General Reports

[QUOTE=Derekj6926;1250920]If you go for to Tijuana and you are a good customer they will want you coming back I promise.[/QUOTE]Absolute bullshit!

Which Tijuana are you talking about, the nice city council or the corrupt police department? I doubt if Tijuana has two better customers than SuperSteve and myself. We both pour a lot of money into the town, hotels, restaurants, bars, girls, etc.

I stopped driving there years ago because I was shook down by the nice police officers three different times. The last shakedown, I was walking alone at 7pm this past NYE when two cops put me against their car and searched me for no fucking reason whatsoever.

I got off easy, but SuperSteve got fucked for no reason. Something is seriously wrong with the way they treat "Good Customers" and they need to wake the fuck up and figure it out!

Bottom line; don't make promises that cannot be kept.

[QUOTE=Tomjackin; 1250982]Absolute bullshit!

Which Tijuana are you talking about, the nice city council or the corrupt police department? I doubt if Tijuana has two better customers than SuperSteve and myself. We both pour a lot of money into the town, hotels, restaurants, bars, girls, etc.

I stopped driving there years ago because I was shook down by the nice police officers three different times. The last shakedown, I was walking alone at 7pm this past NYE when two cops put me against their car and searched me for no fucking reason whatsoever.

I got off easy, but SuperSteve got fucked for no reason. Something is seriously wrong with the way they treat "Good Customers" and they need to wake the fuck up and figure it out!

Bottom line; don't make promises that cannot be kept.[/QUOTE]I ditto that Tomjackin! I have been visiting the clubs on and off for the past 15 years, stopped driving in 5 years ago for the same reasons.

The Tall Man

I just cannot relate I have never one time ever had a police officer disrespect me in Tijuana. I always nod my head in respect when passing them by and always am shown respect in return. I have never seen not even one time what you describe in my hundreds of trips there.

[QUOTE=Tomjackin;1250982]Absolute bullshit![/QUOTE]

I wanted to share how I avoid trouble with the policia when I'm in the zona. A while back I went with one of my favoritas back to her hometown for a weekend. While we were out shopping she took me by a little store owned by an old bruja. I paid her a customary tribute and asked her how I could have fun and stay out of trouble in Tijuana.

She presented me a sombrero, and said it was no ordinary item, that it was una sombrero de invisibilidad. She said Herradura activated la magia. I never go to the zona without it, and I've never been arrested because the policia cannot see me when I activate the Herradura.

How has the pedestrian border crossing wait time been recently? I crossed back on a Sunday evening about 3 weeks ago and had to wait 1-1/2 hours. The wait times have been really bad the past 7 or 8 months. Not sure why?

[QUOTE=Hargow20;1251642]How has the pedestrian border crossing wait time been recently? I crossed back on a Sunday evening about 3 weeks ago and had to wait 1-1/2 hours. The wait times have been really bad the past 7 or 8 months. Not sure why?[/QUOTE]The crossing times have been bad for well over a year. Thank your Uncle.

Thursday, about 1:30pm, it looked to be about 45 minutes, maybe a bit more. Sundays are usually the worst.

Despite my philosophical objections to the process, I got a SENTRI card and it paid for itself after the first couple of uses. You might consider the same.

I had a bit of down time, so I came down on Wednesday and spent the night with a favorita.

FWIW, the UETA lot is $10 for 24 hours, during the week. Parking at the Beyer or Iris trolley stop is easier, and free, but I don't really like leaving my car completely unsecured overnight. Has anybody had any experience with this, good or bad?

While strolling Revu I was looking at Caesar's. It's been interesting to watch its transmogrifications over the years. From a dumpy hotel to a rather nice mid-market hotel. From a bar with strippers in the back room, to a blow job bar with some of the ugliest girls in all of Tijuana, to a gutted shell, to a rather nice restaurant. I'm really happy to see its (as well as Revu's) revival.

I noticed the little tapas bar wedged along the north side of the restaurant. It has a small sign, and its own door, but you might not even notice it were it not for the menu posted outside. I looked at it, the items looked good, prices seemed reasonable for Revu. I decided to try it.

