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Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
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    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
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Review: Acre, Farm-to-Table in San Jose del Cabo

  • August 19, 2016
  • Brad A. Johnson
Fat drips from a fifty-pound hog, splashing onto the fire. Sparks flicker into the hot Mexican air. The pig has been roasting over the mesquite embers since sunrise. The temperature outside is already sweltering, made even hotter by the blistering rotisserie, which is cranked by hand, inch-by-inch, throughout the day.

By 5 p.m., as the high-tide breeze begins to roll in gently from the ocean, the hog’s skin is dark and crispy and fragrant. The band, Aristo Cats, is several songs into their first set on a patio stage beneath the shade of the palm trees. Margaritas are flowing. Sangria, too.

It’s Sunday afternoon at Acre in San José del Cabo, where the end of the weekend — or start of the week; however you want to look at it — always culminates with a pig roast.

Acre is a fantastic new restaurant that opened in January just outside the city limits on a 25-acre farm.

This isn’t the first farm-to-table restaurant in Los Cabos to open on an actual farm surrounded by crops destined for the kitchen, but it is easily the sexiest. Guests arrive via dirt road through a winding valley gorge to the farm’s parking lot at the edge of a lush palm grove. From there, follow the modular cement path through trees. The restaurant will shortly come into view, the entrance of which is flanked by a giant cactus that must be at least 75 years old.

The dining room is outdoors on the shaded patio, which overlooks the gardens, which will soon include a swimming pool for its guests.

Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Aristo Cats perform at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Hibiscus cured amberjack and beet blini at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Gazpacho at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Wahoo crudo with fried chicken skin and kaffir lime ice at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Beef heart at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Fried chicken at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

Acre aims to be as farm-to-table as possible, but a closer look at the surrounding fields suggests that agriculture isn’t the staff’s strong suit. “It was a short growing season for us this year,” one of the chefs tells me. We’re still getting the hang of it.”

Fortunately, there are other farmers nearby who are more experienced. A farmer down the road raises the hogs. The restaurant gets its chickens from another neighbor just over the hill. Those chickens are harvested at exactly 32 days, which makes for some very small birds, but I promise you this is also some of the most extraordinary fried chicken you will ever eat.

The chickens are part of the weekly family-style Sunday night menu, along with that fire-roasted pig. The rest of the week brings an à la carte menu of beef-heart tartare, charred local octopus, and locally-caught wahoo that is turned into truly extraordinary aguachile.

The young chefs in charge are Kevin Luzande and Oscar Torres, both of whom came of age in the kitchens of some of the finest chefs in Los Angeles, including Joachim Splichal, John Rivera Sedlar, Tony Esnault, Christophe Eme and Octavio Becerra.

Their work is cut out for them. Most people who vacation in Los Cabos never leave their hotels. The nicer the resort, the truer this is. That’s the whole point of a beach resort like this.

But this place aims to change that. This one of the few restaurants in Cabo that is genuinely good enough to lure people away from the gourmet comforts of the likes of Las Ventanas, Mar Adentro or Esperanza. Not just once, but again and again. They have captured an incredible sense of place that is uniquely Mexico and distinctly Cabo.

Hire a reputable private taxi. They’ll know how to get there and, for an extra few dollars, will most likely offer to sit and wait in the parking lot as long as it takes until you are ready to go back to your hotel.

2021 Update: For what it’s worth, I have recently learned that Acre no longer offers the Sunday night pig roasts. For more travel inspiration and photos, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, James Beard Awards, World Food Media Awards, Food Photographer of the Year Awards, Society of Features Journalism Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as Editorial Director of the new luxury consumer travel magazine of the Global Travel Collection (launching Spring 2023).

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Hey, OC. FYI in case you missed it, @ryegoods has opened a new location on Red Hill in Tustin, just down the street from Flight/Mess Hall. Same incredible breads and pastries as the original on the peninsula. No lines here, plus a huge seating area. #sourdough #pastries #coffee #orangecounty 322 9
One more post from our lovely stay at @fstokyo. Delicious lunch at @maisonmarunouchi, the casual sibling to @sezannetokyo. Excellent all around. And clearly popular with Tokyo's ladies who lunch: the clientele during our visit, almost entirely women. Quite the see-and-be-seen crowd. 57 1
I’m not sure which I liked better about the @fstokyo, the valet greeter and escort from the train station, the view of the trains from our room, or the super comfy pajamas. Excellent service all around. #Tokyo #Japan #hoteljunkie 79 3
I think @sezannetokyo ⁠has a #footfetish, and I’m ok with that. Truly fantastic lunch. Impeccable service. ⁠ 63 1
We had a really fun "Lost in Translation" moment at @meatman_roppongi. Google Translate failed hilariously. Delicious meat/fat overload anyway. Great staff, charming hospitality. Lots of sake. Thank you, @fstokyo for securing the reservation! #Tokyo #Roppongi #sake 76 1
Well, that was interesting.  A toast to 2022. And looking forward to ‘23. Cheers, and safe travels to all. 81 1
Brad A. Johnson
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Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

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