New Friends, New (& Fave) Wineries

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.

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!

Two Festivals (& A Fun New Restaurant)

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!

Sweltering Summer Afternoon at Concurso de Paellas

(If you experience difficulty viewing the images on your device, please click on https://www.eatdrinkbaja.com/?p=2349)

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.

Visiting Viñedos en Flor

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.

Conchas: An Oyster Lover’s Paradise

OK, the real name is Festival de Las Conchas y el Vino Nuevo. But those of us who have been attending for years just refer to it as Conchas. Held every spring by the marina at the lovely Hotel Coral north of Ensenada, Conchas is the unofficial start of the annual Baja wine and food fest season. And here we go!

Comite Provino does a great job staging their events.

In theory, the event showcases Baja’s oysters, clams, mussels and abalone. In reality, there are a LOT of oysters. Not that we’re complaining!

Gotta love an oyster-filled wine barrel!

Great to see Drew Deckman of the Valle’s Deckman’s en el Mogor at Conchas.

Conchas attracts a crowd, but we’ve never found it unmanageable. Just grab a table early!

The Three Amigos – great participants in Team EatDrinkBaja at Conchas 2023.

Look for a post soon about our visit to the Festival de los Vinedos en Flor earlier this month. And we look forward to Cocina La Baja on July 15 and the big Concurso de Paellas on August 20! Tickets for both are now available.

Otra vez, gracias por fotos by Bob Gove.

Finally! Another Valle Girls’ Trip (Part 1)

Pre-COVID, my friend Patti and I made semi-regular gals’ trips to Valle de Guadalupe. We resurrected that tradition earlier this year, booking a cabin at Casa Mayoral, with one bed on the ground floor, another in the loft. We’ve stayed at CM twice before, but never in this casita/cabin. 

Cabin #1 at Casa Mayoral.

We love the ambiance and staff at CM. It’s south of the Ensenada-Tecate highway, far enough away to feel secluded and enjoy the nature, but with relatively quick access to the main highway. 

View from our little balcony at Casa Mayoral.

After checking in, our first stop was one of our favorites – Vinos Lechuza, which has added food options since my last visit. Fantastic to see Armando, who has become a highly valued employee at Lechuza; I first met Armando more than four years ago. Patti and I enjoyed a great wine tasting and shared a fabulous plate of almejas ahumadas (grilled clams smothered in cheese, veggies and herbs).

Yummy almejas (clams) at Lechuza!

Then it was off to our reservation at the Bruma Wine Garden. I’ve been to Bruma’s Fauna for their tasting menu, maybe four years ago; it was fantastic, and I really admire Chef David Castro Hussong.

Bruma’s Wine Garden is down below and north of Fauna, Bruma’s signature restaurant, and as you might expect, is outdoors, but under a lovely canopy of trees. I had heard positive reviews of their pizzas, so Patti and I shared one, along with a bottle of wine, and a very chocolaty dessert. It was a fine meal, but with so many Valle options, would I return? Not sure.

Bruma wine and fluffy pizza.

Ambiance at Bruma Wine Garden.

After finding our way back to CM on a dark, drizzly night with lots of traffic on the highway, we settled in for the night. I insisted on taking the loft bed, and it was a bit of a challenge negotiating the ladder/staircase to get up and down. But somehow I managed not to fall off. Whew!

I considered the access to our cabin’s loft the stairway to heaven.

Saturday morning we enjoyed an included breakfast at CM and received some helpful updates about the Valle from staff. We were saddened to learn that the long-standing Farmers’ Market at Mogor Badan went by the wayside during the pandemic and has not been revived since. 

We heeded a recommendation to visit the Misiones de California winery, which involved taking an unmarked road north of the highway in San Antonio de Las Minas. Once we finally found and proceeded up that dirt road, we did spot helpful signage. And, we found it! A rather hidden gem.

We did not have reservations (heck, we didn’t even know if we could find the place!) but our host Addie set us up for a great tasting even though she was awaiting a reservation that was running late. Once they – another pair of gal pals with a driver – arrived, happily we all merged together. This is not a place where you would expect wine tour buses to show up; it’s off the beaten Valle track. Patti and I especially enjoyed their Nebbiolo, and we promptly bought a bottle for our cabin. 

Entering the unassuming but wonderful Vinicola Misiones de California.

With our host and fellow wine fans at Misiones de Californias.