I chilled with a Bohemia Clara in the lobby bar of Ticuan. Not a bad spot, good selection of beer. 20 pesos for beers, full bar. Not a bad spot to wait for Miss Never-to-be-punctual. After a good romp in the hay, I was famished and made a beeline for the tapas bar.

Inside it's decorated nicely, with lots of bullfight memorabilia. Posters from various bullrings around the world, as well as some interesting vintage ads and leaflets from the Tijuana bullring, and others.

They have a rather extensive hot and cold tapas menu, as well as the full bar from Caesar's. There was no way I could sample everything, so I just hit the high spots. Miss Never-to-be-punctual had never been to a tapas place, and immediately started scanning the menu looking for carne asada and wondering why she couldn't find it. Yikes. I decided to handle the ordering.

BTW, I'm no tapas expert. I've only been to a few, the last one being the one in the Aria hotel in Las Vegas. Now Caesar's doesn't stack up to that place, but still compares favorably.

I ordered the Papatas Bravas, Hongos Rellenos, Tortilla Espanola and Aceitunas, along with a glass of the house vino tinto. Free bread is also served.

The Aceitunas were a bit of a disappointment. They were tasty, but basically just some green olives from a jar, poured with some of the brine, into a martini glass. A little tomato juice, maybe some tabasco, or something, is added and they're served with toothpicks. They were tasty, and go well with the other dishes, but I think the dish could use a bit more imagination. Perhaps various kinds of Spanish olives, maybe a small pickle thrown into the mix, whatever.

The Tortilla Espanola was quite good. Everybody seems to have their own recipe for this dish. This was served in rectangular slices about 1" x 1. 25" x 2. 5". Heavy on the potato, light on the onion, light on the egg. Served cold with some sort of mayonnaise-based sauce on top. The potatos weren't exactly in layered slices, as seems to be more common. Instead, it was a much lighter, airier dish. I would love to see how it was prepared. All in all, very good. Not heavy at all, and made a good companion to the wine.

The Papatas Bravas are another thing that tends to vary by venue. These were nice sized chunks served in a flat clay bowl. They were roasted perfectly, and had a nice spicy kick. They were delicious and the portion was generous.

The Hongos Rellenos were medium sized button mushroom caps filled with something I can't recall, but appeared to be a savory bread crumb mixture. From the color and crispy texture on the outside of the filling, I think they are stuffed and deep fried. They were flavorful and moist on the inside. The filling was a bit heavy-handed on the thyme, but overall were a nice dish. We ordered a second dish. Four 'shrooms to an order. They, too, went well with the wine.

The house vino tinto was surprisingly good. I have no idea of the varietal, but it tasted rather like a Zinfandel. Fruit-forward, nice finish, very drinkable for a house wine. Of course, at 75 pesos per glass, it should be. But they don't pour light. And it was good enough to order a second glass.

Five dishes, two glasses of wine, a Coca Cola and two plates of bread set me back 330 pesos. I also left a 50 peso tip, high by local standards but the service was pretty good.

All in all, it was a nice change from the taco carts and I'll definitely be back.

There is a new place on the corner of where I think Iguana used to be? It's called La Choperia. If I understood the waitress, it has to do with the system used to dispense the beer from the keg. Any native Spanish speakers, please chime in with a better translation.

Anyway, the decor was what was interesting. Everything is shaped like a beer barrel. The tables are all stylized barrels, the lighting fixtures are all similar, the beer glasses are all barrel shaped. They appear to be sponsored by Cerveza Modelo, and they have both Especial and negra on tap. They also have a full bar. Lots of TVs line the walls, and what lookd to be a good DJ station. The sound system was fine. This was Wednesday night, arount 11:00pm and we were the only two customers in the place, and I don't think they had any others for the hour we were there. Maybe it's much busier on the weekends, when all the locals come out to party.

Then it was back to Ticuan for another romp and several hours of listening to Miss Never-to-be-punctual's snoring. :D LOL

Went down to Tijuana and the line was backed to the pedestrian bridge. I had to wait roughly a hour. Someone told that the line was very long last Saturday. The customs agent was really rude. She was really bitchy about why I only had my birth certificate.

