OK, this was across the river from Baja in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, but I hear there is another one in Mexicali. A "sobrino politico" (No,
he's not a politician. It means "nephew by marriage",i.e.; guy who married my niece.) was passing thru on his way to Mexicali to coach a basketball
team from Hidalgo in a tournament. My wife and I met him and a friend at the bus station in SLRC and took them to lunch.
An employee had told me about this new place and I wanted to try it. It's where Mr. Choby's used to be on 5th, near Kino. We were the first ones in
the door, they're open from noon to midnight. It's a pleasant place, a bit upscale for San Luis but not too pretentious, with a large rack of Calafia
wines near the entrance. It's a "different" sort of buffet. The sides; veggies, salads, pastas, potatoes, fruit etc. are arrayed in bowls set in
crushed ice. One serves oneself these items, but the meat arrives at the table. Each guest is given a small card, green "si" on one side and red
"no" on the other. You leave the green side up as long as you still wish to be served meat and turn it over to red when you can't pack any more away.
A waiter arrives tableside with a single or double skewer (Espadas means swords) of hot, freshly grilled meat, tells you what kind it is and if you
nod, he slices a small portion off the skewer onto your plate and asks if you'd like a bit more. If the portion seems small, wait. That ain't the
whole entree. The guy keeps coming back about every 3 or 4 minutes with another variety of sizzling "kabob". I lost count but I think
they serve around 15 to 20 kinds of "carne asada"; filets, small
ribs, turkey breast wrapped in bacon, but mostly different cuts of beef prepared with a bewildering variety of Brazilian marinades and seasonings.
I'm not sure I got through them all and I was the last one to turn my card over before I just couldn't down another bite. Thankfully I'd skipped
breakfast and was really hungry.
This wasn't cheap as a taco stand but it wasn't LaJa either. The "gentlemen's buffet" is around $15 usd and the ladies' is a
couple bucks less on the theory that the fairer sex will eat less. With 3 guys, 1 gal and 8 Pacificos, the tab was about $80. IMHO, "sumamente
razonable", but more importantly, well worth it.
Oso , We have Pampas here
Keri - 6-15-2007 at 05:45 PM
They have one in Ensenada and one in TJ. Same thing with the red and green card. The meat just keeps coming til you stop them Fantastic buffet and
salad bar and Dessert. Do by all means try the fried banana with vanilla sauce. Oh boy is that good. They also come around with a dessert cart and
afterdinner drinks. They make their own Bailey's type drink too. $18.00 for men $17.00 for women. Enjoy Roberto - 6-15-2007 at 06:02 PM
If they have A/A (Aire Acondicionado) I'm coming soon. If not, it'll have to wait a few months.
[Edited on 6-16-2007 by Roberto]bajalou - 6-15-2007 at 06:21 PM
Sounds like a restaurant I went to in Las Vegas NV about 15 years ago. Great meal if you like meat, especially beef. I really enjoyed it. Think it
was about $25 a person back then. I'd try it again if I had the chance.Oso - 6-15-2007 at 09:29 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Roberto
If they have A/A (Aire Acondicionado) I'm coming soon. If not, it'll have to wait a few months.
[Edited on 6-16-2007 by Roberto]
Yes, it's indoors, climate controlled, and only a few blocks from la linea. But, it was only 108 in the shade yesterday, like Spring for us.Roberto - 6-16-2007 at 09:02 PM
Okey dokey - sign me (us) up. I'll be in touch - been wanting to make my way down there for a while now.bajabound2005 - 6-17-2007 at 08:12 AM
Pampas in Ensenada gets a so-so rating. All the meats pretty much taste the same: like salt. That fried banana though might be worth the trip --
that was darn tasty!
