Good Food
The Baja Show: Javier Plascencia, Baja Craft Beer and Wine
Good Food goes to Baja: Javier Plascencia gives us a tour of a Tijuana market. Plus, we travel to Ensenada for tostadas and the Valle de Guadalupe for wine.
By Evan Kleiman • • 57m ListenIt's the Baja edition of Good Food. We start with a market report from the Mercado Hidalgo in Tijuana. Chef Javier Plascencia says he stops by at least once a week to pick up everything from dried chiles to local honey. Next we visit with Rubén Valenzuela, owner of Baja Craft Beers, a pub and distributing company for craft beers in Mexico. We travel south to Ensenada to visit Sabina Bandera - aka La Guerrerense - who is famous for her uni tostadas with fresh clams and homemade salsas. Bill Esparza, our leader on the Baja adventure, explains that the classic fish tacos from Ensenada originated as a snack for local fisherman. Next, we drive fifteen minutes inland to the Valle de Guadalupe, home to over fifty wineries. Also in the valley are roughly fifteen campestres. These campsite restaurants are outdoor and seasonal, operating only during the summer months. Chef Benito Molina operates Silvestre, one of the first campestres in the area with a 180° view of vineyards and low lying mountains. Down the road is La Escuelita, a wine incubator owned by local wine legend Hugo D'Acosta. The director of the school, Tomas Egly, explains that the school's mission is to give aspiring winemakers the tools to make quality wines. Our last stop in the Valle de Guadalupe is Las Nubes, a winery owned by Victor Segura. Wine-making is a second career for Segura who worked in seafood for many years. Now he operates the tasting room and tends the vines at Las Nubes. Back in Los Angeles, Jonathan Gold drops by to discuss where you can find Baja-inspired eats in LA.
Special thanks to our guide, Bill Esparza, and photographer Oana Marian for contributing to this episode of Good Food.
In this episode
8 storiesMarket Report
Our first stop in Tijuana is the Mercado Hidalgo, one of the largest central markets in the city, where vendors sell everything from produce and dried goods to cheese and local honey. Javier Plascencia, who helms the restaurants Misión 19 in Tijuana and Romesco in San Diego, says he shops there at least once a week.
Read the story9 minBaja's Craft Beer Scene
Rubén Valenzuela co-owns Baja Craft Beers with his brother. The pub at BCB has over 40 beers on tap and refrigerators stuffed with bottles of craft beer from Mexico and around the world. He says that Baja's craft beer scene has grown exponentially in the last 12 years.
Read the story8 minLa Guerrerense
In Ensenada we visited with Sabina Bandera - aka La Guerrerense - and her daughter Mariana Oviedo. Bandera runs a unique street food cart serving some of the fresh seafood delivered each morning from the fisherman in Ensenada. She is famous for her uni tostada topped with fresh Pismo clam and avocado.
Read the story8 minThe Origins of the Fish Taco
Bill Esparza, author of StreetGourmetLA , contributor to Los Angeles Magazine's Digest blog and creator of Tacolandia , was our guide in Baja. He explains that the beer battered tacos with crema agria (Mexican sour cream) started as a snack for the fisherman.
Read the story2 minCampestres: Eating Outdoors in the Valle de Guadalupe
Benito Molina is a noted chef in Mexico. He owns the restaurant Manzanilla in Ensenada and his seasonal campestre, or outdoor restaurant, Silvestre, is now open for business in the Valle de Guadalupe. Molina was one of the first to open a campestre in Baja's wine country, but this summer there will be as many as 15 campestres operating.
Read the story7 minLa Escuelita: Baja's Wine Incubator
Estación de Oficios del Porvenir , most often called La Escuelita, is a wine school located in El Porvenir in the Valle de Guadalupe. The tiny school is an incubator for aspiring winemakers. The school is owned by Hugo D'Acosta, who has been instrumental in developing the Valle de Guadalupe as a wine hub in Baja.
Read the story8 minMeet One of Baja's Wine Makers
Victor Segura is one of the leading winemakers in the Valle de Guadalupe. He sells his wine under the label Las Nubes . You can visit his winery in the valley or look for his wine in restaurants in Tijuana and Ensenada, and campestres in the Valle de Guadalupe.
Read the story6 minWhere to Find a Taste of Baja in Los Angeles
Knowing that not everyone will be able to race across the border to taste La Guerrerense's tostadas, we asked Jonathan Gold to give us a run down of where to get Baja-style eats in Los Angeles. Given our close proximity to Tijuana, it's surprising there isn't a stronger Baja influence in the Mexican food in LA.
Read the story9 min
