Necessary Beverages: Mezcal, Beer, and Coffee in Ensenada

7 / 23 / 188 / 14 / 18

Ensenada stole a small piece of my heart recently. I have long treasured my ritual breakfast at La Guerrerense, the popular seafood street cart where eating a sea urchin sofrito tostada piled with scallops, avocado, and charred peanut salsa slays all beginnings to the day. But as for the rest of the city, I’ve only had the opportunity to take it in bit by bit, in passing. A walk up the hill that overlooks the city and the Pacific, where a chef friend pointed out the edible plants that sprouted after a fire. A ceviche and beer at Boules, where the magnolia trees shaded chain-smoking women with raspy voices who shared a drink and the gossip around town with me. Birria after a night out, the fried tortillas dipped in a cup of stew relieving my hangover as it coated my lips in deep red oil. I realized on my last visit, a 24 hour mission for a dinner celebrating the region’s indigenous foods, that the more I’m there the more my experiences coalesce into meeting people who like me live for good food and drink. People who dig into obscure corners of food history or plant life. People who find serenity in the extra spicy salsa, the messiness of a tostada as it rolls down their chins, the “last” glass of wine, the shade of a century-old winery in the middle of the city on a sticky hot day. This is a true food city, and the path to it is an easy coastal bus ride from right over the border in Tijuana (which might be one of the nicest two hour bus rides possible). Here are three places for essential beverages while you’re here. A place for a green juice is in this post, don’t think I’d forget to drink my veggies.

Mezcaleria La Penca

Housed on the grounds of the Santo Tomas winery, this mezcaleria feels like you are indeed drinking in one of the secret crevices of a century-old building (more accurately, the former fermentation tank for aguardiente, brandy and cognac). High ceilings are rimmed by garafones and mezcal bottles on the tall shelves, and table-top candles illuminate the cracks that creep up the walls. They carry a few familiar brands like El Soledad and Amores, as well as some special seasonal offerings: a pechuga and an espadin in clay for example. To me, this place is a game-changer for Ensenada as all I usually need to love a city is a no-frills, cozy bar with good taste in mezcal.

Aguamala

I think it was the sip of the Aguamala Sirena pilsner at a local restaurant that sparked my interest in Baja craft beer. It was golden-tan, citrusy and toasty like freshly baked bread. I liked it even more after realizing that when I go to Aguamala it doesn’t necessarily feel like I’m around a beer obsessed crowd (as I would in a California brewery), but maybe just a crowd that likes to have a good time.

You could easily miss this taproom of shipping containers off the highway leading into Ensenada. I did, frustratingly many times. The brewery is built with elevated shipping containers and looks out onto the coast. During sunset the light glares in, but it’s still a great time to go. There is seating on an outside patio, around the bar, and at a row of tables with ocean-views.

Here you can enjoy drafts and taste flights from one of Mexico’s most well know craft breweries, and they usually have guest beers on tap as well. A small bar menu from Valle de Guadalupe chef Drew Deckman is available, and Mondays they have guest chefs. You’ll find staples from the area: oysters, mussels, and ceviche, with some more bar-leaning snacks like a Sonoran hamburger and buffalo wings.

Barra de Cafe

Tucked in the same building as Mezcaleria La Penca is a small café with specialty coffee from Mexico. The staff is super friendly, gladly giving me a whiff of the espresso grain of the day from Nayarit. A small roaster sits in the corner where they roast on off hours, and you can grab 200 gram bags of coffee starting at $96 pesos (about $5 USD) from Nayarit, Oaxaca and Chiapas. The space feels like a cool refuge on a sunny day, with high ceilings, cool concrete walls and light shining in from the glass doors. Black and white tiles border counters and benches, and pops of color come from ceramic artwork and murals that decorate the hallway. There’s comfortable seating in the narrow café or across the hallway in a larger room. You can also order pastries or breakfast from the neighboring restaurant down the hall.

