During our day trip to scout Zoetry Parisio de la Bonita for an upcoming yoga retreat, we had the opportunity to experience dinner at their AAA four diamond restaurant La Canoa.
The restaurant is named for the canoes that are hung from the ceiling. It features a spacious layout with an open kitchen and ocean views. Indoor and patio dining are offered. The resort enforces a “formal” dress code for this restaurant. Ladies have a little more flexibility around this but men cannot wear open toed sandals or shorts. Jackets are not required.
When we arrived at the restaurant the hostess greeted us and offered a glass of champagne with your choice of a kiwi or a cherry before showing you to your table. There was no wait to be seated. We were presented with menus and offered still or sparkling water and wine. After making our dinner selections the waiter brought this amuse bouche of cheese with a melon relish over some sort of light crispy thing that I cannot recall exactly what it was. 🙂
The bread is served with fresh parmesan that is scooped out tableside along with olive oil and balsamic.
We skipped the bread in anticipation of the feast to come but enjoyed the parmesan.
The food presentation was beautiful overall and I appreciated the thought that went into varying textures and flavors in every dish. We started with two appetizers. These seared sea scallops were served over a cherry sauce with crushed hazelnuts on the side. The scallops were slightly undercooked and the sauce was a little too sweet but it was a good dish overall.
The wood-fire grilled octopus, on the other hand, was the best dish of the evening. I have to admit that the tentacles were a little mental obstacle but after my first bite I was over that. The octopus was served with a chimichurri sauce, a grilled spring onion, roasted beets and radishes.
The salads were noteworthy. This was a grilled pear salad with a melon sorbet, fresh peas and tender greens. The thing on top is some sort of fried cheese but I cannot remember exactly what.
And check out this beautiful watermelon salad! It was a layer of watermelon, some sort of sorbet, goat cheese and mixed greens. The contrast of textures, flavors and the cold sorbet were so interesting in this salad.
I had the sea bass over wilted spinach with polenta as my entree. The fish was slightly overcooked which kind of ruined the dish for me but the flavors and seasoning were good.
Dessert was truly special. First was this sample of assorted bites.
A flourless chocolate cake with ice cream.
And the shining star of the meal…the chocolate sabayon in salty caramel sauce with ice cream. This is one of the best desserts I’ve ever had in my life.
I have been so fortunate to have some really special dining experiences this year…an epic feast at RPM Italian in Chicago with my girlfriends (which I never blogged about and still feel like I should 5 months later…it was that good!), an intimate evening at The Ocean Room at the Sanctuary and now this meal at La Canoa. I love trying new restaurants and this has been a good year in eating!
What’s the best dinner out you’ve had this year?
