Cinco De Mayo Buffet At Los Cabos

[sabaijai]

For 295 baht, they're offering duck carnitas, sirloin carne asada, mesquite-smoked ribs, turkey mole, pozole verde, tacos, enchiladas, etc 6-9.30pm on Wed in celebration of Mexico's Cinco de Mayo. Margaritas 85 baht all day long.

http://www.loscabosbangkok.com/index.html

[BackinBKK]

Yea.... Looks like it should be a good party. Pretty good deal with the buffet at 295 Baht. Can't wait to try the Tukey Mole..... haven't had that forever! Robb said they are having a two DJ's and maybe even some pinatas to smash.....

Back at home we used to celebrate Cinco de Mayo every year.... kind of like St. Paddy's day but Mexican style. Lots of food and lots of drinking....

[powderpuff]

If Robb can pull off a buffett where everyone gets all they want to eat of hot food & what they want to eat I will be surprised.

Being a holiday today maybe I'll go down.

Got a new Canon camera I am dying to try out.

Bon Appetit.

[SpoliaOpima]

If Robb can pull off a buffett where everyone gets all they want to eat of hot food & what they want to eat I will be surprised.

Why? He does a buffet every Friday and it comes off fine. Forgive me for suggesting it, but it sounds as if you may have a personal grudge against one of the owners there.

Let's hope you're wrong. At least they won't be closed for a private party, like La Monita (just guessing)

Edited May 5, 2010 by SpoliaOpima

[grumpyoldman]

Ohh man! You guys are lucky!

Duck carnitas? Really?

I'm tempted to rush for the Phuket airport to fly up there just for this!

You guys enjoy.

[jfchandler]

I think the comment above was in the direction of... buffet food in general at restaurants often doesn't quite match the quality of the regular menu items offered at the same place... That's just a general thing about the difference between things being fresh cooked vs. sitting out in a heat tray (or whatever). And then some places don't keep their buffets well-stocked or restocked...

None of the above is any comment about Los Cabos... Just a general comment about restaurant buffets.

That said, I'm looking forward to giving Los Cabos a try tonight.... A few things on the menu there that aren't generally to be found around these parts...

[SpoliaOpima]

Really? Seemed clear to me he thought there wouldn't be enough: "where everyone gets all they want to eat of hot food & what they want to eat." Given powderpuff is usually negative about any Mexican restaurant other than La Monita (why, I can't fathom, unless he's friends with the owners?), it seemed like an attack on Robb to me. Doesn't matter much either way, really. I'd rather give a place the benefit of the doubt.

At any rate I agree with what you're saying about buffets, I'm not a big fan either. Dishes like carnitas and mole - anything with a sauce- are perfect for buffets though. Tacos much less so, they have to be made fresh. It's a party and for the price - just a bit more than one combo plate - I'm not expecting a great sit-down meal.

I'm definitely going to stop in at Tacos & Salsa at some point, as it's always a treat to meet a few of Bangkok's Mexican residents and I expect they'll be out in force tonight (even though the holiday isn't celebrated in Mexico, outside Puebla anyway).

Edited May 5, 2010 by SpoliaOpima

[jfchandler]

I know for a certainty that PP has nothing against the owner at Los Cabos..just the opposite in fact... That's a non-issue in his comments...

On a more positive note, seems to me we could have a BBQ ribs cook-off or contest in BKK nowadays....

Robb, of GARC fame, I'm sure produces a good set. I've always been a fan of the food at GARC on Suk Soi 36.... Likewise, the pork ribs at the new Duke's Express in the Emporium are excellent, literally falling off the bone, cooked perfectly. And BBQ Sandwich King likewise produces a good rack...

Seems as though we have not only a bounty of Mexican places now, but a bounty of BBQ pork on a stick as well..

Has anyone tried the ribs at Los Cabos and Duke's both??? I know Duke's variety.... and I know GARC variety... But I've never had ribs yet at Los Cabos... Wondering how Dukes vs. Los Cabos size up in that regard???

[SpoliaOpima]

Yep I've had the ribs at Los Cabos, twice. Excellent, if you like that style, which I assume is the same as at GARC (where I've never eaten). So many different ways to do it, in Texas alone, from the Fort Worth dry-rub to deep east Texas pit-cooked. I'm not a Duke's fan, been to the original CM branch a few times (never tried the ribs, maybe I should have) for various dishes and was a bit disappointed. I know they have a lot of very loyal fans, though, just not my style.

Edited May 5, 2010 by SpoliaOpima

[jfchandler]

I can only speak as to the Duke's Express in the Emporium here in BKK... Never been to the CM branch...

As for Duke's here..I went for the burgers, probably have tried a half dozen so far, and found all of them to be excellent... Probably the best in BKK... And I don't say that lightly....

Then, after satisfying myself that their burgers were the real deal, I branched out to try a half rack of their ribs the other day.. Wonderful, as I said above... Never used a knife.. Just lightly sauced.... Meat falling off the bone tender and absolutely moist...

Forgive me on this.. I'm not a ribs expert... But the variety at Duke's here are the short length variety...half rack was a half dozen ribs in a slab.... Not the longer spare rib variety...if that's the right terminology...

[powderpuff]

Well the buffett came off pretty well.

The ribs were excellent.

The place was packed & JFC dropped a rumor that there was a private party on simultaneously.

Either way the place was packed.

The table for the buffett was tiny but the kitchen did a good job of keeping it stocked. Loooong queue.

The turkey was awesome.

Pix later.

JFC Robb's real claim to fame was starting Tequila Reef in Patters. Ramrodding GARC came later.

I don't consider Los Cabos a Mexican rest. Too many other goodies on the menu.

