You keep telling yourself, “I just have to try out (enter Restaurant Name here),” and you never quite get around to it. Well, no more excuses. Welcome to the Baja Tourism Promotional Restaurant Tour, organized by Scot Richardson of Once Upon a Time in Rosarito and Angie Gomez. The photo team also included Linda C Daly, Chris Gallo, Chris Lord.
Recently 50 Rosaritenses boarded a tour bus for eleven restaurants in eleven hours, visiting eateries from Magana’s in the south, the Charly’s Taqueria at k37.
I’m guilty as charged. I lived in Rosarito at least two years before I got to Charly’s and became addicted to that creamy white chip dip. With so many new restaurants and bars opening it’s hard to get to them all. One day I (rather, Chuck Wagon) may get around to writing a full review of the wonderful food and drinks served on this tour, but this article is to entice you onto the next gastronomic adventure. Okay, one tiny review. Regarding the lobster bisque (one of four offerings at Splash), one man proclaimed, “I want to swim naked in this!” (Yes, it was just that good!)
The second tour is scheduled for Sunday, September 30 at 9:00. An early start is important as there is much to enjoy. As most participants returned from Tour #1 in a food coma, Scot has decided to tone the venture down a bit. This month’s tour will visit six establishments and more time will be spent in each. This will allow everyone to more thoroughly enjoy each stop and its offerings. The next tour will visit Dmitri’s La Fonda, La Mision Hotel, Popotla, Las Rocas Resort, Acua Sunset, and Hacienda Ortega.
Each restaurant will prepare a signature dish and drink especially for the tour. It could be simple fare as tacos and beer, or as lavish as lobster and ribs. Each stop is an unexpected introduction to something new.
At each stop, one selected group of diners (a different group at each location) may be asked to dine at a special table, chosen for filming and photographs to be used in Baja Norte’s tourism campaign. But all patrons must remain on their best behavior, as film and photos are being recorded throughout the day.
This is NOT a pub crawl. The concept is not to see how much liquor one can consume in a day. And non-drinkers are welcome. East restaurant will offer non-alcoholic refreshments. My husband had a grand time, enjoying ice tea, limonada, and sparkling waters.
And even though we were never on the bus for a long period of time, we did have entertainment provided by comedian Tania Estrada, recognized by many as a regular on Frazier Smith’s weekly radio show on KLOS.
The tourism video and still shots of Restaurant Tour #1 may be viewed on Facebook, at Once Upon a Time in Rosarito. Sign up and see yourself on the Restaurant tour #2 video. Also planned for the future is a tour of several winery/ restaurants of the Valle de Guadalupe.
I came away from the tour with a lot of new friends and new restaurants to add to my “favorites” list. And the publicity can only create a more favorable view of the beautiful town we all have chosen to call “home.”
NOTE: Not all of the details had been worked out as of the writing of this article. For additional information and tickets, please contact Scot Richardson at Facebook/Once Upon a Time in Rosarito.
