Wrapping Up A Tasty Year

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We ate and drank our way from Tijuana to San Quintin during 2024, at favorite spots as well as at wineries, restaurants and festivals that were new to us! Read on for highlights of our adventures:

In Valle de Guadalupe, we were very fortunate to catch up with the ever-affable Joe Malagón over a generous tasting at Viñedos Malagón.

We also spent part of a very rainy afternoon getting to know Samuel Garcia at the unpretentious Vinícola Retorno on the other end of the Valle..

Heeding Sam’s recommendation, we forded muddy rivulets to check out neighboring boutique wineries, Vinos Plata (where we were impressed to be greeted by winemaker Erick Plata) and Vinos Cruz.

On a much sunnier day, we visited (it’s been a while!) the lovely Vena Cava (which now claims to be, ahem, the “hippest winery in Mexico”) . . .

. . . enjoyed a relaxing tasting on our first-ever visit to Xaroma . . .

. . . and made it up the hill to Once Pueblos to sample Chef Sandra Vázquez’s Michoacan-rooted cuisine and enjoy a tasting at SierraVita.

Blue corn bean gorditas with yellow maize “croutons”

On the food and wine fest front, we attended the 2024 edition of Festival de las Conchas y El Vino Nuevo alongside the marina at Hotel Coral in Ensenada . . . .

. . . we couldn’t miss Viñedos en Flor, held at Vinícola Decantos in the Valle . . .

. . . celebrated the Rosarito Beach Hotel’s 100th birthday at the Pescado y Marisco Festival . . .

. . . made it to the Concurso de Paellas at Viña de Liceaga in the Valle, where we were happy to see Victor and Leonardo Torres of one of our very favorite wineries, Torres Alegre y Familia . . .

. . . and we enjoyed the opportunity to sample from 90 paella pans, including this very creative nod to the Summer Olympics.

Team EDB at Paella 2024.

Our final Baja food fest of 2024 was Vino Sin Fronteras at the mid-city oasis Tijuana Country Club, where we ran into Juan Plascencia, representing his family’s Caesar’s, which celebrated the Caesar Salad’s 100 year anniversary in 2024!

A real highlight of 2024 was our road trip to San Quintin, a decidedly non-touristy destination (there is no Papas & Beer, Señor Frog’s nor Cabo Wabo to be found!) about five hours south of the border. Stopping en route, I consumed a fabulous portobello/cheese/egg/pesto creation at the 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand-honored Casa Marcelo in Ensenada.

In San Quintin, we shared a delicious and photogenic (but oh-so-messy!) plate of Cielito Lindo‘s famous paprika crab claws  . . .

. . . but the true highlight of our San Quintin visit was found at the end of a long, bumpy, washboarded drive out to Bahia Falsa. We wandered into a lab where oysters are raised from larvae, and we were treated to an impromptu tour of the facility. Then we moseyed next door for an incredible lunch of fresh-as-you-are-ever-going-to-get ostiones, both raw and grilled.

Future oysters!

Before our eyes, from sea to table.

Now that the sun has set on 2024, we hope your year brought a balance of adventure, health, serenity and success. Here’s to a delicious 2025. ¡Salud!

Gracias por fotos by Bob Gove.

New Friends, New (& Fave) Wineries

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It’s interesting how folks who love Baja – and especially those who enjoy eating and drinking in Baja – connect. I learned about Michael Gardiner’s book, “Cali-Baja Cuisine” in December.

After giving it a once over online, I promptly purchased a copy for Bob’s daughter and son-in-law, who were raised in our cross-border region but are now raising their own family in Washington, D.C. Through the magic of social media, I connected with Michael and re-connected with the book’s very talented photographer, Cintia Soto. Before I knew it, Bob and I were invited to visit Michael and his lovely wife Nancy at their Baja casita, and shortly thereafter we all piled into my little NIssan Versa hatchback (named Viva, FYI), for a visit to Valle de Guadalupe.

We began our Valle adventure at Rondo del Valle. Bob and I had met the owner, Alberto, and sampled Rondo’s wines at events on both sides of the border, but had never made the pilgrimage to their facility. It’s next to King & Queen Cantina (am I the only one who thinks this place is a strange addition to the Valle?)

Check out this beautiful table at Rondo. Be careful, though, where you place your wine glass!

We shared a couple of regular tastings, including Rondo’s Candor (Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc/Viognier) and Travesi (60/30/10 Merlot/Cab/Malbec). Rondo’s neighbor is Rancho El Parral, which has four rooms and looks like a lovely lodging option. Personally I prefer to stay closer to the center of the Valle. But, that’s just me . . .

