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Restaurante Laja

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Our first night’s dinner was at Restaurante Laja, one that comes highly recommended. It’s location is very difficult to find and there are no lights and the signage is very hard to see at night. Luckily we had driven by the restaurant during the daylight hours so we knew where we were going.

The evening was getting cooler so it was nice to be able to sit near the fireplace where there was a nice fire burning.

When we walked into Laja last night for dinner we knew were going to enjoy the meal as there was a fire in the fireplace.

When we walked into Laja last night for dinner we knew were going to enjoy the meal as there was a fire in the fireplace.

The ambiance of the restaurant is nice and not overly opulent.

The bar at Laja

The bar at Laja

Any good restaurant must have a good capaccinno machine and Laja did not disappoint.

Any good restaurant must have a good capaccinno machine and Laja did not disappoint.

Before we ordered we were given a basket of warm home made bread that seemed to be fresh from the oven. The olive oil was from Rancho Cortez, a small family run farm that we were planning to visit in the next two days or so.

Outstanding French Intergral bread and local olive oil from Rancho Cortez.

Outstanding French Intergral bread and local olive oil from Rancho Cortez.

The menu consisted of a four course tasting menu (you can go with the longer version but that was beyond our appetites).

Jo Ann started with the Oven Beet Salad, which was beautiful, colorful and very tasty.

Not only was the presentation beautiful but the flavors outstanding.

Not only was the presentation beautiful but the flavors outstanding.

We also also had the Warm Carrot Salad. The carrots were almost burnt but were outstanding.

The next course was the Salmon Tartar, which was actually bland but very well presented and colorful.

Very beautiful presentation but the dish was not very bold or tasteful.

Very beautiful presentation but the dish was not very bold or tasteful.

My second plate was the Burdock Ravioli, which is served in a consume with spinach, parsley and chives. The consume was excellent as was the Burdoc Ravoli. My only disappointment was the presentation was not very exiting. Overall it was outstanding.

Sorry that this image is not very sharp, I must have been excited to taste it. The consume was excellent as was the Burdoc Ravoli. My only disappointment was the presentation was not very exiting.

Sorry that this image is not very sharp, I must have been excited to taste it.

The third plate was the Pan Roasted White fish, which was very tender, very flavorful. It was nicely cooked as the vegetables were crisp but tender.

My pan roasted white fish was excellent and very flavorful.

My pan roasted white fish was excellent and very flavorful.

The other third plate that we had was the oven roasted local quail was also excellent and very well presented. The quail was moist, flavorful with a nice rub.

The oven roasted local quail was also excellent and very well presented.

The oven roasted local quail was also excellent and very well presented.

We ended our meal with the Chocolate Cream with Cardamon ice cream and tulip pastry. It was absolutely wonderful.

Absolutely delightful

Absolutely delightful

For our wine selections we also went with the paired wines. Many of these were nice but not many we would have searched out. The only one that was truly good was the late harvest Chenin Blanc from Monte Xanic. We are already planning to visit this winery so I know that there will be some of these bottles coming home with us.

Serve seemed stiff and somewhat pretentious especially as the evening unfolded. Some times the wines would not be served with the meals and some plates came early or late.

Overall my rating for Laja was a 3.0 out of 5 with a price ranking of $$$. I don’t know if I would return to Laja.

Troika Food Truck

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Our first lunch in the Valle de Guadalupe was at the food truck on the vineyard of Vena Cava called Troika.

Today's menu at Troika

Today’s menu at Troika

 

The Troika Food Truck

The Troika Food Truck

 

Grilling Tomatoes for lunch.

Grilling Tomatoes for lunch.

 

Walking home through the vineyards of Vena Cava

Walking home through the vineyards of Vena Cava

We started out with the Tacos de Cameron’s, which had a very smokey aroma and were outstanding (sorry no photos).

We then has the Tacos de Lechon which were also outstanding, very tasty and tender. They are cooked for six hours in leaves so the meat is very moist and tender.

The Lechon was cooked for six hours over a slow fire wrapped in leaves and both tacos were excellent

The Lechon was cooked for six hours over a slow fire wrapped in leaves and both tacos were excellent

We then moved on the Ensalada, which was a beautiful salad although the taste was somewhat plain as the dressing was bland.

The garden salad was very tasty and enjoyable.

The garden salad was very tasty and enjoyable.

We then ended our meal with the Sliders de Chiquials, which were outstanding.

