¡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. ^

Korean Tapas at Cham Korean Bistro

When it comes to Cham Korean Bistro, even though I had been there a couple of times and thoroughly enjoyed my meals, I just hadn't been able to actually blog about it. In each instance, I had been with friends who I haven't seen in awhile so the focus was on the company and not taking pictures, as is my usual practice. However, when Cham Korean Bistro offered to host me and a guest, this was my chance to finally write about it.

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For those of you unfamiliar with Cham Korean Bistro, the focus is on a modern take on Korean Cuisine with some fusion mixed in.  I wouldn't say that a Korean fusion influence was really seen in the first dish we tried which was the Cham Salad.  It was, however, a delicious blend of spring mix, carrots, jicama, sesame brittle and soy-balsamic vinaigrette. One small thing though? I loved that sesame brittle and there just wasn't enough of it for my liking.

One of the things that I really like about Cham is their Korean Tapas menu, which features share-able small plates. Between this visit and my other two visits, I've tried all but two of items on that tapas menu. My favorite is the Crispy Pork Belly with Fingerling Potatoes and not just any fingerling potatoes, but Peruvian potatoes.  You really can't go wrong with crispy pork belly and I really enjoyed the soft earthiness of the potatoes.

Fusion definitely shows up in the form of the Calamari Mini Tacos with Sautéed Kimchi Topping. The taco itself was a little difficult to eat since the proportion of filling to tortilla was higher, but hey, it's hard not to appreciate that there was no skimping. While I enjoyed the battered outside and the slight chew of the calamari itself, I would have preferred just a little more heat from the kimchi for a complete thumbs up.

My guest had raved about the Cham Onion Rings, which she had really enjoyed at previous visits. That night, however, while the onions rings had a nice crunch to it, they were a little too oily. Perhaps, an off night for the onion rings?

That night, we also had the Korean Rice Cake aka Toppoki.  While the name "Rice Cake" may bring up visions of round shapes, the rice cakes in this dish are more like rounded cylinders made from glutinous rice and/or rice flour. Sauteed in some kind of chili sauce that definitely brought on the heat, these rice cakes made my taste buds happy.

The last item from the Korean Tapas menu were the Crispy Spicy Tuna Balls. I think the coating was fried rice, but I'm not sure. Regardless, I really enjoyed the texture of the tuna balls. Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside and with a spice level that was just right.  Also from this menu, though not pictured, you should try the Ahi Tuna with a Chimichuri Sauce, but the Sweet Potato Fries aren't anything that exciting.

Not on the Korean Tapas menu, but just as delicious were the last two items we tried.  One was the Blue Crab Tofu Pocket: seasoned rice and marinated blue crab topping.  I liked the freshness of the crab but overall, this particular tofu pocket was a little forgettable for me. I actually prefer the Spicy Tuna Tofu Pocket and the Pickled Seaweed Tofu Pockets that I had at previous visits.

The second item was the Spicy Yuzu Pork Bulgogi + Cilantro Bun Steamed Bun with sautéed spicy yuzu pork bulgogi and fresh cilantro. This was my second favorite dish of the night. Is it obvious that I love pork?  There was a really nice caramelization on the pork and I liked the peppery flavors that the cilantro added to this sandwich.  You can also a Beef Bulgogi or Spicy Chicken Steamed Bun, but I can't seem to not order this particular steamed bun.

Other dishes that that I've also tried and enjoyed in the past include their Kimchi Rice (no longer on the menu) and their BBQ + Garden Platter with Beef Short Rib. One dish that I wouldn't order again is their Sauteed Sweet Potato Noodles, which tasted was too bland for me.

Overall, Cham Korean Bistro is a good eatery.  For the most part, I've enjoyed almost everything I tried so far and now I'm just happy to finally blog about it and hopefully encourage some of you to check it for yourself.

