After breakfast on our deck, N treated me for a massage on the beach. My massage at Bety’s was better than the one L took me to. N complained that her masseuse would stop massaging her to check her phone or talk to her colleagues. For this post, let’s listen to Q-Tip – Vivrant Thing.
N paid for the massages in US currency, but she gave 500 pesos and asked for 300 back, leaving 200 pesos for a tip. Her masseuse didn’t give her back her change until N reminded her twice. There was a long uncomfortable silence and her masseuse wouldn’t make eye contact until the manager came over and said to the masseuse with a shrug and a face, “That’s like a $3.50 tip.”
N was pissed. She told me later that 15% was a good enough tip for the massage she received. I calculated 200 pesos and that’s about $10 US, which is $5 a person. I thanked N for treating me and I said I hoped the manager’s remark did not ruin the experience. N said no it did not it just irks her when people expect more than 15% when the service wasn’t good. She said it angers her when she gets a coffee in Vancouver and the tip option is 18% and up. I told N to visit Japan, where there is no tipping.
On the way back to our condo, N bought fresh fruit from a vendor selling it from his truck. For a plate of assorted fruit, he charged $10 US. She gave him a $5 US tip.
N brought a special bottle of champagne to share with us – Belle Epoque Perrier-Jouet. I looked up the bottle and was shocked to see it sells for over $200 a bottle. I was relieved to hear that N didn’t buy the bottle herself. It was a birthday gift from her friend. I asked if she still hung out with him. She said no, not since he got a girlfriend. Dammit N. He sounds like a nice guy with very good taste. You should have given him a chance.
The bouquet was strong and a bit yeasty. The bubbles were soft and not as carbonated as I’m use to. The flavour was mellow and disappeared on the tongue with no aftertaste. To date, this is the best champagne I tried. Having said that, I would rather spend my hard-earned cash on Pol Roger, which is my new favourite splurge.
After we finished N’s champagne, we walked over to Tacos Gardenias for a late lunch. I ordered a lobster and shrimp quesadilla. The lobster meat was sweet and crunchy. The shrimp quesadilla was tasty, but nothing compared to the lobster version.
L preferred the grilled shrimp and fish over the battered version. The seafood at Gardenias is the best of the bunch we tried at other taco joints in Cabos. The pork taco was highly recommended by our server and L was impressed by it. Tacos are around 40 pesos and the shrimp quesadilla was 50 pesos.
N picked cactus and green peppers tacos and quesadillas. She raved about how much she enjoyed her lunch. L was surprised that N enjoyed Gardenias so much because she usually dines at high-end restaurants. I’ve known N since 2007. She likes fancier restaurants more than I do, but she’ll eat anywhere, as long as the food is good.
For our last dinner, N treated us to our favourite restaurant – Los Tres Gallos. The open air courtyard is beautiful. I like the lights and coloured flags hanging overhead.
N ordered Sopa Tortilla (150 Pesos * 3) – cheese and mushrooms in thick homemade tortillas. The cheese was chewy and luxuriously soft. One of the best things we ate on the trip. A must order.
For N’s main, she ordered Sopa Tortilla (150 Pesos). I ordered this two years ago and I remember not being impressed. She raved about the soup. The presentation is different from previously and it’s now a bigger portion with more ingredients. I took a sip and while it was good, it wasn’t worthy of her ecstatic compliments. I thought that perhaps because she’s a vegetarian, her expectations were lower than mine.
N enjoyed her margaritas (120 Pesos) so much, she ordered a second one. I thought this margarita was more refined and subtle than Monkey Business.
I wasn’t hungry so I ordered a Caesar Salad and shared it with L (260 Pesos). The salad is made table-side. Our server whipped up the egg with garlic and did a lot of lettuce tossing. Tasty, but I wouldn’t order it again because it tasted just like a regular Caesar salad but with more dressing.
Los Tres Gallos is known for their mole dishes. L ordered the Enchiladas de Mole Chicken (290 Pesos). L liked this even more than the mole chicken entrée he picked two years ago. The enchilada was made with shredded white breast meat. The sauce was rich and tasted of cocoa.
I’m pretty sure in 2020 when I reach my milestone birthday, N, L, Beep Beep, Veronica, Jughead and I will have dinner at Los Tres Gallos.
For our last breakfast, N and I walked over to Cabo Bakery . N ordered the grilled vegetable panini (155 Pesos) with a side salad and I ordered salmon lox on brioche bread ($130 Pesos). She loved the flavour of the salad dressing and the use of pea shoots. N could only finish half her panini and saved the rest for her dinner on the plane.
I didn’t realize my breakfast included two eggs. Had I known, I wouldn’t have ordered it because eggs over easy makes my tummy queasy. The scoop of horseradish went well with the lox and capers. I didn’t like how thick the red onion was sliced. The brioche was dry and the egg was too runny for me.
I ordered two sandwiches from Cabos Bakery to eat on the plane. The slender baguette of ham and butter was simple but good, as the quality of ham was excellent. The baguette itself was dry. The tomato, ham and avocado sandwich I ordered was soggy by the time we ate it, about 4 hours later. The bread wasn’t up to my standard – it was too light and without a nice crunch.
L has this tradition of eating at the airport before we fly home. This year was better than the last time we dined here. He ordered the deluxe guacamole – grilled cheese, pork rinds, guacamole and beans. Our neighbours hot wings and onion rings looked far better. Good to know for the next time.
Speaking of the next time, I’m bringing my own wine in 2020. Tourists are allowed to bring up to three bottles of wine in their checked luggage. The wine selection in Mexico is limited, and wines were generally marked up a third more than in Calgary.
Highlight – Belle Epoque Perrier-Jouet. Lowlight – N won’t date a nice guy with good taste in women and champagne.
Hitting the Sauce 