Amazing sliders to start our lunch

Amazing sliders to end our lunch

I really liked sitting outside and enjoying the weather of the Valle while eating at Troika. I rate the restaurant a 3.0 out of 5 and the prices are very reasonable. This is a definite repeat location.

Casa Mayoral

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The majority of our stay in Baja was going to be at Casa Mayoral. It is an excellent B&B with extremely friendly staff. Although it is located a little off of the main road, it is easy to find and get to.

The property has a large orchard of citrus trees which at this time of the year are in full blossom and the aromas are just wonderful.

Citrus Glaore en Casa Mayoral.

Citrus Glaore en Casa Mayoral.

They also have a number of old farm implements which are interesting to look at.

Old Farm Equipment at Casa Mayoral

Old Farm Equipment at Casa Mayoral

 

Old Farm Equipment at Casa Mayoral

Old Farm Equipment at Casa Mayoral

But as you can see the view of the Valle from Casa Mayoral is outstanding.

View across the Valle

View across the Valle

During our stay there was a strong storm that blew through Baja as well as Los Angeles and San Diego. The evening of the storm it was too difficult to get out so we stayed home and were able to use the kitchen of the B&B which was very nice.

I strongly recommend Casa Mayoral and wish we had tried using their recommended chef who will prepare a dinner on site so you don’t have to drive to the restaurant.

Day One in Tijuana – Dinner at La Querencia

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As we kicked off a week long adventure of the Valle de Guadalupe. We flew from Pátzcuaro to Tijuana we spent the first evening at the Hilton Place – Tijuana. Other than the credit card machine not working properly at the car rental facility, the trip from home to the hotel was everything you want, no hassles and no problems.

Our first meal in Baja California was going to be at La Querencia and we headed off to find the restaurant. However for some reason Google Maps did not have the correct location and we knew we were close but we could not find the restaurant. So Jo Ann called the restaurant and her is something that I have never ever experienced before, the maître d’ said he would come and find us. Well about two minutes later we were greeted and had a personal guide to get us to the restaurant and to our table. Amazing.

The facilities are nice as you can see below.

La Querencia Candles and Bar area

La Querencia Candles and Bar area

 

Stuffed Animal Heads at La Querencia

Stuffed Animal Heads at La Querencia

As typical of Mexican restaurants, we were served a plate of various salsas.

Salsas at La Querencia

Salsas at La Querencia

We started with two appetizers, the first was Salmon carpaccio. The plate was presented well but we found that the salmon carpaccio was light and delicate. Not too much flavor other than the capers.

Salmon carpaccio at La Querencia

Salmon carpaccio at La Querencia

The second appetizer was the Sashimi Querencia. Paper thin slices of sea scallops blanketed with black and white sesame seeds, sesame seed oil and soy sauce. Yum!

Sashimi Querencia at La Querencia

Sashimi Querencia at La Querencia

We then had a Mixed Salad with Balsamic. This salad was young escrole leaves bathed in a sprupy balsamic reduction sauce topped with blue cheese crumbles and toasted almonds. It was excellent.

Mixed Salad at La Querencia

Mixed Salad at La Querencia

For our main courses we decided to share two entrees, the first was the Duck Taco, which consisted of crispy slices of duck confit. It was also excellent.

Duck Breast Taco

Duck Breast Taco

The second of our entrees was the Grilled Salmon with Rossoto. The presentation was outstanding and the Rusoto was very tasty but the salmon was slightly overcooked. I really enjoyed the pesto sauce topping the salmon.

Salmon at La Querencia

Salmon at La Querencia

We finished our meal with a Creme Brûlée. Smoky burnt caramel top with orange zesty topping. Very Yummy.

Creme Brûlée at La Querencia

Creme Brûlée at La Querencia

The wine we shared that evening was from Alximia called Gaia 2013. It is a blend of  Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tempranillo. It has a deep red color, clear and lots of legs. Started very aromatic like fresh out of the barrel but then softened quickly. After being opened for a while it’s aroma was light fruit and musty. Overall rating for the wine was a 3.0 out of 5.0.

Over all rating for the entire experience was a 4.0 out of 5 with a price tag of $$$.

Tata Mezcaleria + cocina de autor

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Last night Jo Ann and I dined in one of our favorite restaurants in Morelia, Tata Mezcaleria + cocina de autor. We had our usually good meal, which we will show below, but we had a couple of concerns that arose last night that we hope the management will quickly address.

The first item that we noticed was that the music was playing very loud and not at all the type of music you would expect at a restaurant of this quality. When we asked to have the music turned down all they did was to turn the nearest speaker to use away from us. It was not like the restaurant was full and could absorb the loudness, but the restaurant was only about half full mainly with tables of two quietly talking to each other.