Casa Magoni, our next stop, has remodeled since we last visited pre-pandemic. We opted for a tasting of Magoni’s reds under the boughs of a beautiful old oak tree.

We sampled Magoni’s Sangiovese/Cab; their Origen 43, a “Super Toscano” blend of Sangiovese/Aglianico/Canaiolo/Montepulciano (with, as they put it, “a small contribution of Cab”); their Merlot/Malbec; and finally, their lovely Nebbiolo, which is reputed to have been derived from a clone brought from Italy and, over time, adapted to the Valle’s climactic conditions.

Next up: lunch next door at Finca Altozano. It’s been a while since we’d dined at Finca (there are now SO many options in the Valle!), but they did not disappoint.

We had the very fresh clams (almejas reinas) and an octopus dish . . .

. . . while Michael and Nancy went big, ordering the shrimp zarandeado and the local quail grilled over oak. We shared a tasty bottle of Nebbiolo from neighbor Henri Lurton.

One last stop on our way back toward Rosarito: Hilo Negro, where we enjoyed a glass of their award-winning Zig Zag, a delicious blend of 70/30 Nebbiolo/Syrah. I DO like their wines. A fabulous way to cap off a lovely day!

I had, of course, by this time purchased my own copy of Michael’s “Cali-Baja Cuisine,” which he graciously signed. I’ve been working my way through the yummy recipes, and I heartily encourage you to do the same!

Como siempre, gracias por los fotos de Bob Gove. Stay tuned for a report on our most recent Valle adventures, coming soon!

2023? Ancient history.

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We made a couple of quick year-end visits to Valle de Guadalupe. The first took us to a winery we were not familiar with, En’Kanto. It’s off the “back road” as you enter the Valle via La Mision, on an unpaved road heading south that later becomes paved and connects with Hwy. 3 in San Antonio de las Minas.

En’Kanto has reasonably priced food options, including breakfasts. They also have cabanas, which look lovely.

En’Kanto is a low-key, hidden gem with good wines. We shared a regular tasting of four wines for 300 pesos (about $17), including a natural Merlot named WYGIWYG (What You Grow Is What You Get), a 2020 Merlot and Enigma, a delicious blend of Nebbiolo and Merlot.

In our humble opinion, En’Kanto’s wine bottle labels are among the most beautiful in the Valle! Right up there with Torres Alegre’s Cru Garage series of labels by Leonardo Torres.

We had to pull ourselves away from this peaceful refuge to get to our lunch reservation at Santo Tomas’ Villa Torrel, not far from En’Kanto.

Villa Torrel has a beautiful setting, with vistas to the west. Villa Torrel ranked very highly among Mexico restaurants in recent awards recognizing culinary excellence throughout Latin America.

Bob and I shared the yellowtail amberjack raw fish . . . 

. . . and the seafood rice (covered in greens).

Everything was delicious, we had very attentive service but . . . something was missing. In our opinion, our visit to Villa Torrel did not come close to reaching that rustic-meets-high-level-cuisine-vibe that we look forward to in Valle de Guadalupe.

Gracias por fotos de Bob Gove. We’ve been eating and drinking in Baja a lot lately, so stay tuned for more posts coming soon!

Our Mission: Three New Wineries

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It’s said there are now more than 150 wineries in Valle de Guadalupe. Although we love our faves, our recent mission (which we did, of course, choose to accept) on an autumn Saturday was to make our way to three wineries we had heard about – and even tasted their wines at Baja food and wine fests – but had never visited. And here we go!

First stop: Solar Fortún. A few years ago, I asked our buddy Armando at Lechuza (one of those fave wineries): “If you could visit just one other winery in the Valle, which would it be?” Armando promptly recommended Solar Fortún, and it’s been on the EDB bucket list since.

SF is tucked WAY back off the El Porvenir/Francisco Zarco road, on the north side of the Valle. SF, with a first harvest in 2010, was founded by Alberto Lopez; his son, Santiago, now serves as winemaker. SF’s tasting area is very capacious, with a super relaxing vibe. (Sorry, no links – at time of publication, the Solar Fortún website seems to be down).

Food and wine options at Solar Fortún.

Love the SF logo! We worked our way through a tasting of five wines: Viña en Rosa (Mourvèdre), Baya Baya (50/50 Cab/Petit Verdot), Mourvèdre (85/15 Mourvèdre/Cab), Confabulario (50/50 Mourvèdre/Petit Verdot), and Noble Cru (40/20/20/20 Mourvèdre/Cab/Syrah/Petit Verdot).

