elgatoloco
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Barra Azul- Ensenada
Barra Azul
(646)178-4846
Calle Once #1090
Zona Centro
Ensenada, B.C.
Open after 1:30 PM
Closed Tuesdays
Last Sunday we were in Ensenada at Cafe-Cafe on 1st Street picking up some decorative items we had ordered for our house remodel. We had ordered one
item but left the place with six! They have some great stuff at the shop you don't see elsewhere and right next door is Casa Ramirez (owned by mom and
pop Ramirez) another unique shop where you can customize your stuff. We had a folding screen made to order there. We always take friends and family to
these places when they want to do some 'souvenir' shopping. I digress.
While we were there we asked the owner, Memo Ramirez (the son), for a recommendation for something new and different. He immediately told us about
Barra Azul. We headed east on Gastelum to Calle Once, made a right turn headed south until we crossed the bridge and there it was on the right just
before Avenida Espinoza.
The owner and head chef is Alain, an industrial engineer by trade who is in sales and a native of Ensenada. He told us that he was always interested
in good food and cooking. He is self taught and his style leans toward Asian and French. He occasionally will have Cornish game hen on the menu
otherwise t is all seafood all the time. The menu is written on chalkboards hanging on the walls and changes daily depending on what is fresh. He has
a lot of shellfish, including abalone (farmed local), mussels and sea urchin as well as ceviche, sashimi, whole fried fish with a Thai chili sauce,
machaca de marlin tacos, just to name a few. The four of us tried about 10 different dishes and they were ALL really good. So were the handmade
margaritas! The fare here is completely different from any other place we have been in Ensenada and a nice diversion from the ordinary. Check it out.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9006
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Is Barra Azul
El Rey Sol or Haliotis expensive or is it more moderate?
How much were entrees?
Is Calle Once the same as 1A, down by the harbor?
[Edited on 9-28-2005 by Hook]
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elgatoloco
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It is more moderate. The menu changes daily. It is seafood, no meat. Calle Once is roughly 10 blocks east of the harbor.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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Hook
Elite Nomad
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Thanks
Brain fart. OF COURSE, ONCE WOULD BE ABOUT 10 BLOCKS FROM THE HARBOR. Doooh!
We are going to try it this Saturday night. Well be staying near La Salina this weekend.
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Hook
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Hit the place Saturday night!!
We got there early, around 7pm and stayed until about 8:30. With the drive back to La Salina hanging over us, we didn't want a late night.
BTW, it is not that easy to find in the dark. Their "sign" is raised black letters on the exterior that are dimly back lit. We drove past it twice.
For others, it is immediately past a brightly lit medical office sign as you come east along 11A.
Small place with coctail tables and stools. Also a bar to sit at. Inside the clientele seemed to be middle-upperclass Mexican couples.
We sat and were greeted by, first our waiter and then a slightly built guy with a large moustache who seemed to be an owner or manager. His english
was pretty good. He seemed interested as to how two gringos would find out about the place. I mentioned the Nomad board but he had not heard of it.
We started with a dozen oysters, half raw and half done tempura style. Very good and very fresh tasting. Saladitas and slices of toasted baguette with
olive oil and herbs. Ostiones also come with an excellent japapeno dip.
Next we decide to the have the crema de mejillones; a mussel bisque drizzled with a spicy hot oil on top. Very good, but no real evidence of mussels
in it. The predominant flavor was really cream and butter.
Next came the bluefin tuna tartare which was excellent It is a completely round mound of mango and apple finely diced with a mound of bluefin tuna on
top. Somewhat like a ceviche only the bluefin was not marinated in lime, although lime was drizzled on the mound.
More of the baguette slices, in fact, each order came with more of them.
All dishes seemed to be made to order. Even the soup took about 20 minutes to arrive. But we were in no hurry.
We had one other course that is escaping me right now.
We also had four margaritas total and they were clearly hand-squeezed limes, Controy and your choice of Don Julio or Hornitos as the house tequilas.
Very good and very strong. Also four bottled waters.
Wine list has some selections from Liceaga and Case de Piedra and a couple really pricey ones I hadn't heard of. One was going for 1000 pesos a
bottle. Spanish name but I don't think it was a Baja wine. We did not order any.
Total for the evening was 49.00 and we left quite full and with a pretty decent buzz.
Thanks for the recommendation. We would hit it again for drinks and appetizers before a dinner elsewhere.
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4323
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Appetizers and drinks or lunch. That is probably a good way to approach this place. We are heading back down this Thursday with some friends and will
likely slide by early afternoon for another taste. It is hard to find, even in daylight.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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