Baja California

Caesar's In Tijuana: More Than Just A Salad

A piece of the city's history has reinvented itself and we taste their offerings

Not to be a bird of ill omen, but I simply look at details that maybe others in general will not find, however, those who are more demanding in what they eat, do. My task is to elevate the region's culinary level with this contribution to this section.

Star's meaning: Zero means poor, satisfactory. One star, good. Two stars, very good. Three stars, excellent. Four stars, outstanding.

Along the historic Revolution Avenue stands the Caesar's Hotel, home to the restaurant of a same name. Many are the tourists who want to become part of the establishment's history who saw the birth of the world renowned Caesar Salad.

"Don Tana", as the culinary businessman is respectfully and endearingly known, made it his task to rescue the restaurant which had let its best years gone by. Although it hasn't been long since they relaunched the restaurant, this place has already become a tourist MUST.

The diner, recently widened, is comfortable and it highlights the space that exists between tables, the walls are covered with sepia photographs of Tijuana's history, although the majority lack a title; its floors are bicolor, and the terrace has a mural that talks about the Golden Years of the Agua Caliente Casino and its characters.

An accurately recreated bar, with a midsection that places the waiter as the main character as he proudly demonstrates the star product, while seasoning the Caesar salad and telling interesting facts.

The traditional cut dishes revive the restaurant's glory and years past, inside a homely brasserie type environment accentuated by the waiter's uniform and table setting. The guerdon service, meaning the cart that takes the food to the diner, is one of the best things in the place and a major tourist attraction.

However, the beer service wasn't adept, given that a chilled glass puts the beverage in jeopardy due to the fact it creates less foam and the small layer of ice created inside the glass (many times the glasses are moisten before being set to chill) melted when the beer was served, ending up with a water filled and foamless beer. There is an effort to offer local beer, which is applauded, but they should be accompanied by a qualified service for their serving.

The bread should had arrived warm.

The Tijuana version of tapenade, which uses regional green olives of great taste and consistency instead of black ones, turned out to be pretty good.

As a classic entrée the famous sope with tuetano (bone marrow) failed in its texture, although the tuetano's flavor with salsa and gravy justified it.

The Mexican caviar tacos for $60 pesos ($3.50dlls) were aceptable due to the spirit of traditional Mexican cuisine: a tortilla filled with black beans, very typical of the area.

The salpicón de lengua for $95 pesos ($9.55dlls) failed to deliver, the cooking and cuts of the tongue need to be more cared for and subtle, there was a lack of flavor integrity.

The patatas bravas were good.

The historic Casear Salad. Image: Facebook
The historic Casear Salad. Image: Facebook

Up next was the must have Caesar Salad which came in two version, with or without anchovies. Definitely worth the visit.

The beef Wellington for $285 ($17dlls), an Anglo-Saxon classic, is considered one of the restaurant's specialties and its beautifully made, with a duxelle base (a mixture of mushrooms), alongside al dente vegetables and stake cooked just right.

Wellington stake. Image: Facebook
Wellington stake. Image: Facebook

The ideal companion for the steak would have been Gran Ricardo from Monte Xanic, a great mixture of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc.

What prevented this pairing was the pricing of the magnum 2010 bottle, which according to the menu cost at $3,890 pesos ($232dlls), having to settle for the option of a 750ml Passion bottle at $1535 ($85dlls).

As a suggestion I would say that don't turn away wine drinkers by doubling the bottle prices, which is what I imagine happened with the afore mentioned bottles. On the other hand, El Gran Sangre de Toro had a price of $620 pesos ($36dlls) in its magnum version.

We ended up with a simple and reasonable Piccolo Roganto for $405 pesos ($24dlls).

Their burrito was tasty and balanced yet lacking.

Burrito at Caesar's. Image: Facebook
Burrito at Caesar's. Image: Facebook

Their desserts weren't anything out of the ordinary, New York cheesecake for $75 pesos ($4dlls), Killer chocolate cake for the same price and Crème brulee for $85 ($5dlls).

Their café espresso for $30 ($2dlls): regular and poorly extracted given that it came with no foam or cream, which should be present and dense.

It isn't cheap but it's also not extremely expensive given that the food is tasty and the guerdon with the salad demonstration are worth it.

Phone: 664.685.1927

Map:

http://caesarstijuana.com/

Ambiance: relaxed and homely, it's has an outdoor terrace. Lighting and background music complement the scenery.

Average pricing: $550 pesos ($32dlls)

RSVP: Yes

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

Stay connected to San Diego Red through Facebook and Twitter.

editorial@sandiegored.com

zyanya.figueroa@sandiegored.com

Related:

Comments

  • Facebook

  • SanDiegoRed

 
 
  • New

  • Best

    More of The Real Baja

    Recent News more

    Subir
    Advertising