Cocina Madre

"Inside a welcoming, white stucco home where the walls are covered in local art, chef Miguel Bahena and chef Carolina Verdugo have embraced a “creative Baja California kitchen” approach to a menu that’s a breath of fresh air and where the cozy dining room is ideal for a quiet, romantic meal. Ceviche shakeado is a combo of yellow tail, and scallops in lime juice with chile serrano, chile chiltepín, and cactus mixed in a cocktail shaker, which adds effervescence to the spicy liquid. Meanwhile, camarones en costra de pepita, or pumpkin seed-crusted shrimp over a piquant shrimp chile atole (spicy porridge) salsa, looks to southern México for inspiration." - Bill Esparza

"Comfortable and amiable, Madre is from chefs and partners Miguel Bahena and Carolina Verdugo. Found in a white stucco home with a terra-cotta tiled roof, the dining area's layout features two small rooms and a bar area with the kitchen on display at the back. Decorative elements include polished wood plank floors, tables dressed in cloth runners and light walls accented with artwork.The concise menu offers seafood starters, such as the pepita and-sesame crusted shrimp plated with a chileatole sauce made from shrimp stock and slivers of nopal and onion. Pasta and roasted meats round out the menu, such as the duck breast presented with a crisped skin and sauced with a house-made mole coloradito." - Michelin Inspector

"After closing Pacifico, chefs Miguel Bahena and Carolina Verdugo evolved their kitchen from a purely Baja California approach to a menu based generally on northeastern Mexico. Plus, their cozy, new dining room feels like home. Ceviches with Persian cucumber and cherry tomatoes, tiraditos marinated in algaes and chile morita, and local oysters flavored by fire-roasted chiles satisfy the Ensenadan fundamentals. Meanwhile dry fideos (noodles) are topped with hearty beef head stew, and seasonal grilled vegetables evoke scenes of families gathered around smoky backyard grills in Chihuahua and Sonora — and, of course, Baja California. [$$]" - Bill Esparza

"New to Ensenada is Madre, a restaurant from chef Miguel Bahena, who trained under well-known Baja chefs Benito Molina and Drew Deckman." - Jackie Bryant