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August 13, 2010
A Culinary Tour of Baja, Mexico: Travel & Leisure Magazine
Casa de Piedra Winery Km. 93.5, Hwy. 3, San Antonio de Las Minas, Valle de Guadalupe; 52-646/ 156-5268 or 52-646/155-3097, vinoscasadepiedra.com. Cremería Los Globos Humble shop selling local cheese, wine, honey, olives, and jams. Km. 92, Hwy. 3, San Antonio de Las Minas, Valle de Guadalupe; 52-646/120-5092.
La Guerrerense Corner of Avda. Alvarado and First St., Ensenada; 52-646/174-2114; open 10:30 a.m. until late afternoon; lunch for two $7.
Mahi-Mahi Tacky maritime interior; sublime oysters and seafood coctels (try the octopus). 33 Paseo Hidalgo, Ensenada; no phone; lunch for two $36.
Mariscos El Gordito Corner of Avda. Ruíz and Avda. Ryerson; no phone; open daily from morning to mid-afternoon; ceviche for two $6.
Muelle Tres On the boardwalk near the fish market, Benito Molina’s casual seafood joint has a daily changing chalkboard menu; come for mussels and local wine. 187 Teniente Azueta, Ensenada; 52-646/176-0318; lunch for two $28.
Restaurante Del Parque Chic new downtown restaurant with an olive tree–shaded terrace and an excellent wine shop. 623 Avda. Moctezuma, Ensenada; 52-646/178-8587; dinner for two $25.
Restaurante Laja Km. 83, Hwy. 3, Valle de Guadalupe; 52-646/155-2556; prix fixe dinner for two $87.
Restaurante Los Naranjos Km. 82.5, Hwy. 3, Valle de Guadalupe; 52-646/155-2522; lunch for two $31.
Restaurante Manzanilla 139 Teniente Azueta, Ensenada; 52-646/175-7073; rmanzanilla.com; dinner for two $50.
Tacos Mi Ranchito El Fenix Corner of Espinosa and Avda. Juárez, Ensenada; no phone; tacos for two $6.
Lured by spicy quail, tuna ceviche, and Mexico’s best fish tacos, T+L lights out for Ensenada—and from there, things just go south.
Ensenada and the nearby Valle de Guadalupe, in northern Baja, are known outside Mexico for three things: the burgeoning local wine scene, which has been hyped ad infinitum; the food, which hasn’t been hyped enough; and the spectacularly bad roads, which everyone warns you about, though you never fully believe them. Really, you think, how bad could they be? And then one night in the gathering dark you take an innocent shortcut across the valley and drive your rented Hyundai into a riverbed. A dry riverbed, but a riverbed all the same. You and your equally baffled companion spend 40 minutes spinning the car’s wheels in what might as well be quicksand, then digging frantically, then panicking, then digging and spinning some more, until finally you resolve to abandon the car and hike the two miles back to the highway—suitcases sinking in gravel, sand filling your socks. And as the coyotes wail in the ink-black hills you decide that you probably should have paid more attention to that part about the roads. “Ah, the Baja shortcut!” said our innkeeper, Phil Gregory, when, at the conclusion of said ordeal, he collected us and our dusty belongings from the side of Highway 3. “Never a good idea!” Severe rains the previous week, our host explained, had caused the river to flood, washing away a whole chunk of the road we were on. Those tire tracks I’d followed across the sandy riverbed—believing we were still on course—had been left by a backhoe, dispatched to repair the road. No one had bothered to post a sign, let alone erect a fence. “Honestly, this happens all the time,” Gregory said as we rattled down the inn’s rutted dirt driveway. He meant this to be reassuring. “But let’s get you settled, pour you some wine, and we’ll retrieve your car in the morning!”
Gregory’s tone was oddly chipper—maybe this did happen all the time? After showering off the dust, we sampled the inn’s own Tempranillo beside a crackling mesquite fire in the lounge. Not the smoothest specimen, but it worked: two glasses later I gave up worrying about the Hyundai.
The Valle de Guadalupe’s wines get most of the attention here. But it was the food that lured me to this corner of Baja California, 90 minutes south of San Diego. Friends had raved about Ensenada’s plentiful huarache oysters, sweet baby abalone, and ruby-red bluefin tuna. On the Baja forums of chowhound.com, I pored over descriptions of barbecued-quail stands and itinerant sea-urchin vendors, unfiltered honeys and farmstead cheeses. I devoured the posts of StreetGourmetLA (real name Bill Esparza), a Los Angeles–based musician who seems to spend all his days eating his way across northern Baja, then regaling fellow Chowhounds with his discoveries, including an Ensenada ceviche stand “that will change your life.” (Baja Tourism should put this guy on retainer.) Most tempting of all were the fish tacos. Ensenada’s signature snack was invented by Japanese fishermen who migrated here in the early 20th century and introduced tempura cooking to the region. Today the taco de pescado—a perfect storm of double-fried fish, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, lime juice, and mayonesa on a warm corn tortilla—is sold on every corner.
4-18-2010
By David Gaddis Smith, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.
08/02/2010
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. 
on 07.11.2010
Science & Technology (alternative energy)
Q-Cells, the biggest producer of solar panels in the world, is investing $3.5 billion in a plant in Mexicali. The plant will open in October and will create 600 direct jobs and 12,000 indirect jobs, according to the Baja California government.
