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

Stuffed Animal Heads at La Querencia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 $$$.