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Summertime – and the food fests are plenty

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There’s never a BAD time to visit Baja, as our past adventures have demonstrated. However, summertime is food fest time, and some of our very favorites are on the horizon:

Verbena Campestre – Saturday, July 28 – San Cosme Vinedos
LOVE this first-class festival, as well as the family that runs San Cosme. It’s a refreshing bit off the beaten track, located south of Ensenada and Maneadero, where the “old wine route” begins. We’ve found this fest to be more authentic Mexicano than most others; we’ve spotted very few other gringos, and everyone is always ultra-friendly and welcoming. With free wine tastings for the first 1,000 guests, craft beer, artisan products, live music and tons of grilled food options, it’s a real winner. Book a cabin or tepee at Las Canadas across the highway, dance the night away, and join the conga line without having to drive back. Tickets are (YAY!) now available online. If you’re still on the fence, watch this cool video recap from last year.

Fiestas de la Vendimia Paella Contest – Sunday, August 19 – Vina de Liceaga
Every year, there are more and more events during Fiestas de la Vendimia, the grape harvest festival, in and around Valle de Guadalupe. You can’t go wrong with any of them. However, our fave is the closing event, the venerable Ramon Garcia Ocajo Concurso de Paellas. I first attended this event more than 20 years ago and, although it’s grown considerably, it continues to be well-organized, a ton of fun, and a classic Baja Norte afternoon. With 90+ paella-producing teams present, (cooking only over wood fire, thank you!)  and 50+ wineries pouring, you won’t go hungry or thirsty. Arrive early, stake out a table under the trees, and enjoy live music on two stages and the fantastic ambiance all afternoon. As of this writing, tickets are still available!

Sabor de Baja – Wednesday, August 29 – Rosarito Beach Hotel
Sabor is the classy way to wrap up the summer Baja food fest season. A true labor of love, this event pairs many of Baja’s top chefs with its best wines and craft beers. It’s a friendly competition, but legitimate – the judges really DO blind tastings, plus attendees vote for the People’s Choice award. There’s live music, and it all takes place in the lovely beach front gardens of the classic Rosarito Beach Hotel. It’s worth a jaunt to Rosarito on a Wednesday evening . . . it’s summertime, so no one will notice if you get to work a bit late Thursday . . . right? Don’t forget your mandatory all-white attire and your dancing shoes. For tickets, email sabordebaja@gmail.com, and check out the very reasonable ticket/stay packages at the RB Hotel.

Save the Date: Valle Food & Wine Festival – October 5-7 – Valle de Guadalupe
Really excited about this autumn event! More info to come soon; in the meantime, check out this link.

Mid-Summer Festival Update Part II

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Can it really be late July already? Must be, because we’re coming up on one of our fave fests, Verbena Campestre! This annual event proves there’s more to the Baja wine scene than Valle de Guadalupe. Verbena Campestre is held at the family-owned Vinedos San Cosme near the start of Baja’s Ruta Antigua south of Ensenada, a bit past Maneadero but north of Santo Tomas. This well-organized party is worth the drive! We’ve attended the past couple of years and have enjoyed relaxing at the tables under the trees and umbrellas, sipping wine and watching the party build around us. There’s plenty of live music and the patio in front of the stage quickly fills with dancing queens (and kings). A band we loved at the 2015 Verbena Campestre, Tinta Bohemio, is slated to play again this year; you’re sure to enjoy their very charismatic lead singer, who really works the crowd. Verbena Campestre is this Saturday, July 29 beginning at 2 pm, and the party goes on long after dark. Highly recommended; get there if you can!

Lots of seating and shade, thanks to umbrellas & trees.

Opportunities to sample local artisan products abound!

Roast pig for you meat lovers!

The lead singer of Tinta Bohemio gets into the crowd at Verbena Campestre 2015.

Team EatDrinkBaja enjoying Verbena Campestre 2015!

2017 Baja (& Baja inspired) Fests!

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It’s warming up; daylight savings time has begun; and (I hope) the heaviest rains are behind us. We’re heading into Baja festival season! Here are a few of our faves; check back for updates and additions.

Sabor Latino – Saturday, March 18, Fashion Valley, San Diego – We were impressed by this event last year, and it looks like even more Baja chefs and wineries are participating in 2017. Lineup includes Sabina Bandera of La Guerrerense; Bo Bendana of Mi Casa Supper Club; Giannina Gavaldon of Olivia El Asador Del Porvenir; Ruffo Ibarra of Oryx Capital; and Omar Armas of Mantou Gastropub, with Border X Brewing, Lomita, Adobe Guadalupe, Torres Alegre, Villa Montefiori and Casa Magoni pouring. All part of the San Diego Latino Film Fest, and proceeds benefit the very worthy nonprofit Media Arts Center. I’ve been told that the promo code DRINKGREATBEER will get you a $5 discount, and we highly recommend going for the VIP package. Details & tickets>>

Chef Giannina Gavaldon with her comadre from Olivia at Sabor Latino 2016. Not only is her food delicious, it’s great to see her in SD and we covet Chef’s cool ikat apron!

