A Little Taste of Tijuana

This is my overwhelming image of Baja California: smiling, generous and very relaxed. Also, I must say, very delicious.

That beautiful woman is at Marisco's Ruben, in Tijuana, just over the border.  Fantastic aguachiles, made to order with raw shrimp, scallops ....

or callo de acha - a scallop that is the adductor muscle of a giant clam (here they are in the fish market in Ensenada).

You will not want to miss chocolate clams which are the most delicious clams I know - crisper than the ordinary sort - and which sadly never make their way across the border.

And while we're on the subject of clams, an important bit of information.  Should you need to use the restroom, you will need to understand the signage.

This is the lady's room.

This means men.

In Tijuana I also recommend the tacos here at Fitos.  They're quickly made, the tacos dipped into the sauce, crisped, then filled with the most wonderful birria of beef.  (I would have liked to try the tripe, but sadly they were out.)

In Ensenada, in addition to visiting the fish market (if only to see the display of shrimp)

You will want to stop in at Tacos Fenix.

A true example of the law of the line: although there's a similar stand across the street where there's no wait, the line at Fenix is always long. Join it.

Tomorrow: a visit to one of the most enchanting places in the world, the Valle de Guadalupe where, among other things, you can dine beneath the shade of a century-old oak tree.