Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

25 Jul 2009

Mariscos El Mazateno – Tijuana

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11:40 a.m. After spending the morning seeing Tijuana’s sites from an open-air bus, our group of curious and voracious eaters hoofed it to Mariscos El Mazateno, a seven-year-old-restaurant located in the northern Tijuana neighborhood of Tomas Aquino. The specialty at Mariscos El Mazateno are Sinaloan-style tacos. The Sinaloan community is Tijuana’s largest migrant group.

The taqueria’s Coke-sponsored chairs, shady plastic awnings, open-air kitchen, and smiling crowd all signaled that this place would be one to remember.

Bill, our group’s fearless leader and Baja restaurant expert, coordinated our spread beforehand, so ordering off the menu wasn’t necessary. On my return visit, I will be certain to order a shrimp cocktail because the one I saw across the room looked plump and delectable.

Condiments are of utmost importance in Mexican cuisine. Shredded fresh cabbage, pico de gallo, limes, crema (mayo, cream, ketchup), and salsa verde (cilantro, tomatillos, garlic, jalapenos) were available at every table for diners to garnish each dish to taste.

Mariscos El Mazateno prepared a few of their greatest hits for our group to sample. Fom left to right—taco de marlin (Sinaloan smoked marlin taco), shrimp consommé, and taco Mazatena (camaron enchilado – shrimp taco). Both tacos were flavorful and complex enough to be eaten without garnishes, but just like Vietnamese noodle soups, adorning the specimen is essential to a complete experience. A bit of crema, a squeeze of salsa verde, a sprinkling of cabbage, and I was good to go.

Sinoloan-style tacos are shallow-fried, which results in a slightly crisp, slightly chewy, and wholly appealing exterior. The shrimps within the camaron enchilada hailed from Mazatlan and were plentiful and fresh. The marlin taco was reminiscent in texture and appearance to tuna, but its flavor reminded me of fermented fish sauce.

Mariscos El Mazateno is a solid twenty-minute drive from Avenida Revolucion, but man, it’s so worth the trek.

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Mariscos El Mazateno
Calzada Tecnologico, No. 473-E
Tomas Aquino
Tijuana, B.C., Mexico

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BAJA BITES: 2 Days, 3 Cities, 18 Meals
Introduction > 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 7 > 8 > 9 > 10 > 11 > 12 > 13 > 14 > 15 > 16 > 17 > 18

Ensenada

24 Jul 2009

A Culinary Blitz Through Tijuana & Ensenada

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When I excitedly told my mother that I was heading down to Baja for the weekend on a food and media trip courtesy of the Tijuana Convention and Visitors Bureau, she told me to avoid SUVs. The horror stories surrounding drug cartels and murders coming out of Tijuana had my mother convinced that anyone riding around in a Lincoln Navigator would soon be staring into the barrel of a gun. I promised her I’d be very careful.

Grossly skewed media reports, like the ones my mother was reading, inspired Bill of Street Gourmet LA to work in concert with the Crossborder Agency, Cotuco (Tijuana Tourism Board), and Tijuana Canirac (Tijuana Restaurant Association) to spearhead a gastronomical dash through the region. While the mainstream media was fixated on the dark side of Baja, Bill wanted to share the more hospitable and delicious side.

I was joined on this journey by fellow bloggers, acclaimed food writers, chefs, and restaurateurs, including Eddie of Deep End Dining, Anna of Across the Border, Josh of FoodGPS, Fiona of Gourmet Pigs, H.C. of LA-OC Foodventures, Matt of Mattatouille, Pat of Eating L.A., Nancy of NancyZaslavsky.com, Abby of Pleasure Palate, Javier of Teenage Glutster, Noah of Man Bites World and Squid Ink, Barbara of TableConversation, and culinary professionals from Las Cabronas, La Casita Mexicana, Ciudad and Border Grill

I’ve experienced my share of gorge fests these past couple of years (See: Saigon, Bangkok, and Hong Kong), but nothing, and I mean nothing, can compare to the forty-eight hours I spent in Baja. Donkeys painted to look like zebras are cool and all, but you ain’t seen anothing yet!

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BAJA BITES: 2 Days, 3 Cities, 18 Meals
Introduction > 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 7 > 8 > 9 > 10 > 11 > 12 > 13 > 14 > 15 > 16 > 17 > 18

Restaurant Review

23 Jul 2009

Mr. Baguette – Rosemead

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Before boarding the party bus to Baja this past weekend (lots more details to come), I stopped by Mr. Baguette to grab a banh mi for the road. We wouldn’t be arriving in Tijuana until sometime past eleven, so a solid dinner was definitely in order.

Mr. Baguette follows a similar business philosophy to Lee’s Sandwiches. The space is sanitized and well-lit, orders are efficiently punched into a computer, and the menu is free of pesky and confusing Vietnamese. As a result, the crowd is diverse enough to make the Swarthmore admissions office proud.

What sets Mr. Baguette apart from the local banh mi crowd is their devotion to baking authentic French baguettes. While The Astronomer and I were waiting for our sandwiches to be prepared, we perused the formal-looking letters that lined the shop’s wall. They appeared to be from the office of the French consulate praising Mr. Baguette for its impeccable bread. Impressive? Oui!

As a result of its superior loaves, Mr. Baguette charges a dollar more than competitors.

Even though the menu only contained English, I stubbornly ordered in Vietnamese so that I knew exactly what I was getting. My “Special” banh mi ($3.35) was slathered with even coats of mayonnaise and pate, and contained two varieties of cold cuts—cha (pork forcemeat) and head cheese. The requisite pickled vegetables and jalapeños were served in a baggie on the side; there were no cucumbers or cilantro to speak of. The ratio of bread to filling was just my style.

Mr. Baguette really does produce a lovely loaf. It was crisp, sturdy, well-portioned, and very fresh. Whether or not it merits an extra dollar is in the eye of the eater. For me, it was worth the splurge.

The Astronomer really liked his “Grilled Pork” and “Meatball” sandwiches as well. He proclaimed Mr. Baguette “up there” with our favorite banh mi shops. I agree.

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Mr. Baguette
8702 Valley Boulevard
Rosemead, CA 91770-1712
Phone: 626-288-9166