After my first 2 days in Tijuana & Ensenada, I was enjoying myself but craving more. But Day 3 was the day that I was most excited for in my short weekend in the North Baja. We had one day in the Valle de Guadalupe for sipping and delighting, so we made sure to have an early start to the day.
Our first stop was breakfast at Parador Mercedes right on the main road at the entrance to the Valle. While I don’t normally eat breakfast, I knew I needed a base before we started wine tasting. I ordered the Sope Benedictino, with a base of potatoes topped with chorizo and eggs and smothered with a chipotle sauce. It sat heavy in my stomach, but was exactly what I needed.
With food in my stomach I was ready to start tasting wine. Our first stop was Vena Cava, a well-known wine in Mexico, but also one of the few making natural wines. Their winery is unique because their tasting room is built under old wooden boats.
We tasted through a selection of their traditional and natural wines. Sometimes I find wines of the region challenging to my palate. Some taste very salty to me, (which they call minerally) due to the terrior. But as most things in life, a lot of taste can be altered by experience. I was enjoying spending the time with my friends so much, that I thought all the wines were wonderful.
Our next stop was to Finca Altozano. We went to meet another of Omar’s friends Genaro, who happened to also be in the area with his family. Our visit turned out to be a great excuse to sample the wonderful seafood from Erizo, the fish focused bar on the property. We were served raw oysters topped with slivers of uni (erizo) along with scallops, tuna and other raw delights. To drink, we chose a few bottles of pét-nats from the area which paired perfectly with our raw treasures. I sat, joyfully satisfied that I was finally eating exactly what I’d come to the region for.
Our next stop was Bloodlust, a cool wine bar in the middle of the Valle. The indoor tasting space is a funky clay building that looks like a garlic but actually is supposed to be representative of droplets.
It was very warm out so we sat outside hoping to get a bit of breeze.
We were served by the area’s “wine whisperer” Jose, who did a great job helping us select 3 pét-nats (do you sense a theme?). I’m never disappointed about drinking bubbles, so I sipped happily in the gorgeous setting.
We had an epic dinner up ahead, so we didn’t order any food. But as is often the case, the chef at Bloodlust knew Omar and brought out “a bit” of food for us to sample.
One of the things I love most about visiting the Valle is for their fine dining. A few years ago, I had the most incredible 10-course tasting menu at Fauna for around $80. But that was before the region started gaining in popularity. Now, with the arrival of Michelin and other lists to the area, in combination with rising costs of food and everything else, things have changed. Today, the prices of fine dining and tasting menus in the Valle are closer to par with American cities. But what sets them apart from the rest is the quality of local ingredients they have to use.
Thankfully Omar’s friend Genaro was able to get a reservation at Lunario for the group. I was excited as I’d never visited before and had heard nothing but rave reviews. The restaurant was fresh off their Michelin green star award and it seemed to be beaming with pride from inside out. This heightened my expectation for the evening.
Chef Sheyla Alvarado is small in stature, but mighty in talent. The menu read like a love letter to the season and each course delivered surprise and delight.
The smoked watermelon tostada to start was bright, refreshing and the perfect opening to inspire my palate. The dishes to follow were all a wonder as you tasted the respect that went into each ingredient.
My favorite dishes in a meal of extraordinary dishes was the melon + scallops + fava beans. The dish looked so delicate, but packed a flavorful punch. I also swooned in delight with the artichoke + mushroom + limón dish. It was earthy and seemed so grounded in its taste. The acidity from the lemon and capers livened it up.
I’m not normally a dessert person, but I loved both desserts to end the meal that contained savory textural elements. I enjoyed trying to wrap my mind around the combination of flavors. The first was carrots with cherries. The second with parsnips & goat’s milk cajeta was equally intriguing. I love it when delicious food also makes my brain turn in wonder. It was one of the best meals I’ve eaten in recent memory and I was happy to have shared it with such amazing company.
The next morning we were treated to a fish stand crawl in Ensenada, courtesy of Omar’s friend from Ensenada, Chef Christian Herrera .
First up was El Gordito for a fish tostada, freshly shucked clams and a tasty mixed fish cocktail. Then came El Globo for a perfectly fried fish taco. Their secret? Their fish is fried in lard. Pig fat really does make everything taste better. (You can check out Omar’s reel from the morning’s adventure here).
We made the 2 hour drive from Ensenada back to Tijuana in time for one last evening out. The group was feeling seafood-ed out and requested “anything but” for dinner. While I don’t think I’ve ever felt overdosed on seafood, I was along for the ride. We met up with Joe from my favorite Tijuana restaurant El Carmelita and he took us to to one of his favorites since childhood, El Rodeo.
El Rodeo is an old school steakhouse, set up like a ranch house. Every meal is accompanied by more side-dishes one could ever ask for. Vinegared potatoes, mustard livers, beans, quesadillas were passed around the table and I was almost full even before the meat was served. But in the little room I did have left in my stomach, I did enjoy the tastes of the crispy tripe and succulent rib eye. I loved the family-feel of El Rodeo, which was perfect for the group of friends dining around the table together.
We had time for one last drink of the trip before an early flight home. We returned to Dandy Del Sur for another margarita and maybe way too much tequila. It was the perfect end to an amazing trip.
I recently re-watched the No Reservations episode from 2012 of North Baja where Anthony Bourdain visited Tijuana, Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe. I was amazed to see how far the area has come over the last 10+ years with their restaurant & bars. How the hard work of people like Chef Javier Placensia has resulted in creating an incredible culinary destination. And that the Valle, has become a bona fide destination (while still not yet spoiled).
Most interesting though is that, for the most part, people’s perceptions of Tijuana & environs has not changed much. So many people in (upper) North America are still afraid of the area. They deem it too unsafe to visit. Many think it’s still the tacky tourist trinkets & trash destination of 40 years ago. It’s a shame that people still think this way, because it’s just not the case. I think the North Baja is one of the most exciting, inspiring and delicious places to visit. I’ll keep returning because I always leave feeling like there’s still so much I haven’t discovered.
Places I visited in this post:
Call Me a Food Lover... 