Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico 2019

8/13/2019

I was in Chula Vista and some clients recommended a stop at Tacos El Gordo for tacos de adobada.

Since I was already in Chula Vista, I decided to spend the night in Tijuana. It took me 4.5 hours to get to San Diego on a Friday afternoon and I wasn't in the mood to drive back.

My friend Nabhe picked me up close to the border in Otay. I found a $15 lot to park in. I much prefer Otay as it feels less chaotic. First stop was Nabhe's most favorite taco in Tijuana, Tacos Elvira. I haven't been there in 5 years, so it was a nice first stop to revisit as my "welcome to TJ taco."

Two tacos weren't enough. I ordered two more.

Nabhe took me to Centro for some tacos de guisado. This street taco cart is always so crowded.

We crossed the street and went to a hidden live jazz bar. I like hitting up these kind of places in Austin and New Orleans.

I asked for an Old Fashioned and Nabhe ordered a cocktail from their yet to be released classic cocktail menu. Nabhe knows the bartender from another bar. She seems to see him whenever it is her birthday.

Nabhe wanted soup so she took me to Mariscos Tony, a seafood soup cart that sets up at 2 am and closes around 4 am or whenever they run out soup.

At 3 am or so, I checked into my hotel, B My Hotel near Centro. It was a centrally located design or boutique hotel, nothing too luxurious providing the necessities -- a clean bed and a place to shower for the following day. An added bonus was free breakfast which I visited for water and fruit.

First on my agenda was a visit to Mercado Hidalgo, a taco de birria at Tacos Fitos and seafood at Mariscos el Paisa. Many top chefs visit this birria cart and once you start recording the taquero, the show begins.

Pata de mula preparada at Mariscos el Paisa.

Mercado Hidalgo was a sight to see. If I planned on staying anotner night, I probably would have shopped for produce to enjoy for dinner. Next up was lunch at Las Compas where Nabhe met me. I took an Uber there.

I ordered the mezcalinha as I waited for Nabhe to arrive.

This reminded me of dining at chef Juan Cabrera's Fonda Fina in Mexico City where one of the chefs also heads up the food program. At the time of my visit in 2015, Fonda Fina was the hottest place to dine in Mexico City.

Bone marrow sopes or sopes de tuetano (tweh-tah-noh).

I wanted tacos de pulpo so I order the octopus dish on their freshly made tortillas.

Homemade ice cream

After Las Compas, we walked next door to Delisse to try their pastries. We tried their chocolate cake and eclair, but both were disappointing. They tasted old like they've been in the refrigerator a week.

For dessert Nabhe took me to try a marquesita, a dessert from Yucatan at Rolando Nieves y sus Marquesitas. You can choose your filling to put inside this crispy crepe or waffle cone. We ordered the queso de bola and Nutella.

For my last stop before driving up to LA, Nabhe took me to Paramo Cafe de Origen. It's a craft coffee spot that is probably the most hipster place I've seen in Tijuana. It kind of reminded me of Austin. The cafe had a vintage feel to it and an interesting music selection.

On the way back, I wanted to finally try this ramen that Andrew Zimmern calls "the best in America."

My expectations were high because of the difficulty of getting a seat at the restaurant. The freshly made noodles was the standout for me. The soup did not have the depth of flavor I was expecting and I prefer when the chashu is softer and kind of melts in your mouth.

I've been wanting to try this birria bone marrow taco for a while. I've even made it at home. This quesabirria taco fell flat for me. The birria was lacking flavor and the bone marrow's flavor got lost in all the meat. Seems rather gimmicky to me. I recommend crossing the border and heading to Las Compas or Caesar's for their sopes de tuetano.

Two weeks after my visit to Tijuana, I decided to return since I had another client appointment in San Diego.

I decided to visit Saketori-ya for sushi made from the local catch in Ensenada.

I asked for the omakase and the server didn't know what that was. All the servers and cooks were Mexicans. Not one Japansese person in sight. I ordered this chu-toro and erizo (uni/sea urchin) tostada caught off the waters of Ensenada. Melt in your mouth delicious. I could have easily at another.

Next up was the Blue Fin Tuna nigiri tasting from different parts of the tuna -- Negi Toro, Akami, and Aburi Toro y O-toro. This dish was outstanding and I highly recommend it.

To close out lunch, I ordered another round of local erizo (uni/sea urchin).

"La Bola" by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Manuel Rosen Morrison. The giant sphere is an IMAX cinema and is a Tijuana landmark. I finally walked through Museo de Las Californias this afternoon. The museum displays some artifacts from the history of the Baja Peninsula and California from the prehistoric period until the first half of the 20th century.

Off menu mezcal cocktail with strawberry puree.

Black Taco - battered sole, squid ink, beet, avocado, purple cabbage, blue tortilla. Super crispy, it reminded me of the fried catfish dish or crispy rice salad at Thai restaurants.