David Mandich
Artist, Author & Writer - Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Mexico
Articles about Cabo San Lucas and the Los Cabos Area by David Mandich
| La Dolce Italian Restaurant - For Better Bistro. Review by: David Mandich - December 24, 2003 There are two La Dolce Italian Restaurants in the Los Cabos area. One is in Cabo San Lucas, the other in San Jose del Cabo. I prefer San Jose’s venue for its outdoor dining under a canopy of trees wrapped in twinkling lights, flaming Tonga torches, the moon and the outdoor wood fired pizza oven. But the inside dining area is charming too. La Dolce Restaurant is located in a hundred year old brick, stone and plaster house fronting on the grand cathedral plaza in downtown San Jose del Cabo. One can gaze out the windows and see the elegant wrought iron white Victorian bandstand and classic church beyond, just yards away. The main dining room was once the salon for the home and has an ancient 3-D box tile floor, high-beamed ceilings, exposed brick walls, a room length bar, local paintings and more to make the diner feel comfy and ‘at home’. One doesn’t need to go to Italy to enjoy the ambience of a bistro, just downtown San Jose or Cabo. If you can’t get to San Jose del Cabo, by all means, don’t pass up the La Dolce Italian Restaurant located in downtown Cabo San Lucas! It has the same menu and with its several quaint dinning rooms and little street side patio dining area, it literally invites you to stay awhile, meet some friends and finish dinner over Capuccinos. The menu at La Dolce is replete with offerings of well-prepared light entrées sure to romance the palate of those wishing to savor the sauces and spices of Italy. Appetizers include traditional fare such as Antipasto Italiano, Calamari Trifolati (sauteed with garlic, white wine, capers, and red peppers). There are Carpaccios of fish or beef fillets, and plenty other delicacies to enjoy on your return visits. Salads (always a favorite of mine here) include several options such as: ‘Misto’ – with ham, salami, cheese, tomato, lettuce, tuna and olives and ‘Emanuele’ – mixed lettuce, grilled chicken, walnuts, raisins, with a honey mustard citrus dressing. I noted no less than seven different salads on the menu and having enjoyed them all at one time or another, they are in my opinion, well presented, fresh, interesting to the palate and half the price of most quality dinner house salads. The house main course specialties include traditional pasta dishes such as Tortellini, Cannoloni, and Ravioli. These pastas are hand made in the kitchen and served up with fresh homemade sauces. Some of my favorites are the Four Cheese Sauce and the Basil Pesto. Enjoy either sauce on fresh spinach and Ricotta cheese stuffed Raviolis and you will learn what it is that inspires Italian Opera, and why Maestro Pavarotti is such a gordo. Other entrees to choose from include: Filetto al Gorgonzola – beef medallions, sautéed in red wine, with Gorgonzola, and mushrooms in a light cream sauce. Memorable. Gamberoni – giant shrimp, butterflied, sautéed in white wine and lime or in olive oil with garlic and capers is sure to please fresh seafood lovers. There’s a quality basic rib-eye steak and another beef medallion dish, this one in a zesty pink peppercorn sauce. The Penne alla Rustica pasta dish is not-to-be-missed either. Medium shrimp, calamari, anchovies, red pepper, and onion in a light tomato sauce accompanied by unlimited baskets of warm Italian bread and butter. It was enough for two people and was so good I ate all myself, vowing to compensate by not eating at all the next day. Sure gonna miss that Christmas dinner. Pizzas are a leap beyond the ordinary at La Dolce, being wood fired oven baked with thin crust and a myriad of offerings and combinations of quality deli toppings. Select the D.O.C. (Gorgonzola, porccini and walnut) or the Quattro Formaggi (Mozzarella, gorgonzola, provolone and parmesan cheese) and you will experience some of the finest pizza this side of the Vatican. Desserts are simple fare here. Tiramisu, Flan, Apple Pie, Ice Cream and Coppa Italiana (not so simple). This final ´Dolce´ is a deadly Peach, vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup flambé. All are good choices, but being from the States, I have an Apple Pie obsession. I always order it warmed, and ‘A La Mode’. Imagine a large pie slice, lattice top crust, chock full of apple slices, with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream on top. This is county fair prize-winning pie! I close my eyes and indulge in cherished childhood memories of 4th of July picnics and rodeos in Oregon. Italy (and Mexico) seems so far away. But the role of a Bistro, (whether French, Italian, American or Mexican) is to be an unpretentious urban eatery and drinking haunt close to home, like home, and for many folk … ‘home away from home.’ At a Bistro, one may rub elbows with fellow travelers, artists, architects, judges, students or shopkeepers. La Dolce Restaurant is Italian comfort dining – (with apple pie) right here in Los Cabos. Review by: David Mandich - December 24, 2003 |
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico - Last Revision - 02 October 2003