We stopped at Los Globos in San Antonio de las Minas for rosemary cheese and a bunch of other local products. On the way back to CM, I introduced Patti to Vinedos Don Tomas for another wine tasting. Don Tomas provides a very nice cheese/tomato/olive tray with their tasting, a super nice touch. Then it was back to CM to get ready for the highlight of our wine and culinary journey: a tasting menu dinner at Lunario.

Stay tuned for Part 2 with detailed info about our tasting experience, and our other rather crazy recent Valle adventures, coming soon!

 

 

Market at Mogor Badan went by the wayside during the pandemic. 

 

 

Two more Baja Festivals Announced!

The venerable Rosarito Beach Hotel is turning 99 this year! We are all invited to attend the 99th Year Gala Celebration on Saturday June17 at 5 pm in the hotel gardens. There will be a concert by Beatles tribute band The Revolution. Food and beverages will be available, but apparently are not included in the admission which is 400 pesos in advance (about $20). Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-343-8582.

This photo is from Sabor de Baja 2016, also held in the gardens of the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

We were excited to learn that Festival Cocina La Baja will return on Saturday, July 15. Formerly held at the Estero Beach Hotel south of Ensenada, this year is moving to the Hotel Coral & Marina just north of Ensenada. A great event with a bigger variety of offerings than some of the other festivals. Apparently tix are not yet on sale, but you can follow CLB at https://www.facebook.com/cocinalabaja.

Attendees enoying Cocina La Baja 2022.

There are indications that the Baja Blues Fest might return to the gardens of the Rosarito Beach Hotel in mid-August, and we’ve heard the Valle Food & Wine Fest will be back this fall. No definitive dates for either, and no word yet on the potential return of  the classy all-white party, Sabor de Baja.

Stay tuned!

Gracias por fotos by Bob Gove.

Baja Food & Wine Festivals on the Horizon

Hola amigos/as! It’s the time of year we’ve been waiting for: the Baja Festival Season! Here is a list of upcoming events on our radar screen, with links. We’ll write more about them individually in the near future.

Saturday, April 15, 4pm – Crossing South Food & Wine Festival, Rosarito Beach Hotel This first-time event is tied to the popular PBS TV show, Crossing South. Meet show host Jorge Meraz, enjoy food & wine samples, and salsa dance lessons! Tix: $70, $140 for VIP. Check out this video.

Sunday, April 23, noon – Festival de las Conchas y el Nuevo Vino, Hotel Coral & Marina, Ensenada One of our very favorite fests! With 50+ restaurants serving gourmet samples made with oysters, clams and scallops, and 80 wineries pouring tastes of 150 different wines . . . how can you go wrong? Tix: $1200 pesos (about $67 at the current exchange rate).



Saturday & Sunday, May 27-28, 10am – Art Walk Rosarito, CEART, Rosarito Beach Not a true food and wine fest, but in the past this event HAS included booths for both wine and food. Touring the art and talking with the artists is very fun! Admission in the past has been free. 

Saturday, June 10, noon – Fiesta de los Vinedos en Flor, Jardin Decantos, Valle de Guadalupe  A family-oriented event in a new location this year. Wine and beer tastings are offered, but you gotta pay for food (although prices are very reasonable). Tix: $700 pesos (about $37). And, kids under 18 are admitted free! Tix are on not sale yet. Read more at https://provinobc.mx/eventos/


Friday, August 4, 7pm – Muestra del Vino, Centro Cultural Riviera, Ensenada We’ve not been to this event, but it looks like a great time. It’s the opening event for Fiestas de la Vendimia, the Baja wine harvest celebration. And I love the venue, Cento Cultural Riviera! Again, tix are not on sale yet, but read more at https://provinobc.mx/eventos/

Sunday, August 20, noon – Concurso del Paellas, Vinedos Liceaga, Valle de Guadalupe My very favorite event of the year, with 80 wineries and 80+ teams of “paelleros.” Grab a table under the giant oak trees and enjoy wine, music, and of course, paella all afternoon. Such a festive but relaxing atmosphere. Bring friends, or make new ones! This is the closing event of the Fiestas de la Vendimia. Tix this year will be around $75, worth every penny, but are not yet on sale. Learn more at https://provinobc.mx/eventos/  



Three other past events: Cocina la Baja, typically held in early July at Estero Beach Hotel,Sabor de Baja, generally held in late August at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, and the Valle Food & Wine Fest, usually an October event, have not announced 2023 dates yet. We hope all shows will go on, and we will keep you posted.