Festival de Las Conchas y El Vino Nuevo – Sunday, April 23, Hotel Coral, Ensenada. This event, which kicks off the Baja Food Fest season every year, is a REAL winner. It got a bit crowded last year, but still plenty of opptys to taste great wine & cuisine while meeting some of Baja’s top winemakers & chefs, all in a fabulous setting along the Coral’s marina. Get ready to sample fantastic clams, mussels, oysters, abalone + latest wine releases, all included! Tix are just a tad over $30. Read my post about Conchas last year and get your 2017 tickets here!>>

Why do we love Conchas? It educates you about the variety of Baja seafood while you enjoy a lovely afternoon sampling delicious shellfish and wines. And you meet cool folks, too!

Rosarito Art Fest – Saturday & Sunday, May 27-28, Rosarito Beach – Dates have not been posted for 2017, altho it’s regularly on Memorial Day wknd. This FREE event features great art, crafts, music and dance, and there’s usually plenty of food and drink to go around, too. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more info>>

Art is the main attraction, but you can definitely enjoy eating & drinking at the Rosarito Art Fest.

Vinedos en Flor – Saturday, June 3, Finca La Carrodilla, Valle de Guadalupe – Last year this event was at Bibayoff on a drizzly, gray afternoon. Since food was not included and there was no live music, it didn’t seem as great a value as some of the other Baja festivals. But we managed to commandeer a table, taste some great wines and make new friends. We have high hopes for the 2017 edition, to be hosted by one of our faves, Finca La Carrodilla! More info>>

Friends enjoying wine from the wonderful Lechuza at last year’s Vinedos en Flor.

Verbena Campestre – Saturday, July 29, Vinedos San Cosme south of Ensenada – This may be the best-kept secret of all Baja food fests; it doesn’t seem to be on the gringo radar screen! Get ready for a fun, relaxing afternoon with folks who will become your new BFFs. With great live music and a big outdoor dance floor, this family-owned winery knows how to party! Tip: book a room in the vicinity; driving back after THAT much fun can be challenging. Or, is it just us? Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more info>>

And . . . even more friends at Verbena Campestre 2016!

SAVE THE DATES:

Fiesta de la Vendimia Paella Fest – Sunday, August 20, Valle de Guadalupe – you can’t miss this tradition, the grand finale to the annual grape harvest festival. Although it’s huge, there’s plenty of paella and wine to go around, along with two stages with live music and tons of tables under the trees. All paella is cooked over wood fire, and there’s a competition among the paella-producing teams. Tix usually go on sale in May and you should get them ASAP; it always sells out! More info>>

The annual Vendimia Paella Fest is not only delicious and fun, it’s also very photogenic!

Sabor De Baja – Wednesday, August 30 – Rosarito Beach Hotel – we were very impressed with Sabor last year. The caliber of restaurants and wineries was excellent at this well-organized event, which pairs dishes by Baja chefs with delicious local wines and cervezas. Look for more details in the coming months!

We look forward to Sabor de Baja 2017!

Gracias for photos by Bob Gove and Rafael Rush.

A Tale of Four Food Fests – Part I

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It’s been a busy summer, filled with fun (often fantastic!) festivals. On July 30, we journeyed past Ensenada, past Maneadero to Viñedos San Cosme on the Ruta Antigua del Vino for the annual Verbena Campestre. This was our second time (we just discovered the event last year) and it’s become a fave summertime tradition. Yes, it’s a long way from our base in Rosarito – we encountered traffic back-ups at the San Miguel toll booth and through Maneadero – but totally relaxing once we nabbed a table under the trees, reconnected with Marisol (owners’ daughter), bought a bottle of vino, were joined by a bunch of friends, enjoyed the live music and made our way around the various food/wine/etc. vendors. Downside? Driving all the way back to Rosarito after too much fun! Maybe we should check out one of the cabins or teepees at nearby Las Cañadas next year . . . because we love this event. If you want to hang out with muchos Americanos, this is not for you; but if you want to spend a fun wine, food & music afternoon/evening with very gracious, non-pretentious mostly-locals, we highly recommend Verbena Campestre; ¡Nos veremos alla en 2017!

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Stay tuned! Coming next: Part II – ¡Latin Food Fest! in San Diego

Gracias for photos by Bob Gove.

Best of Summer Events!

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It’s high season for Baja-related food and fun festivals! Here are our recommendations.