When Bob moseyed over to take a pic of our neighbors’ yummy-looking cheese platter, of course he presented an EDB card!

In the interest of research, we moved on to our second stop: Bodegas Cieli, located at Km 84.7 on Hwy 3.

The Cieli website provides a long and colorful history of the family, going back to Italy, but doesn’t explain how they ended up in Valle de Guadalupe. FYI, the name Cieli translates to “heavenly” in Italian.

In addition to their wines, Cieli brews craft beer! The website states that they have six beers (with very interesting names) on tap regularly, although we did not sample any.

Instead, we tasted Cieli’s Sognato di Amarone (50/25/25 Cab/Nebbiolo/Syrah), Ore Quatro Vini (75/25 Sangiovese/Cab), Il Gran Cieli (Syrah/Nebbiolo) and Dolcezza Frutale (Vino Tinto).

A highlight of our visit was meeting owner Don Cieli, who dropped by during our tasting, working the room to introduce himself.

But eventually, we pulled ourselves away to travel to our third and final destination of the day: Cava Maciel

Cava Maciel is tucked away on the outskirts of San Antonio de las Minas, east of Liceaga, west of Clos de Tres Cantos, and a bit south of Hwy 3.

After a trip to Italy, founder and winemaker Jorge Maciel began making wine in his parents’ garage in 2000. He has since greatly expanded the operation!

The names of CM’s wines are “inspired by the universe and the cosmos”. They include Venus (Vino Blanco); Lúnero (50/50 Mourvèdre/Cab); Orbita (80/20 Tempranillo/Syrah); Alba (100% Cab); and the divine Apogeo (100% Nebbiolo).

Based on these visits, here are EDB’s humble opinions:

Best Atmosphere – Solar Fortún, for being tucked away, tranquil and so, so roomy.

Best Warmth – Cieli, for live music and owner Don Cieli making the rounds, welcoming visitors, introducing himself and thanking folks for stopping by.

Best Wines – Cava Maciel; we definitely remember their wines from festival tastings; glad we were finally able to make the pilgrimage to their winery.

Stay tuned for a report on our final Valle visits of 2023, coming soon!

Como siempre, muchísimas gracias por los fotos de Bob Gove.

 

Two Festivals (& A Fun New Restaurant)

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This Saturday, October 21 is the second annual Vino Sin Fronteras Festival in Tijuana. The afternoon-into-evening event will be held in the parking lot of Caliente Hipódromo from 3 to 10 pm. Boasting the participation of 50 wineries and 30 restaurants, the fest is put on by the wonderful Comite Provino, so it’s very likely to be well-organized (and well-attended). Tickets are $1500 pesos, or about $82-$85, depending on the ever-fluctuating exchange rate.

Chef Diego Hernández, a Baja native who helmed the acclaimed Corazón del Valle restaurant in 2011 until it was shuttered during the pandemic, has launched a new eatery, Parador Mercedes, named in honor of his late grandma. Taking over the former Mesón de Mustafá space in San Antonio de las Minas, Hernández and chef-partner Ana Juncal are focusing on home-style cooking geared toward Valle de Guadalupe-area residents. It’s a welcome departure from the delicious-but-expensive tasting menus at so many Valle eateries; can’t wait to check it out. Parador Mercedes is open from 8am to 4pm daily (closed Thursday) on Highway 3 at Km 93. Read more about Parador Mercedes on Eater San Diego.

If you are heading a bit further south – to Baja California Sur – later this year, try to time your visit with the GastroVino Baja Food & Wine Festival in the lovely town of Todos Santos. This three-day celebration of Baja’s finest eating and drinking looks like fun! And, love the graphics. Although Todos is just an hour north of Cabo San Lucas (on the Pacific side), this “Pueblo Mágico” is a world apart. Save the dates: December 8-10.

Look for a report on our recent foray to three Valle de Guadalupe wineries we had not yet visited, coming soon!

Hot Happenings North of the Border!

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Attention Baja lovers! If you can’t head south, here are a few events coming up on this side of the border.

Chef Diego Hernandez of Valle de Guadalupe will be a special guest for the one-year anniversary of Crudo in Little Italy from 2pm until closing tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 28. Click here for details. 

The 2nd annual Baja Bound Baja Travel and Lifestyle Expo takes place this Saturday, Sept. 30 from 12-5pm at Crown Point Park. Check out more than 100 exhibitors, food & drinks, speakers and live music. Get more information here. 

