Our family's private chef experience with Chef Frank Aguirre for two nights in Cabo was simply mind blowing. This was the first time we hired a private chef but we are not naive to fine dining or Japanese cuisine. We have eaten at numerous 1 and 2 Michelin star restaurants, Nobu, Addison and coastal Japanese restaurants throughout the US and even in Japan. This dining experience exceeded all of them. The initial communication, the customization of menu, the intimacy of service, the variety and quality of fish were all first rate. I had very high expectations going into Cabo. Chef Frank FAR exceeded them. Just when I thought the first service couldn't get any better, it DID.
I told Chef Frank that we would like to experience his cuisine with fresh fish/seafood of the region and to just get whatever looked the best that day. Every night he would bring us fresh seafood from the boats on the marina: marlin, local hamachi, bonito, chocolate clams. I think our family of four (including two teenage boys) polished off 3 lbs of fresh fish a night. The second night we had like 10 courses. It was a 3 hour long extravaganza each night where he and his sous chef Nelson were making dishes from scratch including tempura, ice cream, blue corn tortillas. Literally: flour, eggs, water, tortilla press.
What really set apart this experience from other fine dining experiences is the opportunity to interact with the chefs themselves and eat right next to the kitchen in the comfort of your own place watching the Olympics, walking out onto the terrace, pouring your own beverages as you like. Sharing wine and conversation with the chefs throughout the night as they cook up dish after dish will be a memory that will stay with us for a lifetime. Chef Aguirre would customize each dish on the spot. You like this dish? Try it with this sauce now. You don't like strawberries? I'll make it with mango. Try a thin slice of habanero pepper with this. Let me deep fry some garlic chips for you to add. You really liked the taco? I'll make you another one. We have extra fish. Let me add another maki roll. Or another way new style sushi.
Chef Frank's culinary skill is truly extraordinary. His take on Mexican and Japanese fusion was exactly what we were looking for in Cabo. He never served the sashimi straight up (although I personally would have been fine with this). He always served it up in a masterful blend or combination or flavors and presentations. He has won multiple taco contests and let us sample two of his winning creations.
Just a quick rundown of dishes we tried (sample): wide variety and presentations of new style sashimi dishes, next level tacos (from scratch); tempura battered poppers, next level baja shrimp tacos, chorizo and octopus tacos with onion jam, pan seared cheese, assortment of maki rolls, cerviche, sashimi tostadas, beet tartare with goat cheese emulsion and burnt (at tableside) oranges, homemade gyoza in a Mexican chile and avocado sauce, japanese fried rice with fresh fish and grilled pineapple.
chocolate clams served two ways. I can't recall all the dishes from memory but this is just a sampling of what he served. Even the more ordinary-sounding items on the menu ended up being a great surprise. On top of that, his wife makes us homemade tamales for breakfast.
I must stop now. I can go one forever. The best value I have ever received from a food experience.