Because our buddy, Tommy Beaudwin, feels fortunate to have been born on Cinco de Mayo, he traditionally celebrates in Baja and invites friends to join the fun. We connect with him on the annual adventure whenever we can! This year we met up with Tommy’s entourage in downtown Rosarito Beach, where we did some shopping and dropped into the venerable Papas & Beer (first time I’ve been to Papas in more than a decade! We were far too mellow and WAY too early for drunken debauchery.) Later we hooked up with Team Tommy at the beautiful new cliffside restaurant at Castillos del Mar, just south of town, where Tommy was staying. It was the night of the big Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, so things were a bit crazy. Bob and I loved our shared grilled pulpo (octopus – outrageous looking, huh?) and I was intrigued by these Out of Mexico spices!

In April we made the journey to Hotel Coral, just north of Ensenada for the Festival de las Conchas y el Vino Nuevo. Apparently it’s been held annually, but this was the first time we heard about it. Ticket were available online, and once I was able to convince Wells Fargo that the charge to a Tijuana-based promotion agency was not fradulent, we scored. With the currency conversion fee, worked out to about $35 per person. What a great event! Probably 40 Baja restaurants offering oyster, clam, mussel and abalone tastes; at least as many wineries pouring delicious vino. Chef Javier Plascencia was on hand representing my fave, Finca Altozano; reconnected with Javier Martinez of Ensenada’s Boules; was stoked to meet Drew Deckman and Natalia Badan. Lots of open space and tables; not too crowded when searching out samples. Cooking demos, too! A good value, lovely venue down by the Coral’s marina and a great way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. TIP: BYO wine glass or you’ll need to buy one; it’s not included in the ticket price.