BajaNomad

La Manzanilla- moved??

astrobaja - 11-10-2008 at 03:56 PM

Hi all,

Anyone know exactly where the Manzanilla restaurant has moved to? It used to be on Riveroll and Lopez Mateus, but the manager told us they were going to be opening up a bigger spot with more parking in the area of town where customs is.
For those that don't know about it my Wife and I think its the best alta cocina Mexican food place in town! I think its better than Laja just cause it has the Mexican infuence in its food more than Laja. Exquisite tiradito de pescado, thin strips of yellowtail with grated ginger, serrano, a bit of soy and baja olive oil. Excellent almejas ahumado with gorgonzola. Grilled rockfish in a smoky chipotle/ black bean broth! And THE best risotto I've ever eaten, again with a smoky creamy texture!
I need my Manzanilla fix!:P

--Astro

tripledigitken - 11-10-2008 at 04:56 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by astrobaja
Hi all,

Anyone know exactly where the Manzanilla restaurant has moved to? It used to be on Riveroll and Lopez Mateus, but the manager told us they were going to be opening up a bigger spot with more parking in the area of town where customs is.
For those that don't know about it my Wife and I think its the best alta cocina Mexican food place in town! I think its better than Laja just cause it has the Mexican infuence in its food more than Laja. Exquisite tiradito de pescado, thin strips of yellowtail with grated ginger, serrano, a bit of soy and baja olive oil. Excellent almejas ahumado with gorgonzola. Grilled rockfish in a smoky chipotle/ black bean broth! And THE best risotto I've ever eaten, again with a smoky creamy texture!
I need my Manzanilla fix!:P

--Astro


I had heard the new site is on Riverole and 1. In the meantime have you tried Benito's other restaurants, Muelle Tres in Ensenada and Silvestre in the Guadalupe Valley? Please post a review if you have. They are both on my list to try next time down.

Thanks,

Ken

bajabound2005 - 11-10-2008 at 06:34 PM

Riverol and 1 IS Riverol and Lopez Mateo. Lopez Mateo is 1st street. According to their address on their website:
http://www.rmanzanilla.com/esp.html

that would put them between Lopez Mateo (or 1st Str) and Riverol...which is where I remember going but that was a couple of years ago!

makana.gabriel - 11-11-2008 at 01:11 PM

I am a big fan of Benito also. Where is Muelle Tres?

bajabound2005 - 11-11-2008 at 01:51 PM

http://www.muelletres.com/
(but the site is under construction)

from another site, here is the location

"Muelle Tres is open Wednesday to Sunday from 1 pm. to 6 pm
It's located on the board walk north of the Mercado Negro. The easiest way to find it is on the entrance of Ensenada park in the parking lot on the right after the first stop light there is a building that resembles a light house go to the end of the lot and you will see a blue and grey building that’s where Muelle Tres is."


[Edited on 11-11-2008 by bajabound2005]

tripledigitken - 11-12-2008 at 09:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabound2005
Riverol and 1 IS Riverol and Lopez Mateo. Lopez Mateo is 1st street.


Didn't know Lopez Mateo was also 1st st. The information I got about the new location was down the street from the Riverole site closer to the Harbor and "Mex 1". Hopefully they will update their website and clear up the question.

Makana, please review Muelle Tres if you go there.

Ken

Manzanilla's location

Bajabuff - 11-12-2008 at 06:40 PM

Hi, I was in Ensenada last Sunday and a shop keeper across the street from the old location on Riverol said they would re-open in about 2 months and waved in the direction of Lopez Mateos and the Harbor as noted above. Dick
P.s. Had a great dinner at Laja in GV Saturday evening and a very good lunch at Mustafa's Restaurant the next day.

astrobaja - 11-13-2008 at 11:10 AM

Hi ken and all,

Bummer about being 2 months before they re-open! We will ask at Muelle Tres next week, one of the waiters who worked at Manzanilla also works there. I imagine they will be able to give an exact address (I will post when I know).
We DID have lunch at Muelle Tres a couple months back, and it was quite good!
Not in the same level of sophistication as Manzanailla but then I don't think that was their intention.
Its kind of more like a chic tapas bar with lots of seafood oriented botanas.
Clams and oysters prepared in a variety of interesting and flavourful ways.
A nice selection of Baja wines and beers. I will post a review when we go next week.

