Now that El Niño flopped, the rain went away and the sun (and heat) are out in full force, what better way to enjoy the weather than to go on a good road trip.

Of course there's the famous trip to Valle de Guadalupe, but it's getting harder and harder to tell apart what are the options for tourists and the ones for locals. So in our quest to escape the daily hustle, we just end up surrounded by the same amounts of people, ironic isn't it?

Which is why we came up with a Valle de Guadalupe alternative, one that puts Ensenada back at the culinary forefront.

This famous seaport town is Baja's original culinary capital, where fresh produce from the Valle de Guadalupe, San Quintín and the coasts' fishing produce merged together. But the city's momentum has been thwarted by the Valle's hype and restaurants closer to the border in Tijuana. So we took on the task of highlighting that Ensenada is not just a pit stop to fill up your gas tank on the road to Cabo and eat a tostada from La Guerrerense (not that there's anything wrong with La Guerrerense).

Ensenada is about an hour south of Tijuana, which is great 'cause that means you don't have to rise early on the weekend in order to visit this great port city. The best way to get there is by driving down the Tijuana-Ensenada scenic route, regarded as one of the most beautiful highways in Mexico. After passing the mirador (The Lookout), you'll see multiple other overlook stops on the side of the road with a perfect view worthy of a selfie pic.

A few minutes later you'll find yourself at the toll booth and voilà! You're in Ensenada.

Once inside the city, I suggest following the signs that'll take you to the tourist area, don't worry it's not that hard to find it. Look for a parking spot around the huge Mexican flag and walk around the pier for a bit to get your apetite ready for an evening full of deliciousness. You'll soon discover the famous Mercado Negro, known as THE place to buy the freshest seafood you can find in the state, to the point where the clams are still moving.

On the same pier, you'll find a restaurant that takes advantage of all of the port's resources, the relatively new Muelle 3, a seafood restaurant (duh!) that pays tribute to Ensenada's seaport lifestyle while integrating new approaches in a coherent way.

We highly recommend the house ceviche, they use fresh seafood, organic vegetables and with a very peculiar flavor that is reminiscent of Asian cuisine with the addition of ginger. Another delicious dish that represent this restaurant to perfection is their take on steamed clams, a dish commonly served along the U.S. East Coast and New England area. Their version of it uses local clams with a Mexican twist, giving new life to this traditional dish. But the crown jewel, where the restaurant's creativity shines through, is their octopus with huitlacoche, a flavor combination that doesn't inspire the image of a tasty dish, but after a bite you'll discover otherwise.

You'll probably want to leave a space for a digestive after pigging out, which leads us to Ensenada's own Agua Mala's tasting room, located at El Sauzal, a town just outside the city. Ensenada is usually renowned for its wines, but Agua Mala has placed the city's name in national and international headlines. The different flavor nuances of their beer has no contender and their client customer service makes you feel like home. Their food menu is just as impressive, with a menu especially tailored to meet their beer selection, designed by the renowned Deckman's culinary team in Valle de Guadalupe.

The tasting room even has a great ocean view that'll make you forget about wine.

Lastly, to try and make it up to your designated driver, we recommend you head on over to Breve Café, located at Calle Segunda, near Calle Ruiz. It's just a small and simple black storefront, but their coffee flavor is what stands them apart, they also have a huge respect for the beans they use. They only sell coffee to-go (hence the name breve=brief) and some tasty pastries, so you have some snacks for the way back.

If you want to take something to eat back to home, there's two places we highly recommend. The first one is a place where you can buy some smoked fish located at Calle Segunda and Castillo, they've been selling smoked salmon and tuna for the longest time.

The thing is to make this road trip an unforgettable experience that actually feels like you escaped the city's hustle and bustle. Spending 40 minutes in line for a tostada from La Guerrerense is not the way to do this. These are just a few recommendations, so if you're the adventurous type, just follow your heart and make this a memorable outing.

Addresses for these locations:

— Agua Mala Tasting Room, located at Carretera Tijuana - Ensenada Km 104 Fracc. Raiban 999, 22760 Ensenada;

— Breve Café, located at Calle Segunda, 380, Ensenada;

— Restaurant Muelle 3, located at Ensenada's pier, you can access the pier through Blvd. Lázaro Cárdenas and Andador Turístico.

More news at SanDiegoRed.com

Follow San Diego Red on Facebook and Twitter.

editorial@sandiegored.com

Translated by: edgar.martinez@sandiegored.com