Alta Baja

The new kid on the same block as La Penca and Barra de Cafe, Alta Baja is a rooftop bar and restaurant. The space is split up into several sections creating a number of nooks suitable for a romantic moment or a group hang while feeling like you have the place to yourself. The west side was my favorite: a balcony overlooking sixth street with a small bar, a few high tops and lounge area. The red and blue hand-painted facades of the stores and taco stands are right below, deepening in color as the sun goes down behind the hills of Ensenada. My Wendlant pale ale, the cobalt walls and golden mirrors all looked glorious in that light. They have a great beer list of Baja craft beers plus a few on tap from California, a cocktail list and a full dinner menu (I didn’t try the food but hope to be back to do so).

Where to Eat and Drink in Rosarito

6 / 12 / 17

Rosarito is right on the Pacific coast and in between two great food destinations, Tijuana and Ensenada (including the increasingly trendy wine destination, Valle de Guadalupe) but I think a lot of Americans still come here mostly looking for Vegas-size margaritas. I found evidence for that theory recently when a group of six asked me to take a photo of them in their borracho shirts (borracho number 1, borracho number 2…) I believe it was number 3 who said she was pregnant, and while I will reserve judgment on what could have been one beer, I really hope her kid never sees that picture. (Borracho means drunk btw).

I have spent a lot of time in Rosarito this past year because my boyfriend grew up here. It’s different from most of the places I’ve lived or traveled in Mexico: it’s truly a border town, the highway runs through it like an artery and development catering to Americans crawls across the hills. There is great food here, but it is helpful to know where to go so you avoid any tourist/ex-pat traps. Often the food comes with dope scenery, sitting at the edge of the Pacific. No frills, the ocean, and a local craft beer. Sounds cool, right? Here are a few places I recommend.

El Nido and Los Pelicanos

Once for a birthday present my uncle Tom elaborately wrapped a box and inside were flour tortillas from his favorite place in the Mission. He gave me the gift of “the best tortillas ever” and the feeling of receiving the most perfectly selected gift for me, and my delight at trying the tortillas is not unlike how I feel eating the warm, freshly made flour tortillas at these two places every time.

Unless there is some weird historical split, I think these restaurants are owned by the same family, and the specialties here— venison, rabbit and quail— are raised on their land nearby. The chewy, perfectly browned flour tortillas are patted out at stations around the restaurant (you can make your own if you ask, mine came out square). Nido means nest in Spanish, and indeed the dining room here feels like you’re tucked in a tropical nest, with plants and lanterns hanging up and down the walls. At Los Pelicanos, the decor is similar but with a patio that sits elevated over the beach. But the 70s kitsch is brought down to real country earth by the brick and fireplaces and wagon wheels and the smell of mesquite. For breakfast at either of these places we always get the same thing: venison machaca with beans, nopal and quail eggs, a plate of tropical fruit, a green juice, and lots of tortillas. One thing I love at El Nido in the mornings is that they’ll bring you toasted buttery white bread with three different house-made jams. For dinner, we often just get queso fundido with mushrooms and chorizo, guacamole, and a pinto bean soup, with margaritas of course. Beware on the weekends, the waits here can be long so go at off hours. In downtown Rosarito.

Bleu Galley

Breakfast Las Gaviotas Rosarito Blue Galley

The quaint little world of thisFrench-leaning cafe feels much farther away from the highway than it is. Come here for simple egg dishes, quiche and pot pies, with daily desserts and freshly baked pastries. There’s a chalkboard breakfast and lunch menu, and the place is small enough that you’ll probably end up in conversation with other diners. I loved the almond and goat cheese quiche we had, and I wanted to bathe in the light, mango creme for dessert. On the left across from Las Gaviotas.

Tacos El Yaqui

Come here for tacos made of juicy arrachera, flour tortillas, a guacamole splat, and pinto beans. Go for perrones, all the ingredients above with melted cheese. There’s usually a bit of a wait to get your food if you go at typical hours. This place is open Thursday through Monday and seating is all outdoors. In downtown Rosarito.

