A French patisserie in Baja seemed like a throwaway meal, but the Tijuana Convention and Visitors Bureau seemed to think enough of L’Abricot that we stopped anyway during our Baja bender. I probably should have trusted the locals, since the food of Maribel Villareal Sosa won me over.

Sosa attended Ritz Escoffier and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before carving out a charming French niche for herself in Tijuana.

She presented each of us with a plate of three specialties: a single poached quail egg with Dijon and fines herbs vinaigrette; French onion soup with caramelized onions and a judicious amount of cheese; and a textbook vanilla-flecked crème brulee topped with raspberry, strawberry and kiwi.

On the way into L’Abricot, we passed by a fully loaded pastry display, which featured several enticing options, but none as tempting as the powdered sugar-dusted Linzer Torte. Thankfully, we got to experience Sosa’s exemplary tortes, which featured fluffy almond flour and an oversized raspberry jam thumbprint.

On the way back to our bus, people stopped to indulge in more of Sosa’s tantalizing pastries.

Thank you to the Tijuana Convention and Visitors Bureau, Crossborder Agency, Cotuco (Tijuana Tourism Board), and Tijuana Canirac (Tijuana Restaurant Association) for sponsoring our eye-opening culinary tour of northern Baja. Thank you to Bill Esparza from Street Gourmet LA for leading the tour and for supplying so much invaluable information.

IMPRESSIONS OF BAJA FROM FELLOW BLOGGERS

Pat of Eating LA:
Tijuana touring: Street food with tacos of the earth and sea
Ensenada: The place for seafood fanatics
Baja’s wine country: Silvestre restaurant and Villa del Valle inn are standouts in the Valle de Guadalupe

Matt of Mattatouille: The Baja California Food Decathlon – Part 1 + Part 2

Cathy of gast*ron*o*my: A Culinary Blitz Through Tijuana & Ensenada

Javier, The Glutster: Twenty Eats & Drinks in Two Days: Behold Baja California

Fiona of Gourmet Pigs: Baja Media Trip: First Night in Tijuana. Tacos and Cerveza Obscura.

Noah from LA Weekly’s Squid Ink: Roadtrip to Tijuana: Part I, Part II + Part III

Barbara of Table Conversation:
The Taquerias of Tijuana
A Tijuana Breakfast: Barbacoa
Cheering up at Cheripan
The Great Tastes of Tijuana

Bill of StreetGourmetLA: 48 Hours in Tijuana, Ensenada, and the Valle de Guadalupe

Eddie of Deep End Dining: My “What I Did for Summer” Video. The Epicurean Epic of Epic Proportions (and Portions). Tijuana, Ensenada y Valle de Guadalupe, MEXICO

Pleasure Palate: ¡Baja Delicioso! Introduction and the Ultimate Carne Asada Taco at Tacos El Poblano

H.C. of L.A. and O.C. Foodventures: POSTS TO COME

Related Posts

1. Tacos El Poblano – Tijuana, B.C., Mexico – July 16, 2009
2. Tacos Salceados – Tijuana, B.C., Mexico – July 18, 2009
3. Lorca – Tijuana, B.C., Mexico – July 17, 2009
4. Barbacoa Ermita – Tijuana, B.C., Mexico – July 18, 2009
5. Cien Anos – Tijuana, B.C., Mexico – July 17, 2009

This entry is filed under French, Mexico.