Dining at Casa Cardonal

One of the true luxuries of a stay at Casa Cardonal is that Francesca is your private chef with Maria as her helper. They provide catered dinners and breakfasts — and what surprises guests most is the sheer range of what they can prepare. It goes well beyond the menu listed below. Describe almost any dish you're craving, and they'll very often make it happen, from a full traditional Thanksgiving dinner to something that stretches them a little. They welcome a challenge.

The Real Luxury Is Convenience

The food is genuinely delicious — but for me the best feature is how easy it makes my day. There's none of the usual restaurant routine of waiting for someone to take your drink order and then your food order, no watching half the table eat while their food is hot as the others wait for theirs, and no paying for the meal after it is finished.

And the value is remarkable! A catered meal at Casa Cardonal runs about 25% of what a similar dinner would cost at a restaurant in my hometown in Seattle — and a little under 50% of what you'd pay at most restaurants in Los Barriles.

It's such a pleasure to have Francesca and Maria arrive with most of the meal already prepared. The side dishes, the salads, the tortillas — both corn and flour — the guacamole and the salsa are all made off-site and brought ready to eat. When they arrive, it's mostly a matter of grilling the main, whether that's meat or fresh fish. When it's ready, Maria steps outside to tell us: “¡Está listo!”

A Few of My Favorites

After many stays, I request these dishes again and again.

For dinner, the shrimp diabla over rice is hard to beat — deeply flavorful and pleasantly spicy. Then there's the steak arrachera, a grilled skirt steak marinated in citrus, garlic, and spices. I also love their albóndigas, a meatball soup. I was genuinely surprised by how good it is even in a hot climate, and I enjoy it both as a starter and as a light lunch.

On our arrival day, I order chips with guacamole and pico de gallo, along with empanadas, my personal favorite. My number one breakfast is huevos rancheros, which always comes with bacon, fresh fruit, toast, and fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice.

We seldom order lunch, because the leftovers from the night before provide everything we need. One tip is to never let Francesca and Maria leave without planning your next catered meal. I have forgotten a time or two, but I know where Francesca lives, so I just walk over to her home to talk with her.

Taco Night Tortilla Lessons

Taco nights come with a bonus: Francesca and Maria are always willing to give a tortilla-making lesson. They'll show you how to roll the dough into balls and flatten them in the tortilla press, then stretch them out with a traditional hand-slapping technique before cooking them fresh for dinner. It's a hit with kids and grown-ups alike, and the tortillas you make yourself somehow taste even better.

Tortilla-making lesson on taco night in the Casa Cardonal kitchen

Sample Menu

Here's the standard menu to get you started. Remember, it's only a starting point. If you're craving something that isn't listed, just ask.

Breakfast

Choose an egg dish, served with bacon, fresh fruit, toast, and juice

• Huevos Rancheros
• Scrambled Eggs
• Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo
• Fried Eggs
• Omelets
• Chilaquiles: corn tortillas, fried, then simmered in tomato sauce with cheese, eggs, shredded meat, salsa, avocado, and sour cream

Also available: Banana Pancakes · French Toast

Starters

• Empanadas (turnovers) filled with cheese, potato, and beef
• Tortilla chips (the real thing) with guacamole and pico de gallo
• Albóndigas Soup: Mexican meatball soup, very tasty and a great starter

Mexican Favorites

• Mexican Combination: Enchiladas, chiles rellenos, and empanadas, served with Mexican rice, beans, and salsa
• Enchiladas, Regular or Suizas: chicken
• Tacos: Chicken, beef, or shrimp, with taco sauces
• Chicken Mole: Chicken in traditional Mexican mole sauce, served with rice, beans, and corn tortillas
• Chiles Rellenos: Stuffed with cheese, bacon, and ham
• Fajitas: Chicken, shrimp, beef, or fish with pimiento chili, onion, and garlic

Beef

• Carne Asada: Grilled beef with ranch beans and tortillas
• Steak Arrachera: Marinated, grilled skirt or flank steak
• Surf and Turf Brochette: Beef and shrimp skewers with bacon, chili pimiento, and onions

Chicken & Pork

• BBQ Chicken
• Pork Carnitas
• Pork Chops

Fish

• Al Mojo: Butter and garlic sauce
• Empanizado: Breaded and fried
• Veracruzano: In a sauce of tomatoes, onions, pimiento, chile, and tomato juice

Shrimp

• A la Diabla: Spicy cream and chipotle sauce
• Al Mojo: Butter and garlic sauce
• Grilled Shrimp
• Ranchero: In a mild red sauce

Desserts

• Flan
• Chocolate Cake
• Tres Leches Cake

Ready to taste it for yourself? Check the Availability page to plan your stay at Casa Cardonal.