Bill Esparza

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Blogs
May 17, 2013
This Week In Food: A Medieval Times Movie, Al Capone's Niece, and Bringin' Home the Banana Stand
Whew, Mother's Day is over and the rush for goodies and presents can die down until well, whenever that paternal holiday is. Let's take a look at what the week after had to offer... Edwin reviewed the South County chain, Inka Mama's. Then he told us that Layer Cake Bakery is opening a second locati ... More >>
Blogs
May 9, 2013
The 14th Annual Festival of Shellfish and New Wines 2013: Baja's Ultimate Shellfish Party
On April 21st, the 14th annual Festival de las Conchas y el Vino Nuevo, or Festival of Shellfish and New Wines 2013 edition was held at along the dry dock of Ensenada's Hotel Coral y Marina on a beautiful sunny, breezy Baja afternoon. The festival, put on by Provino, boasted 40 local wineries, and 3 ... More >>
Blogs
April 18, 2013
Muelle Tres: A Perfect Afternoon at Ensenada's Fisherman's Wharf
Muelle Tres was opened by Chef Benito Molina in early 2009 with a more-casual, but still-hip delivery of Molina's original brand of Ensenada cuisine, quietly tucked behind the fish taco hustler madness of the Mercado Negro on the sea walk. Molina sold the restaurant to current owner David Martinez a ... More >>
Blogs
March 21, 2013
Endémico Eco Lofts at Encuentro Guadalupe: The Valle de Guadalupe's Ultimate Getaway
The powers that be have kept development in the Valle de Guadalupe at a perpetual tease--when someone says this year's going to be big, as was the tone in 2010--one hotel opened up, and then the region gained two restaurants--that's frenetic activity in the ruta de vinícola. It used to be there wer ... More >>
Blogs
March 2, 2013
Chef Javier Plascencia Gets in Touch With His Inner Taquero at Via Mercado
"Just when I thought I was out--they pull me back in."--Michael Corleone, Godfather Part III. There has been a lot of press about the Baja Med explosion, and Baja fine dining--on both sides of the border--what really makes our hearts flutter here in the U.S. is street food. In trends, you can always ... More >>
Blogs
February 14, 2013
El Balcón Cocina Artesanal, San Felipe, B.C: A Seamless Fusion of Northern and Southern Mexican Cuisine at the Gateway to the Sea of Cortez
San Felipe was always known to me as a Spring Break retreat for American college kids looking to see Mexico and ride the mechanical bull. It came as a huge surprise that it's such a sleepy fishing village--you'd never mistake this place for Cabo, Cancun, or Puerto Vallarta. It's a great place to rel ... More >>
Blogs
January 31, 2013
Wendlandt Brewery, Ensenada B.C.- The Baja Craft Beer Scene Looks to the International Market
There are a couple of problems with Mexican craft beer at the moment: 1) It's difficult to find bars that have a selection beyond a few brands. 2) Many are talking about how great the beer is without telling you much about the beers(how do they taste?), and there's a lack of discernment among the re ... More >>
Blogs
January 18, 2013
Bol Corona: Gambling on Burritos in Post-U.S. Prohibition Tijuana
It was 1934, the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had just repealed prohibition at the close of 1933, and a year later, Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas would outlaw gambling and close Tijuana's world famous Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel. This was the state of things in Tijuana ... More >>
Food
December 27, 2012
Read Stick a Fork In It!
