BY SANDRA A. BERRY
As we sat in the lovely walled-in garden of Casa Martin on Thursday, February 9, I couldn’t help but think back to my childhood days of having a tea party out in a garden with my best friends, an umbrella overhead, enjoying the beautiful spring-light weather, not too hot, not too cold, just right, and nibbling on tasty morsels of food, while chit-chatting about nothing and everything. This was a grown-up party, of course, yet with all those trappings and much more. It was the perfect way for 80 members and guests of Los Cabos Tomatoes to celebrate an early Valentine’s Day.
Casa Martin is a hidden gem; part of the fun is getting there. Located on Lienzo Charro, a little dirt road, but what a thrill when you find it! It’s like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Casa Martin is the ultimate dream of Chef Roger Martin, who after more than 30 years in the restaurant industry, finally found this hide-away and since 2020 has made it his own creation. It shouts tender, loving care from the ancient wooden doors with an ornate lion’s head door knocker, to the brick walkways, down a few steps into an artistic enclosed garden of Eden with flora surrounding the interior of fountains, palapas, and Mexican art. Come for a romantic dinner for two, or with a group of friends for any type of celebration to dine in one of the private dining areas. Open daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., closed Monday. Call 624-143-4461 for reservations.
Julie Anderson, Director of Venues, welcomed the group and introduced both Chef Martin and his lovely wife and second-in-command, Rocio. She also brought out Manuel Pineda, Group and Events Manager, who gave us a warm welcome and mentioned that soon Casa Martin would be opening for breakfast. It is the hope of many of us old-timers in Cabo that eventually he will once again serve Sunday brunch reminiscent of the delicious array of brunch items he served at the Cabo Del Sol County Club for many years.
Every item on the menu for the day’s luncheon was worth a photo. We enjoyed two starters: Spinach Salad (spinach, arugula, dates, strawberries, caramelized pecans, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and balsamic raspberry vinaigrette) and a Corn Gazpacho (cold corn soup, heirloom tomatoes, crab meat, roasted bell pepper, avocado, and chives). Entree choices were Braised Short Rib Bolognese with pasta (braised and pulled short rib, tomato sauce, basil, and Parmesan cheese) or Chicken or Shrimp Enchiladas (roasted pepper, green salsa, local fresh cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, and pickled red onion) or Catch-of-the-Day (fresh fish, seasonal local harvested vegetables, farro, dill, and lemon mojo) or a Vegan/Gluten-free selection of quinoa, wild rice, roasted beets, green apple, almonds, fresh herbs, roasted peppers, spinach, and extra virgin olive oil. Dessert was to die for. Chimichanga de la Platano: fried banana and creme, caramel roll, mascarpone cheese, cinnamon, coconut and ginger sauce, and cinnamon ice cream. What a gastronomic experience!
A total of twenty-one guests, the most ever to attend a meeting, signed the guest register. They are listed here and where they originally came from. Brenda Crosbie and Sarah Poynter, who learned about us from the article in the Gringo Gazette, and Andrea Graham, all from Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Ina McLay, and Jean Reddy, both from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Suzanne Sager from Penticton, Helen Burgess from Vernon, Cristal Scheer from Victoria, Christine Goodison from Roberts Creek, all from British Columbia, Canada. Dorothy Kusbska was another Canadian from Toronto, Ontario. The following were visiting or originally from the United States. They were Susie King from Ketchum, Idaho; Linda Amell from Denver, Colorado; Reida Zappa, from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania; Kathy Schnautz from Austin, Texas; Sherry Bertolin from San Jose, California; Dawn Griffith from Salem, Oregon; and Sevina Silva from Auburn, Washington. Sheelagh Meiklem, also from Canada but originally from England, was also a guest.
The following were welcomed as new members by Membership Director, Marilyn Plank. They were Debi Bozanich, Jean Reddy, Sarah Poynter, Christine Goodison, and Kathy Schnautz.
Next to enjoying a tea party, women love to shop. We had the opportunity to take advantage of some of the beautiful hand-made creations by the ladies of Sarahuaro Foundation who brought items such as hand-made pillows, jewelry, tortilla cozies to keep tortillas warm, and many other decorative items. The pop-up shopping spree was conveniently located at the entrance to the restaurant so that everyone had a chance to browse on the way out. Edith Vizcarra, Director of Sarahuaro Foundation brought Andrea Manzanares as her guest to assist with the bazaar. They jointly announced the upcoming fundraisers for Sarahuaro — a Pirate’s Ball on Valentine’s Day and another event on Sunday, May 14, Mother’s Day.
Los Cabos Tomatoes is a ladies’ social and networking organization formed in 1991 and currently has 700 members on its roster. For information, contact loscabostomatoes@gmail.com.
