Palate Log: To eat or to touch the beach?

The elevator ride down was accompanied by pleasant smiles, and the walk to breakfast at Awacate, one of the restaurants I went to every day, made me think that greater happiness is only possible when you spend your mornings with the people you love. But for some extraordinary reason, I planned a solo trip.

At the restaurant where I would have breakfast, the friendly Mrs. Rosa was waiting on our table and offered me coffee, as she does every morning. She spoke about the different coffee varieties used in the restaurant, and we both agreed that our favorite coffee was the one grown in Oaxaca. However, Rosa, who has worked for years in the service department of the Viceroy Hotel, cautiously mentioned her fondness for other coffee beans with Mexican flavors.

The conversation overflows with passion about coffee. That excites me.

Rosa offers me Veracruz-style eggs with well-seasoned beans, and they bring back the taste of home even on days when I'm far away. The heirloom corn tortilla they use is so high-quality that it holds its shape when cut without crumbling or breaking the structure of the perfectly cooked Veracruz-style eggs. The bread, always a staple in my diet, arrives freshly baked, and as my friend Felipe González, the Food and Beverage Director, says, this is only possible with the care and dedication put into every ingredient used in the kitchen. The space is beautiful, but the dishes, which are what I love to enjoy, are what truly make my mornings at this spot in the Viceroy Hotel.

One day I had green enchiladas for breakfast, and another I ventured out for eggs with machaca, which I consider a real challenge, ever since a restaurant in Mexico City made me fall in love with such a northern dish. And since the day has plenty of time to eat and enjoy the sun, I had the opportunity to savor dishes from Nidito's new menu. The clams they served me with a street food salsa made my morning. I can't deny that I enjoyed a local beer accompanied by good conversation with the captain, the cook, and other friends I made while waiting in line. A lot of seafood on the table, but also a lot of warmth and abundance on the plate. I feel that the touch of Felipe's personality and the cuisine of Salvatore, the executive chef, result in excellent flavors, not only in the food but also in the service.

Few restaurants possess such energy and deliver such care in every moment of the meal. I'm sharing, just to brag, that I enjoyed a private session with a top-notch chef, Salvatore, who, in a burst of enthusiasm stemming from a good conversation, led me through the experience of making two Italian pasta dishes, which once again brought that silence that only comes from savoring a truly good meal.

At the Viceroy Hotel there is so much to eat, so much to enjoy, but since the days are usually short when one is on vacation, perhaps there wasn't time to eat more, but there was time to meet wonderful people, since I ran into chef Federico López, who was making a special menu at the hotel during those days and I had the opportunity to sit at his table, generating laughter and enjoying our favorite drink which is a classic negroni, which we enjoyed on the terrace at Cielomar, where the conversations turned towards laughter and anecdotes.

I believe an experience isn't complete if, upon leaving, you don't feel the desire to enjoy it again. That's why I try to interpret my emotions and understand everything that happened at the tables of this beautiful hotel. However, I fell into a bad habit of mine at seaside hotels. I only saw the beach in the distance because I became the eternal diner who never sets foot on the sand, but I did visit all the restaurants in this beautiful hotel, to which I'm sure I'll return as soon as I'm hungry again and long for a beautiful view in the magical city of San José del Cabo. And perhaps on a future occasion, I'll visit the beach, but in the company of a delicious meal and a sweet voice that allows me to savor these rich pleasures of life.