Most of the solar panels will be exported to the United States and California in particular, where Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to install 3,000 MW of solar capacity by 2017.
Baja, known as the “Golden State” has also committed to obtain 20 percent of its own energy from renewable sources. The state’s energy demand is growing 100 MW per year.
American, Asia and European firms are also reportedly looking at Baja as a future site for wind energy manufacturing.
BAJA TIMES: Volume XXXII, Number 134 August 1-15, 2010
Baja California Official Elected as New Federal Interior Minister
On Wednesday July 14th, President of Mexico Felipe Calderon appointed José Francisco Blake Mora, an official from Baja California Mexico to replace Fernando Gómez Mont the Federal Interior Minister of Mexico.
Calderón expressed that during the time Mr. gomez Mont held this position, his capacity and commitment to Mexico were crucial to enabling Mexico to progress in an atmosphere of governance, based on solid democratic principles and thank him for the professionalism characterizing his work as the head of this secretariat.
From the Interior Secretariat, Gómez Mont confirmed his commitment to a Mexico of laws and institutions. He effectively promoted dialogue between the branches of government to advance in the agreements required by our country and cope with its challenges. He was also a key element in promoting major reforms, such as the legal reforms of the Penal Justice System the Organic Law of the Attorney General’s Office, the General Law of the National System of Public Security and the new Federal Police Law, among others.
In his place, Calderón decided to appoint José Francisco Blake Mora, who holds a degree in law from the University of Baja California and has pursued graduate studies in Strategic Planning and Public Policies at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.
Mr. Blake has had a distinguished career in public service. He has had a long career in politics, which began with civil participation.
He began as an alderman at Tijuana City Hall, and was Local Delegate and Coordinator of the Parliamentary Group of the National Action Party in the Legislative Chamber of his state, Baja California.
He was also Federal Delegate in the 58th Session, when we were colleagues, and during this period, among other functions, he was a member of the Interior Secretariat and Municipal Reinforcement Commissions, among others.
Until today, Francisco Blake was Government Secretary General in the state of Baja California and he played a key role in dealing with the problem of violence and organized crime in Baja.
His knowledge of crime management, the good relations he managed to establish to link the efforts of police and military authorities in fighting crime in Baja California will undoubtedly prove extremely useful in stepping up the fight for public security and against organized crime being fought by Mexicans.
“I have witnessed the progress that has taken place in that state in the struggle against crime and the outstanding role Mr. Blake has played in this.
Throughout his career, Francisco Blake has proved his commitment to Mexico. He is a loyal, practical, effective political operator, whose profile will also serve in the task of intensifying and dignifying the political activity of my government during the second half of its administration.
That is why I am convinced that Francisco Blake has the necessary credentials, experience and capacity to be able to serve as the head of the Interior Secretariat.
I instruct him to use responsibility and commitment in the fight against organized crime and for public security, the fight against the main enemy of our society and institutions and to take an active part in the dialogue I have proposed, with all the political forces of the country and society as a whole, to boost the National Security Strategy as a Mexican state policy, a democratic security policy that is above any political, party or any other differences.” Said Calderón.
Calderón also order the new Secretary to maintain close contact with the authorities in the states, so that dialogue with the governors continues to be a permanent source of collaboration and understanding for the benefit of citizens.
“This is the instruction I have given to the new and all the members of the presidential cabinet: Let us work to the full extent of our capacities and until the last day, for the good of Mexico and Mexicans.” Calderón concluded.
Blake, 44, is Calderon`s fourth interior minister in the last four years.
Rosarito Tourism Has best weekend with Major Hotels Near 100%ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO, Mon August 1, 2010—This seaside resort area 30 miles south of San Diego just had its best weekend of the summer, with most major hotels at or near capacity.
Tourism promoters attributed the extremely busy weekend to a series of events including concerts, which attracted 20,000 people on Friday night alone.
Events included a concert by internationally known Pitbull to celebrate 25 years of “Mexicali on the Beach”, and an oceanfront Saturday night concert by Reik, part of the landmark Rosarito Beach Hotel`s 85th anniversary celebration.
The 422-room Rosarito Hotel, Grand Baja Resort, Festival Plaza and Las Rocas were among hotels at or near capacity Friday and Saturday nights, as restaurants, spas, taco stands and shops, especially in the downtown area, also were extremely busy.
“The Rosarito Committee for Tourism and Convention is convinced that having quality events, like we had this weekend, is a large part of how we can build a positive image of our destination,” said ConVis president Citlalitl Pereda.
Previously tourism had slowed in Rosarito the past three years, because scattered drug violence in Mexico made some people in the U.S. concerned about security in the area.
“We had a 23 percent reduction in crime last year, to our lowest level in five years, and the rate is down another 13 percent so far this year, said Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres.
“Rosarito has never been safer for our visitors, so hopefully that perception of insecurity is changing,” he added.
This past weekend passed without any major incident as have busy weekends in the past few years, as well as large events including the Rosarito-Ensenada 50-Mile Fun Bile Ride, which has attracted hundreds of thousands of participants during its 30-year run.
A major surfing contest, and a seafood festival are among events scheduled in Rosarito Beach in August. Additional events and some great summer deals are available at www.rosarito.org
