Tequila Sunrise

As promised,
I'm going to fill you in on our great find
in Todos Santos.

It's an amazing little restaurant
right across the street from
The Hotel California.

We'd been tipped off by a shopkeeper
that it was "the" place to eat
butI have to say that when I saw
the sign on the wall
"Tequila Sunrise whit the exquisite
and authentic mexican cuisine flavor,"
I was a little skeptical.

Ooooh,
was I in for a surprise.

First of all, it's colorful.
Fun.
Casual,
warm and friendly.


As you can tell from the backlighting,
it's open to the street
but there are ceiling fans to keep
the air circulating.

There were flat screen tv's tuned that day
(09-09-09)
to the U.S. Open Men's match going on.

Every table was filled, I think.
Quite a statement to fill the tables
to capacity at lunch
in a sleepy little town.

There's a bar where the margaritas are mixed from scratch
prior to being whisked to tables

and of course the colorful sign
advertising Margarita options
hangs over the bar.

After getting recommendations
from our waiter and the owner,
a genial host,
we each went with one of the chef's specials.
For drinks, Sarah chose a mango Margarita
and Adrienne and I bravely chose the house specialty:
a Damiana Margarita.

For those of you who like me
hadn't ever heard of Damiana,
it's a liqueur that's supposed to unleash female sexual power.

After my dry spell,
pour me a couple!
Do they come with men on the side?

Once the drinks arrived,
the food started coming,
right after I discovered that my little travel camera
has a "Food" setting.

First chips and salsa. . .

and then a delicious simple salad made,
we were assured,
with fresh organic produce.

And for my main course

a scrumptious chicken breast stuffed with Mexican cheeses
in a savory sauce and topped with more cheese and pomegranate.
Did I mention the sauce is a reduction (but I can't remember
what was in it) ?

Isn't the presentation amazing?

Sarah and Adrienne had equally beautiful food,
but I didn't want to make them wait while I took photos
of their plates.

After flirting outrageously,
the owner presented us with a slice of flan to share,
an offering from the chef.
I think he liked it that we each chose a different special of the day.

Oh heaven on a fork!

I managed a bite or two,
even though I had the owner box up about 2/3 of my chicken
and save it for me until we were ready to leave Todos Santos.
Does heat and high humidity kill your appetite too?

(When they couldn't find it in the fridge a couple of hours later,
they insisted on cooking me a whole new entree to replace
my leftovers, even though I strenuously protested that
it wasn't necessary).

Before we left,
the owner
insisted that we get in the swing of things

and leave our autographs.

Adrienne chose the place
and made our mark.


Right on the sign
that hangs above the bar.

So if you ever venture
into Todos Santos,
find the "not-of-Eagles-song-fame"
Hotel California,
then head directly cross the street
for a gustatory delight.

Tequila Sunrise.

We were there.
Best food we had in Mexico,
hands down.