuccine Limone in a lemon cream and vodka sauce with parmesan cheese. The lemon flavor was amazing. Despite being full, we had to sample the desserts ordering the special dessert of the day a Chocolate Fondant with ice cream. It was like a small volcano with melted chocolate in the middle.

When doing some research on the restaurant, I saw that it was created by Daniela Borghini. When we arrived, I had seen a woman interviewing a possible server so when we were finished I asked our server Jesus if I could meet Daniela. She came out to say hello. After telling her that Sam Pogue had recommended the restaurant, I asked her about her and its background. Daniela had originally come to Todos Santos 20 years earlier with her father, when it was a very small town. After a while, she decided to leave and travel and work through Europe. She returned to Todos Santos five years ago and opened the restaurant. Daniele indicated that they often have live events – with a Flamenco event coming up May 13 after they close for two weeks of vacation in early May.