astrobaja - 2-6-2009 at 02:17 PM

Ok,

Manzanillas been open for a while now, its moved to a larger building and there is ample parking on the street. Can't remember the street name but its like 500 feet furthur down the street where the Migration office is in the port area (same side of the street). Theres a little cafe/coffee shop on the right and a bit further is a white buiding with blue trim along the top, no sign yet but its open wed-sat. A very cool huge wood bar dominates the view as you walk in, they are still renovating another part, but there are plenty of tables. A few new items are offered like freshly made raviolis de mariscos! Delicious, it came in a cream sauce with tarragon/or chervil! I also had almejas ahumado served with a little dollop of gorgonzola!
The food this place serves is among the best I've had anywhere, period! That includes the Ritz Carleton and lots of other much more $$ places!

bajabound2005 - 2-6-2009 at 06:09 PM

Manzanilla Restaurant Is On the Move by Steve Dryden

Manzanilla is a popular bistro with local, regional, national and international food and wine lovers. Recently they've relocated to the harbor area of Ensenada near the Migration and Harbor Master offices directly across from the boat repair yards on the north side of the port. Due to the fact that there is no sign or street address, I'll
give you exact directions for those coming from Rosarito into downtown Ensenada. As you enter the port area of downtown on Highway One you'll see the harbor, and as you approach the first stop light you'll see a sign on the right shoulder that reads: Migration. On the left side of the intersection is a Pemex fuel station. Turn right here, move towards the Migration office on the right side, look for a coffee shop called Cafe Tomas and park nearby. Walk about 200 feet towards the water and look for an arch made of 2x4's on the right, this is the entrance.

This week I'm joined in my culinary research by two Canadian gourmet chefs, Brad Milne and Beemal Vasani of www.souschef.com. They operate a successful gourmet food outlet in Saskatchewan, pronounced sas KACH uh wahn, one of the Prairie Provinces of Canada, and home to the greatest wheat-growing region in North America. Its farmers produce about half of Canada`s wheat thus gaining the nickname of "Canada`s Breadbasket" ~ in fact ~ the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool is one of the world`s largest marketing cooperatives. Beemal and Brad actually live
and work in the city of Saskatoon which has Saskatchewan`s largest population center. Saskatoon is located in Southern Saskatchewan and is surrounded by a rich farming region. Major oil fields were discovered here during the 1950`s bringing sudden change and prosperity to these prairies. Today, Saskatchewan produces about 25 percent of Canada`s petroleum, and is a leading oil producer of North America. Potash mining is a major industry in this province which is used in fertilizers, and has propelled Saskatchewan to one of the world`s leading producers of potash. Adding to their "economic resurrection" has been the recent discovery of high quality diamonds in the region and large amounts of mineral resources that provides almost all of Canada`s uranium. All this activity gives Beemal and Brad an opportunity to
market their gourmet produces to an affluent community that appreciates "world class" cuisine, wine and premium food items.

Brad and Beemal are here in Mexico to research and invest in the abundant resources of Baja California Norte. Beemal's family members have purchased a home in the oceanfront community of Medio Camino and will spend part of each year in our neighborhood. We've been touring the gourmet food sector in the region for a few days as well as exploring the wine country and sampling the gourmet cuisine of this
region's culinary wizards. This adventure has led us to Manzanilla Restaurant and into conversation with one of the owners, Javier Martinez. He explains to my Canadian friends that "we focus here on the use of fresh ingredients, local seafood, regional food products, all blended together with creative recipes, and well-suited to compliment our local wine products. We've created a casual and relaxed environment that caters to those who love original recipes, artistically prepared, using fresh regional products." He further tells us that his menu prices range from $5 usd for starters (entradas) to about $27 usd for their amazing Rib Eye Añejo de Sonora. One of their signature dishes is Calamares Manchez, a supreme blend of fresh greens, beets, herbs, spices and tender pieces of local squid. As we explore this
culinary wonder, we (gracefully) devour two other entradas ~ Tartara de
Pescado and Ostiones Ramonetti. All three of us agreed that the
Calamares Manchez is a "stunning delight" with good reviews for the Ostiones Ramonetti which is made from oysters grown in San Quintin and topped with aged cheese from Ramonetti dairy farms in Ojos Negros. Both Canadian chefs said they would improve the Tartara de Pescado with more spice flavors, but Beemal commented that "the Calamares Manchez presentation was sensational, well-balanced with flavors complimenting each other, and the calamari is cooked to perfection." Although Brad is not a big fan of oysters in general, he commented "that the oysters were fresh tasting and the cheese topping was remarkable."
For those of you who have yet to discover oysters from San Quintin, you should note that they are winning international recognition and awards for their superior quality and taste.

