¡Baja Delicioso! From Spain to Argentina to My First Taste of Baja Med Cuisine

When it comes to my ¡Baja Delicioso! series, it has certainly been a work progress, but I'm just determined to finish it no matter how long it takes. Just a reminder of what this series is all about. From July 16-July 18, 2009, Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA fame arranged a food and wine media trip with and graciously sponsored by the Tijuana Visitors and Convention Bureau along with the support of the Crossborder Business Associates, Cotuco (Tijuana Tourism Board) and the Tijuana Canirac (Tijuana Restaurant Association). My first two write-ups were about our first night in Tijuana. This one takes up where I left off from my TJ City Tour, Cuban Cigars, Chili Shrimp Tacos and Churros post.

After enjoying the best churros I've ever had, we headed off on a marathon of back to back eating before heading to the Tijuana Beer Festival later on that evening, starting with Lorca, a Spanish restaurant.

More ... While our tasting there started with bread and a really delicious dip made from Moroccan chilies, that was just a prelude to the real star of the meal.

If you're a pork lover, then the photos below of the suckling pig we had will fill you with piggy envy. You can't go wrong with crispy skin and tender, juicy meat.

Their Paella Valencia was also a sight for sore eyes with the beautiful clams, mussels and shrimp. It didn't hurt that it was a better paella than I have yet to experience back home in Los Angeles.

Our meal at Lorca ended with Papa a lo Pobre, which are potatoes with olive oil, fresh herbs and red bell peppers.

From Spain we headed to Argentina via Cheripan, an Argentinian restaurant where our stop there started with a Tamarind Margarita.

Food soon followed in the form of nicely spiced and peppery Chorizo Sausages and Grilled Sweetbreads.

We also got a taste of a Hearts of Palm salad, which was quite refreshing followed by flaky empanadas.

My favorite savory dish though was their Grilled Skirt Steak with Pickled Onions, which was both slightly chewy and tender at the time and quite juicy.

Dulce de leche was the theme for their desserts.  One was a Dulce de Leche Neapolitan and the other was a Flan Topped with Dulce de Leche. Both hit it out of the park. The pastry for the Neapolitan was light and flaky and I think flan should always be topped with a thick swirl of dulce de leche.

By the time we walked across the street to La Querencia, I wasn't sure how much more food my body could take, but I knew that I wasn't going to miss out on my first taste of Baja Med Cuisine. Simply, Baja Med is a mix of Asian, Mediterranean, and Mexican cuisine with Baja ingredients. You can get more info by clicking here.

Baja Med is the creation of Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero and it all started at his restaurant, La Querencia.  Another thing to note about Chef Guerrero is that he's quite a hunter and fisherman and usually, the Specials of the Day are made from meat he has hunted and seafood he has caught.

Our meal at La Querencia started with  bread and a trio of sauces which were  Tomatillo, Chile Arbol and Habanero Sauce.  Take a taste of that Habanero Sauce with extreme caution.

To cool my palate, I had to take a few swallows of the Tepache, a Fermened Pineapple Drink we were served.  By the way, this was my first time trying Tepache. I don't know how to describe the taste, but it was very refreshing.

After the bread, the Beet Carpaccio with Blue Cheese and Olive Oil arrived. This was my first experience with raw beet and I loved it.  It had a slight crispy and tartness to it and I liked how it went with the pungency of the blue cheese.

Along with the Beet Carpaccio came Thinly Sliced Tongue with a Sea Urchin Cream and other ingredients. The tongue was tender and I liked how the sea urchin added a hit of oceany notes to the dish.

The carpaccio goodness continued with a Zucchini Carpaccio with capers, fried nori, tomatoes, onions and topped with a 9 Chili Infused Olive Oil. I really enjoyed the slight saltiness coming from the fried nori and that chili infused olive oil added a lot of great flavor.

Our last two dishes included Scallops with Black Sturgeon Caviar, Fried Onions and topped with a Chipotle Sauce in a Cucumber Cup as well as a Corncake with Roasted Shrimp, Tomato and Sage Sauce. I enjoyed the freshness of the scallops and that Tomato and Sage Sauce was killer.

After La Querencia, we hit 3 more restaurants and attended the Tijuana Beer Festival, but I'll leave that for my next post.

Lorca
Calle Brasil 8630
Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
664-634-0366

Cheripan
Escuadron 201, # 3151 Colonia Aviacion
Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
664-622-9730

La Querencia 
Escuadrón 201 #3110 Col. Aviación
Tijuana, B.C. Mexico
664-972-9935
 
Click Here to See the Photos of the Entire Trip!

