Tag: Border town

The End of a Fucking Era – No More Fried Chicken – Bye to Voodoo Stu and Magic Mael’s Gumbo Shack

Posted on by Matingas in Tijuana Adventure Blog

That was it.

That was the end…

That was the last fried chicken Friday.

And that was the last Sunday special (fried chicken again).

There was a line out the door for his last day. I told Stu to save me a chicken breast and I went back two hours later when it was relatively quieter.

I brought the fried chicken nazi a bottle of bourbon because it fits the theme of the Southerness, because I know he likes bourbon, because I fucking love bourbon, and because bourbon is fucking good.

Especially Buffalo Trace, which I’ve had plenty before but never bought a bottle.

I drank half the bottle…

So you can imagine the type of Sunday I had.

All that was after a crazy Saturday with four white amigos. So even after retiring from tours, I’m still doing tours.

We went to Teléfonica because that’s what they love, then fuimos al BEIS (though the original plan was Hong Kong), and then, street tacos. When they were dropping me off at home, the cops pulled us over.

Yadda yadda yadda.

Mordida.

And we were let go.

The full story maybe later.

Toros lost the match. But it was a fun game and my friends had fun. That’s what matters.

And oh boy is it hot out!

Oh hi.

If you are new, welcome to my rambling, I go in every direction. I call it word vomit. Some people don’t like it. They don’t like that I swear either…

But fuck that.

And because I swear here and there I’ve been called “Bukowskish.” I have never read him. Just his Wikipedia and snippets about him. He seems like a fun dude.

So make of this what you will. Just, please… PLEASE don’t fucking take me seriously.

Alright, back to it.

Fried chicken fried is no more. Stu retired the Voodoo Stu and Magic Mael Gumbo Shack. That’s the official name. It had a lot of funny little quirks. And if you weren’t a regular, you would probably be confused by the lack of menu (or the phony menu) or how the restaurant works. Or how it used to work…

And how it used to work… You bark your order towards Stu like Batman (that’s the restaurant’s old dog). Or be courteous and nice to Mael and asked her for food.

Just ask for food and drinks.

Enjoy. Not only the delicious fried chicken but the atmosphere. A pocket of Tijuana taken you far towards a swamp in Louisiana. Or more like a hipster place in Atlanta. Whatever you want it to be. It just didn’t feel like Tijuana. Though Tijuana never feels like anything but everything and not Tijuana.

Three years of that gumbo shack. I remember when it started. I was living with Chad. And him and Stu bonded immediately like brothers from another mother (both tracing their lineage to the south). And thus began the days of eating at Stu’s pretty much weekly.

Stu started mainly with gumbo. But that didn’t fly well with Tijuanenses who have never heard of the dish.

He used to also give it to you on paper plates to make it cheaper and not to deal with the hassle of cleaning.

Then came the fried chicken Fridays… and that became a staple.

So much, that Stu didn’t bother to open Wednesday through Sundays (like it was at first). But simply Friday chicken, Saturday blackened fish, and Sunday some sort of special. Pretty much whatever he felt like.

It was all more than good.

But some plates were beyond great that it was a joy to eat in Tijuana for so cheap.

And again. That is no longer a thing.

No more fried chicken Friday.

But fear not dear friends, Stu will be back in some sort of kitchen or food projects. In some sort of evolution, just like the Tijuana Adventure, he will get more exclusive and MORE EXPENSIVE!

I missed Saturday’s blackened fish. I was never a huge fan though a lot of people loved it. Peppery fish with a lemon twist. The veggies are what brought me on Saturdays. Stu prepared vegetables in ways that I’ve never had before, so I truly appreciated that shit.

#EatYourVeggies

You fucking hipster.

Nah. Saturday was Teléfonica like I said before. Got my usual tuna tostada and the boys got the Tomahawk steak and some flank steaks on the side.

This.

Looks great doesn’t it?

The Tomahawk is delicious, but not worth the price. The flank steaks are way better. Not sure what they do, but I feel like the meat gets a salt rub/massage and that’s why it’s so damn delicious and tender.

#MassageYourMeat

Ok. No. That hashtag probably means something else.

And Sunday was the bottle of Buffalo Trace. My buddy Bryan joined in. We drank… .we drank a lot. Until 2:00 a.m.

Keep in mind the bottle was drunk around 6 pm at Stu’s.

I forgot to pay him when we left. I messaged him on Instagram and his reply was “Fuck off. You’re good.”

And that’s how you say bye to one of Tijuana’s restaurants.

It will be terribly missed. My Fridays will not be the same anymore. Or my weekends in general. It was a must go to spot…

Oh. And the veggies for the last fried chicken was some sort of minty bean salad (that was my favorite), cold pasta, some chopped chile poblanos with grilled elotes, and a deviled egg!

Great Reception to the Change – Ok. Here We Go I Guess? – Tacos and Drinks at Cine Tonalá

Posted on by Matingas in Tijuana Adventure Blog

Cool.

A lot of support right away after saying no more tours and now writing about food.

And… now it seems people are excited that I said I would be blogging more.

Crap.

What did I get myself into… again?

