Week in Mexico Part 1

We are back to the states after a one week vacation at the Palmas de Cortez Fishing Resort in Baja California. The image is of the daily view I had as I relaxed and just enjoyed doing nothing (these are my feet) while the guys were out deep sea fishing.

Over the next few days, I will present in segments the foods we ate as fishing widows and the adventures we experienced.

Starting from the beginning, before our departure to Mexico, we met up the night before with P and R in Encinitas for dinner at the Sage Grill.

Our plans included flying out of San Diego International airport as the round trip fare to San Jose Cabo airport was $150.00 less per person than flying out of LAX. All six in our group were to be on the same flight. B and
C would meet us at the airport.

Back to the Sage Grill. Bruscetta sytle bread was brought to the table with three tasty spreads which I believe were cilantro, tomato and an olive spread. We started with appetizers of the Buffalo Mozzarella with Heirloom Tomatoes and Chili Lime Calamari. I ordered the "Black Eye", which is a marinated rib eye steak with blackened seasonings served with buttermilk battered onion rings. G ordered the "Miso Black Cod" which was pan seared with a miso-sake glaze served skwer style with vegetables. P ordered "Simply Pasta" (linguini) with Prawns in a parmesan cream sauce and R ordered the "Split Roasted Chicken" which was 1/2 a roasted chicken served with new potatoes and skewered vegetables.

An excerpt from a "Dining Around" review by Wolfgang Verkaaik published in the Union Tribune states

"Sage Grill features an all-day menu and offers a seafood bar and cocktail lounge, in addition to the dining room. Take a look at the seafood bar menu. Items from it make great appetizers, as well. Definitely try the delightful strawberry tartar (ahi sashimi, strawberries, avocado and Tobiko caviar), lobster spring rolls, or the incredible crab cakes. The regular menu also has some nice starters such as heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese won tons, salmon stack, brie and papaya quesadilla and fantastic thick-battered buttermilk onion rings. The menu has some fabulous salads like the chopped Asian chicken, a Caesar, or the spinach with goat cheese and bacon salad. There are several sandwiches, including a great blue cheese burger. Among the hot entrées, the big signature classic is the miso black cod, based on the same recipe from New York’s Nobu and London’s Zuma that has made this dish a worldwide sensation. The cod filet is marinated, and then pan-seared to melt-in-your-mouth precision and served in a balanced miso/sake glaze with skewered vegetables. Other great picks are the double-cut rotisserie pork chop with apple sage chutney and crispy skinny fries; spit-roasted chicken with new potatoes and vegetables; and black-eye steak with blackened seasoning and those sinful onion rings. Other picks such as tomatillo salmon, buttermilk fried catfish and the creative pasta options round out the menu. Pricing is very reasonable, from $9 to $24. The wine list is marvelous and, speaking of libations, try Sage’s incredible watermelon martini! Find the “wow” at Sage, 1506 Encinitas Blvd. Call (760) 943-7243. "

We did not order any of the seafood bar treats but discussed we would do this next time. We definitely enjoyed our entree and appetizer choices and we will most likely eat there again.

After dinner, we headed back to P and R's home where we spent the night. The next morning we planned to get up early and go out to eat breakfast on our way to the airport.

The best made plans aren't always successful. We arose and were ready at our stated time. We packed the van and headed to breakfast. We first thought to go to IHOP but it was away from the freeway. We then headed to Coco's. With a very sort window to enjoy breakfast, we noted that the wait staff at Coco's was limited and they were not going to be able to accommodate us quickly. We jumped back in the van and headed for the airport deciding we would have airport food fare.

The ride was uneventful except for some traffic and remarks from G that something was wrong with the van. Some increasing vibrations and the temp guage indicated overheating. We continued to the airport and we made it. After unloading, G headed to long term parking. When he returned he indicated that the van died just as he parked. Oh well, we'll deal with that when we get back.

Breakfast in the airport was not worth talking about. It was just a source of needed calories as we knew our America West flight would only include peanuts and we would not get to eat anything other than junk food treats until later that evening.