Villa del Palmar Haute Cuisine "Taste & Sip" Experience
By FBWorld Team

The beauty and serenity of Villa del Palmar at Loreto are difficult to portray in words, and photos are just a teaser to how unique a destination this resort located on Danzante Bay truly is. I was delighted to make a second visit to partake in an haute cuisine and wine experience "Taste & Sip" presented by the Villa Del Palmar staff and two outstanding vintners, one from Seattle, Washington and one from Guadalupe, Mexico.
Only a two-hour flight from Los Angeles, Villa del Palmar at Islands of Loreto it offers a wonderful weekend escape for vacationers. The short airport ride to Villa del Palmar offers views of outer Loreto, and countryside with lovely seascapes leading to the private resort that sits regally on Danzante Bay, featuring a serene private beach for guest enjoyment.

Chateau St. Michelle & Rondo Wine Hosts

Breakfast at the Market Restaurant is a cornucopia of delicious surprises, including special egg requests, freshly made pancakes with all the wonderful meat items, fruits, baked goods, Mexican sides of beans and vegetables along with hot and cold cereals, juices or smoothies and a variety of coffee drinks. I looked forward to chatting with the chef who prepared my perfect omelets each day.

Casa Mia Restaurant has flair and a varied menu. I so enjoyed lunch there twice; the first day was a fresh shrimp salad with spinach, lettuce, avocado, peppers, onion and a creme dressing paired with a refreshing Arnold Palmer. My second lunch at Casa Mia was a magnificent fajita of shrimp, peppers, onions, and cheese perfectly prepared by Chef Mauricio to savor with a unique Guanavana Margarita cocktail. This cocktail is made of fresh mulched guava juice, triple sec, syrup and tequila and is such a semi-sweet and delicious beachside cocktail.

Rondo & Chateau St. Michelle Wines

It was a pleasure to meet Joe Aschbacher, celebrity wine expert and national director of global accounts for Chateau Ste. Michelle and his wife, as well as Arthur and Olivia Cruz from Rondo del Valle Wines during a food & wine pairing overlooking the TPC Danzante Golf Course as the sun was setting. The second Taste & Sip Dinner was an Italian night dinner held in Casa Mia that was sensational and Chateau St. Michelle Wines including their outstanding, Rose, Mimi Chardonnay, and outstanding Erath Oregon Pinot Noir 2015 were served. The five-course dinners were both magnificent and kudos to the chefs and sommeliers who did such an outstanding job.

The Italian Night Dinner was spectacular and included cannoli with "pastor" style salmon over a corn tortilla with coriander and pasta sauce with corn kernels, followed by ravioli with grape veronica sauce and Granna Padano cheese crust. Entree of rib eye medallion and pork belly in purple basil sauce, and a beef medallion with foie grass and porcini mushroom in baked phyllo pastry on a bed of risotto. The divine dessert was Zuccotto with hazelnut cream and amaretto cream, passion fruit and crystallized mint paired with Frepe Catilli & Cognac.

Lamb Shank Entree

The final gala dinner at Danzante Restaurant included an appetizer of tuna 'tiradito' with guava sauce and sweet soy over cauliflower and radish and roast beef roll with fire roasted poblano chili pepper, fontina cheese over sweet almond mole, paired with Rondo Chardonnay Valle de Guadalupe. Course one was an outstanding mini-salad with gazpacho shot of clams and scallops with hint of bacon and black bean crouton.

Sorbet was served before the main course of lamb shanks, slow cooked in a charcoal hole and banana leaf, accompanied by adobo sauce of three chile peppers, baked potato, and organic vegetables, all paired with Rondo Rose. The astounding sweet ending dessert was baked Alaska with artificial snow and it was cleverly presented and deliciously paired with Rondo Travesi Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.

I was sad to leave this 'heaven on earth' destination and all the wonderful staff members I've come to know, as well as the wonderful wine experts from Chateau Ste. Michelle (Bob Bertheau Head Wine Maker), Greg & Stacy Lill, Albert Cruz, Rondo del Valle, the incomparable Oscar Torres, Resident Sommelier/Food & Beverage Director and GM Sixto Navarro of Villa del Palmar Loreto. Cheers to an amazing destination to enjoy the best life has to offer at Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto. For information visit: www.villadelpalmarloreto.com.

By Bonnie Carroll

About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since 1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com, does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.