Day trip: Eating events in Baja California - The region's reaching cult status among foodies, have a look for yourself
From The San Diego Union Tribune
by Keli Dailey
"Brilliant. The way Baja California's culinary scene has soared in the past two years, picking up new Mexiphiles and big endorsements from America's
food media.
I've even heard murmurings about Mexico having the cooking edge over San Diego.
"Tijuana has so much more style than San Diego," a diner recently told me. "The food of Mexico is very colorful, with a lot of ingredients. Not just
french fries and meat."
To avoid an international incident, let's just say ingredients like roasted chilies, mole and chicharrones appear in high-end, seasonal plates, making
Baja's chef-driven restaurants distinct. From Javier Plascencia's Misión 19 in Tijuana to Jair Téllez's Laja in Valle de Guadalupe, their creations
show poise and Mexican pride.
Add to that the miracle that the region's chefs created a new genre of cuisine - branded "Baja-Med" and conceived in a moment of crisis for Mexico.
Baja in San Diego
Jay Porter hosts Javier Plascencia for a guest chef appearance on Dec. 10 at El Take It Easy. Visit the restaurant's web site for information about
his and other Baja chef appearances, www.eltakeiteasy.com.
"In 2008-2009 when the American tourists disappeared, the culinarians in Baja dug in deeper," explains San Diego's chief Mexiphile, Jay Porter, owner
of North Park restaurants The Linkery and El Take It Easy. "(They) committed themselves to becoming something really special to Mexico -- which
they've done."
Now safety concerns have subsided. And U.S. gourmands are road-tripping to Ensenada for sea urchin and Pismo clam tostadas at the legendary La
Guerrerense cart, for beef tongue and cactus at nearby Manzanilla restaurant, for oysters with fried lamb at Valle de Guadalupe's Corazón de Tierra.
It's nothing like the 1990s, when French-Mexican fusion ruled the other side of the border. It's Baja-Med's time.
Let's continue to give it its due.
Of all the exotic creatures swimming in the Sea of Cortez, this little fishing village made its name with the jumbo blue shrimp. At this year's
festival, see cooking demos by Javier Plascencia (Misión 19; Erizo) 7 p.m. Nov. 2; Benito Molina and Solange Muris (Manzanilla) 3 p.m. Nov. 3; Esteban
Lluis (Mediterránero Restaurant Plaza Lienzo) 9 p.m. Nov. 3; and private chef Juan Eumir 3 p.m. Nov. 4.
The Shrimp Festival includes a rodeo, tequila tastings, music and more. It runs 6 p.m. - 2 a.m. Friday, Nov. 2; noon - 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3;
noon - 11 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4. Free admission. sanfelipeshrimpfestival.com
Turista Libre's Dia de los Muertos Cemetery Tour
Meet at the San Ysidro crossing at 1 p.m. Nov. 3, for a relaxed, history-tinged, urban-hipster tour of Tijuana. Tip through Puerta Blanca, Tijuana's
oldest cemetery, shop at a few botanicas (pharmacies) and refuel with a mole pizza at El Taller - a gourmet spot from one of Baja Med's fathers,
Miguel Angel Guerrero. The tour ends with a round of Tecate Rojas at Panteon del Taurino. Border transport, pizza and a Tecate included in your $35
ticket.
Baja Wine Tours from San Diego
Five Star Tours takes the wheel, carries you to Valle de Guadalupe. The trip includes wine tastings at LA Cetto, Adobe Guadalupe and Baron Blanche,
plus chocolate and pastry shopping, then lunch at Hacienda Guadalupe. A wine expert leads you behind-the-scenes at the wineries, too. Departs 9 a.m.
Nov. 3 and Nov. 24 from downtown San Diego's Amtrak Train Station, but pick-ups can be customized. $189. 619-232-5040 or sandiegowinerytours.com.
keli.dailey@utsandiego.com (619) 293-1541 Twitter @kelidailey
“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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