[QUOTE=Phordphan;1251794]Miss Never-to-be-punctual had never been to a tapas place, and immediately started scanning the menu looking for carne asada and wondering why she couldn't find it. Yikes. I decided to handle the ordering.[/QUOTE]Nice review Phordphan! I eat at Caesar's at least 2-3 times a month, but never crossed over to their tapas bar, nor have I've even looked at the menu. I've always had a good to great meal in Caesar's, so I can imagine that their tapas bar would be good as well.

I like the big bartender in Caesar's, he is always giving me samples of the various tequilas and when I do finally order one, he has a heavy hand, thus, a real nice pour.

Your comment about your date looking for carne asada on the menu gave me a good laugh. Because every time I brought someone new in there, or even order room service (which is quite good) at the Ticuan, they always want to order the Mexican platter! WTH?

I'll be down from LA for a little vacation this Friday and Saturday (3/2 and 3/3). Staying at Ticuan. PM me if you'll be around.

Friday night, I turned on my date and friends to Lorca Estraurante Español. This was my forth time there and I really love the food and atmosphere. I would put the food on par or above par with Cafe Sevilla and Costa Brava in San Diego. On the weekend, there is live entertainment that starts around 8:30. Usually it is a flamenco guitar artist.

There is a nice cold and hot tapas list. We had the Croquetas de Pollo and the Chorizo in Wine Sauce; both excellent. Also the bread and topping is topped notched. And then there is the Sangria, which is quite good as well!

But the best is the Paella! We had both the paella with seafood, and the paella with meat. It takes over 30 minutes to make, so if you are in a hurry, order something else; but it is well worth the wait.

From their Web site: Reservaciones e informes al 634. 03. 66 Te esperamos! LORCA ESTAURANTE ESPAÑOL Calle Brasil 8630 Col. La Cacho Tijuana B. C. Tel. 634-0366

Well the smoking ban didn't last very long. I was enjoying not coming home smelling like an ash tray. It also helped keep the temperature of the packed clubs like HK and Adelitas down.

[QUOTE=Tomjackin;1254266]But the best is the Paella! We had both the paella with seafood, and the paella with meat. It takes over 30 minutes to make, so if you are in a hurry, order something else; but it is well worth the wait.[/QUOTE]Great tip, I love Paella and haven't come across any places in Tijuana serving. I've been to Spain a couple tiimes and couldn't get enough of it, yummmm.

[QUOTE=Tomjackin; 1254266]Friday night, I turned on my date and friends to Lorca Estraurante Español. This was my forth time there and I really love the food and atmosphere. I would put the food on par or above par with Cafe Sevilla and Costa Brava in San Diego. On the weekend, there is live entertainment that starts around 8:30. Usually it is a flamenco guitar artist.

There is a nice cold and hot tapas list. We had the Croquetas de Pollo and the Chorizo in Wine Sauce; both excellent. Also the bread and topping is topped notched. And then there is the Sangria, which is quite good as well!

But the best is the Paella! We had both the paella with seafood, and the paella with meat. It takes over 30 minutes to make, so if you are in a hurry, order something else; but it is well worth the wait.

From their Web site: Reservaciones e informes al 634. 03. 66 Te esperamos! LORCA ESTAURANTE ESPAÑOL Calle Brasil 8630 Col. La Cacho Tijuana B. C. Tel. 634-0366[/QUOTE]Hmm. Sounds interesting. Cupple questions.

Where is it in relation to Centro? Would a taxi driver know how to get there?

How large are the paella dishes? I mean how many people would be served with one pan?

Any pricing information?

Thanks

[QUOTE=Phordphan; 1254478]Where is it in relation to Centro? Would a taxi driver know how to get there?

How large are the paella dishes? I mean how many people would be served with one pan?

Any pricing information?

Thanks[/QUOTE]It is not far from Centro. I printed out the map from the Web site and that is what my friend used to find the place. The road has lots of restaurants on it as well, seems to be a popular area. We had two tapas, paella for 2 (they split it for us, seafood & meat) , and a pitcher of sangria for 680 pesos. That fed 4 of us, so it is a good amount of paella.

[url]http://www.lorcarestaurante.com/[/url]

Be sure to tell Miss Never-to-be-punctual a head of time that there is no carne asada on the menu!