BajaNomad

Azul Marino - La Paz

Alan - 3-8-2012 at 11:07 PM

Just had one of the nicest most relaxing meals I have enjoyed in quite a while. I haven't seen them mentioned here often but I thought I would remind everyone about Azul Marino at the Costa Baja Marina. I started my meal with a tortilla soup then had the filet in a peppercorn reduction accompanied by a very nice Chilean Merlot then topped of the evening with a chocolate volcano cake with a scoop of vanilla. The service was impeccable and every course of the meal was perfection

msrla - 6-7-2012 at 10:34 AM

agreed, our favorite restaurant in La Paz -the fish tartare appetizer is a meal and to die for!

4x4abc - 6-17-2012 at 09:48 AM

overrated like most restaurants in La Paz
you get better meals at lower prices on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles

BajaBlanca - 6-17-2012 at 02:23 PM

sounds absolutely decadent. thanks for sharing your experience !

danaeb - 6-17-2012 at 02:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by 4x4abc
overrated like most restaurants in La Paz
you get better meals at lower prices on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles


What are your favorite restaurants in La Paz? I'm always looking for places that I haven't visited.

4x4abc - 6-20-2012 at 06:24 PM

I am thinking of starting a La Paz restaurant review website soon - very personal, not at all objective
I am out almost every night and have been to many many (not all) places
My favorite: delightful setting, polite and discrete service, great food, very reasonable prices: Il Rustico (CALLE REVOLUCION DE 1910 N. 1930)Il Rustico

most restaurants in La Paz promise too much and deliver too little. Lotsa hyped up places (mega $$$$$) with clueless service and mediocre food

great steaks (a bit pricy though - bad service): Estancia Uruguaya


Best restaurant of La Paz is in Todos Santos:Santa Fe

Sushi in La Paz?
Run!
Fast!
Far!

[Edited on 6-21-2012 by 4x4abc]

[Edited on 6-21-2012 by 4x4abc]

Ken Cooke - 6-20-2012 at 07:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by 4x4abc
overrated like most restaurants in La Paz
you get better meals at lower prices on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles


I seriously doubt it. If this wasn't the case, I would be eating on the Sunset Strip every weekend.:yes:

JESSE - 6-20-2012 at 08:26 PM

La Paz is one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult city to operate a restaurant in Mexico. People come here and want cheap, great service, and great food and it aint going to happen for the following reasons:

1.-Good quality beef, some seafood, and other ingredients come from Tijuana or the mainland, thats $$$$$, that means that we pay on average, 50% more for the same beef they are serving you in San Diego.

2.-It is extremely hard to find qualified foodservice employees in La Paz because of many things, one of them being the laid back culture. Locals simply cannot understand why foreigners are in a hurry. Labors laws are also very destructive, and as many who have started businesess in baja sur know, you pay a ton of money in severance, penalties, and lost wages crap each year because its the state sport to sue employers here.

3.-In my opinion, Italian restaurants have the least problems because they mainly use ingredients that can be found locally cheap. In other restaurants, you need beef, produce from the mainland, and other ingredients from far away and thus have to charge more because you pay a lot more. Customers demand it, we have to offer it.

There are several good restaurants in town, Azul is one of them, Buffalo is also very good, IlRustico is so so, Milano and La Barcaccia are better. Apostolis is very good. We have pretty decent sushi at Odayaka, and Jiro Sushi at plaza nautica has a chef that used to work at Nicksan, so very very decent.

In Todos Santos SantaFe is way overrated and past its prime, Tree Galline is the place to eat Italian these days.

Here in La Paz we suck at seafood, not a single good restaurant in town.

Many of the things i have said have been confirmed by the likes of Rick Bayless, Andrew Zimmerman, and many of the top food bloggers and writters from the US. A few restaurants here are ranked as top 10 in the whole Baja.

Alan - 6-21-2012 at 08:48 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 4x4abc
overrated like most restaurants in La Paz
you get better meals at lower prices on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles
???? I hardly think $15-$25 a plate could be considered unreasonable for what is offered at restaurants such as Tres Virgennes, Azul Marino and Estancia Uraguay.

Jesse's post also identifies many factors I have never even considered but know is spot on in its accuracy, especially the availability of items.

The near total lack of creative seafood dishes has always baffled me (with the exception of Jesse's cabrilla and Azul's YT tartare). I think there is a huge opportunity here to fill a market need but part of the problem may lie in the initial treatment of the catch. Lying on the floor of a panga until they get back to the beach is hardly conducive to maintaining freshness.

David K - 6-21-2012 at 08:56 AM

Jesse, what days is Tres Virgenes open in the summer (hours too, please)? Check your u2u in box, as well. Gracias!

David K - 6-21-2012 at 08:58 AM

Speaking of La Paz restaurants... what ever happened to the MAR Y PE�A where we had dinner with Tucker, back in 2001?

bajalinda - 6-21-2012 at 10:25 AM

Jesse - is Apostolis the new Greek restaurant on Morelos and Madero?

We don't get into La Paz more than once a week and are rarely there for dinner, so I can comment more on lunch and breakfast places. That said, we love Tres Virgenes for a special evening meal and have also had very good meals at Azul Marino and Barcaccia. I agree that Il Rustico is so-so.

In addition to all the above comments, I think consistency is also a problem in La Paz restaurants. Too many times we have had a really good meal somewhere, and go back and are disappointed.

If we're in the mood for a burger, we go to the Shack. Great burgers, but haven't tried anything else on the menu. Haven't been to Bandido's in a while, but their burgers were good, too.

For breakfast, our good ole standby is La Fonda (lunch is good there too). And we have also had a really good breakfast at the El Moro Hotel restaurant. A few weeks ago I would have listed La Marmolera as a favorite breakfast place, but we went there recently for breakfast (the first time we'd been there since their remodel) and were really disappointed. They have really raised their prices (I guess they have to pay for the remodel?) and the spinach omelette I ordered arrived at the table as a chard omelette instead..........hhmmmmm. What a bummer! I really liked that place, but will be reluctant to go back there.

DavidT - 6-21-2012 at 11:19 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Alan
Lying on the floor of a panga until they get back to the beach is hardly conducive to maintaining freshness.


True that. The times I've been there I wasn't too fresh when we got back.

JESSE - 6-21-2012 at 02:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by soulpatch
There is a place referenced
here
I believe it is called Bandidos, that was packed every night I was in La Paz.
My neighbors said they enjoyed it very much.
A very cool atmosphere outside.
I am certain it is not high end dining but it sure smelled good.

[Edited on 6-21-2012 by soulpatch]


Yes it is packed, but then again pace�os pack those awful creme cheese sushis with horrible rice and chipotle mayo all the time.

Bandidos burgers are ok, but at good at all.

bajalinda - 6-23-2012 at 07:52 AM

PS - let's not forget the bagel shop! Great coffee and bagels and they serve breakfast too - even have waffles!

Danaeb - what are your favorite places - any recommendations?

David K - 6-23-2012 at 08:56 AM

Tres Virgenes: days open/ hours in July?
Mar Y Pe�a: what came of it, or is it still in business?

bajalinda - 6-24-2012 at 03:42 PM

David, as far as I know Mar y Pe�a is still open. Perhaps a La Paz resident will chime in and tell you for sure. I drove by it a couple of weeks ago in the morning and the building sign still said "Mar y Pe�a".

acadist - 6-24-2012 at 03:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajalinda
PS - let's not forget the bagel shop! Great coffee and bagels and they serve breakfast too - even have waffles!

Here, Here! Help them out, I want them to be there on my next trip!! Try the homemade lox, I don't know where he gets the salmon but it is great!