Edited May 5, 2010 by powderpuff

[powderpuff]

Almost looks like SRO.

[grumpyoldman]

Almost looks like SRO.

WOW ! Even a red shirt took the time to hit the buffet !

[BackinBKK]

I totally understand what OP Pis saying about Buffet's although the comment did seem directed at Robb. Probably just the wording, but not the intent. Normally the food isn't the same quality as the normal menu items as it has to be made in large batches so sometimes loses something.

Anyway, we went down to Los Cabos last night as well and it seems that Robb and his staff did pull it off well. The restaurant and patio were packed and the food was great. I really loved the Turkey Mole (and the Duck Carnitas) and I think that is what actually lured me in (it's not on the regular menu). The ribs of course were tasty and tender. The line was a bit long, but they did refresh the food quite frequently so wasn't a big deal.

I doubt they anticipated it being as successful as it was so next time I would imagine they will have food on the patio and/or upstairs as well. One thing that I was surprised by was the efficiency of the bar staff.... drinks seemed to be easy to get and flowing quite freely. I love those margaritas!!!

This was the first Cinco de Mayo I've been to in Bangkok. Can't wait to go again next year...haha.

[jfchandler]

I also tried Los Cabos last night with Powderpuff. And for me, while it wasn't bad, I wouldn't rate it as particularly good either...and I wouldn't plan on going out of my way to go back again for the same kind of deal in the future.

Can't complain about the 295 baht buffet price or the decent range of food offerings on hand.

Can complain about:

--their curious decision to make customers purchase advance tickets outside the restaurant before sitting down for both the buffet and bar drinks. Hands got ink stamped for the buffet, and patrons received small paper drink coupons for their purchases. I'm not sure I understand why they couldn't have handled the buffet like any other restaurant and simply kept track of bills as everyplace else does, and then settle when it's time to leave.

--no notice that the restaurant, which normally does accept bank cards for payment, was only going to accept cash for food and drinks last night... Why???

--a buffet line of customers that snaked through the dining room all night, not exactly so great for people sitting at tables there and having people standing waiting above them all night long... because...for some reason, the restaurant decided to place its single buffet table against a wall in the main indoor dining room.

--the restaurant staff did try to keep up with the demand for their food, but serving plates of different dishes were often empty while awaiting refills. So if you happened to go thru the long buffet line at the wrong time, you were liable to miss whatever happened to be gone at that moment.

--the buffet offerings certainly and perhaps predictably were heavy on meats, like the turkey slices, chicken, sliced sirloin, and ribs. But the offerings other than meat (a few side dishes including a salad or two, some fruit and I'm not sure I ever saw any desert) were both pretty sparse and often emptied. The various meats were OK, but as indicated above, things tended to have a buffet-y, sitting around all night taste to them.

The margaritas, served in relatively small glasses for 85 baht, were nicely prepared and tasted good. Paper towels were provided to clean up...instead of napkins... But at least it wasn't bathroom tissue...

All in all, for a restaurant like Los Cabos, I would have preferred a better meal and a better setting and set-up, even if it meant paying a somewhat higher price.

[Gluestick]

As some others have said, the buffet last night was packed with people. They should have moved the food table away from the wall to allow two lines to form. Food ran out fast because there was always a line. They did restock but you would miss out on some of the more popular items. One thing that was lacking was salsa and dishes with cheese. I think they were turning away people at about 9pm because of the lack of food. Margaritas were good. Overall a good value for 300 baht buffet. They probably didn't think that many people would come. They need to prepare better next year.

If I had a choice, I would probably go to Tacos and Salsa for their a la carte buffet. 150 baht more but you get to choose anything off the menu.

[SpoliaOpima]

I too was surprised how well LC pulled it off given the huge turnout. I arrived around 7.30pm with a couple of friends and we got the last table available. It was so packed I actually considered taking off. But we stayed till nearly 10pm, each of us going back twice to the buffet, both times the line moved surprisingly quickly.

I saw serving plates run out as I was in line but they were always replenished by the time I got to the table so maybe I was lucky although my two companions, who ventured forth at different intervals, were also lucky that way.

Tastewise, I found all dishes served at par with a regular night at LC or better. The turkey mole was obviously the star; the duck carnitas were moist and flavorful; the mini-tamales perfect, best I've yet eaten in Thailand (and that includes T&S, where the regular-sized tamales are also very good); the mini-tacos surprisingly good for a buffet (better than La Monita's, to my taste); and the ribs, as always smoky and flavorful. Margaritas didn't taste like they had mixed up a tank in advance, nice pour of decent-brand tequila.

One thing I that struck me about Los Cabos last night is how every dish carries a distinct set of flavors. It's obvious that a lot of planning went into the menu. Most other Mexican places in town use the same set of spices and seasonings for every dish, differing mainly in proportion. That's how good Mexican cuisine is in Mexico, too, less so outside Mexico, typically.

I get the feeling they used the coupon system to make everything move more efficiently, ie, relieving the wait staff from bringing a bill to each table, coming back to collect money and returning again with change for each table. I think everything would have moved more slowly without the coupon table. DJs were good, played lots of Latin jazz and salsa in addition to chillout, Ozomatli, etc.

Cash-only took one of our group by surprise, too. I fronted up, problem solved.

There are far more Mexican dishes on the LC menu than anything else so, c'mon, it's a Mexican restaurant. In fact I can't think of any dishes on the menu you can't find in a lot of places in Baja, incl ribs.

I stopped by T&S around 10pm and had a drink with Jorge - nice turnout there as well and mucha alegría. I had meant to hit La Monita, too, but the evening burned down too quickly.