Cham Korean Bistro
851 Cordova Street
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 792-2474


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The Day I was a Top Chef (Tour) Judge at Chef Antonia Lofaso's and Chef Jamie Lauren's Quickfire Challenge with a plug for Executive Pastry Chef, Sally Camacho

I so wish that the title of my post was "The Day I was a Top Chef Judge" without the Tour in parenthesis, but what the heck, it was still a few hours well spent. So what was the Top Chef Tour? Basically, it was a 22 city tour that took place from April 15 to June 21 where two former Top Chef contestants would go head to head in a 15 minute Quickfire Challenge.  Lucky for me, I got asked to be a judge for one of those challenges when the tour came to Los Angeles and who were the two chefs in this particular competition? Why, it was none other than Chef Antonia Lofaso and Chef Jamie Lauren.

However, when I got there, I was amused to see a standing cardboard cut out of Season 8 Winner, Richard Blais. Done just right, you could probably pose with him for a photo and have people actually think that you actually met him, but I resisted the urge.

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I found out later that it was too late to include him on the Truck Graphic that showcased other Top Chef Winners so the cutout was the best solution at the time.  Still, there's always next year's Top Chef Tour to add his image directly next to Season 7 winner, Kevin Sbraga.

Anyway, soon the competition was going to start and our host came up and through a series of trivia questions was able to pick two other judges to join me. He also went on to explain some of the parameters of the Quickfire.  First, he talked about how Top Chef Facebook fans got to choose the main ingredient for each Quickfire and for Los Angeles, fish was the most popular choice and from there, cod became the fish that both chefs were going to work with.

Along with the cod, both chefs were also given 10 other ingredients plus 1 secret ingredient of their own choosing that they could use for their dish. They also had only 15 minutes to cook and believe me, they were timed. You can see the ingredients on Antonia's station below.

There was a lot of fun banter between the two of them and while they were cooking, they also took questions from the audience like one where someone had asked if it was true that Padma actually had different sized dresses to accommodate weight gained while filming the show.  Antonia jokingly replied, "Well, Padma does eat like a horse," but if you want to get the real scoop, click here to read this article.

Another question had to do with the temperature of the food itself after it's been prepared for a Quickfire or an Elmination Challenge.  Apparently, by the time some of the dishes get to the judges, the food may be lukewarm or even cold.  Judges have to focus just on the flavors of the ingredients and are told not to take the temperature of the food into consideration.

Both Antonia and Jamie also talked about what they're doing now.  Antonia is currently the Executive Chef of Black Market Liquor Bar in Studio City and you can read more about her diverse and playful menu on LAIST as well as get a recipe for her Crispy Parmesan Cauliflower, a popular dish at Black Market, by reading this article here. Jamie has been consulting on the menu for the just opened Vodvil LA restaurant and you can take a look at her fun take on food on the Vodvil website.

Finally, the 15 minutes were up and it was time for the food to be presented to the judges. Antonia's creation was a Crispy Cod with Lemon Capered Mayo, Canteloupe-Jicama Salad and Pumpkin Seeds while Jamie's dish was a Crispy Cod Lettuce Cups, Pickled Chile Mayo, Jicama and Corn Salad. Finally, it was time for the judges and while there was some back and forth, a unanimous vote gave Antonia the win.

Chef Antonia's Crispy Cod with Lemon Capered Mayo, Canteloupe-Jicama Salad and Pumpkin Seeds

Chef Jamie's Crispy Cod Lettuce Cups, Pickled Chile Mayo, Jicama and Corn Salad

While I can't claim Top Chef Judgehood, it was still a fun experience and one I wouldn't mind doing a repeat of, plus it's always nice to meet and chat with chefs that you've only previously just seen on TV.

If you have a sweet tooth, Top Chef Just Desserts, Season 2, premieres on August 24 and I already know that I'm rooting for Executive Pastry Chef, Sally Camacho, who I briefly met at a WP24 Media Dinner. Doesn't her Calamansi Vacherin with calamansi curd, Szechuan peppercorn meringue, macadamia crumble, vanilla bean ice cream and Thai basil below look delicious?

Although it hasn't been officially announced on Bravo TV, it looks like Top Chef Texas is now filming, so that's something to look forward to and I'm sure when it finally airs, there will be many a Top Chef fan(atic) glued to the screen. I know I will.

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