Salud!

Como siempre, muchisimas gracias por fotos by Bob Gove.



Adios 2022; Hola 2023!

Hola! Muy Feliz Año Nuevo! 2022 is now in our rear-view mirror. However, we certainly had some great experiences last year eating and drinking in Baja.

2022 brought the post-pandemic return of some of our favorite food and wine festivals. Excited by the revival of the Festival de Las Conchas y el Vino Nuevo along the marina at Hotel Coral in May, we arrived super early and secured a fabulous table as our hub for the afternoon. That was key, since Team EatDrinkBaja later swelled to 13 strong! (Thanks, all.) Conchas features many of Baja’s best wineries and restaurants. Although celebrity chefs Javier Plascencia and Drew Deckman did not appear to be in attendance as in the past, we mowed our way through dozens of booths with oysters, clams, abalone and more . . . and, of course, multiple wine tastings! It was wonderful to spot other Team EDB members in the crowd and exchange “reviews” of recently-visited booths. Our MO: eat, drink, compare notes, get back in line, repeat. An incredibly fun afternoon.

Team EDB!!

On June 11 we traveled down to Valle de Guadalupe for the Viñedos en Flor festival, held on the grounds of the Monte Xanic winery. While not as impressive as Conchas, Viñedos has a cool, rural, family-oriented vibe, with kids’ activities and a petting zoo. And it was fantastic to reunite with Natalia Badan, an early founder of wine making in the Valle who chaired this fest five or so years ago when it took place at Finca La Carrodilla.

I consider Natalia as the Katherine Hepburn of the Valle.

Very special: the patriarch of F. Rubio pouring their vinos.

In July, the Cocina La Baja festival returned to the Estero Beach Hotel south of Ensenada. Bob attended solo, but reported that it was among his favorite Baja food fests due to the variety of dishes available to attendees, the chef cooking demonstrations, the abundance of offerings by Baja craft breweries . . . and, of course, the spectacular seaside venue!

Ah, August . . . the Concurso de Paellas at Viñas Liceaga in Valle de Guadalupe! Truly my favorite way to spend a sweltering summer afternoon. This event is so special – you can bring in food and non-alcoholic beverages. Attending over the years has taught us to not only pack hats and sunscreen . . . but also a tablecloth, veggie and hummus tray, and a small rolling cooler. Gotta get there early and stake out a great table in the shade of the big oak trees, strategically positioned between the wine tasting and paella-serving booths. Some folks do it up really fancy, with china, silverware and cloth napkins! But the paella –  cooked over wood fires by 90 teams competing for honors – is the star of the show. Plus, there’s live music and/or a DJ on two stages. A Baja tradition – in reality, a Baja happening.

We were glad to see the Valle Food and Wine Fest return in October, albeit with some changes. Due to limitations on really large events in Valle de Guadalupe in recent years, this fest downsized . . . and increased significantly in price. Relocating from Finca Altozano to Bruma (on the eastern end of the Valle), the 3-day fest included chef’s dinners on Friday evening, a main event on Saturday night, and a “Valle Fest Brunch” on Sunday, which we attended . . . since we were just coming back from taking Bob’s boat to Avalon for the Catalina Jazz Festival! (Yes . . . living la vida loca.) To their credit, the Valle Fest brings in major, internationally-known chefs. It was wonderful to see and chat with Rick Bayless and other chefs at the brunch. And attendees appeared to be having a good time. However, this event is definitely at the high end of the $$ spectrum compared to other Baja food and wine fests, with the Saturday night event at $250 and the Sunday brunch at $190 (once they finally lowered the price, thank you). As Bob opined, it was a nice event, but should have been half the price. I agree whole heartedly.

Rick Bayless, an impressive chef and an early advocate of Mexican cuisine.

That’s our wrap-up of the 2022 Baja food fests we enjoyed! Promise: we’ll soon give you a quick recap of Baja restaurants visited in the past year or so, as well as a preview of 2023 Baja food fests. We’re back on the post-pandemic track now!

As Daisy Fuentes famously said at the end of her MTV Latino shows years ago, “Ciao-cito, babies!”

Como siempre, muchisimas gracias por photos by Bob Gove.