“You have a lot of enemies,” remarked someone yesterday while having beers.

I do and don’t. Or who knows.

Some people don’t like what I have to say. That’s for sure.

But in here I intend to be good. I’m not planning on shitting on restaurants or drinks. If I don’t have anything good to say, I simply won’t say it.

If you wanted brutal destruction of places, this is not about that.

Or perhaps some… just a tad.

With that in mind, I went to Cine Tonalá yesterday. This place has mixed reviews from everyone. Americans tend to love all of it. Mexicans tend to think it’s a great place but overpriced and bad.

So what is it?

Well… It has good things and bad things. The good can be very good and the bads can be like, oh shit, I can’t believe I paid that much for that.

Mistakes are made. Mistakes are hopefully corrected. If not by the place, then by oneself. And some things are not worth it.

Things that are worth it.

Santo Tlali. Ok. It’s 105 pesos for a small mezcal drink, but maracuya + piña, habanero bitters, and tajin rimmed glass is delicious and refreshing. Gin Saavedra is also good. I avoid the Old Fashioned until they have a proper ice cube (or ice ball) at proper temperatures and replace the idea of Wild Turkey for something nice like Angel’s Envy, Buffalo Trace, or Makers (at the very least).

But you are not just paying for a drink, you are paying for the atmosphere, the rooftop views, the music is generally good, there are constant events, and new people visiting. So yeah. You are paying for all that and the drink. So the drink better be as good as the views. Some are, some aren’t. There’s one made with Baileys that… well… don’t get it. And usually, you shouldn’t do that.

Look at me. Pretending to know what I’m talking about.

Don’t buy into my bullshit.

Food.

I like the burger a lot. It’s one of my favorites in town. But that’s because I’m a sucker for Persian cucumbers and garlic aioli. My exgf loved the salads (especially the beet with goat cheese) and the portobello burger. Vegetarians usually really like the salads and the portobello burger.

Now the TAY-KOHS.

It is tough to compete in taco town. There tacos. They are good. They would be even better if they were half the price (or at least 1/3 of the price) or if they were doubled in size. If you ignore that, don’t care, earn dollars so it doesn’t matter much, then they are great tacos… but… but…. taco town.

Tacos go for roughly $3 each which should get you a fine taco in many places in San Diego (sans the view and space). And it basically achieves the same thing (plus a view and space). I’ve learned that my favorite is the braised rib with black beans. Handmade tiny tortilla, somewhat greasy and slippery. It earns points for the use of Persian cucumbers, pickled radishes, and red onions.

Told you I was a sucker for Persian cucumbers.

The other two I had was the pesto octopus and the pork jowl. For both, I demand a bigger tortilla. The octopus was good, but slippery that it all fell out. Similar thing on the pork jowl, the tortilla was too small for the amount of meat. Double tortilla? Or perhaps they want me to use a knife and fork on my tacos? Who knows…

Pork jowl tasted similar to carnitas, so if you are craving that and other carnitas spots are closed, then go for it.

For me, if I get tacos there, it’s just going to be the braised rib.

I accompanied the tacos with a Juan Cordero by Insurgente at 85 pesos, that’s a fair deal. Most craft places are hovering between 60-100 pesos a beer. The addition of Insurgente was greatly needed.

All in all, I love Cine Tonalá and that they are in town and will continue to go. You just gotta learn what to avoid and what to go for. Bread and Dip as an appetizer and a couple of drinks if it’s early. Go heavy if it’s night.

It is a great place to easily wow visitors with the view and the creative space.

And this is what I wanted to avoid. To actually pretend to know how to review food…

Today and this weekend is Stu’s final week. I forgot to go buy a bottle of whisky. He deserves it.

I’m going to miss that place so much…

Oh.

And I spoke to Haydee and Bryan yesterday. They are both willing to be tour guides. Haydee will be your family-friendly day tour guide while Bryan will take responsibilities of crazy nights and bachelor parties.

Details, prices, and other things are still to discuss. But if you are looking for tours, there will be some through them.

It’s not all dead. It’s just not Tijuana Adventure with me.

 

 

 

No More Tours!!! – New Focus on the Website = Food+ and Beer+ Reviews

Posted on by Matingas in Tijuana Adventure Blog

Why?!

Why would you stop the dream job?!

You get to go around and take people to restaurants, eat tasty food, drink tons of beer and other liquor, and at the end, you make a couple hundred bucks!!!

Sounds like the dream, right?

Well… to tell the truth, I’m just goddamn tired.

There’s been countless groups, bachelor parties, brewery heavy tours, a few all-nighters, crazy fucking stories with people from all over the world, copious amounts of delicious food and late night street tacos, appeared in a couple of TV shows, and other broadcasts (and a disastrous one), and a lot of other crazy things happened in my tours.

The stories I tell.

The crazy South Africans.

How incredibly cheap Tijuana can be for some people.

Vegas on steroids.

And a tour guide in Vegas is going to get tired… in Tijuana… I’m surprised I lasted this long.

Other tour guides hire other people to handle some tours… but without me… Tijuana Adventure wouldn’t be the same. Or so it feels like that.

My friend Haydee helped for a while and I am forever grateful. She did a couple of art tours and a wine valley tour.

My friend Bryan wants to be the new tour guide, and for people asking for a tour, besides recommending all the other tour guides, I’ll mention my friend Bryan.

He is a good kid. But he is a kid.

Another reason for quitting.

I got somewhat of a real job. It still not completely real, but good enough to not seek out the extra cash on tours.

Well… when I think about it… yeah… that extra cash is super nice still.

I’m just a bit tired man.

I said I was quitting on my last few tours and still kept going.

Give me a year or so. Perhaps less. Who knows. But give me some time and I’ll be back with something better. More exclusive.

AND MORE EXPENSIVE!

Sorry.

It’s just… trust me. It will be awesome.

No more strip clubs.

Can’t do those anymore.

Instead of tours, the website will be dedicated for me to write stupid shit about food and beer!

You see… I used to write my opinions a lot but suddenly stopped because of creative differences with the editor. That editor is now gone. But I still don’t want to jump through hoops of an editor to say whatever the fuck I want.

YAY!

I get to say the word fuck.

How edgy and cool of me.

So what can you expect?

Quality pictures and my stupid opinions!

Here’s an example of the latest.

Haven’t been to the enchilado gods in a while, I forgot what I was missing…
.
My friend Danger Dave took me to Los Compadres for the first time a few years ago. He guaranteed that they had the best camarón enchilado taco (spicy shrimp), better than Tijuana favorite El Mazateño.
.
I have since gone to Los Compadres almost every week for the past couple of years for that very same taco. If I upload a picture to social media, I get flooded with questions as to where to find this taco (and many jealous comments). Here’s the answer:
.
You find Los Compadres next to Parque Teniente Guerrero at the corner of 4th street and Cinco de Mayo. Open 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily, except Sundays. They start running out of shrimp around 1 p.m., so you need to get there early. They also serve fish and shrimp tacos (with or without batter), caldo de cahuamanta (stingray broth), marlin tacos, and more.
.
All of their tacos are big. The battered fish and shrimp tacos are nothing to rave about and sell for around $1 each. They deep fry longer than usual, making the batter dark and crunchy. I prefer that type of taco light and crisp, so for battered fish and shrimp tacos I go to a nearby food truck.

Their caldo de cahuamanta they recommend for hangovers, especially if you add a spoonful of their very spicy salsa. It will sweat your hangover away, and Los Compadres will turn a blind eye if want to drink a Tecate at their taco stand. Their marlin taco is decent and similar to what you would find at any other taco stand that sells marlin.

Definitely the MVP and the main reason to go is the camarón enchilado. I could write a love song about this taco. It’s gigantic, greasy, has lots of melted cheese that gets burnt around the crust of the tortilla, and is loaded with a lot of flash-fried shrimp that was dunked in buttery chili sauce. It is topped (all optional) with cream, cabbage, tomato, cilantro, and chipotle sauce. It’s a complex and messy item to pick up and eat.

It’s not just me that has been addicted to these shrimp tacos. My friend Erik Trejo, who worked at Blind Lady Ale House, would regularly cross the border early morning just to eat the taco and head back north to work. The painful wait of crossing the border wasn’t enough to dissuade him.

Another friend who teaches English in Saudi Arabia stayed in my apartment for a month last summer. He ate two tacos de camarón enchilado every morning for his entire stay. He still randomly messages me that he misses the taco.

And it’s not just my friends. I have also bumped into owner of Baja-Med restaurant La Justina, Javier Cair, at Los Compadres. A former neighbor of mine, a white guy that partied too much, would take hordes of Americans and Europeans for that taco and kept the party going while drinking Tecate on the street.

None of the ingredients are gourmet or fancy. It’s a dirty fish taco truck just like the Tijuana Gods intended, and they happen to serve the best camarón enchilado taco I have ever tasted. They have a tip jar in form of a Tecate bottle. Drop some coins in when you are done with your meal and shout “por la causa!” Which means “for the cause,” the cause being to buy more Tecate.

That was actually an old article I wrote here. But they will follow a similar pattern and around that many words.

Just a bit more word vomity.

Most pictures will be taken with the iPhone X which is superb and posts will be posted in the Tijuana Adventure Instagram and Facebook pages. Pick whatever social media poison suits you best.

Then the posts will be later posted here. If there was a way for WordPress to simply post directly, that would be great. Alas, there is not.

Other pictures will be taken with my actual camera (Canon 7D for now). That’s the other job I’ve been also doing a lot.

I never really wanted to be a tour guide. This city needed one. I fulfilled my duty.

I can go back to photography work. Writing work. And now more work.

Tijuana Adventure will remain a hobby of food and beer reviewing.

I’ll try to be as honest as one can be without much hyperbole. Re-reading what I wrote about the sushi place sounds a tad exaggerated, but I meant every word. That place is fantastic and can’t wait till I’ll be back.

Both, Instagram and Facebook, pages grow by themselves without my need to sponsor them. And it’s stupid, now that I don’t do tours, I feel like throwing a couple dollars over to Zuckerberg and the social media void. At the same time, the real challenge is to grow those fuckers organically.

