Dinner In Tijuana The food is fantastic, but time your trip well.

By Alisa Barba

Thursday, October 25, 2012

David Barba

Alisa Barba with Tortas de Turco owner Luis Fitch.

TIJUANA, Mexico — OK, I’m a complete neophyte at this Baja California food scene. Many prominent writers and bloggers and foodies have been here before me. The New York Times, for instance, Food and Wine Magazine (where they ask the question, "Does Baja Have Mexico’s Most Exciting Food?"). Even Fox News Latino says Tijuana is the next foodie destination.

Now that I’ve tipped my hat to at least a few of the adventurous food writers who have gone before me, I must still protest that it's not easy to make this pilgrimage south. It's a border crossing, after all, and that involves hassles far above and beyond getting a reservation at a trendy restaurant or finding parking in the Gaslamp District (more on those hassles to come).

Of course, drug violence has diminished the attractions of carnitas and lobster dinners, and has even dimmed the luster of underage drinking parties that used to rage in downtown Tijuana.

What’s worse, post-Sept. 11 border wait times coming back north can be horrendous. Again, more on that later.

So, San Diegans have largely abandoned their neighbor to the south. And in the meantime, Tijuana has turned in on itself and has begun, according to blogger Jason Thomas Fritz, to “focus on their own craft.” The result is that Tijuana and Baja California have become in recent years what he calls the “center of the food universe," creating a cultural renaissance featuring the maturation and expansion of the local “Baja Mediterranean” cuisine.

Fritz has lived in Tijuana for a number of years now, while he finishes up a Master’s degree at San Diego State University. The degree is coming along, but Fritz is distracted -- by the taco stands and the street food revolution and craft beer evolution and the changing reality of this “misunderstood” city. He’s had a front-row seat to the cultural and culinary transformation of Tijuana in recent years. He says people in the U.S. have a bad perception of Tijuana, but “the way you change things is not by trying to change those perceptions, but by actually changing the reality.” And that’s what the chefs of Tijuana are doing.

I joined Fritz on the final day of the 2012 Baja Culinary Fest.

David Barba

Baja Culinary Festival Street Food Fest

Our destination was a street food festival supposedly highlighting some of the best, new gourmet street food in Tijuana. Indeed, some famous names were there – Kokopelli Tacos, a new/old shop featuring barbecued beef sandwiches by the name of Tortas El Turco, and some fabulous octopus tacos. So fabulous, we ate them before we could take a picture.

But a street food fest in a shopping mall was not my idea of a night out on the town in TJ. So we abandoned the fest and took off in a Taxi Libre to experience one of these acclaimed new restaurants. Our choice, Cebicheria Eriza, is a relatively new little bistro opened by celebrity chef Javiar Plascencia, featuring ceviche.

Oh my, so good. The tortas and tacos had already filled us up, so we could only enjoy a bare, bare minimum of the beauty on this seafood menu. With Pisco Sours (Peru’s native drink) on the side, we gobbled up Octopus Carpaccio, a Scallop Ceviche with Mango (delicately seasoned, it seemed, with a Thai basil and chile) and a Green Ceviche of tomatillos, serranos and shrimp.

But then, the journey home. Because the pedestrian line going back into the U.S. was so long when we'd crossed over earlier that Sunday afternoon, we decided to try a different border crossing, hoping the line would be shorter, quicker.

Not.

David Barba

The line-up of cars on the Mexican side of the Otay Mesa border crossing

It was a three-hour-long, standing on the concrete, moving inch-by-inch closer to the border, wait.

I shouldn't complain -- hundreds do it daily, weekly, and I experienced it just this once. But it revealed the ugly reality of this cultural and culinary renaissance in Tijuana: its just not that easy to share! Chefs and artists and a young, hip crowd may be making this misunderstood city the center of the food universe, an exciting and wonderful place to live, but as a destination they need a little better collaboration from Mexican and U.S. border officials. They need a border authority that can recognize the benefits of expedited crossings, and make them a reality for the occasional tourist and not just the experienced, pre-approved SENTRI pass holder.

The border is a beautiful place, in theory, an edge where cultures can clash and enrich and make the plain, everyday realities turn color, become more savory, more spicy. But the concrete indifference of border officialdom makes this potentially exhilarating frontier a line of frustration and madness.

Still, I have recommendations if you'd like to enjoy some of this cuisine, and miss some of the hassle. First, don't come down on a Sunday. Second, sign up for a food tour of Tijuana with Club Tengo  Hambre, a mash-up of Tijuana food experts and expats who will consult on crossing times, and whisk you around the city for a sampling of the best eats. Highly recommended!

Jessica Biel's Relaxing Cabo San Lucas Rehearsal Dinner

By: Celebrity Gossip

Source: www.celebrty-gossip.net

After an day filled with flights, Jessica Biel finally took a moment to relax when she arrived at her friend's rehearsal dinner in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on over Labor Day Weekend (September 1).

