Looking For Seafood in Mexico

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I took a long taxi ride to the beach in Tijuana to try a restaurant that Anthony Bourdain featured on his show. Guess what? Terraza Vallarta isn’t there any more. $22 in cab rides later, at least I had a nice conversation with the cab driver… It was one of the less expensive little white cabs, so I probably made his night.

On Saturday night in Hermosillo, I took another long cab ride – not as long this time – to a Sinaloa style seafood restaurant called El Charco. Before the taxi could leave, a lovely young woman raced out to tell me that they closed at 7:00 pm. I’ve come across this with other seafood places in Mexico.I ended up at La Cobacha, a huge place with an extensive menu. I had a mixture of shrimp, scallops and avocado in a sweetish red sauce called Manjar de Neptuno… Finally got my seafood fix.

Breakfast in Hermosillo – Gallo Pinto

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After years of doing it the American way, I finally went for a real Mexican breakfast. My usual favorite place for breakfast in Mexico is VIPS, sort of a Denny’s equivalent, but there wasn’t a VIPS anywhere near where I was staying. So I went to the Mercado Municipal, where everyone else seemed to be at that time of day.

All the food stands were trying to lure me with their delicious cabeza (head), but I wasn’t ready for that. Instead, I went for the Gallo Pinto, a northwest Mexico specialty that they assured me was a highly traditional breakfast.

Gallo Pinto turned out to be a rich soup with big chunks of beef, hominy and lots of pinto beans. Sprinkled with cilantro, chopped onion and chile flakes, it was truly satisfying, and didn’t leave me sluggish, as I feared, in the brutal summer heat.

Maybe I’ll eventually break my Raisin Bran and yogurt habit.

Tijuana to Hermosillo by Bus

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They told me the ride would take 12 hours, but it turned out to be 13 and a half. Not a big deal.

The scenery was mostly desert, but the first couple of hours covered some remarkable arid mountain scenery. The bus drivers with the Elite bus company couldn’t have been nicer. When they saw me taking pictures, they made a special stop at a “mirador” so I could get better shots.

Cabeza, Cabeza, Cabeza

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I just started this trip on Thursday, taking buses from Los Angeles to Tijuana, and from there to Hermosillo, and I’ve had a surprising number of invitations to eat the heads (cabezas) of various animals. The picture of the steaming skull is from my favorite taquería in Tijuana, Tacos El Gordo. The others are from the Mercado Municipal in Hermosillo. Each time I passed a food stand, they tried to lure me in for breakfast with their delicious cabeza… So far, I’ve managed to resist the temptation.

Gloria Trevi – Hoy me iré de casa

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A live performance of Mexico’s mega-star performing one of her most popular songs. The song dates from the early 90s, but this performance appears to be about 15 years later. I saw her live at the Universal Amphitheater some time around 2004, and there was the same adulation from the crowd. Notice the entire audience knows every word of the song.

Azuñia Platinum Blanco Tequila – Casablanca Restaurant – Venice, CA

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At my friend Robert’s suggestion, I went for the first time to Casablanca, a long-time tradition on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice.

Shortly after arriving, we were offered “the best margarita you’ve ever had.” I begged off, but Robert took up the challenge, and reviewed the range of super-premium tequilas that were on offer. He went with the Azuñia Platinum Blanco.

Azuñia tequilas are made from 100% Weber Blue Agave that comes from the Zuñiga family farms in the Tequila growing region of Jalisco, Mexico. The plants are cooked for 36 hours in clay ovens before being pressed, fermented and twice distilled. Here’s a great website that describes the process, with photos and all. http://www.azuniatequila.com/process/

And yes, it was the best margarita Robert has ever had.

Here’s Casablanca’s website: http://casablancarestaurant.net/

Casa Oaxaca – Culver City – Barbacoa de Chivo

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There’s a serious new Mexican restaurant on the westside – Casa Oaxaca, the wonderful Santa Ana restaurant, has just opened a new location on Venice Boulevard in Culver City. It’s so new that the Grand Opening is later this week – on Friday, August 9.

I met Rogelio and his crew, and tasted their delicious food at the recent East LA Meets Napa fundraiser event, so I’ve been looking forward to this new opening ever since.

The menu is unusually interesting, filled with specialties from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The number of fish and shrimp dishes reflects the long coastline of Oaxaca, and of course, some of the most famous moles are represented. I felt I should choose one of those, but I was just in the mood for barbacoa de chivo, and ordered that. It’s a favorite dish I’ve had in many places, and it usually tastes pretty much the same… delicious but the same. Rogelio’s version, to my surprise, was different, with a rich red broth, boldly spiced, but it’s the spicing that sets it apart from the others. Beautifully presented with black beans, a pyramid of rice, lime wedges and chopped onion and cilantro, I couldn’t have been happier. Even the hand-made tortillas were different, lighter and flakier than usual, reminding me of another Oaxaca specialty, tlayudas (which are also on the menu).

I’m really happy to have such a serious restaurant on the westside, and I know I’ll be stopping by regularly.

Here’s the address: 9609 Venice Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232

Here’s the website: http://casaoaxacarestaurant.com/