¡Baja Delicioso!
- Introduction and the Ultimate Carne Asada Taco at Tacos El Poblano
- The History of Mariachi and Late Night Mariachi at La Vuelta
- TJ City Tour, Cuban Cigars, Chili Shrimp Tacos and Churros
- From Spain to Argentina to My First Taste of Baja Med Cuisine

Disclaimer:Sponsored by the Tijuana Visitors and Convention Bureau along with the support of the Crossborder Business Associates, Cotuco (Tijuana Tourism Board) and the Tijuana Canirac (Tijuana Restaurant Association). This sponsorship took the form of these organizations paying for our travel arrangements, our hotel accomodations and all our meals. ^

¡Baja Delicioso! TJ Tour City Tour, Cuban Cigars, Chili Shrimp Tacos and Churros

Suffice to say, it's been awhile since I've done my first and second post in my ¡Baja Delicioso! series, but hey, better late than never. Just a reminder of what this series is all about. From July 16-July 18, 2009, Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA fame arranged a food and wine media trip with and graciously sponsored by the Tijuana Visitors and Convention Bureau along with the support of the Crossborder Business Associates, Cotuco (Tijuana Tourism Board) and the Tijuana Canirac (Tijuana Restaurant Association). My first two write-ups were about our first night in Tijuana. The next 2 or 3 posts will feature what we did, saw and ate just on our second day, which started bright and early with a Tijuana City Tour.
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Our entire group rode in a bright red open air bus and as we drove around roundabouts and checked out the local scenery, our guide gave us a lot of information about how Tijuana came to be, its history and where it's going now. He was actually quite a crack-up. My only thing was that sometimes he talked a little too fast to be understood, but then he was trying to cram a lot info in a really short amount of time. Below are some of the sights of the city.

After our 45 minute whirlwind tour, we were taken for a taste of the forbidden, at least, if that was what we wanted. In downtown Tijuana, La Villa de Tobaco, was the place to go if you wanted to indulge in smoking a Cuban cigar or partaking in Cuban rum. Of course, there was also coffee and other refreshments for those who thought 10:00 or so in the morning was to early to indulge in either the rum or the cigar, but at least, one had options.

Before we got on the bus, I was even able to take pictures of the Zebra Striped Painted Donkeys that were lined up and down down town Tijuana. It did involve a donation though. Don't ask me what the history is behind these donkeys being painted, I haven't a clue; however, I did feel bad for these animals. It must be so difficult to have to stay still for so long.

With our stomachs grumbling, we were ready for breakfast and our first meal of the day was at Mariscos El Mazateno. It started with a Shrimp Consomme. Add some onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime and it made a great soup even better.

Tacos soon followed and we were served half portions of a Camarones Enchilado (Chili Shrimp) Taco and Smoked Marlin Taco. That Chili Shrimp was amazing. Sweet, plump and with a nice hit of heat, it jump started my taste buds.

Mariscos El Mazateno were even gracious enough to offer us a full size taco of either the shrimp or the marlin. I was definitely all over that Camarones Enchilado.

I liked the smokiness of the Smoked Marlin, but found it a tad too dry for my taste, even with the addition of salsa.

For the churro portion of this post, I actually had these churros originally when I did a trip with Bill in 2008 with my dining group, Pleasure Palate. You can see photos of that trip by clicking here. Even from 2008, those churros stuck in my head and when I found out we were making a brief stop close to that churro stand, I knew I had to get some. This particular churro stand is tucked within a recess of a wall in downtown Tijuana and unfortnately, I can't remember where it's located exactly.

What I love about them is that they are crispy and they're substantial, not these flimsy-floppy churros you sometimes are stuck with. The selling point are also the various fillings from dulce de leche, crema, chocolate and even strawberry. Take a look below and you'll know why these churros are simply unforgettable

So far, we've definitely done a lot in a short amount of time, but believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned and I promise that it won't be another year until my next post in this ¡Baja Delicioso! series.

Tijuana City Tour Website

La Villa del Tabaco
Avenida Revolucion 868
Zona Centro, Tijuana
(664) 688-3920.

Mariscos El Mazateno
Calzada Tecnologico,No. 473-E
Tomas Aquino
Tijuana, BCN

Click Here to See the Photos of the Entire Trip! ¡Baja Delicioso! - Introduction and the Ultimate Carne Asada Taco at Tacos El Poblano - The History of Mariachi and Late Night Mariachi at La Vuelta
- TJ City Tour, Cuban Cigars, Chili Shrimp Tacos and Churros< - From Spain to Argentina to My First Taste of Baja Med Cuisine Disclaimer: Sponsored by the Tijuana Visitors and Convention Bureau along with the support of the Crossborder Business Associates, Cotuco (Tijuana Tourism Board) and the Tijuana Canirac (Tijuana Restaurant Association). This sponsorship took the form of these organizations paying for our travel arrangements, our hotel accomodations and all our meals.

^ ^