The second concern we had was that the wine list has not changed since we first started coming to Tata over 1 ½ years ago. Some of the wines that we use to order last year are no longer available but nothing has been added to replace them nor has the wine list been reprinted. This concerns us about their commitment to maintaining an outstanding carta de vinos. I hope to discuss this with someone soon.

We did order a bottle of Tinto-Anónimo Mescal de Tinto, which was served at the right temperature and was very enjoyable. Tinto-Anónimo is a wine produced with grapes from the Valle de Guadalupe but is blended by Pablo Alonzo Pérez a local wine maker who is now working on another project in Aguascalientes which we hope he will have great success.

We started our meal by sharing two entrees a plate of Taquitos de camarón

Taquitos de camarón

Taquitos de camarón

and the Ensalada de lechugas orgánicas

Ensalada de lechugas orgánicas

Ensalada de lechugas orgánicas

Both of these entrees were outstanding. Fresh local vegetables in the salad and the Taquitos de camarón were awesome.

We then on to our main courses.  Jo Ann started with the Salmón a la plancha which she said was excellent. It must have been as she did not offer to share any of it with me.

Salmón a la plancha

Salmón a la plancha

My principal plate was the duck confit, which I have had previously. The duck confit was excellent as was the styling of the plate, however the major disappointment was that the mole sauce and the plate were not warm and this created a very disappointing culinary experience. It was like they warmed the plate and placed the mole long before completing the plate and serving it. Just something that should not happen at a nice restaurant.

Pato confit

Pato confit

We ended our meal with the dessert of Cremes de Xocolate, which was also excellent. The candied orange peals provide a wonderful contrast to the rich chocolate of the dessert.

Cremoso de Xocolate

Cremoso de Xocolate

We will return but if the concerns we raised are not properly addressed we may have to rethink about our commitment to returning to Tata Mezcaleria + cocina de autor.

Tata Mezcaleria + cocina de autor

Bartolomé de las Casas No. 511, Centro Histórico, Morelia Michoacán.

www.tatazezcaleria.com

¡Searching for Culinary and Vino Adventures in la Valle de Guadalupe!

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For the next week we will be exploring the Valle de Guadalupe searching out new wineries and restaurants throughout the Valle as well as in Tijuana. Our research of the area shows that it has totally blossomed into a major culinary and wine mecca that any true foodie needs to experience.

We will be starting our first day in Tijuana as our flight does not arrive until late in the afternoon. It has been almost 40 years since I last visited Tijuana and I know it is going to have changed traumatically.

We hope you will enjoy following our culinary adventures as we explore this wonderful area of México and that you will be able to come to experience it in your near future.

Flying from Morelia to Tijuana

Flying from Morelia to Tijuana

Spaghetti Pie with Pecorino and Black Pepper

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Spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper with grilled vegetables. YUM!

Spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper with grilled vegetables. YUM!

Last night we had an excellent spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper (recipe here) which was very favorable and provides great weekend leftovers that can be easily reheated.

Spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper with grilled vegetables. YUM!

Spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper with grilled vegetables. YUM!

spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper

spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper

 

spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper

spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper

Even Juliette and Jake were anxious to clean up the left overs!

Jake can not stand still

Jake can not stand still

Juliette waiting

Juliette waiting to clean up the plates

The Climate Is Going Crazy

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We started the week off down at the beach in Troncones.  When we arrived on Sunday, the weather was what you would expect for a tropical resort area, warm and beautiful clear skies.

 

Troncones Sunset

Troncones Sunset

Monday we got to spend the day walking on the beach and enjoying some pool time.

View from the pool

View from the pool

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Pelicans

Pelicans

However come Tuesday we started to receive some very unexpected rain and the temperatures turned quite cold for the beach.  Over the next two days we received over 250mm of rain and the temperatures did not exceed 21° C.

Rain in January?

Rain in January?

Too Cold To Enjoy

Too Cold To Enjoy

We came back to Pátzcuaro on Friday and are receiving some of the coldest weather that I can recall since moving to Pátzcuaro.  It was actually slightly below 0° this morning so around 5:30a I was moving all the tomato starts from the green house into the living room.

Jo Ann's Tomato Starts

Jo Ann’s Tomato Starts

Now the weather is back up to around 14º and is suppose to top out at a normal 21 or 22º.  Clearly there is climate change happening, I just hope we can revert back to our normal weather sooner rather than later.

Beach Time In Troncones

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Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones