Sunday, February 22, 2009

Las Ahumaderas Tijuana - Tacos, Vampiros, Pelliscadas, and more

Founded back in 1960 Las Ahumaderas is a series of six taquerías, all linked together. Tacos El Paisa, Tacos Los Paisas, Tacos El Paisano, Las Quince Letras, and Las Tres Salsas. With all the different mesquite grilled meats, the billows of smoke permeating through the street can be intoxicating. Grab a seat at a counter and soak in the vibe.

Las Ahumaderas
Las Quince Letras
Las Tres Salsas

Besides the usual tacos, tortas, gorditas, mulitas, quesadillas you can order some interesting menu items such as Pelliscadas and Vampiros (Vampires).

On a recent trip I grabbed a stool at Tres Salsas and ordered the Chorizo Pelliscada. The taquera grabbed a slab of masa from a huge masa-mound and started forming the shape. The masa was then placed on the comal and cheese was spread on top. She then covered it with a bowl for a minute or so until it was perfectly formed . The taquero took the soft warm masa and topped it with guacamole, chorizo, onion ,cilantro, and a dash of smokey salsa roja. The end result resembled a huge sope, and it was pretty filling.

Las Tres Salsas - Pelliscada

Curious about Vampiros? On a Vampiro the tortillas are griddled, dried out and start taking a form of their own. Here is a bowl of them ready to go at Quince Letras

Las Tres Salsas -Vampiro Before

Vampiros are similar to a tostada but the shells are more firm, hold more, and don't fall apart when you bite into them. I ordered mine with Carne Asada con todo. Melted cheese, carne asada, salsa, cilantro, onions, and guacamole. I don’t think I will be replacing my tacos with Vampiros, however they are definitely worth checking out.

Las Quince Letras -Vampiro

Las Quince Letras - Vampiro Bite

I've had some very good adobada tacos at El Paisa and Las Tres Salsas. The adobada at both locations was spiced, sweet, juicy, and packed with flavor

El Paisa Taquero

I have also had some very good house made chorizo at El Paisa. The chorizo was topped with guacamole, the guacamole was subtle and complimented the spice of the chorizo well.

El Paisa Chorizo

The tacos are only 12 pesos, at the current exchange rate that's a whopping 81 cents!!!! Prices are painted on the wall at all the stands.

Menu Quince

They have live entertainment at night and a good variety of antojitos to choose from. I've had better tacos on my city wide taco quest, but if you hit the right spots at Las Ahumaderas you will get some pretty good stuff, and some entertainment.

One thing I like about Las Ahumaderas besides the variety is the hours. Las Ahumaderas seems to never close, on my next trip I will get the exact hours and report back. Las Ahumaderas is located at Gob Balarezo and Agua Caliente Boulevard(The Blvd). Just follow the billows of smoke.

If you want to see the video action of the making of a Pelliscada you can watch here.....

Friday, February 13, 2009

Muelle Tres Ensenada - The Pearl of The Malecón

Sunday I spent a great day absorbing the sites, sounds, and taste of Ensenada. After taking a nice stroll on the boardwalk, I met up with chef-owner Benito Molina and his family at their casual waterfront restaurant.This was my second time at Muelle Tres and I'm still kicking myself for not discovering this gem earlier.

I was still dreaming of some of the dishes I had on my first try, particularly the Almohaditas de camarón. Almohaditas de camarón simply translates to “Pillows of Shrimp”, a delicate pastry like delicacy stuffed with succulent shrimp and cheese.

Muelle Tres - Almohaditas de camarón (Pillows of Shrimp)

m3crepes

I left the ordering up to Benito and I was pleased that he ordered another dish I enjoyed on my first visit, the Mejillones al vapor en 6 chiles. The fresh, meaty, and juicy mussels are served at your table in a steamy pot complimented with tomatillo.

Muelle Tres Ensenada - The Best Mussels ! (Reshoot for Blog)

Muelle Tres Ensenada - The Best Mussels ! (Reshoot for Blog)

The Tiradito de Pescado was a pleasant surprise. Succulent sashimi style buttery soft fish married with chili powder, red wine, olive oil, ginger, rice vinegar and serrano chiles.
Exquisite!

Muelle Tres

The local Oysters are so good, they were meant to eat as is

Muelle Tres Oysters

I remember a fantastic Ceviche de Almeja (Clam Ceviche), but after a few good bottles of wine my details are blurred a bit. As with any Benito run establishment, the choice of local Baja wines is great.

Admiring the view from my seat and enjoying great company, great food, and great wine, I don't think theirs anything more I could ask for. The focus here is local seafood and I love Benitos concepts. I can’t thank Benito and family enough for their hospitality and the discussions on food and wine will always be memorable for me. My future visits to Ensenada will not feel complete without dining here.

Muelle Tres View

Muelle Tres is open Wednesday to Sunday from 1 pm. to 6 pm (summer 8pm closing)
and is located on the north end of the board walk next to the mercado negro. Its actually in the same building farm raised mussels are prepared to be shipped to the U.S. and Central Mexico.

Muelle Tres Outside

Ample parking is available at the entrance of Ensenada park just look for the lighthouse landmark.

Muelle Tres Parking Lot

Provecho!

More Sources
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/536474

Monday, February 9, 2009

La Guerrerense Ensenada - Street food at its finest

I can’t think of many things I enjoy more then soaking in the city vibe and enjoying some exotic delicacies from a street cart. Ensenada has no shortage of Seafood street carts , but what is the standout favorite of many locals?
La Guerrerense on 1st and Alvarado.

La Guerrerense is anchored by the warm and friendly Sabina. Sabina and her family have been in business for over 40 Years! La Guerrerense was serving up ceviche when the main boulevard in Ensenada was just sand.



What makes La Guerrerense so special? First off the variety - Fish, Shrimp, Octopus, Clam, Cod, Sea Urchin, Mussel, Abalone, Crab Salad, Sea Snail, and Sea Cucumber. La Guerrerense works wonders with Mariscos and the quality and freshness of each creation is unmatched. From the sea to your mouth, nothing here is cooked so don’t expect to see a grill.

I really enjoy, the Erizo (Sea Urchin) topped with Almeja (Pismo Clams) The Soft , delicate, and creamy texture of Erizo balances well with the plump, meaty, and tender clam.



I love the clams here so much I usually just have them in their shell (en su concha).



In addition to the variety of fresh fish options they make some wonderful homemade salsas that are available for purchase. The fantastic avocado habanero is one of my favorite toppings. Don’t miss the homemade Agua fresca which is very refreshing.



If you want to experience some of the freshest seafood in Ensenada in its pure form, check out La Guerrerense. La Guerrerense is opened 10am-4 pm Everyday with exception of Tuesday and is located at the corner of 1st (Lopes Mateos) and Alvarado.


Other sources
http://www.ensenada.com/laguerrerense/index.html
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/587723

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Weekly Updates !

Check back soon updates will be weekly