A Weekend in Playas de Tijuana

We spent last weekend at the beach in Mexico. Not in Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, or even Cabo, Ensenada or Rosarito. We were in Tijuana.

The fact that, of course, Tijuana has a beach doesn't seem to even occur to most visitors from the US. I'll admit that we had never been there until last year. The beach neighborhood is called Playas de Tijuana, and it is both similar to and different from the beaches north of the border.



Playas juts right up against the border with the United States. And by "juts right up against", I really mean it - here is the border fence:



A wooden boardwalk runs south from the border, along a beach filled with people enjoying the weather and the waves. Vendors abound selling corn on the cob and in a cup ("vasitos"), chicharrones, ice cream and other snacks.

Just in from the boardwalk is a steep cliff that leads up to Avenida del Pacifico, a seaside street lined with mariscos stands and restaurants. And a fancy new 7-Eleven:



If there is a 7-Eleven with a better view, I'm not aware of it...

We stayed a few blocks from the beach at the Dali Suites, which we really enjoyed:



And, of course, we ate very well. Here are some additional posts on some of the great food we ate while in Playas:

Tacos Aaron Fantastic "Tacos Varios" - birria and much more.

Cocteles Vallarta Fantastic seafood right by the beach.

Mariscos Titos Solid seafood offerings in a relaxed atmosphere.

Yeasted (Raised) Waffles

I don't know how it is that we weren't aware of yeasted, or raised waffles until a few years ago. I do know that we no longer make them any other way.

Adding yeast to the batter and letting it work its magic overnight decidedly improves the texture and taste of waffles. They end up airier and with a more complex flavor. And they aren't really any more difficult to make - you just need to remember to mix up the batter the night before.

Here is the recipe we use. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend you give it a go. You may well become converts like we are.

Yeasted Waffles

Serves 4. A Belgian waffle iron with deep groves works well with this batter. Recipe from Marion Cunningham's "The Breakfast Book".

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast, or 2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 cups milk, warmed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking soda


The night before, find a large bowl big enough to allow the batter to expand to twice its volume (it will rise and fall overnight). Mix together all of the waffle ingredients except the eggs and baking soda (Note: if using active dry yeast, add it to the water for a few minutes before stirring in the remaining ingredients). Stir well, cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.

In the morning, crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Add the baking soda and eggs to the batter and stir well.

Heat a waffle iron over medium high heat. Pour in about one scant cup of batter, and close the iron. If using a stove-top waffle iron, turn after about 30 seconds, then turn every 2 to 3 minutes until the steam reduces drastically (about 8 minutes for us). Remove the waffle when the outside is golden and crisp. Keep warm in a low oven. Avoid stacking the waffles to help keep them crisp.

Leftovers can be frozen and then reheated in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until crisp and hot.

Ten recipes of ours that you should make right now

This blog is almost six (!!) years old now, and we've posted quite a few recipes along the way. Here are ten of our favorites.

Go make them right now!


Lamb Rogan Josh


While Chicken Pathia is the most popular of our reverse-engineered Indian takeaway recipes, Lamb Rogan Josh is probably the one we like the best.


Pancetta Tesa


Making your own Pancetta is super easy, and doesn't require any special equipment. The rolled version is a bit more involved, but still quite manageable. Using pretty much the same technique and then smoking it afterward will get you your own Homemade Bacon.


Taco Shop Hot Sauce


We use this hot sauce almost every day - particularly at breakfast. You should, too. The green stuff is pretty darn good as well.


Cream Cheese


Cream cheese is one of the easiest cheeses you can make. Infinitely better than the store-bought stuff.


Zesty Dill Pickles


We haven't bought a jar since we started making these simple refrigerator pickles. Our version is modeled after the taste of Vlasic Zesty Dills - twangy and spicy.


Smoked Almonds


Smoked almonds are quite possibly the perfect snack food. Once you start eating them it is very, very difficult to stop.


Chile-Lime Chicken


The salty earthiness of the soy-based marinade for this chicken works so well with the acidity and chile heat from the dipping sauce.


Fish with Spicy Lentils


"Spicy" here refers to complex, intense flavors, rather than heat. It is impossible to adequately describe how delicious the lentil base for this dish is.


Cochinita Pibil


Cochinita Pibil is pork with a complexly flavored achiote marinade, cooked in banana leaves. Pure Yucatán flavor.


Chori-Migas


We first had chori-migas on a trip to Austin, and they've been a breakfast favorite ever since.

So, there you go - ten of our favorite recipes. Go make them right now!

California Kebab & Beer Garden

Now that California Kebab and Beer Garden has been open for a year, I guess it is time we let the secret out.

Great beer selection, beers brewed in house (under the name "Amplified Ales"), good food and a comfy outdoor patio with an ocean view - what's not to like? Ever since they opened in our neighborhood of Pacific Beach, they've been our go-to spot.

Their house beers have been consistently good - particularly the Electrocution IPA.



The food is really tasty as well, and different from what you typically get in other craft-beer-centric spots. As you might suspect from their name, the menu is kebab-centric. Our favorite is the lamb doner. It is really good as a sandwich on pita, but we especially like it made into a salad:



Our favorite sides are their falafel and zucchini:



If you are looking for something over the top, look no further than the doner fries:



In addition to local craft beers, they also usually have a few lower-alcohol German beers on tap. On Wednesday nights they serve them in liter steins for five bucks - a nice way to enjoy a relaxed evening.



The sunset view from the patio does not suck:



California Kebab is located at the South end of the second level of the Promenade - in the spot that once was Da Kine's Plate Lunches.

California Kebab & Beer Garden
4150 Mission Blvd #208
San Diego, CA
858-270-5222

Baja Beer Fest 2013 in Ensenada

We really enjoyed the Baja Beer Fest in Tijuana last summer, so when I found out that Craft Beer Tasters were organizing a trip to the Ensenada festival this past Saturday there was no question but that we would head down with them.

It was great to see the continued growth of the craft beer scene in Baja. While this fest maybe lacked some of the individual highlights we had at the Tijuana fest, the overall quality was at a higher level and the festival itself was much better organized.



The food was good, too. We had some fantastic ceviche tostadas from La Guerrerense and an assortment of the always great seafood tacos from Tacos Kokopelli.

The Baja Beer Fest has become a regular thing - rotating through Ensenada, Mexicali and Tijuana - so keep an eye out for the next one and make sure to go!

Taco Shop Hot Sauce Recipe Revisited

We posted our original recipe for Taco Shop Hot Sauce almost three years ago, and since then I've been continuing to making it so that we always have it on hand.

Over the course of many, many repetitions, my technique has gradually changed. While the original recipe is perfectly fine, I now do a few things differently that I think both simplify and improve the process:

• I no longer make the chile paste separately unless I am using it for something other than hot sauce.
• I make a smaller batch size. The sauce can start going a bit weird after several weeks and making a smaller amount avoids having it last past its prime.
• I broil the tomato and the garlic now, rather than cooking them in a frying pan. It is easier and works just as well.

Here is the updated recipe. Go make some right now!

Taco Shop Hot Sauce

This makes enough to fill a small (8-ounce) squeeze bottle, with a bit left over.

Ingredients:

2 medium tomatoes (approx. 8 ounces)
4 garlic cloves (skin on)
Small handful (approx. 1/4 ounce) dried chile de arbol
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 pinches Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt


Use your fingers to break off the chile stems and break larger chiles into smaller pieces. Get out as many chile seeds as you can.

In a small frying pan over medium high heat, toast the chiles while constantly stirring them around until they darken but do not burn (about
5 minutes). If your stove has an exhaust fan, you may want to use it.

Place the toasted chiles in a large bowl, discarding any seeds that fell out during the cooking process. Microwave a cup of water for 2 minutes and pour it over the chiles. Place a small plate on top of the chiles to keep them submerged. Soak for about twenty minutes.

Score both the tops and bottoms of the tomatoes with an "X" to allow the skin to peel away easily.

Put the tomatoes and garlic on a sheet pan and put them in the oven on broil until the garlic softens and the tomato skin begins to blister (5-10 minutes). You may need to take the garlic out before the tomatoes.

After cooling for a few minutes until you can safely handle them, peel the skin off of both the tomatoes and garlic. Remove any hard center bits from the tomatoes.

Put the chiles and the garlic in a blender, along with about 1/4 cup of the chile soaking liquid and blend until it forms a smooth paste.

Add the tomato and vinegar and blend until everything is well mixed.

You may need to add more soaking liquid to reach the consistency you want. The amount of water will very greatly depending on how juicy your tomatoes are.

Add oregano and salt to taste, giving a quick blend to mix.

Birrieria El Rincón del Oso in Mercado Hidalgo, Tijuana

We went down to Tijuana last Sunday to revisit Mercado Hidalgo and have lunch at Birrieria El Rincón del Oso ("The Bear's Corner").



As you might expect from its name, this place specializes in birria - more specifically, birria de chivo (stewed goat). The Sunday menu is more limited than what they offer during the week, but fortunately they were serving up the dishes we were after.

We had birria three different ways. First, the most traditional - a bowl of birria. They ask you what bits of the goat you want - we went with surtida (a mix of everything):



The meat was soft and succulent, and the broth was rich with a complex mixture of flavors. It came with a big stack of warm corn tortillas for dipping and rolling your own tacos.

The place is famous for their birria gorditas, so naturally we had to try one:



The masa shell was nicely puffy and crispy from frying. The birria meat inside was good, but a bit subdued. Spooning in a bit of broth from our bowl of birria livened it up considerably.

We also got a birria quesadilla - pretty much the same as the gordita, but cooked on the flattop instead of being fried:



The place had a warm and friendly feel - some tables filled with families on a Sunday outing, another occupied by a police officer downing a massive plate of food. Our waiter was very nice, and even though his rapid speech challenged my rudimentary Spanish we managed to interact without too much trouble.

We will definitely be back.