If you're still not reading our food, then you're mean
Blogs
December 13, 2012
Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur: Baja's Daily Bread
One of the many generous concessions to foreign investors during the Porfiriato was a 70-year contract granted to the Compagnie du Boleo to mine copper in the town of Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur, from 1885 until their tax exemption ended in 1954. The venture ended in a state of bankruptc ... More >>
Blogs
October 11, 2012
12th Annual Expo Tequila in Tijuana: 5 Survival Tips For We Sons of Mayahuel
The 12th Annual Expo Tequila Tijuana kicked off last night on Avenida Revolucion and runs through Sunday, October 14th, right smack in the middle of the Baja Culinary Fest and Tijuana Innovadora tourist fair. If you're planning on being in town for the Culinary Fest, the Expo Tequila is more than wo ... More >>
Blogs
September 27, 2012
Popotla, Baja California: Seafood Cocktails and Dreams
In 1988's campy bartender melodrama, Cocktail, Brian Flanagan and Doug Coughlin both shared the same dream--to have a place of their own, and live it up like kings. Baja California has been my place to pursue such lofty desires; it's a place where a middle-class guy like me can "make it rain." It's ... More >>
Blogs
September 13, 2012
Tacos El Poblano: How A Band of Taqueros From Izucar de Matamoros, Puebla Changed Baja California
Baja California is one of the great surf-and-turf states of northern Mexico, renowned for its unique carne asada; in Mexicali, there's more of a Sonoran influence, and in Tijuana where an original style with a southern touch has spread down the peninsula all the way to Cabo, and has n ... More >>
Blogs
August 30, 2012
Campestre: The End of Summer Ambulatory Dining Guide to the Valle de Guadalupe
Fiestas de la Vendimia 2012 is now behind us, and we're emerging from our collective hangovers and recesses. If you are serious about Vendimia, then you're an 11-month employee--you cease all productivity in favor of great food and drink during the month of August. It's now back to normal in the Val ... More >>
Blogs
August 9, 2012
XXII Fiestas de la Vendimia, Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California: 50 Ways to Leave Your Liver at Baja's Annual Wine Harvest Festival
On Friday night I attended the kickoff party for the 22nd annual Fiestas de la Vendimia at the Riviera Casino in downtown Ensenada which runs from August 3rd through the 19th. Around 3,000 attendees sipped Mexican wines from the Valle de Guadalupe, sampled the finest Baja cuisine from various booths ... More >>
Blogs
August 2, 2012
Birria de Res, Estilo Baja California: It's What's For Breakfast
Birria is something you'll find in every part of Mexico, and the most famous versions come from Jalisco and Zacatecas (where our jefe comes from). In those states they roast the goat in a natural or conventional oven, using the drippings to make a rich cumin-laced stock and serve every part of the g ... More >>
Blogs
July 19, 2012
Tacos Lalo Los Originales Tacos al Vapor: The Legend of La Rumorosa
Remember that 18 wheeler chase scene in License to Kill, the rather clumsy James Bond flick starring Timothy Dalton? The one where 007 gets the truck to tilt on its side to avoid a rocket shot by the film's villain, Robert Davi, who is better known as the guy that tried to kill the Goonies? Subseque ... More >>
Blogs
July 5, 2012
Chef Benito Molina in 12 Courses at Manzanilla: The Birth of the Cool
I first walked into Chef Benito Molina's Manzanilla sometime in 2007--it was located on Av. Riveroll, before moving to it's current location along Ensenada's industrial waterfront. Molina--a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute--had already made a name for himself in Mexico City when he ar ... More >>
Blogs
June 21, 2012
Takesos y Papas: Tijuana Style Tacos go Upscale
When Tacos Salceados (sauciers) appeared back in 2007--known by the locals as Tacos La Ermita (the street where it's located)--tijuanenses had no idea they'd become hosts to the coolest taqueria in the Milky Way. This is a unique street food presentation found only in Tijuana, and the envy of everyo ... More >>
Blogs
June 15, 2012
A Long, Withering Takedown of Rick Bayless on Occasion of Him Receiving an Award from Mexico, or: Rick Bayless, the Michael Bolton of Mexican Food
On June 6, Chef Rick Bayless received from the Mexican government the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Insignia class (lower ranking reserved for non-royals and non-politicians) for his work in promoting Mexican cuisine in general, and Mexican haute cuisine, specifically, in his PBS television series Mexic ... More >>
Blogs
June 7, 2012
Viva Sinaloa y Pescado Zarandeado: Beach Grill Babylon in Tijuana
One of largest groups of settlers from mainland Mexico to Baja California are Sinaloans (the other being Sonorans) and with them comes one of the greatest seafood traditions in Mexico. Sinaloan seafood cocktailing, cooking, and grilling have had a tremendous influence on Baja cuisine--Sinaloan stree ... More >>
Blogs
May 24, 2012
Chef Carlos Valdez: El Rey del Baja California Sur
For decades Baja California Sur has been defined--unfairly-- by the OC on the Sea of Cortez tourist spot: Cabo San Lucas, where American spring breakers go to suck down margaritas, eat nachos until they burst, perform graceless acts at wet t-shirt contests, and develop pre-melanoma lesions under the ... More >>
Blogs
May 10, 2012
Taco Kokopelli: Next Wave Chef Takes to the Streets in Tijuana
In order for a parrilla to continue to burn, there must be some fresh mesquite added to ensure its vibrancy. And it's an apt metaphor when considering the current Baja cuisine renaissance. The much-celebrated trend has been spread by just a handful of chefs from Tijuana to Cabo, and it's been the Cu ... More >>
Blogs
May 3, 2012
Winning By a Neck at Kentucky Fried Buches
The first time I ever saw buches--perhaps more properly known as pescuezos de pollo--was at the late, lamented Breed Street vendor fair in Boyle Heights, where the scent of frying chicken competed for olfactory primacy against enchiladas, pambazos, churros, and pit-roasted meat. I wasn't paying atte ... More >>
Blogs
April 17, 2012
Announcing the Launch of "Tijuana Sí!" Our New Column Focusing on Baja California's Food Scene!
