The Perfect San Lucas Lunch

At La Panga Antigua Restaurant & Bar

By Anastasia & Derrick Grahn on Wednesday June 11, 2008

The three-course lunch, with three choices for appetizer and main course, plus a daily dessert for the price of $195 pesos from 12pm-5pm at La Panga Antigua Restaurant & Bar in Cabo San Lucas is simply a “must taste.”

Out of the organic field greens with roasted cherry tomato vinaigrette, Tostadas with smoked tuna and jalapeno-soy dipping sauce and soup of the day (Gazpacho), we both choose the Fish Tostadas.

The tender tuna was cooked perfectly, pulled into shavings and topped with little avocado cubes, atop a perfect bite-sized tostada chip. There were four delicious servings to a plate, set around the jalapeño-soy dipping sauce. The sauce tasted spicy with out the heat. The avocado was ripened to buttery perfection. The tuna was moist mixed with onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Each flavor held it’s own and blended into one of the best appetizers I have had in Cabo. Derrick kept calling it "killer" and was contemplating ordering more.

After clearing our appetizer plates, we were brought a breadbasket served with olive oil infused with sundried chilies. Again, great flavor without the heat. The basket was a welded metal fish, lined with a white cloth napkin. The bread was focaccia, laced with basil strips, along with a darker bread, possibly whole wheat. Both were served warm and fresh and both were quite tasty.

Next was the main course. We had a choice of catch of the day with basil oil over mashed potatoes and parsley, grilled flank steak with garlic new potatoes and parsley or grilled chicken breast in rich mole sauce over white rice and fried plantain. I choose the catch of the day, which was sea bass and Derrick choose the flank steak.

The sea bass was a nice thick cut of fish, cooked evenly throughout without being dry or over cooked and still remained tender. It was served over mash potatoes mixed with slivers of basil. The fish and mash potatoes were drizzled with pesto sauce. Along side was julienne vegetables sautéed in olive oil with a sprinkle of black pepper. This main course was light in taste, but proportioned well to the appetizers, leaving it perfectly filling, without my feeling stuffed.

The Flank steak was super-tender and flavorful; it was served with a roasted salsa and roasted small potatoes tossed in fresh rosemary and olive oil. Derrick is not much of a Flank steak guy, but was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this particular preparation tasted.

Next was dessert, nothing is better than finishing up a great tasting meal then a wonderful dessert. Dessert of the day was just... perfect. The corners of the plate had dusted cinnamon, the center was drizzled honey, on one side was a scoop of flavorful vanilla ice cream, lying on a bed of loose pecans. The main attraction was a warm chocolate mixture, with the taste and texture of melted fudge, cake and pudding, set within a little cornhusk, like a tamale. Derrick devoured his, before ending up fighting for a chance of my last couple bites. Even the garnish, a sliced strawberry and fresh mint leaf, were delectable.

The service at La Panga was some of the best we have come across in Los Cabos, especially during lunch hours. The waiters were wearing white jackets with fashionable nametags. Our meals were brought out in perfect time between courses. Each plate was served in unison. Our water glasses were always full. There wasn't a moment of awkwardness, we were comfortable and didn’t have to think.

The tablecloths were double layered, cafe over white. The silverware was of quality and flawlessly polished. The music was instrumental and set to a perfect level of volume, so as not to be overwhelming. The music, mixed with the ambient sounds of trickling water from numerous water fountains throughout the enormous and airy space, added to the overall experience.

This moment of great tasting food and comfort made for a truly relaxing lunch experience and the fact that we were in downtown Cabo San Lucas, made the experience that much more memorable.

The newly unveiled La Panga Antigua Restaurant & Bar location in Cabo San Lucas is airy, comfortable beautiful to look at and is authentically Mexican.

Next time you find yourself in search of where to eat lunch in San Lucas; we highly recommend that you give La Panga a try. And for $195 pesos, this lunch is a fabulous deal as well. And don’t forget, their original San José del Cabo location is just as memorable.

For more about La Panga Antiqua in Cabo San Lucas, click here.

By Anastasia & Derrick Grahn Editor in Chief and Publisher of Cabo Noche magazine and Hautter.com