Held at the beautiful Las Ventanas al Paraiso Resort, the 30-year-old actress joined her pals in a simple blue frock and enjoyed an evening with drinks around the fire.

Nicole Richie Rocks Bikini Top in Cabo San Lucas

By: Gabrielle Chung

Source: www.celebuzz.com

Summer may soon be over, but Nicole Richie‘s vacation is just beginning.

The Fashion Star judge was spotted enjoying the sun and sand in Cabo San Lucas for her Labor Day weekend.

Sporting a black bikini top and a cream-colored maxi skirt, the 30-year-old looked kicked back with friends at Las Ventanas al Paraiso Resort.

DaMarcus Beasley: I encourage more Americans to play in Mexico

By: Eric Gomez

Source: sports.yahoo.com

TIJUANA -- It only took an ill-timed slide and just 20 minutes on the Estadio Caliente's artificial turf for DaMarcus Beasley's tendinitis to flare up again. That was a month ago, and thankfully for Club Puebla and Beasley, the injury did not keep the American winger out for long. Despite the limited appearance in Tijuana last July, Beasley got a good look at Xolos de Tijuana and its American stars, mainly midfielder Joe Corona, who Beasley can now call his teammate after both players were penciled in by Jurgen Klinsmann for Wednesday's friendly against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.

Robert Redford Gives Perfect Performance As Guest At Baja's Rosarito Beach Hotel

By: Ron Raposa

Source: Tourism Board

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO-During June and July, the two-bedroom penthouse on the 17th floor of the Rosarito Beach Hotel's Pacifico Tower was occupied by a dignified, unassuming man named Mr. Miller, who bore a striking resemblance to legendary Hollywood actor Robert Redford.

At the hotel, Mr. Redford took the name of Mr. Miller to protect him from undue attention while he completed his starring role in director J.C. Chandor's "All Is Lost," being filmed a mile away at seaside Baja Studios, the locale for Titanic and other blockbuster movies.

A total of 140 suites and rooms at the hotel were occupied by members of the production, including Chandor. But it was Redford, still with handsome features and the famous mop of hair at age 75, who was the recognizable star, the lead in a film about a lone man's struggles against the sea.

It was important that neither his privacy nor his work be disrupted at the hotel, which he had chosen over a nearby mansion as residence during filming, to be closer to colleagues, said hotel owner Hugo Torres.

And it wasn't, thanks to the star's often-donned baseball cap, liberal use of room service and a very discreet hotel staff and management. Only one other diner made a positive ID of Mr. Redford during the several times he ate in the hotel's Azteca restaurant, said waiter Jorge Morales.

"I told the other customer that (Mr. Redford) was making a movie and was very tired," Morales said. "Please don't disturb him."

While Mr. Redford passed largely unnoticed among guests at the hotel, staff knew who he was and were impressed, as much by his disposition as his star power, said Morales, who was Redford's personal waiter, several times serving him Puerto Nuevo-style lobster after a glass of Don Julio tequila.

Mr. Redford was the perfect guest.

"The guy being so famous, how could he be so humble?" asked Mr. Morales of the star of "The Way We Were," "All The Presidents Men," "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid," "Jeremiah Johnson" and many others as actor and director.

Mr. Redford posed for a photo with Morales, as he did with other hotel staff. "I was dying to put it on Facebook but hotel management told me not to until he had left," Morales said. (When he left, Mr. Redford gave permission to Baja officials to use details of his stay there.)

The impression that Mr. Redford made on other Rosarito Beach Hotel staff was similar. That included Casa Playa Spa manager Erica Perdomo and masseuse Martha Azua. Mr. Redford, as did his wife, received treatments at the spa and later recognized and greeted facility staff on the beach.

Mr. Morales, 51, who once served actor Al Pacino at a Tijuana country club and encountered Robert DeNiro in a Los Angeles restaurant, said his interactions with Mr. Redford were the most memorable of his celebrity meetings. He's a big fan of the "Horse Whisperer" and "Three Days of the Condor."

Although stars including Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, John Wayne plus scores more have visited the hotel, the stay of Mr. Redford was especially memorable, said hotel marketing director Daniel Torres.

It was the longest stay by a major star and also a hopeful sign of an ongoing resurgence of Baja's film industry, Daniel Torres said.

Mr. Redford gave a press conference with Baja media prior to his departure, also attended by director Chandor, Baja Gov. Jose Osuna and state Secretary if Tourism Juan Tintos. While proclaiming himself a very private person, he talked of his enthusiasm for "All Is Lost" and his enjoyment of the area.

He recalled growing up in a largely Mexican neighborhood of Los Angeles and going to a Tijuana bull fight in his mid-teens. He said he had always loved enchiladas and joked that "my favorite food is tequila."

Mr. Redford lamented that some focus on widely reported violence among rival drug cartels in Mexico in the past few years had kept some people from the region.

"It's unfortunate, since there are so many areas of Mexico that are safe to visit," he said. "More people should know."

