Enter Mexico’s picturesque wine region and you’ll get lost in swaying olive groves framed by rolling mountains, acres of Nebbiolo and Chenin blanc grapes growing fat on the vine, and a winding road that leads to the sea—but if you can’t spare the four-or-so-hour drive to get from L.A. to the Valle de Guadalupe, you’re in luck. This Saturday, the Valle is coming to DTLA.
When Chicas Tacos turned one year old last summer, the team took over the restaurant’s adjacent lot for their own take on a block party: live music, unlimited tacos, beer, wine and tequila flowing freely for a birthday bash in the form of a festival. This year, the restaurant’s second annual Baja Market L.A. features unlimited fare from some of Mexico’s top chefs, each slinging their own unique taco, plus 10 Baja wineries pouring endless sips to pair—the Valle is wine country, after all.
Photograph: Courtesy Baja Market L.A./Stan Lee
“The food down there is incredible but it’s also very simple,” says Chicas Tacos’ executive chef Eduardo Ruiz, who’ll be leading this culinary charge this weekend. “There’s really a connection between the love of food and what they do, and you can taste it. That’s why the Valle is so special.”
Just inland from Ensenada, the region is famous for its seafood and the produce grown in virtually every direction, which means you can expect some seriously fresh tacos from the likes of Javier Plascencia—whose outdoor restaurant Finca Altozano offers some of the area’s most seasonal fare—and Omar Valenzuela, the chef revolutionizing resort food at one of the region’s top hotels, Encuentro Guadalupe.
Tijuana chef Guillermo “Oso” Campos Moreno of Tras/Horizonte will be slinging his Kraken taco, a meaty, unctuous grilled octopus take that includes Mexican pesto and avocado, while the Tizimín-trained Gilberto Cetina of L.A.’s own Chichen Itza is putting mesquite-grilled Omega Azul kanpachi, cabbage, avocado purée and pickled onions into a handmade tortilla. (Find the full list of chefs here.)
Of course to wash it all down, stop by any of the wineries—with one stand located next to each chef’s taco station—plus roughly 20 mezcal and tequila distillers, and even Freehand hotel’s rooftop bar, Broken Shaker, pouring tipples. Grab a few drinks for liquid courage and then hit the dance floor, because there’ll also be multiple live bands and a DJ set, plus a cake walk that benefits COTAS, a Baja nonprofit in support of water conservancy.
“Mexico is very much a place where hospitality matters, and people will make you feel like you’re in their home and like you’re welcome in their home,” Ruiz says. “The goal of this event is for us to promote the Valle and to get people out there, for us to be supportive.”
Catch the second annual Baja Market L.A. at 728 S Olive St on Saturday, June 30, from 4-9pm. Tickets are now on sale; general admission costs $40, while VIP admission, which includes early entry, runs $50 per guest.