Saturday, July 30 – Verbena Campestre, San Cosme Vineyards, Baja California, 2pm. We had a ton of fun at this event last year. South of Ensenada, a bit south of Maneadero, but not too far. Since it’s not in Valle de Guadalupe, this doesn’t seem to be on many gringos’ radar screens. Great atmosphere, wine tasting, good live music, wonderful people, food options for purchase. A fantastic afternoon, and this is the 5th Annual! New this year: buy tix online!

Verbena Campestre 2016San Cosme

 

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Part of the eatdrinkbaja entourage caught in action on the dance floor at last year’s event (. . . and where was I?)

Friday – Monday, August 12-15, Latin Food Fest, Embarcadero Marina Park North, San Diego. It’s the 4th Annual in San Diego! You don’t want to miss the Grande Tasting on Saturday, with tons of food, beverages, chefs & cooking demos. It’s become an annual tradition. Get your tickets now!

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Saturday, August 20 – Baja Blues Fest, Rosarito Beach Hotel – Another great lineup this year! The food & drink offerings were a bit mundane on Saturday last year, but we’re hoping for an upgrade this year. Should be a wonderful afternoon. Buy tickets online!

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Sunday, August 21 – 2016 Vendimia Paella Fest, Vinas de Liceaga, Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California – There are a TON of events this year for the Valle de Guadalupe’s Vendimia, or wine harvest festival. We love the Paella Fest, which closes the 3-week-long festivities. With more than 50 wineries and 80 paella-cooking teams on hand, it’s a true happening. Add live music on two stages and the opportunity to chat with chefs, it’s an afternoon you should not miss. Although attendance is over 1,000, it’s easy to grab a table under trees as your base camp, then wander amidst the wine and paella offerings. And at this moment, tix are available online!

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Verbena Campestre for Bob’s Birthday

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IMG_0651It’s because of events like this that I started this blog! YES, it was a long way (south of Ensenada, past Estero Beach & Maneadero, at the start of the “Ruta Antigua del Vino,”) but well worth the journey and easy to find.

Thanks to emails with Marisol Acuna, San Cosme Vinedos owners’ daughter, we were able to reserve tickets at the advance rate ($250 pesos, under $17). Gracias, Marisol!

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Included: commemorative wine glass, two wine tastes, one cerveza taste, cheese and olive oil samples, live music and a ton of fun. And, it was Bob’s birthday!

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DSC_2724DSC_2713Food (including paella, pulpo & pig) and wine by the bottle were available at very reasonable rates. We especially enjoyed the wines of Madera 5/Cava Aragon 126, and it was a treat to meet Jose Luis Rendon. The octopus from La Cocedora de Langosta was outstanding.

IMG_0668Our group kept growing ’til we had a party of nine, all turned out to celebrate Bob’s birthday. (Note the “dead soldiers” on the table.)

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As the sun dipped behind the hills, we grooved to the music and showmanship of Tinta Bohemio.  Put this event on your list for next year for sure. It’s not on the tourist radar, so you’ll feel like a local. I don’t think you’ll regret it!

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DSC_2738DSC_2789Photos by Bob Gove, David Hetherington & Carole Ravago.

 

Eat Drink Baja Events Calendar

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Here @ eatdrinkbaja, we noted the need for a calendar that curates, promotes and links to interesting Baja-related culinary & beverage events & festivals on both sides of the border. Presenting our first draft; look for it to grow as we head into the busy Vendimia & Baja Culinary Fest seasons over the next few months!

Ruta del Vino

Saturday, July 18: Ruta del Vino Bike Ride

The inaugural 40-mile race and 20-mile fun ride through Valle de Guadalupe promises wine tastings, cuisine from award-winning chefs and live local music (oh, and clean restrooms, too). Put on by the Rosarito-Ensenada Bike Ride folks, so it’s gotta be good, right?

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Saturday, July 25: Verbena Campestre, Vinedos San Cosme, south of Ensenada

A best bet; we’ll be there! $20 (or a bit less if you can figure out where to buy tix in advance) gets you a commemorative glass, wine tastings, live music and a fun, festive atmosphere. Not sure if food is included; we’ll find out! Look for a report after July 25. We’re really looking forward to our first visit to this annual event, which seems to be completely off the gringo radar.

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Saturday, July 25: Wine Tasting & Baja Ingredients, Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park
If we weren’t heading to Verbena Campestre to actually BE in Baja, we’d be here for sure. Mingei has recognized the important connection to Baja for years, thanks to the direction of Rob Sidner & outreach of Johanna Saretzki. Four or five years ago we learned about wineries like Lomita (off our favorite Valle de Guadalupe back road, the road to Ejido Porvenir) and food purveyors such as Baja Terra through Mingei events, and have since become fans/patrons of both. If you can’t get to Ensenada or the Valle, don’t miss this great taste of Baja in Balboa Park!

AUGUST CALENDAR: Stay tuned! It will be posted this weekend.