Chef Carlos Valdez: El Rey del Baja California Sur
From the OC Weekly: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2012/05/buffalo_bbq...
By Bill Esparza
"For decades Baja California Sur has been defined--unfairly-- by the OC on the Sea of Cortez tourist spot: Cabo San Lucas, where American spring
breakers go to suck down margaritas, eat nachos until they burst, perform graceless acts at wet t-shirt contests, and develop pre-melanoma lesions
under the warmth of the Baja sun. During the 3-year media blitz that has descended upon Baja California, the southern half of the peninsula has stayed
on the sidelines, or so it would seem.
I first visited Buffalo BBQ in La Paz back in 2009 and was impressed by the thick cuts of Sonoran beef cooked on a Santa Maria style grill, and the
excellent hamburgers, but the menu lacked depth--most of the interesting items were off menu. In the years since my initial visit, Sonoran-born Chef
Carlos Valdez has has come up in a major way. On a recent visit to Buffalo BBQ I was surprised by an expanded restaurant and a revitalized master chef
of the Sonoran grill and Baja cuisine, a style he calls BajaSon. Chef Carlos Valdez is the best Baja chef you haven't heard of, and is set to reign in
Baja California Sur.
Chef Carlos Valdez comes from Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, where carne asada is as serious as mole in el Valle de Oaxaca, carnitas in Quiroga, Michoacan;
or barbacoa in Tulancingo, Hidalgo. Sonora also has the distinction of being the greatest srf and turf culture in Mexico, which a huge cattle
industry of healthy Angus steer, and the seafood treasures from the Sea of Cortez.
Valdez began a Sonoran style surf and turf restaurant 10 years as a frustrated civil engineer longing to be a professional grill man in La Paz, which
is the most exciting food destination in Southern Baja California. He has never had any formal training--he's completely self taught. He mans his
custom Santa Maria style grill like a ship's captain orchestrating a daring maneuver at sea, dramatically adjusting the heavy grate. With stern
vigilance, he breaks away from socializing frequently to give his young chef instructions as a massive 2 kilo cabreria(bone-in, beef tenderloin) is
set down, one of his favorite Sonoran cuts of steak. Valdez's beef comes from a small family ranch in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora called Rancho Los
Olvidados, where natural Angus steaks are cut to Valdez's specifications.
Valdez's seafood c-cktailing skills are among the best in all of Baja. Buffalo BBQ's ceviche of 5 clams is an explosive combination of local clams
with a smooth and peppery citrus and amaranth potion --Valdez rattled off the nearby islands where some of the clams came from in the Sea of
Cortez--including geoducks, reinas, chocolatas( a local delicacy), blancas islenas, and roñosas. Baja chefs are the best high seafood c-cktailers in
Mexico, and this ranks high among the most memorable ceviches I've encountered.
Valdez' modern version of pâté de jurel, or yellow fin tuna pate shows the chefs skillful command of a B.C.S. standard with a subtle perfume of smoked
chipotle blended with yellow fin tuna roe served with pipettes of chile de arbol oil and soy alongside a smoked manilla clam with parsley, garlic
butter.
There have always been Japanese and Chinese flavors in Baja cuisine, mostly in respect to condiments, but Chef Valdez's love for Japanese cuisine and
culture goes a step further--he travels there often. His tostada de atun, or tuna tostada is served on a wonton-style toast with algae, tobiko(flying
fish roe), black and white sesame, wasabi mayo, and sliced avocado.
La Paz is the perfect Mexican town to visit in B.C.S--all of the necessary tourist comforts, while retaining a Mexican character, and a bold taste of
Baja at Buffalo BBQ . Chef Carlos Valdez will be opening a Buffalo BBQ's in Hermosillo later this year, and has future plans to expand his kingdom
with branch in the Valle de Guadalupe. Long live the king!"
Buffalo BBQ is at Francisco I. Madero No. 1240 E/ 5 de mayo y Constitución, La Paz, Baja California Sur, (52) 612-122-7277; www.buffalolapaz.com.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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