Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection is gearing up to debut the fully reimagined Cocina del Mar restaurant. Showcasing its new look and design this November, the stunning outlet will feature a new menu blending together the region’s fresh seafood with spins on traditional Baja flavors.
After arriving to a lantern-lit bar and lounge pouring up hand-crafted cocktails, diners will be welcomed by a cascade of oceanfront terraces where dinner will be served. There will be an outdoor exhibition kitchen where guests can mingle with chefs and taste coastal Baja cuisine and delicious cocktails alongside a wood-fired oven.
The new menu was designed by Executive Chef Guillermo Gomez with a focus on sustainably-sourced ingredients and fresh seafood from the Sea of Cortez. It includes produce from local farms like Tiki Cabo Organic Farm in Miraflores, Family Verdugo, Baja Farm Fresh in Pescadero and Granja El Carrizal. Diners will be able to enjoy an array of dishes including signature picks like Salt Crusted Totoaba Fish, prepared in the wood-fired oven with confit tomato, onion, corn and kale; and the Stone Steamed Lobster Tail with preserved lemon mojo and local herbs. Wash it all down with Baja-inspired cocktails like The Beach Drink, a sweet and refreshing mix of mezcal, fresh watermelon juice, basil leaves and cucumber; and Café de las, a traditional Mexican cocktail with spiced coffee, mezcal and marzipan cream.
“Jacques Cousteau called the Sea of Cortez ‘the world’s aquarium’,” said Guillermo Gomez, Executive Chef, Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection. “I am excited to take guests on an ocean voyage with creative twists on traditional Baja dishes set in our stunning oceanside setting. Our new Cocina del Mar will nourish guests’ body and spirit with the bounty of the sea and local farms.”
Like the new menu offerings, the restaurant’s design will incorporate the Sea of Cortez. Created by Milo Garcia of Los Angeles-based Studio Mai, Cocino del Mar will feature an earthy palette of decor, furnishings and table settings. All materials were sourced within a 500-mile radius of the resort to bring back regional elements like stone quarried from a nearby mountain top, natural woods like Parota and Jatoba and handmade textiles. Original tableware pieces were created by local designer Lorna Hankins of La Candelaria, a studio in a small mountain ranch village between Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos.
Guests will still be able to enjoy new culinary events and experiences at the resort including digging for chocolate clams, diving for sea urchins, seaside clambakes with local artisan breweries and pop-up winemaker dinners in the agave garden.
For more information, visit: esperanza.aubergeresorts.com