Tijuana Revisited

Tijuana , Mexico is not exactly associated with gourmet food or even good food. Yet one of the world's most famous dishes, the Caesar salad was invented here. At one time this Mexican border town was the fun place to go to for Hollywoood royalty of the Forties and Fifties. Sadly it took a down hill turn later on . Luckly though it's trying to recapture a of its' past culinary glimmer.

The man behind that is Javier Plascencia, the chef at Mission 19, Tijuana's most famous go to restuarant. He was featured in Josh Kun's article in Wednesday's New York Times Dining section. Even though he attended San Diego schools, finishing up at that town's culinary college, Mr. Plascencia went back to his family's native city to start something of a revolution. He reintroduced the Baja region cuisine as Baja Mediterranean which combines Mexican cooking with the Mediterraean ingredients found in So .Cal such as olives, arugula and abalone. The result is stunning. He combines mole sauce with figs over short ribs to create a sweet and smoky dish.

His is a different type of Mexican than what Americans are used to and a much better one at that. Yes, Tijuana does have its' share of taco stands for tourists. However there's a new wave coming to this city. Octopus, also a Mexican favorite, is combined with prickly pear cactus over risotto. This is almost like a Sardinian version of the dish, also redolent with fresh octopus. There's also a duck skewered with licorice and dusted with guava dust. To be honest it's this type of cooking that will attract foodies ot Tijuana.

This Mexican border town has undergone a lot , especially with the rise in crime. However for chefs like Mr.Plascencia it's also a city on the edge of a culinary rebirth. He and others can take Tijuana and bring it around to the glory it once had.