Las Gorditas de Rosarito

We found this place when Tacos El Yaqui was closed, and I’m glad we did. Gorditas are kinda like especially thick corn tortillas, slit and stuffed with different guisados, anything from shrimp to steak or salsa verde chicharron. We were happy with the steak and avocado, and the guisado of potatoes, poblano peppers and melted cheese. The wrapping of a burrito is truly an art form taken for granted by an Oakland girl like me, don’t make that ordering mistake or you will end up like me running to the trunk of the car and grabbing an extra tortilla to soak up the mess while in the border line. But the gorditas we’re perfect for taking to go (I mean, no officer, nothing to declare). A family joint that opened three months ago, I hope it is still there when we return.

Trenta Cuattro

Trenta Quattro Pizza Rosarito Beer Sunset

At Trenta Cuattro, on the edge of the right side of the road headed south from Rosarito, you’ll find a pizza restaurant with epic ocean views and good snacks at decent prices— a rare combo most places in the world. The open-air space here feels pieced together in a good way, like someone thoughtfully decided that the feel of the place should not be overly thoughtful. There’s mismatched furniture on different levels, all facing a parking lot and beyond that the ocean and a few palapas for sitting right at the edge of the drop.

They have wines and cheese from the Valle de Guadalupe, as well as Mexican craft beer. It’s here where I’ve met two of my favorite new beers: the Agua Mala sirena pilsner, and the Insurgentes Tiniebla. If you aren’t up on it yet, there’s a craft beer revolution in Mexico right now and a lot of good stuff is coming out of this very area.

I’ll admit that I haven’t had the pizza, but there is a seasonal abalone pizza on the menu and that possibility alone makes me want to come back. Regardless, come for a beer or glass of wine and a cheese board. This is a great place to watch the sunset, keep in mind it may not be the best when temps are low.

Tinta Negra

This is a tiny taproom serving different Mexican craft beers right in downtown Rosarito. You can try some of the best craft producers in the state, and the menu is switched up monthly. In a food court, where we have yet to try any of the stalls. Cheers!

Five More Places to Eat and Drink in Tijuana and Ensenada

12 / 23 / 1612 / 23 / 16

Tijuana and Ensenada continue to charm me (and my taste buds). Here are a few more places to visit.

Tijuana

Cine Tonalá

This three-story movie house, cultural center, rooftop bar and restaurant has a stunning view of Tijuana. In the background the moorish tips of the emblematic Jai Alai building point skyward, as do the restaurant’s table-top gold triangle terrariums. Yes, hipsterism is creeping into this city too. Fortunately, it can’t knock the flavor out of TJ: the cocktails here are slammin, the food is tasty, and when I was there the chef was singing the praises of his almost all female badass kitchen staff.

For drinks, the Conejo Rabioso with tamarind tamarind pulp, ginger, mezcal, pineapple, ancho chile and a tajín rim is the kind of drink that immediately makes me picture the cartoon version of myself on a tropical island popping a straw into a magical giant tropical fruit and dancing around in a bikini. It was hard to have less than three.

The menu largely reps Baja-style seafood with oysters, ceviche, and tuna but there are few heavy hitters: a burger, ribs and duck al pastor tacos. The chef is a friend of my boyfriend’s and we first met in Mexico City when he was nursing an allergic reaction to eating a tarantula. I may not trust his personal eating decisions but I trust him with mine: the crab burrito is the thing I want to eat every day, the ceviche and oysters were clean and refreshing, and the dessert, a coyota (style of sugar cookie from Sonora) with nopal, piloncillo, and cactus fruit sorbet was thoughtful and unique.

Check the calendar before you go, and you can also grab drinks and snacks on the bottom floor before heading into a show.

Los Paisas

While this place doesn’t need much fame (there’s a big photo with Anthony Bourdain’s photo on the wall), it’s a good taco reference to have in your back pocket. Las Ahumaderas is made up of a block of taco stands and Los Paisas is the first on the corner. We were told to get the samuri: a tostada inside a taco with melted cheese. It comes out handroll-shaped with a splat of watery guacamole and parchment paper wrapped around to keep it intact. I wouldn’t say the meat or toppings alone made this a destination, but the crunch and melt of the cheese in each bite made up for it.