Mexico Gourmet: A Day of the Dead Food and Spirits Festival is coming Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21 and 22, from 4-8pm at Fashion Valley. The event will feature chefs from Mexico, tequila, mezcal, beer, parades, and more. Click here for details and a 20% discount on admission. 

Michelin-starred Valle de Guadalupe chef Drew Deckman will finally open a San Diego restaurant! We just can’t get enough of his sustainable, community-based, rustic cuisine. Look for a February 2024 debut in North Park. Find more information by clicking here.  

And us? We’ll be heading to the Valle this weekend on a mission to visit some of the wineries we’ve never made it to in the past (yes, believe it or not, there are a few!) Stay tuned for a report..

Sweltering Summer Afternoon at Concurso de Paellas

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The annual Paella Contest at Viña de Liceaga in Valle de Guadalupe was scheduled for Sunday, August 20 – until the threat of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hilary pushed it back a week. Which was a good thing, as it would have been a veritable mud and wind fest, and not very enjoyable for attendees, paelleros, or winery representatives! Although it was very hot last Sunday, the event took place without a hitch.

The contest brings together about 80 teams, who take their paella very seriously. The event also showcases Baja wineries, with around 150 varietals available for tasting! Paella (as we lovingly refer to it) is the closing event of the multi-week Fiestas de la Vendimia, the grape harvest fest, and has been held for more than 25 years.

As you can see, there are many different versions of paella cooked up over wood fire at the event (no propane allowed!) but most are comprised of various seafood, bits of sausage, mystery meat (chicken? pork?) peas, spices, and of course, the ubiquitous  rice.

This team spotlighted octopus, or pulpo, as the star of their paella!

Jumping on the Barbie bandwagon, Team Barbie’s booth was festooned in pink, and the servers sported pink aprons and chef’s hats.

Opening times for booths are staggered. Before each one opens for attendees, event staff on quads pick up samples of each team’s paella for the judging. And then the feeding frenzy begins!

A close-up of a serving of one of the several paellas we enjoyed.

Always good to see Armando staffing the booth for Lechuza, one of our favorite Valle wineries . . . 

. . . a representative from MD Vinos of Valle de la Grulla, the original wine route of Baja, south of Ensenada . . .

. . . as well as the Madera 5 team.

Live music, too! In both English and Español.

Team EDB at the event. Over the years, we’ve learned to bring a tablecloth to mark our spot, and wine glasses, since sometimes (including this year) glasses are not provided to attendees. Hats also recommended!

The Concurso de Paellas may be the last big Baja food & wine festival of this year; we’ve not heard yet if or when the Valle Food and Wine Fest, usually staged in October, will take place. Stay tuned for updates!

Of course, if no events are on the horizon, we encourage “independent study” of the various Baja wineries.

Como siempre, gracias por los fotos de Bob Gove.

A few of our favorite things . . .

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Indeed, there are a lot of upscale dining opportunities now that the world has discovered Baja’s culinary scene, particularly in Valle de Guadalupe. Tasting menus for $100 or more, plus wine pairings, abound. And that’s great. But we’d like to share some of our favorite, low-key (and, far lower cost) venues in Rosarito and environs. Join us!

Roble has been around four or more years, at the northern end of Rosarito, near Bob’s casita. We go for breakfast, and are usually the only non-Latinos. After 9am on weekends, there often is a wait. Menu is huge, and the omelets and crepes are humungous. Did I mention the mimosas? Great value for the $$. There is also a Roble (the original?) in Tijuana.

 

Tito’s is another over-achiever. On the east side of the toll road at the major intersection of Rosarito, (turn off the Boulevard by McDonald’s) you don’t want to order TOO much at Tito’s, because each serving is HUGE! Start small, you can always order more. In the past year or two, Tito’s Rosarito has added a full bar. Which makes us happy.

El Poder is a small seafood stand on the northern end of Rosarito with a few tables outside and in. I am a sucker for their almejas ahumadas, stuffed clams. Their ceviche tostadas (ask for one with shrimp) and fish and shrimp tacos are also great. Bob has been coming here for so long, the family presented him with one of their T-shirts, which he wears proudly.

Our very fave Sunday brunch has gotta be Ruben’s. Paella! Oysters! Clams! Omelets! And bottomless mimosas/champagne, if you choose that option. We’ve been going for years. And we love the talented Maryam Mylak Singer, who easily switches from Mexican pop to opera to leading a line-dance to “Achy Breaky Heart” en Español. Look out: you could be be dancing (cue the Bee Gees).

We’ve only been to La Catrina once, but it was worth getting off the beaten path. From what I understand, the chef/owner used to work at Ollie’s Pizza on the north end of Las Gaviotas. La Catrina is rather buried in Cantamar/Primo Tapia, but once you find its ocean view location, you’ll be pleased.