Oh.

And Reddit karma.

I basically promote and defend the fuck out of this city for free. They should pay me for it.

And somehow they do. Tijuana rewards me.

Tijuana has been good to me.

I might also get back into booking math rock shows. Hopefully, playing music again.

You see, it’s always been in this order:

I am a musician, writer, photographer, videogamer, and tour guide.

That last one was an additional one. It’s fun to be one and I’m very good at it. But it’s not my passion. It was paying me.

Video games I fucking adore and they had paid me for it in a few occasions (game tester for a couple of Guitar Heroes as well as the Transformers game and other little shitty things here and there). That doesn’t pay me now, but I still love it more than being a tour guide.

Writer and photographer right now are competing for which one makes more money.

They are sort of equal.

Some weeks I make more money writing. Some weeks I make more money doing photography.

Music is what I’ve always loved but has been a forgotten lover lately. I’ve been playing more guitar and a bit more inspired. So I need more time for this.

It’s the end of an era!

Thanks to everyone that came on an adventure with me. It’s been real. I seriously loved every single one of them except two.

And you all know this…

If you ever back in Tijuana, and I’m available. Just buy me a beer and let’s hang out. I like talking about all the new shit that the city has been going through and new places where to eat and drink!

I made friends with most of you. And I’m sorry if I don’t remember all of you clearly… it’s been a lot of tours. And they all blur into one crazy huge mega tour.

Oh. And one more reason to do this silliness. Last year I wrote more than 1,000 words a day but it was all about my personal life. Well, now it will be just about this. Keep my personal life out of this for a while (though I give 0 fucks).

And also. Because there are a lot of shitty people that do this and are no good. I feel like I’m better. So what?

I’m doing it for fun. Not for you. More for like myself and Tijuana. If you don’t agree with me, that’s okay. I probably don’t agree with you!

Thanks for reading and hope y’all enjoy a silly blog of food and drinks in this marvelous city. Let’s see how long this project will last…

 

Tijuana Adventures Featured in TravelMag.com – Sorry, This Has Been Sort Of Abandoned – Tours are Still Active

Posted on by Matingas in Tijuana Adventure Blog

Ahoy! To all of those who stumbled into this page of Tijuana tours and adventures.

The blog has pretty much been abandoned for more than a couple of months. Things that I said I would fill in later, I never did. And ideas that I have never materialized.

Despite the page being virtually abandoned, a writer from TravelMag.com found me. And he had something wonderful to say about the tours.

Here’s the link to the article, or click the screencap.

Thanks to writer Paul Joseph for the mention.

So… why so abandoned?

Your tour guide has been busy with photography and writing. I’ve been writing every day the whole year in my own personal blog that I dubbed word vomit because I pretty much write about everything and anything. I also started a new gig as a freelance photographer for the magazine that usually runs my articles. So I’ve been pretty busy with other things that aren’t my tours.

Despite this, I have had several tours since the latest post.

And also, paid for the yearly subscription of this webpage. It was done automatically. I’m not sure if I actually wanted to do it.

Shit.

My latest post was from February…

I had around eight tours since then. Very sporadic and random tours. The latest was a repeat customer with new friends. A guy from Vancouver (with Moroccan family) brought two friends from Kosovo (but that grew up in Vancouver).

It was really fun times since the last time the repeat customer visited was a couple of years ago and a lot of things changed.

And a lot of things have changed with Tijuana Adventure as well.

Though I had the fantasy to make this into a food and beer blog, I’ve been too busy to keep that going.

However, I did start becoming very active on Instagram posting a lot of food porn.

If there was a way to post everything on my Instagram directly to WordPress, this page wouldn’t be totally abandoned.

So if you enjoy pictures of the Tijuana/San Diego reader, better follow me! It’s been a steady climb of followers. Easier than my actual profile @Matingas_

Repsonse has been good with the food pics. And it’s given me an outlet to write about food.

I also did business cards for myself and for this business.

They look like this.

Yes.

Exclusive tours.

I don’t do private groups and most people that know me have heard of me somehow, so they know what to expect.

So I’m more exclusive now. You get a tour with a photographer, writer, and musician with SHIT TONS of stories to tell. And that’s really what makes the tours special. They are small. I get to talk to everyone. I get to tell stories. We get to know each other.

So again.

My tours aren’t like other tours.

Go to the other tours if you want a basic (yet very fun) tour.

And finally.

I’m still working with Haydee if I ever need a replacement, or if I’m not available, or if people want to go to Valle de Guadalupe. She’s more knowledgeable about the wine valley than me. And she could also drive people there.

Basically, Haydee is still IN doing tours as needed.

I wish I had more tours for her. I wished I had more tours for myself. But life gets busy with other things and then time flies.

 

Tours! TOURS! Tours! – Tijuana Adventure Activate! – Julie’s Bday Tour a Month Ago…

Posted on by Matingas in Matingas, Tijuana Adventure Blog

This webpage and blog has been somewhat abandoned.

