Ruminations of an Expatriate

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Mi Casa del Mariscos

Saturday, April 7th, 2007

About the coolest place I happened upon during my visit to Cabo San Lucas is the Mi Casa Del Mariscos restaurant, which for you non Spanish speakers means My House of Seafood. Though the food was excellent, for me the building itself was the most impressive aspect of the experience.

The entrance to the building gives the impression of a nondescript, one-story well worn building, with a covered portal accessed by a short, semicircle drive that accesses two adjacent streets that converge at a corner. Once in the door, however, it becomes immediately apparent that there is much, much more to the building than is suggested by its exterior.

The entrance is flanked, symmetrically, by small jewelry and art stores accessed from the interior. The art store is in turn flanked by a fairly long registration desk.

Beyond the desk lays a room, with a octagonally vaulted ceiling with stained glass windows fitted in each of the eight sides. A fountain centered by a stone sculpted mermaid, vested in bright green moss, lies in the center of the room, directly below the apex of the octagonally hipped roof. The front wall of the room displays a shallow pond containing a maritime themed sculpture collage, composed of fish sculpted from sheet metal, stone sculptures, a magnificent piece of coral, and sculpted odds and ends.

The three steps down from the registration desk accesses the interior courtyard containing the dining tables and multi-colored dining chairs. The typical Spanish colonial courtyard structure consists of a series of what I believe are Roman arches. The arches support a second story consisting of a balcony, perhaps 10 feet wide, and rooms to the rear. The balcony provides additional seating arrayed along the wrought iron railing that provides protection from a fall to the courtyard below.

The restaurant is decorated with an odd conglomeration of pictures, paintings, chandeliers, religious art, sculptures, and ceiling fans of different vintages and styles, but it all seems to fit.
Each panel of the ancient wooden bar is illustrated and the bar is fronted by bar stools sculpted from all thread, large nuts and bolts, steel plate, and a variety of other materials. The second story is covered with a palapa roof in which the structural members are roped together, rather than connected with mechanical fasteners.

The food was very good. For lunch one day I had some very tasty tostadas with avocado, lettuce, octopus, shrimp, and pickled vegetables. Life Long Harborite judged the slightly customized clam chowder to be the best he’s ever eaten. For my final dinner in Cabo I ordered an equally delicious salad with breaded scallops.

If you’re in Cabo San Lucas be sure to stop in to gawk at the magnificent edifice, examine the artfully conglomerated decor, and to enjoy the fine food and drink.

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