Tacos El Ruso

Tacos El Ruso is a shining example of a place that does one thing and does it very well. I would like to do one thing in my life as well as Tacos El Ruso makes carne asada tacos. The meat is always well flavored, tender, with handmade tortillas and a perfect splat of guacamole. My boyfriend’s parents said they tried tons of taquerias searching for the perfect carne asada, and El Ruso took the trophy. Open from 3 pm until they run out, which is sometimes early evening.

Ensenada

La Flor de Calabaza

This little cafe and organic market became our routine stop for a few days while heading into Ensenada. A good place for locally made gifts (chocolate, body products, honey, etc.) and for a gift to your body: the green juice. We liked the refrescante with green apple, pineapple, lime, celery and mint, and the rejuven with green apple, beet and beet leaves, lime, orange and ginger.

Tacos Marco Antonio

Once a cannery packing seafood, beans, chiles, meats and more, Marco Antonio’s warehouse is now mostly a place for seafood guisado tacos (stewed or cooked dishes that are scooped into a taco). Red cans once packaging tuna estofado are now napkin holders. Canning machines and old fishing nicknacks line the walls, along with a few cartoonish murals of cooks and sealife. Somewhere a restaurateur is attempting to replicate this warehouse taqueria by the sea, but the history, kitsch, and food here is just too distinct to be found anywhere else.

The menu depends on what’s left by the time you get there, as they open early and close around 3 p.m. We went for “only two tacos” but after the fried fish with chipotle crema and tuna adobada, we had to try the tuna in cilantro salsa and the marlin and shrimp quesadilla with chipotle crema. One look at the salsa bar and you’ll know you’re in good hands, there are several salsas and three types of onions. Wash it down with a yerba buena and lime agua fresca. I found this place via food writer Bill Esparza, his excellent blog post is linked above.

Eating and Drinking in Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe

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Did you know there’s a wine valley in Baja? In Valle de Guadalupe you’re sure to find good food and wine, beautiful views and probably at least one wrong turn down a country road. Not far away is Ensenada, formerly a big destination for cruise ship and spring breakers, and once you have a seafood tostada from one of these street carts, you might never think of street food or seafood the same way. My first trip to northern Baja was exactly a year ago, and since then I’ve been back a few times. Here are several places I’ve enjoyed. As always, there will be more to come.

Valle de Guadalupe

While the valley has pretty quickly grown to include about 60 wineries, it’s still relatively rustic and meant for tourists who feel comfortable navigating somewhat rural Mexico. Signs are there but many of the roads are dirt and often windy with forks that lead to nowhere— or maybe to Corazon de Tierra, one of Latin America’s best restaurants next to a six-room boutique hotel. You never know here. A trip around the valley requires a driver like my friend Jorge, who passed a locked-up winery gate back and forth before taking an unmarked path to the front of the building and smiled, “No, it’s not closed!” Visit anytime Spring through Fall.

El Pinar de Tres Mujeres

Ismene makes the kind of food you want to eat when in a wine valley: it’s casual and tasty, served family style, with clean flavors showing the best of local ingredients, reminding you of the beauty and bounty that surrounds you with each dish. There’s usually a soup, a main, salad, and some kind of ceviche. The patio tables are next to an open air kitchen at 3 Mujeres Winery. Trees shade the dining area and vineyards are just below. The winery, co-owned by Ismene’s mom, is made up of a team of female winemakers. Being here feels like being a guest at a friend’s ranch home. Because, you know, I have soooo many friends with ranch homes.