That doesn’t mean I haven’t been given tours.

Quite the contrary. I was busy with tours all of January. February is going slow, but March will already start with a tour.

Julie’s Bday Tj Adventure (with Nate and Company)

The tour above was super fun and probably one where I walked the most. We walked and walked and walked. I offered Ubers or taxis. But they wanted to walk.

nsudmux

This is what a Tijuana Adventure usually looks like. A lot of food and beer and fun times.

And I’m sorry I rarely update the blog. I write in my life blog daily. Which is completely different.

Besides Julie’s bday tour, I also had a tour with a couple of crazy South Africans.

I have never partied in my life as much as I did with those South Africans. They showed me that I truly have no limits when it comes to my Tijuana tours. We spend so much money drinking, eating, … and more.

It is time to make my tours a bit more official. There needs to be an online payment method. There needs to be a public tour at least once a month. I have been doing my tours mostly as a side gig for fun. Not as a real business. But Tijuana Adventure has grown and it is time to take it a bit more seriously.

Even the US consul in Tijuana emailed me asking me about how to improve tourism.

More tours are coming.

More public events.

The page will get better.

The Tijuana Adventure Instagram will also be active…. if I remember the password.

A very good friend of mine named Brenda, aka Shappu, has also been doing tours. She is going her own way about it. Truly puts effort in giving people tours. Unlike me where I just wait for people to email me and tell me they want to book me. If I pushed my services. Get business cards. Do some posters… etc etc etc. Then it would truly be a tour service.

For now, I’m busy with writing stories, my new girlfriend, daily blog, and my cat. Tours are still available. Tours are still highly improvised. Tours are still hella fun.

I forgot where I was going with this. Point is. Tijuana Adventure will activate! More tours! Better tours! Online payments! Other tour guides! More beer! More food! MORE MORE MORE!

Want to visit Tijuana. Hit me up!

A New Tijuana Adventure Year – What’s 2017 for TJ Adventure

Posted on by Matingas in Matingas, Tijuana Adventure Blog

Ahhhh!!

The beginning of 2016 I wanted to take Tijuana Adventure into a whole new direction. I wanted it to be an open source for Tijuanenses write about their favorite place and stuff like that and for them to give their own tours. You know. Get more people involved, make the website grow, and for them to make money as well.

It went nowhere.

Well… Except Haydee. She did a couple of tours last year. I did a bunch of others.

In fact, I had two great tours on December. A couple of Aussies, and a medium/psychic from Oregon.

There is nothing new for this year. I write daily on my blog. But that’s about my life, not really about Tijuana.

I thought about quitting Tijuana Adventure many times. But people keep contacting me for a tour, and I keep having a fun time with strangers. The extra cash is always welcome.

So Tijuana Adventure will remain improvised private tours by yours truly (and sometimes Haydee). I know if I actually posted anything on Instagram. Or if I posted more in here. Or if I truly tried to organize monthly beer tours. I know I would go somewhere. But that I have had the option to do that and have done nothing is pretty obvious that I am not meant to keep a tour guide business going. I do a lot of other things on a daily basis. The tours are just an extra thing I do for fun, that I also do for extra cash, but I mainly due for the love of this city.

Improvisation is the name of the game. My game.

This website still continues to have way more hits than my actual blog and it has next to 0 activity. Sorry about that. If you are reading this and want to know more about me, there’s my other blog. If you want to have a tour with me because it seems like we will get along, then please contact me.

Otherwise. There are tons of other tour guides for you.

Tijuana Adventure basically means tours with Matingas (or Haydee).

Happy new year Tijuana!

Let’s hope for many , but not too many tours!

Reddit Meeting Tijuana Tour – Lack of Activity

Posted on by Matingas in Matingas, Tijuana Adventure Blog

Sorry. I haven’t posted anything in Tijuana Adventure in a long long time.

I have been doing tours. One or two a month. Mainly small private ones. Nothing much has changed.

The last tour I did was a free tour for /r/SanDiego redditors. A friend accompanied the tour, which was one of my larger tours (15 people) and took awesome pictures.

We obviously stopped by one of my favorite brewers exactly at the right time, sunset. Border colors looked great.

to9opyy

Here’s the rest of the album! Pretty great pics thanks to Andy!

Reddit /r/SanDiego Day Trip to Tijuana

I only have one upcoming tour this year in December. The rest of my time is free. And to be honest, I have thought about quitting the tours. I enjoy myself doing them, but I hate charging people and I’m not good as a businessman. I have been doing a lot of writing instead. Especially blogging everyday in my personal daily life blog, Matingas.com.

But TijuanaAdventure provides me with a bit of extra cash that is necessary in my life. I’m still doing private tours with a minimum charge of $100 + expenses. And I said it before, this is more private tours with me than a tour group like many others. There are a lot of other tour guides I can recommend. I like doing tours with people that are like-minded, that have been basically all of my clients!

So if you want craft beer, great food, improvised Tijuana Adventure tour, I’m still your best choice. But if you want to go with a group of strangers, get in a bus, travel as a party, then you better hit up one of the many other tour guides.