We have built a tradition of Thanksgiving at Susanna’s. For a few years, we had Thanksgiving dinner in the Valle, but found it was just too far to drive back after a big meal and lots of wine. More recently, we wine taste in the Valle on Thanksgiving day, then head to Susanna’s for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a lot closer to Bob’s Rosarito casita.

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving at Susanna’s? The appetizer tamal. I look forward to it – every year, it is fabulous. Light and fluffy, not heavy like so many tamales. And Susanna’s does a great job on the rest of the holiday meal, including their upscale cranberry sauce. Susanna’s recently received a well-deserved award from CANIRAC, the Baja restaurant association!

There are two places in San Antonio del Mar that we frequent on our Sunday getaways to the SENTRI line. Cafe Conrado has been there for years. We love sitting outside and we really like their food.

Nonoy’s opened in the same strip center maybe 2 or 3 years ago. I first wandered in to buy a loaf of bread (which was excellent). They had a few tables downstairs and a few up a spiral staircase. However, they have recently expanded and we are so happy for them! We have gotten to know Victor, who I believe is the owner, a tiny bit. Nonoy’s is adding an oyster bar (we shared six creamy oysters from Ensenada on a recent visit).

Bob is intense as he chomps down his salmon “sunny sandwich” at Nonoy’s.

And, then there is Colectivo Surf. We started going to this venue because they had the Aztecs/Padres on TV. But found they feature the best bluefin tuna in the region. Who would have thought?

Pic via A Gringo in Mexico.

Their fish is amazingly fresh and the staff (we sit at the bar) is super friendly. My colleague Scott Koenig of A Gringo in Mexico recently named Colectivo as his top Rosarito culinary destination.

We certainly won’t argue or complain!

 

CLB 2023!

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It was a lovely afternoon at Hotel Coral & Marina, just north of Ensenada, last month – the perfect day for Cocina La Baja. Previously held on the expansive seaside patio at Estero Beach Hotel & Resort south of Ensenada, this event is a favorite due to the diversity of offerings. Rather than feature a rather narrow culinary category, such as shellfish or paella, CLB spotlights ALL of Baja’s seafood. Take a look at the pics below!

It’s cool to be educated about what you are about to consume..

Sea urchins, anyone? Although we did not consume any at this event, we have been treated to some very fresh urchins at a secret surf spot in Baja in the past.

Loved seeing the ever-young Sabina Bandera from Ensenada and her colleague at the event.

These seafood-filled “cones” of corn masa won my vote for innovation! From Ensenada’s La Cevicheria.

Salud! Our amigo from Ensenada’s Nordika Cerveceria is dressed to impress.

Great to see Baja’s fabled chefs Javier Plascencia & Drew Deckman serving as judges in CLB’s “Batalla Culinaria.”

Nice work on the kid’s mural!

Our next opportunity for eating & drinking in Baja: the Paella Contest, now rescheduled for Sunday, Aug. 27. Stay tuned to see how we do!

Como siempre, gracias por los fotos de Bob Gove.

 

Visiting Viñedos en Flor

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Last month we made a viaje to Valle de Guadalupe to attend the Fiesta de los Viñedos en Flor. The family-friendly event was held for the first time (we believe) at Decantos Vinicola.

Viñedos differs from many other Baja food and wine festivals: although wine tasting is included in the price (about $40 US), food is not. However, food options were plentiful and prices very reasonable. And kids under 18 were admitted FREE!

There were also activities for the kids and this year, live music! For those of us 18+ there were 80 (count ’em!) Baja wineries pouring tastes. Viñedos also attracts a lot of very fun people. Come along on a visual tour of Viñedos 2023!

A very nattily dressed attendee.

Separated at birth?

Check out this very cute young Spiderwoman.

In case you are wondering, biznaga is a species of barrel cactus. I admit – I did not know myself! Posted prices are in pesos: about 17:$1 at the time of event.

Since Viñedos has a country feel, the food offerings are more rustic than some Baja festivals.

Always good to run into Natalia Badan of Vinicola Mogor Badan; great lady, wonderful wine. Natalia has chaired Viñedos in the past.

What a treat to spend time visiting with Tru Miller, owner of Adobe Guadalupe, a fantastic winery and one of the Valle’s first (perhaps the very first?) B&Bs. Tru is a classy lady, another of the Valle’s matriarchs.

We hope to see you at next year’s Viñedos en Flor!

Gracias por fotos by Bob Gove.