Cuatro Cuatros

My first stop ever to the valley was Cuatro Cuatros, just over the hills from the Ensenada-Tijuana highway. Fourteen tented cabañas are nestled in this 144 acre property that extends from the top of the hills that overlook the coast to the valley of vineyards. Two antique shrimping boats sit next to grape vines. Be sure to take a drive to the top of the hill for a look at the view. In order to taste wine here you have to say you have reservations at the restaurant, a safari-like tent with animal skin rugs— is it called Desert-chic? We ordered a bottle of the rosé, and—best kept secret in the valley—sips of one of the employee’s uncle’s mezcal from Oaxaca. His name is Noe, and if he has enough you can buy a bottle. It tastes like Pineapple.

Malva

Malva is the first stop in the Valley on the road to Tecate. My boyfriend is friends with the chef/owner, so the first time we went they sat for five hours and traded kitchen horror stories (the pain of making a club sandwich on a late night room service shifts sounds real) while I devoured plate after plate of food and enjoyed the late afternoon golden light. “This is a place where I would want to eat, with food I would want to eat, with prices I would like to spend,” said Chef Roberto Alcocer breaking it down. I would agree. This is an elegant and comfortable outdoor restaurant, with the “dining room” under a huge palapa, next to an open kitchen, and the restaurant garden near the entrance. The food is gorgeous, but not precious, and changes with the seasons. I love it here.

Finca Altozano

The theme here is countryside cooking, and oh is it themed out to the max. Sheep on the property are harvested. A veggie garden is just below the open-air dining room, right below the bakery. Most things are cooked on the fire, and the kitchen extends from one end of the dining room to the other. There’s a gift shop with locally made soap and cooking tools, giant wine barrels for you to climb up and sit on while overlooking the valley, and a separate coffee bar inside one of the barrels. Have some snacks and then sit on one of the tall barrels for the sunset.

Torres Alegre
I didn’t try enough wine to say that this is the best wine in the valley, but my friend who has tried plenty of wine here was very excited about this place. Dr. Torres-Alegre, the first enologist in Mexico to have a PhD in the science of enology, is the winemaker here. The winery itself isn’t the most inviting structure, a little too much concrete for my taste, but the tasting room is small and service is welcoming.

Ensenada

Ensenada is about 30 minutes away, depending on where you are in the Valley. Get dropped off in the touristy center and you might be underwhelmed by shop after shop selling the same touristy tchotchkes. But check out the seafood market at the marina or a street cart, and you’ll be overwhelmed with options.

La Guerrerense

In partial thanks to Anthony Bourdain everyone knows about Sabina’s seafood stand, and it’s pretty much the only place I said I HAD to get to the first time I went to Ensenada. I think it was a promising sign when my first breakfast with my boyfriend was a sea urchin sofrito tostada topped an inch high with scallops, avocado and chile de jardin salsa (peanuts and charred chiles) sitting on a red plastic stool in Ensenada. For the adventurous seafood eater.

Breve Cafe

I was desperate for coffee and it was looking bleak for a moment while we were driving through the spring break club-lined streets— and then I saw it: red stools, a counter, hipster writing. “Stop, it’s a cute cafe!” And indeed I was right, just a street side to-go spot with coffees from around Mexico and super sweet staff.

La Contra/Boules

Housed behind La Contra is Boules, a patio restaurant with a bacci ball court surrounded by trees. La Contra is a wine and beer store featuring local bottles, so this is a cool space to stop if you need a gift or something to take home, and then of course, have a drink in the patio under the magnolia tree.

Mariscos El Güero

If you want to seafood cart crawl, hit up Mariscos El Güero too— I mean, everyone else is there. This crowded cart is a machine, with each worker holding down a different station. You want a clams tostada? You gotta ask the clam shucking guy on the corner of the left side. Don’t be fooled by the crowd, food comes out fast and everyone just hangs around eating over plastic-wrapped plates. The most popular items I saw were ground fish ceviche tostadas, patas de mula (bloody clams) in the shell, and mixed seafood tostadas. It’s still a novelty to me to be able to go to a street cart and throw back oysters and octopus tostadas, surrounded by perfect slices of avocado and smells of fresh chiles— all for a very reasonable price. No matter how often I visit I don’t ever expect to get tired of flavors like this.