If you want a free tour, make sure you stay posted in /r/SanDiego or /r/Tijuana since I take a lot of redditors around. I’ll be doing free tours when I have a chance.

That is the TijuanaAdventure update for now! Want to join in a tour! Message me through the website!

 

New Tour Guide Joins the Team – A Lot of Tours – Sorry: Page was Neglected

Posted on by Matingas in Beer, How to TJ, Matingas, Tijuana Adventure Blog

So….

I got really fucking busy for the past couple of months.

Last thing I posted was about the beer fest over a month ago. And I said was going to post here weekly. Not only did I got a lot of work from the real job that is my bread and butter…. I also did a lot of tours! I mentioned a price hike forever ago, and a few people wanted to hit me up before I became more expensive…

It’s not like I am more expensive, I just have less time to go on wild Tijuana Adventures. Thus I’m more expensive. AHH FUCK IT! Yes. I value my time more (I mean… tours used to be free!). I still hate charging people though. I always have too much fun.

I had like 7 tours in the past 2 months. All sorts of tours as well. The latest was a bachelor party with 11 people. This is the last time I do a party this big. It was difficult to coordinate, however… IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

We covered a lot of ground.

Went to ORYX Capital for a nice fancy dinner. Got the chicken. It was grand. Everything there is on point. A full on review will come out later and I’ll link. One of the best features of ORYX is that there’s a speakeasy in there somewhere. The “secret” might be ruin soon, so I’ll just say that it’s in there somewhere for now.

ORYX Capital + Nortico = Good Shit

The pics are not from the tour, but from when I discovered ORYX and Nortico originally. The bachelor party loved the food and the speakeasy detail. There’s a pic of the 11 of them somewhere (and I might be able to use it here).

Then we went to Plaza Fiesta, the amazing beer plaza (read more about it here). A lot of craft beer, and a lot of classic bachelor party banter. The group was huge and had a lot of colorful individuals. A bunch living in California, some in Minneapolis, one from New York… the bachelor is a very popular guy.

From beer plaza we hit up downtown. Where more beers and mezcal shots ensued. And around midnight… the real bachelor party fun. That stays under wraps. But I must say… Tijuana is ten times better than Vegas for bachelor fun…

LETS MOVE TO HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!

Haydeé (aka HidHawk) Joins the Team

I haven’t posted anything not only because I’ve been busy as fuck… but because the other guys I invited to join ended up doing nothing (thanks guys!)

Talking to a good friend and Tijuana local, I mentioned the direction of Tijuana Adventure. She liked the idea and actually WROTE HER BIO and is excited to join in! To read more about her, CLICK HERE!
haydee
Haydeé traveled the world and when she came back, she discovered that Tijuana had changed a lot. Like me, she basically became an accidental tour guide. With the many projects and events she handles, she takes hoards of people from all over the world through the places she loves in Tijuana. She is in charge of Borderland Noise – music events both sides of the border.

Haydeé is on the right - Group of visitors at Public House tap room
Haydeé is on the right – Group of visitors at Public House tap room

Haydeé also has AirBnB available, for those who want to get a whole package of a place to stay that includes a tour guide… then… THAT’S A NEW AWESOME POSSIBLITY. I’m going to try to do this myself (currently looking for a house).

I’ve been kinda burnt on doing tours, that the bachelor party was the last tour I’ll be doing for a while. But now there’s Haydeé! A complete different approach to Tijuana Adventure. She has her own price, her own ideas, her own taste in music, drinks and food, her own limitations, her own tour, her own adventure.

Also, I believe she speaks fluent German (I might be wrong though… I’ll check soon and confirm).

I’m hoping the team will grow even more, and for visitors to have the option to choose what type of tour adventurer they would prefer. I know, I know, I’m using the word adventure too much that now it seems like a kids game… but seriously… you have no idea how many times I woke up in the morning and think to myself… holy shit… that was one crazy Tj adventure. No city that I know off can offer so much of everything in such a bizarre presentation that you would never know it existed unless you are a local.

Visiting Tijuana, don’t hesitate to contact either Haydeé (aka HidHawk) or myself (Matt aka Matingas).

— Matingas

Expo Cerveza Artesanal Part 2 – Friend Brewers – Drunk Matt

Posted on by Matingas in Beer, Matingas, Tijuana Adventure Blog

It’s funny how things can change from one day to another.

I’m still pretty much broke, but great things are in the horizon, including a Tijuana Adventure tour this Friday and a lot of work from home that will be $$$. This upcoming adventure should be fun, it’s four accountants from San Diego. Which reminds me, I should email him with the plan instead of typing this…

—————– Expo Artesanal Part 2 – Drunk Matt

Round 2. Walked by the Adelita’s girls again, now with the courage that beer provides, I can take a lot of pics without being shy.

And… went back to take a better pic of them.. uhh…


I knew my palate was gone from drinking a lot of tiny samplers of beers in many places and I still had to hit up the brewers that I can call friends. So I went to Ley Seca because I’ve been craving Juan’s beer for a while. But… they were having some troubles. So instead I visited Luis Durazo over at Teorema.

