I'm not sure why I took so long to do it…..many folks I know have been to Valle de Guadalupe, not only for winery visits, but also because of the ever elevating cuisine that is being presented in the region, which includes several Michelin listed restaurants. I guess we'd been too busy visiting CDMX and other wonderful areas within Mexico, that we just never got around to it. So finally last year, as a late birthday thing for the Missus, I decided that we should "dip our feet" into the Valle. I also decided that perhaps not driving around in an area I'm not familiar with after imbibing might not be a great idea and really wanted to make this something special for the Missus. It just so happened that I listened to the now inactive "All in San Diego" podcast and heard an interview with Aimee Cruz, who is the founder of Valle Guadalupe Baja Tours. She sounded so upbeat and positive that I went and sent an email and got a very quick response and then had a lovely phone conversation with her. It was a wonderful experience….and no; Aimee does not know I have this blog at all; I'm not one of those influencer types….just some guy that likes to eat…and travel occasionally. Things ended up quite customized, we had our drivers, I made the reservations for accommodations after reviewing some recommendations and checking online. I made dinner reservations and Aimee provided a nice list of possible wineries with their attributes. Everything was scheduled at our pace and preference and once Aimee found out that we enjoy dining she coordinated our lunches along the way. Our drivers, Ivan and Isaac were wonderful, and because it was just the Missus and I, things were flexible and we made a couple of stops that weren't on the itinerary.
Because this was just two evenings we were able to use backpacks for our belongings and take the trolley from Clairemont Drive to San Ysidro, where we met Ivan and crossed over to Tijuana. One other thing of note; we loved it that Ivan and Isaac were always at our meeting spots at least 15 minutes early!
The drive was relaxing and Ivan was quite friendly and full of information. When it was time for lunch, Ivan parked at this corner in Puerto Nuevo and walked us into the restaurant; named El Guero. We got a table with a view.
The vibe was friendly and relaxing. No customers when we arrived; but the place soon started filling up….a mixture of tourists and groups of folks speaking Spanish.
Ivan told us that El Guero was known for the langostas; lobster, so of course we had to order that.
Things started with some fairly routine chips and salsa.
We also ordered some Aguachile.
As you can tell this was Aguachile Negro. The shrimp were nice and plump, the cucumbers added a mild refreshing-light brininess and a nice a sprinkling of Tajin added a bit more puckery-heat to the dish. Overall not bad.
And then the star of the show.
Man, look at the langostas! The beans were bland and watery and the rice on the harder side and also very mild in flavor, but those lobsters! There was a time when the Missus just didn't care for lobster; having had quite a few bland versions of them . But time and visit to places on the east coast and Canada, She has come around. And these were delicately, sweet-oceany, with a firm, yet pliable texture.
Initially, we weren't quite sure about the flour tortillas, as large a frisbee; but they held the lobster well, had a mild, almost sweet-buttery flavor that actually enhanced things.
No wonder they call Puerto Nuevo the "Lobster Village" of Baja!
Restaurant Bar El Guero
Anzuelo 15
Puerto Nuevo, B.C., Mexico
Ivan told us to text him via Whatsapp one we were done and he'd pick us up. But after such a rich meal we needed to take a short stroll first.
I'm not sure if this is normal for Puerto Nuevo, but we found the town to be quite sleepy on this Tuesday afternoon.
We had a nice stroll, before texting Ivan, then meeting him near the Shark Statue.
And then we were off….first we'd be doing a few tastings; then we'd head on over to our accommodations to freshen up before dinner.
This was a nice way to start our short trip!