As someone who has known the great side of Tijuana all his life--the mercados, the mariscos, the street vendors, the todo--it's given me great pleasure to see that the world is finally realizing what a gastronomic wonderworld Baja California is, from the Baja Med chefs to San Felipe, from Kentucky F ... More >>
Columns
April 5, 2012
Are There Different Kinds of Mexican Food?
[¡Ask a Mexican!] And how can I get a copy of 'Taco USA'?
Blogs
August 10, 2011
Best Bar Snack Ever: How to Make Murky Jerky
Dave LiebermanDoesn't look like much, but it's still awesome.I love dive bars. Dive bars are my birthright as an American. I love walking into a dim, dank room, bellying up to a worn old bar of no pedigree whatsoever, ordering a beer and maybe a shot, and talking to the random characters sitting ... More >>
Blogs
July 13, 2011
[UPDATE: Now, Gringo Bandito to Participate!] Two Cool Gustavo-Involved Panels for this Weekend's ~~Carmageddon~~ Eat Real Festival!
Update: Amy Scattergood unfortunately had to pull out of the "Future of Food Writing Panel" for Saturday, but we got a great guest for Sunday's panel on the Great Mexican Food Authenticity Debate: Matt McCollum, the main sales guy for Gringo Bandito. It'll be awesome to have Matt--a Dallas native ... More >>
Blogs
February 13, 2011
Rick Bayless Blocks Mexican-Food Blogger Bill Esparza from Following His Twitter Account
Any of the more than 108,000 followers that celebrity chef Rick Bayless has on Twitter knows that the U.S.'s most-famous cook of Mexican food has spent the weekend in Baja California scoping the scene for his PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time. "Super-busy scouting n Baja morn2nite 4 season 8 ... More >>
Blogs
January 26, 2011
Food Lover's Confessional: Potato Taco Edition
There's a group of bloggers, journalists and lovers of food who go around sampling various kinds of tacos. The Taco Task Force, as it's called, was set up by Mexican food expert/professional saxophonist/Rick Bayless detractor Bill Esparza and has gone on a few specialized runs around the greater ... More >>
Blogs
January 7, 2011
Eat Here, Not There: Bánh Mì for the Los Angeles Crowd, Or: More Reasons to Hate on Red Medicine
In some ways, I wish they kept this idiocy...Last night, I traveled to Los Angeles to dine at Rivera, the fabulous restaurant that spans Latin America and is the latest stunner by John Sedlar, the last of the Southwestern-cuisine Mohicans. I was there to interview Sedlar for my coming book, and I ... More >>
Blogs
August 29, 2010
Jonathan Gold Lectures at Marche Moderne About Mexican Food "Authenticity," Laughs at Rick Bayless
Frontera Grill is sabroso, though...Updated after the jump: Rick Bayless responds! And isn't happy...and one of the kings of LA food blogging has even funnier things to say about Bayless... Last Thursday, the CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California (formerly the California Chicano News Media Asso ... More >>
Blogs
July 21, 2010
Eating Tijuana, Part Two
Dave LiebermanI wanted to see whether the news reports were true; I missed Baja and the laid-back lifestyle it represents. When Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA offered a quick one-day tour, I jumped at the chance to see whether it was time to go back.I'm happy to report that it is. No soldiers ... More >>
Blogs
July 20, 2010
Eating Tijuana, Part One
Dave Lieberman"You're insane." "You're going to die, you know." "Are you stupid?" "Can I have your car?" Such were the reactions I got when I mentioned that I would be taking part in a culinary tour of Tijuana given by Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA: total certainty that I would never ma ... More >>
Blogs
June 15, 2010
Food Blogger Guides Andrew Zimmern around TJ, Is Fêted
Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LAOur local food bloggers are clearly finding their niche on television. First we had former Weekling Eddie Lin (Deep End Dining) and Mexican food guru Bill Esparza (Street Gourmet LA) as guest judges on Top Chef Masters. Now Bill has gone on and introduced Andrew Z ... More >>
Blogs
May 11, 2010
Local Bloggers Judge This Week's Top Chef Masters
Photo Courtesy of Eddie LinFrom left to right: Jay Rayner, Kelly Choi, Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Food), Eddie Lin, Marc Moss (Weird Food Festival), Bill Esparza (Street Gourmet LA).I know we write a lot about Eddie Lin. He--the author of Extreme Cuisine and the blog that started it all, Deep End ... More >>
Blogs
November 18, 2009
Why Food Trucks Are Not Evil
desserttruck.comPlease, please, PLEASE come to OC, Dessert Truck!Nancy Luna (the Fast Food Maven) is someone whose writing I admire, and she scoops absolutely everything about fast food in OC. I know that when the Buttermilk Truck or the Grilled Cheese Truck or any of the other, suddenly-fashiona ... More >>

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