Welp.. .something went wrong here



I asked for a sampler. He gave me a full cup of double IPA at around 10% alcohol.

Teorema Crew (Luis Durazo and company)


Luis. Don’t hate me for this. But this was probably the beer that I enjoyed the least. It wasn’t bad. There was actually no bad beers in general. It was just syrupy.

I think I also have really high standards and regards when it comes to Teorema. The concept is great, the logo is cool, the execution is well done, beers are not there yet though. When I first had Teorema, it was in their brewery room which remains in Avenida Revolución. I had two beers, don’t remember the names or the kind, but one of the beers was just superb.

For some reason, it tasted like key lime pie. The foamy light beer floated to the back of your palate and lingered there leaving you with some sweet tart flavor while the liquid smoothly went down. This is the Teorema beer that I want to taste, but so far all the ones I tasted don’t come even close to that first try. My roommate wrote an article about those beers and about Teorema a few years back, he stole my “it taste like key lime pie,” bit. Read here.

Also. Luis keeps saying he will open his tap room soon. 2 years ago he said they were about to open. A few months ago he told me he will be ready by the end of May. And now he says that it will be ready by the end of June! So… Luis… OPEN… SOON!

Heisenberg Crew (talked to Oscar Lencioni)


With Teorema in one hand but not truly loving the beer, I went to seek out more new brewers that I never met. I saw Cervecería Heisenberg, the concept is basically they are the Walter White but instead of cooking meth, it’s beer. Alright concept I guess. I enjoy it. Now… beers I can barely remember what they tasted like. I talked to brewer Oscar Lencioni and my notes read that I had an Imperial IPA with columbus, zythos, amarillo and cascade (I might be wrong).

I went to say hi to the guys from Baja Brew Labs… and the older Echavarria just started giving me beer! No notes. I don’t remember the beers, but if you haven’t check it out, Baja Brew Labs is in downtown Tijuana and they are doing really creative things in there. Also.. YAY PING PONG table in their brewery. So that’s always fun.

Older Echavarria telling me to drink beer and stop taking pics!


My notes have random hops and initials that I don’t recognize. But apparently many brewers are using mosaic, chinook, nelson and cascade a lot.

Next to Baja Brew Labs, Cerveza Cardera, one that I never had before. I talked to Armando Cardenas, the brewer, but drunk Matt could barely concentrate. Notes say I had a “bourbon chips french toast blah!” Which means I had a dark beer that I thought BLAH!

Cerveza Cardera Crew (with Zombies)


Then finally went back to Ley Seca for my craving of Gringo Pale Ale, single hop Citra.

I went back for their Citra Pale Ale (IMO, best beer I had, and not only cuz they friends)


Now.. this was the best beer I had in the fest.

Of course I am bias. I liked Juan’s brews since a few years back, but not only that, Citra from what I have learned, is my favorite hop so far. I think I’m also liking single hop brews, it’s an honest flavor. The Gringo Pale Ale was just spot on what I like. Hoppy, citrusy, perfect body…

Speaking of perfect bodies…

I spotted a girl I recognized… She looked at me, I forgot who she was. A few minutes later I saw her again….

Oh yeah!!! It’s my ex-girlfriend’s friend. I texted my ex, she was on her way to the beer fest.

Yep. My attention deviated from beer tasting to hanging out with my ex-girlfriend (who was easily the prettiest girl in the expo.. Or town.. Country… world?!)

Before hanging out with her, I had a job to do, so I went for last round of brewers.

And then more familiar (and prettiest) faces


Zombie Brewery from Ensenada, had their black IPA I believe, notes just say simcoe, centennial, chinok, amarillo and columbus.

This dude wanted in in the picture… (forgot to write names!)


Then I went to Doble C Brewery which is spelled out like //c. This concept I truly enjoy, the beers, I forgot, but in my notes I gave them approval. Notes read “Chinok mosaic pale ale, buena. Sombra verde. Nutty after. Buena.” Didn’t write the names of the brewers or where they are from, but I hope to see them again soon.

Cerveza // C (Doble C) – great concept… too drunk already didn’t take notes


My ex arrived. From there on, I just stayed with her. She said she wanted dark beer, so I took her to Norte because it’s a guarantee that their Porter is going to be spot on (and it was). Then her and her friend wanted to taste something different, and I took them to Vibra (which I’ll remind you, their fruit beer was my favorite surprise of the fest).

Porter from Norte is the only dark beer I know well and highly esteem (Foreign Club Porter on Nitro)


At some point in the night I visited Angelo who was previously with Norte Brew, but is now at Tijuana Homebrew Club (THC). This is an interesting place, it’s a monthly gathering of brewers who like to do things different. I had a tiny shot of their Grapefruit IPA. I don’t remember it.

Ok.. gimme more beer!


The main event. Kinky started playing and the expo was packed. I’m guessing that 80% of the people went mostly to see Kinky. More than 50% of the people that went to the expo drank Indio and if they drank a craft beer, they only tried one.

And … Kinky begins



I tried drinking a lot of them, and still didn’t even cover half the ground!

