Plate-by-plate of chefs Nic Webber and Jacob Jordan’s Lunar New Year (Solar Term 5 of 24) tasting menu ($165) at 24 Suns in Oceanside, California, on Friday, April 17, 2026.
Choose your own adventure: à la carte or tasting menu.
Shrimp Toast | Fermented ginger and wasubala (a wasabi-arugula crossed micro green).
A day trip to San Javier, a mountainous village located 22 miles southwest of Loreto, provided one of the most memorable meals of the trip. In addition to its stunning 18th-century stone mission and centuries-old olive orchards, San Javier is home to chef Saúl Torres Cárdenas’ farm-to-table restaurant San Javier Farm (23880 San Javier, Baja California Sur, México).
The restaurant’s setting couldn’t be any more tranquil, cradled in the mountain range with the afternoon sun dappling the outdoor dining room.
San Javier Farm is a one-man show. Originally from Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Chef Saúl cut his teeth at renowned resorts and hotels across Mexico (Garza Blanca, Marival, Grand Fiesta Americana, Grand Park Royal, Hotelito Mío Playa Las Ánimas, Club Regina Puerto Vallarta, Raintree Club Regina Los Cabos) before settling in Loreto in 2023.
San Javier Farm Restaurant offers a hyper-local dining experience, where the chef builds seasonal menus using only ingredients grown on-site and sourced from local producers.
Ballerina Farm has nothing on Rancho La Mesa, a traditional Mexican ranch located about a 30-minute drive from the heart of Loreto. It is one of a hundred or so family-run operations that dot the region. A local expert from Loretours took our group of food and travel writers to the ranch and served as a guide and translator.
Rene Cunningham, who owns and operates Rancho La Mesa along with his wife and grandson, was the first to greet us when we arrived early in the day.
We took a moment to take in the grounds before the tour got underway. Rene’s extended family is sizable, so there are saddles for every member whenever they visit the ranch.