The first Baja Culinary Fest: Why you should go and how to do it

Baja bluefin tuna tostadas and Baja cheeses at the Baja Culinary Fest preview at Playa restaurant. John Sedlar of Playa is participating in Friday night's dinner at Tijuana's Mision 19 restaurant.

Tequila. Mescal. Amazing seafood. Unusual cheeses, game and tropical fruits. No, it's not the Yucatan, but nearby Tijuana and Ensenada, which are fast becoming the muy caliente eating destinations of the moment. There's so much to try beyond fish tacos and lobster.
If you've ever felt Mexican food in L.A. doesn't quite live up to its potential, then you should make plans to check out the first ever Baja California Culinary Fest from October 5-9 in Tijuana, Ensenada, Tecate and Rosarito. If you're not that familiar with Baja, it's super easy to get around and the groundbreaking restaurants there are well worth the trip. All you need is a passport and a few pesos.
What's the best way to get there?: 
The easiest and cheapest way to get to Tijuana is to drive to the border, leave your car at one of the secure parking lots on the American side, and walk across through the passport checkpoint. A taxi or local bus is a short ride into the center of town.
If you prefer to take your car over the border so you can drive to the beach towns of Ensenada or Rosarito or tour the nearby Valle de Guadalupe wine region, buy Mexican insurance online before you leave from MexAdventure or Baja Bound.
You can also take the train to San Diego and then hop on the trolley to the border, or pick up a Crucero bus from Union Station. Baja Wine Tours will be running special buses from Union Station during the festival.
Where should I stay?
Hotels in Tijuana are very reasonably priced and not at all scary like some people seem to think. We stayed at the large, modern Palacio Azteca in Tijuana, which has a pleasant pool. In Ensenada, I've stayed in a bungalow at the very private and mellow Quintas Papagayo just outside of town. In Rosarito, the Culinary Festival recommends the Rosarito Beach Hotel.
What's the best day to go? 
There are events at the Culinary Fest from Wednesday to Sunday, but the main culinary festival is Saturday at Tijuana's racetrack with a smaller one in Ensenada at the same time. The main festival will have tastings from local restaurants, wineries, microbreweries, arts and crafts from Baja California's native communities, a street food pavilion and farmer's market. (Admission is $11.50)
What else is happening at the festival? 
- Friday's Baja on the Bay yacht trip on Ensenada's bay to visit oyster and mussel farms, with ceviche served on board.
- Friday night's chef dinner at Tijuana's Mision 19 (with the fest's organizer, chef Javier Plascencia, John Sedlar and mixologist Julian Cox); or at La Querencia with chef Miguel Angel Guerrero and mixologist Steve Livigni;
- and Thursday's Culinary Safari in Ensenada which includes a 7:30 a.m. hunting trip with Chef  Guerrero.and outdoor lunch after the safari. 
Is it dangerous?
I've been there twice in the last few years and haven't seen anything to raise concern; Bill Esparza of StreetGourmetLA, who has been instrumental in promoting the Baja culinary scene, travels safely there many times a year. Personally I prefer not to take my car, but that's just so I can take better advantage of all the tamarind margaritas and the groovy Tijuana mescal bar La Mezcalera.

And the winner of the great Silver Lake cookoff is...

Niki's clams with chorizo

I was honored to be asked to judge a cook off between my tenants Christian and Tyler and their friend Niki, a longtime EatingLA reader. The cook off took place over two evenings, and there were no real rules except that no vegetarians were invited. Each contestant chose a starter, entree and dessert. This was a really fun format for a dinner party that encourages the hosts to stretch their cooking muscles. Here's how the judging went down. Each cook started guests out with a fruity sangria-like spritzer, a refreshing kickoff for the evening.

First course: 

Niki started with a cool combo of smoked trout and fennel salad. She bought the trout already smoked at McCall's, which seemed like a reasonable compromise -- accompaniments of a zingy horseradish sauce topped with sliced cornichons and a bright-tasting salad of sliced fennel, arugula and radishes provided crunch, heat and tangyness. Score: 5 out of 5
Tyler sneaked in an amuse-bouche before the starter -- hollowed-out cubes of watermelon were perked up with balsamic vinegar and basil. Tyler's gazpacho was super-fresh tasting; paired with a simple red-leaf lettuce salad, it was a great way to usher out summer.
Score: 3 plus 1 for the amuse = 4

Main course:

Niki continued her seafood theme with clams with chorizo, garbanzo beans and kale. The broth danced perfectly on the edge of saltiness, and the slices of toasted bread were terrific sopped up with the clam broth. Score: 5
Tyler roasted a chicken with lemon slices and paired it with a cool herb-inflected rice salad; his carving skill was evident in the nicely-portioned pieces on our plates. Score: 3

Dessert:

Niki made a caramel pot-de-creme topped with creme fraiche and salt crystals; it didn't have the impossible richness of a butterscotch budino but the slightly tart creme fraiche cut the rich custard nicely. Score: 4
Tyler went with a chocolate souffle with raspberries and whipped cream. Sometimes the classics are the best: Fresh out of the oven, the warm, deep chocolate flavor was a lovely way to end two nights of culinary skill. Score: 5
Both cooks turned out delicious meals with lots of thought, and I had a lot of fun judging the results. So next time you're inviting guests for dinner, why not make a contest out of it?
Here's the results:
Niki: 14
Tyler: 12
Congrats to Niki, winner of the Griffith Park Blvd. area dinner championship and future "Come Dine With Me" star!

Mixto: Los nuevos burritos de Silver Lake

The arrival of Mixto in the old Burrito King spot is a sure sign of the Silver Lake of the future: grass-fed, compostable, vegan-friendly, and of course more expensive than the old Silver Lake. From the owners of Tomato Pie, Mixto's menu sticks mostly to tacos, burritos, tortas and quesadillas with a few sides and salads.
 
 
I tried a carne asada torta; made with grass fed beef, the meat was nice and tender but didn't pack a ton of flavor. A free-range chicken taco came with a possibly handmade tortilla, pickled onions and a creamy salsa, but strangely, you'll pay extra to add the cilantro or onions that are usually laid out alongside salsas on a counter. These simple preparations will need a dollop of salsa to wake them up. Fresh mixto green salad was pleasant with arugula, lettuce, yellow peppers and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Of course, there's also a kale caesar salad.

New tables freshen up the old Burrito King

They've put in new wood tables and given the outside a coat of bright green paint, and the remodel was done in record time. Mixto doesn't have the more ambitious Mexican cooking of a Guisado's or Cook's Tortas, though it's still nice to have a place in the neighborhood where the food seems healthy enough to eat fairly often, and there's even delivery. But I can't help slightly missing the old-school Silver Lake joints like Zamora Brothers, where the jalapeno-laden $2 gut bombs brought on a state of chile euphoria before crashing victoriously into your stomach.
Mixto
2827 Hyperion Ave.
Silver Lake
323-668-1818