Article — Susan Fotovich McCabe | Photography — Russell Walker
Life can’t get any better than a Friday evening at a cozy Mexican restaurant with great chips and salsa and a cold margarita. That’s how the evening began for my husband and me when we dined at Los Cabos, the new K.C. Hopps restaurant in Leawood’s Mission Farms, 105th and Mission Rd.
When we arrived, the hostess made our evening by seating us near a television – it was the first night of March Madness and we didn’t want to miss a moment of the night’s action. Incidentally, there were a number of televisions smartly placed around the restaurant, yet you never felt like you were in a sports bar. Instead, the aesthetics of Los Cabos reminded me of the luxury homes and shopping that make up the Mission Farm development. There were a number of unique seating arrangements that made it feel like a visit to a good friend’s home, including an outdoor patio overlooking a small lake, and strands of colored lights to give the patio a festive look.
Leawood Los Cabos Manager Marco Diaz confirmed my initial hunch about the place. This was a different kind of Mexican restaurant – with upscale cuisine, unique entrées and authentic Mexican décor (from a little town in Mexico). Likewise, he confirmed that our pallets had successfully picked up on the smoky flavor of the salsa. Los Cabos roasts its peppers to get that smoky taste. In fact, the restaurant creates an array of salsas – from the smoky to a spicy vinegar-based salsa and everything in between.
As much as I love traditional Mexican cuisine, I skipped right to the “House Specialties” section of the menu, where the most unique items were listed. I ordered the pollo Cancun ($12.99), a pan-seared chicken breast, stuffed with sautéed spinach, chorizo and a three cheese blend. It’s served with green rice, black beans and honey-lime slaw. My husband covered the traditional Mexican fare with the beef enchiladas ($10.99), made with pulled braised beef and covered with a spicy mole sauce. Using a high quality of meat and seafood is Los Cabos’ signature practice. That might explain the popularity of the Los Cabos fajitas, enchiladas and its ancho honey glazed salmon, says Diaz.
It’s best to arrive hungry when you visit Los Cabos for the first time. You’ll want to squeeze in an appetizer and dessert. We started with a Los Cabos original – stuffed avocados ($5.99), filled with fiesta cream cheese, fried to a golden brown and served with salsa and sour cream. There were too many good dessert choices, as well, so we ended the evening with an order of sopapillas ($3.99) and an order of coconut-crusted fried ice cream ($2.99).
What I liked about Los Cabos was the overall variety. I wish I could have sampled some of the side dishes, like crispy boniato potatoes, sautéed spinach or the corn succotash. Other mouthwatering temptations include the ancho chile ribeye ($25.99) and the braised chipotle short ribs. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes too. I think we’ll have to make a return visit very soon! Hot Spot is based on an unannounced visit to a Leawood dining establishment.
The meal is paid for by Leawood Lifestyle.
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