GRAMMY AWARD WINNING MARIACHI DIVAS DE CINDY SHEA

By: Rosarito Town Crier

Source: Rosarito Town Crier

Directed and founded by trumpet player Cindy Shea in 1999, Mariachi Divas have made big waves on the national and international music scene. Mariachi Divas are a unique, multi-cultural, all female ensemble, imbued with the true flavor of Los Angeles and have been represented by women of Mexican, Cuban, Samoan, Argentinean, Colombian, Panamanian, Puerto Rican, Swiss, Japanese, Honduran, Guatemalan, Salvadorian, Peruvian, Tongan and Anglo descents. Cindy Shea states, "Music is a way of uniting our cultural backgrounds". In 2009, Mariachi Divas won the Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Album of the year for their 2008 release, Canciones De Amor. This marked the first time in the history of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that an all-female mariachi group had been a nominee, or of course, a winner.

The Divas are proud to announce the national distribution of all seven of their CDs through Shea Records and East Side Records. Their CD, 10 Aniversario, released in June 2009 was nominated for a Grammy Award which was a wonderful way to commemorate the group's tenth year as Mariachi Divas. In June 2010 the Divas released their 6th CD, "Viva La Diva", and most recent in June 2011 the Divas celebrated the release of "Orale" where once again the Divas have been nominated for a Grammy under category Best Regional Mexican Album of the Year.

The Divas had the honor of performing at the inaugurations of Los Angeles mayor, Antonio R. Villaraigosa and California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since then, the Divas have performed for several prestigious city and state events, including a February 2008 performance in Sacramento for a luncheon with Governor Schwarzenegger and the President of Mexico. Also in February 2008, the Divas were invited by Senator Hillary Clinton to her Los Angeles presidential campaign rally, where they performed live on C-SPAN. In November 2008, the Divas performed for the President of South Korea. One of the group's most memorable experiences was the honor of surprising international music star, Luis Miguel with the traditional Mexican birthday song, "Las Mañanitas" on his birthday in 2007.

The Divas have taken roles as actors in three independent films which include an Art Film with Lila Downs, Dead Man's Shoe and also, La Dentista, in which music from their CD was used in the movie's soundtrack. In 2008, Mariachi Divas were featured performers in an art film with Lila Downs, called Ren, directed by world-renowned artist, Matthew Barney. The Divas rendition of the Ricky Martin hit, "La Bomba" was used in a film released in 2008 called, Julia. Mariachi Divas also have two of their Christmas songs featured on Hallmark Cards with Music- "Mi Burrito Sabanero" and "Año Viejo".

Since September 2003, as the official mariachis of Disney in Anaheim, the Divas continue to perform 7 days a week for audiences of all ages, while strolling throughout the streets of Disney's California Adventure.   

       

Mariachi Divas' musicians are currently endorsed by LP Percussion, Zeta Music, IntellitouchTuners, Soundback Acoustic Monitors, CodaBow International, Marcinkiewicz, Bella Strings and LPD Music.

The Mariachi Divas will be appearing at The 3rd Annual Rosarito Beach International Mariachi & Folklórico Festival, October 3 through October 7th, 2012.

Mexico artist Minerva Cuevas is giving away phone calls

By: Daniel Hernandez

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now

MEXICO CITY -- The pay phone is tucked into a colonial-era doorway facing a busy sidewalk downtown. It happens to draw attention only because the phone is bright red. “Free calls,” reads a plain sign taped inside, along with instructions on how to dial any number in Mexico or in the world.

An installation conceived by artist Minerva Cuevas, the phone also features a photograph of a chimpanzee picking up an old rotary phone, like an open invitation. One recent day, this reporter stumbled upon the phone and did what millions of others might do when faced with a free call. I called my mother.

“Hey, mom! I'm calling you for an art piece!”

“Oh, that's great, mi'jo,” she replied, before launching into the latest local gossip.

Few artists in the world challenge the penny-for-penny profits of global capitalism as bluntly as Mexico City native Cuevas. She puts revolutionary slogans inside mass-produced fortune cookies and hands out bottles of water taped with the word “Egalite” instead of “Evian,” because shouldn't water always be free?

Her free pay phone is a new work produced for an exhibit at the Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, or Museum of Mexico City. The show, on view until Aug. 5, covers a career defined by Cuevas' knack at turning art into giveaways for ordinary people hustling to make ends meet in a tough city. They are particularly subversive gestures for Mexico, the artist says, a society where the very wealthy and connected usually get all the shortcuts and giveaways they might wish.

Cuevas' Mejor Vida Corp. is perhaps her most well-known conceptual project. This Better Life “corporation” distributed subway tickets inside underground stations, handed out low-price barcodes to sneak onto items in stores, and produced fake student ID cards (for transit and entertainment discounts) by request from strangers.

As might be expected, the public responded approvingly. Mejor Vida Corp. went on to become an icon of contemporary Mexican art in the 1990s.

The exhibit on Cuevas also highlights works that are surprising for their almost formal expressions in painting and performance. In a 1995 video, the earliest piece in the exhibit, Cuevas films herself through the process of drinking an entire bottle of tequila.