Our international team of culinary explorers continued on with three main entrees: Albondigas de Camaron, Risotto de Mar, and Fedellini de Almeja. Beemal commented "the Albondigas de Camaron presentation was stunning. I liked the fact that the heads were left on the shrimp, as it appeared that the entire shrimp looked more like a small lobster. The shrimp had great flavor." Brad felt "the shrimp may have been slightly under cooked, but I loved the visual presentation, colors and
texture, with the salsa complimented the shrimp very nicely." All three os us were delighted with the Risotto de Mar. Beemal noted, "it was fantastic, a very nice mix, great use of regional cheese, and perfectly cooked risotto. The Fedellini de Almeja was excellent, but cooled too fast before we could finish the entree. Brad suggested that "maybe the serving dish could be warmed to hold the heat better, or served with clam shells to hold the warmth." Brad paired his meal with a 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Estacion, Porvenir which he said "paired nicely with all the dishes." I experimented with two 2006 reds, Xecue Cabernet Sauvignon and Xecue Merlot ~ both good wines that are sold by the glass at Manzanilla.

Manzanilla has a good wine list with over fifteen options by the bottle and three wines offered by the glass. Some wines on their list that caught my attention were, 2005 Roganto Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Roganto Tempranillo, 2006 Alximia Merlot, 2002 Callave Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend, and 2006 Octubre 3 Carignane.

This charming bistro is still in the process of moving and getting set up in their new location. They are open Wednesdays thru Saturday from lunch through dinner. The bar is a magnificent piece of furniture and adds real class to the dinning room and bar area. Beemal remarked, "I feel this is the first place I've walked into that has
developed a character and ambiance. You know that a nice meal is coming.I 'm a big eater and the portions presented here are perfect." Brad adds, "they've taken a converted space and turned it into a nice venue with good use of available space and with the addition of a brilliant bar." We ended that afternoon with three wonderful dessert items: Cascade de Chocolate, Creme Brulee and Strawberry Mousse del Dia.
Overall we were pleased with the quality of the food, enjoyed superior service and enjoyed the new location. The dessert items were the grand finale for a remarkable culinary adventure, and we were blessed with one week of perfect weather in the 70's. Beemal and Brad are back in Saskatoon where the temperature is about 40 degrees below zero. I'm wondering if they're thinking about their new friend and the
wonderful port City of Ensenada. I'm guessing these thoughts and memories are now "frozen" into their minds ~ and, we hope to see them soon. I appreciated their global perspective, knowledge of gourmet food and quality wine, generosity, and friendship.

Steve Dryden is a wine, food and travel writer living in Valle deGuadalupe where he guides individual and small group wine tours. He canbe reached at: sbdryden@hotmail.com

shari - 2-6-2009 at 06:55 PM

ummm yummm....sounds sooo wonderful...hey astro...have you tried Ophelias yet...sirenita works there on the weekends...I wonder how it stacks up to these other Haut Cuisine joints!

astrobaja - 2-6-2009 at 07:49 PM

Hey Bajabound: thanks for posting the great article! I would agree their beet/calamari dish is one of the most memorable taste experiences I've ever had, in fact once you try 5-6 dishes its really hard to ever try something new just cause they are so damn good!
Plus Armando the waiter is world class!

Shari: where is Ophelias? We're game to try something new!

shari - 2-7-2009 at 08:39 AM

It is in Sauzal...when going north, it is right beside some big tower...dont know if they are apartments or hotel...new big phallic thing...on the left side(ocean side) just a ways past the UABC...look for the tower and turn left into the place just before...there is like a huge blow up beer can thingy.
It has a wonderful wine bar...no other liquor is served...and an incredible menu....do NOT miss ordering the gnocci's...heavenly.
They also have cooking classes which I hear are very successful...the chef is a really cool guy. The service is fantastic, music ecclectic, lovely decor and the owners built it themselves...Rosendo does all the neat woodwork himself in a shop out back...it is a family owned restaurant...I was very impressed and super full...go on a weekend when Nomad Sirenita is working...let us know how you liked it and what you ate! buen provecho