Shout out to El Sauzal, La Belga, Madueño, and others who offered me free beer but there’s just so much a man can drink in one night!

Btw… Full BLOG post, thoughts on beer, etc. TijuanaAdventure.com

CHECK OUT THE FULL ALBUM OF MY TIJUANA ADVENTURE (sorry for shouting)!

 

Expo Beer – Brewers, Friends & Strangers taking Selfies

Until next time on more beer adventures! You know where I will be.

Tap Tuesday and Thursday Adventure – Beer Fests Are Not For Me – Tons of Pics!

Posted on by Matingas in Beer, Matingas, Tijuana Adventure Blog

Tap Tuesday was fantastic.

It easily is my favorite day of the week. And yes, I am obsessed with taking pictures of food, beer, and my adventures.

Major praises go to Peninsula’s sour beer (inside Fauna) and Border Psycho’s smoked wheat.

THEY ARE AMAZING. We need more sours in this town

The sour is a standard sour, a bit flat, but flavorful. Praises to Peninsula for having the balls on creating a sour. Keep them coming. I’ll keep drinking them.

Smoked wheat (aka Grodziskie or Polish Champagne) is a really old and unique style of beer that was very well done by Border Psycho. Roberto Albarran says they smoked their own wheat, and also that some people have been hating it, others loving it. HIGH PRAISES from me. This beer tastes not like any other I’ve had in my life. No wonder they call it Polish Champagne, it’s super light, sparkly and tastes like… SMOKED MEAT.

I got me that double IPA perversa. The other two are smoked wheat… AND HOLY FUCK are they insanely good

This is your lunch beer, you can have this with a nice salad or something light like that. Vegans that miss the flavor of meat should drink this beer. In fact, if you are a vegan and you are reading this and want some meat tasting beer that has no animal product, GO DRINK THIS. Seriously. It’s fantastic. Alas, is not for everyone. My friend Willy got disgusted by it.

Full album for Tap Tuesday here:

May 24 Tap Tuesday Fun – Craft Beer Tijuana


Also!

Thursday!

I organized a redditor meeting, it didn’t go as well as I wished. I admit it, it was my own fuck up by confusing people on /r/Tijuana. Oh well. A few people showed up, and they encouraged me to keep doing. Next redditor meeting is June 30th.


The meeting was over at Border Psycho, so I ate there. Just looking at the pictures I made myself hungry again. Their chorizo Argentino with Chimichurri in a panini is just exalting. I mean.. They mixed my favorite things in one plate. 1 I love hot dogs. 2 I love chimichurri. 3 I love beer.

The hot dog is so fucking tasty. And surprise surprise, they can actually prepare good potatoes that go great with the oily chimichurri and the dijon mustard on the side. I ate like a savage man and it was goddamn glorious.

mmm this chimichurri hot dog was great



Insurgente had a keep a glass night, the first one of its kind in Tijuana (that I know of). Great success by them. I was #12 in line at 7:45, got there just in time. Minutes later, the line was long as fuck, as if they were giving away free beer. Went back to Border Psycho to avoid the crowd, check the redding meetup and drink a Sospesso IPA and their Simcoe De Mayo.

Score!

FINALLY! Simcoe de Mayo and my glass



Chad was over at Fauna with our favorite southerner, Martin – (besides the voodoo man himself). Myself and the few redditors that showed up went over there. Fauna was packed.

We got a corner for ourselves when this ball of floof appeared to order a beer at the bar.

“Thanks!”


I couldn’t help myself and took tons of pictures and for some reason, this morning I gave floof a hipster as fuck personality when posting the pictures.

Full album of Thursday:

Beer Adventures – Floof gets a beer



NOW BEER FEST

Yep. I am probably not going. Two very good reasons:

1. It’s the weekend and there’s too many people in this sort of stuff.

2. I AM BROKE AS FUCK.

I’m still waiting to get confirmed for a new job, but besides that, no money. And I have obviously been spending way too much on beer and food.

If I go to the beer fest, it would be on Saturday, too tired today and…  Someone needs to give me a free ticket. And brewers have to give me free beer in exchange of pictures. Because I have 190 pesos left in my wallet and I don’t get paid until Sunday (and it’s not very much 😦 )

Also, we already have a daily beer fest, it’s Plaza Fiesta and it’s great on Tuesdays!

I know… I know… there’s advantages to the beer fest.

1. It’s a fest, so there’s live music.

2. You get nice little memories and shingadilings.

3. Lots of people if you are into seeing lots of people.

4. All the brewers are there showcasing new brews.

There’s probably many other good reasons to go to the beer fest, but not when broke and tired. Also, several other events happening in Tijuana that are cheaper. So I might go to Comuna because they have a promising show and drink Baja Brew Labs because Pinche Paco in Comuna keeps just brewing Blonde Ales and BBL has young creative minds I like to support. Also! The Jazz and Blues fest on Sunday should be great!

Ok. I’m done for the day. Tune in next time when I’ll explain why I hate Tropic’s so much (… maybe). Also… other writers keep saying “soon, soon soon! SOON! SOON!” So maybe we’ll have other content that is not just mine.

—Matingas