Loading ...After yet another beautiful dinner at Laja this weekend, Jair (Laja’s chef/owner) invited us to check out his latest project, Rincón del Parque, which will open in Ensenada on Thursday, November 20th. (I think that’s the week of the Baja 1000, which would make an interesting double header.)
I was really stoked to hear about this project because I know the space from its previous incarnation and I really love it. It is unbelievable that no restaurant has been operating there for so long, it is kind of a perfect place. And to have it be taken over by the chef of my favorite restaurant is a great gift.
Jair gave us a tour of the restaurant under construction and explained the restaurant. Parque will be quite a bit different than Laja in several ways. First of all, it will be a city restaurant — it is located in central Ensenada, at the former location of “623″ restaurant. It’s the corner of 6th Street and Moctezuma, a few blocks in from the harbor on the north end of town.
Also in contrast to Laja, which is a contemporary wine-country restaurant, the food at Parque will be Mexican food. I think, though, not so much traditional central Mexican but instead a kind of Norteño cuisine. The menu, as Jair explained it to me, will incorporate dishes which make sense as Baja dishes along with dishes inspired by the cuisine of Sonora (the home region of his family).
The site features great indoor and outdoor spaces, and I picture that the place will evolve into a beautiful bistro and garden, with a nightlife side to it too as they will have cocktails as well as wine from the local regions and, I think, are considering staying open late.
The brick oven and grill were being built here, they will probably have flatbreads and it sounded like some dishes like whole fish and rabbit.
Also, the park that the restaurant adjoins is very charming, much like the park at the center of Tecate.
In other Ensenada dining news, Manzanilla (on Riveroll) has closed and they are building a new one the old road on the north side of the harbor (I think the road is called Azueta), right on the water. I didn’t get to see the site but I heard it is coming along. Until the new Manzanilla is completed, the crew is serving late at their seafood restaurant, Muelle Tres, on the north end of the malecón (boardwalk).
the la ja restaurant in guadalupe valley still owned and run by javir?
Hi Janice,
I missed your comment a couple weeks ago, yes Jair Tellez still owns and runs Laja. They’re closed for December, though, and re-open in January.
Jay
Mexico is totally safe for the average visitor. The problems are only inside the government and the Cartel. They very rarely rollover into the tourist or the people!