Jorge Meraz: Today on "Crossing South," we gallop along the shores of Rosarito and find a seafood place that will rock your world, and it's coming to you now.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Jorge: You know, Baja has so much rural country, so much open space, so many landscapes, that it just invites you to ride horses like the ones we have right here, and businesses that cater to that need, to people's sense of adventure but also, like, in a protected environment with, you know, horses that are trained to carry people, also be trained professionals to oversee that, well, it's just a lovely combination if you can accomplish it, and a place that has done so with also some nice food to boot, if you want to at the end, are the people right here, and representing them is Erin.

How're you doing, Erin?

Erin Dunigan: Good.

Great to have you.

Jorge: Nice to meet ya.

Erin: Nice to meet you too.

Jorge: Where are you from, Erin?

Erin: I grew up in Southern California, but my grandmother lived here in La Mision, so I grew up, my whole life, coming back and forth.

Jorge: Is your grandmother Mexican, or was she an American also, an expat?

Erin: No, just an American.

Just an American.

Jorge: Really?

Erin: Yeah.

Jorge: Did you learn to ride in the states or in Mexico?

Erin: No, I learned here.

Jorge: No way.

Erin: Actually, here with Jose.

Jorge: Wow.

Erin: And I was terrified when I learned so-- Jorge: Really?

Erin: Yeah, it was kind of a process.

Jorge: So you're literally an American cowgirl but Mexican-trained.

Erin: Exactly, I don't even know any of the words in English.

Jorge: Really?

Jorge: Erin, tell me about your business here.

What is it?

Erin: Well, so, we're Horses by Jose, and Jose, the boss, has been doing this his whole life, leading people on rides, but we've been doing the business called Horses by Jose for about the last six or seven years.

Jorge: Okay, but he was doin' it before, but a little more rustic-- Erin: It was always word of mouth.

Erin: Always word of mouth, and now "word of mouth" has to be online.

Jorge: For sure.

Erin: So we have a website.

We have Facebook, Instagram.

We even have TikTok.

Jorge: Tell me about your tourists.

So what can people expect when they go on your adventures?

Erin: So what we do is we bring people here to the ranch.

We start from the ranch, and we take them on a tour through the estuary through the trails.

It's a protected area.

It's also a bird sanctuary.

So, sometimes, we see egret, great blue heron, different birds out there.

Jorge: Oh, nice.

Erin: And then we ride out to the beach, along the beach, and then back.

And, today, we're gonna have tacos and margaritas when we get back.

And we have a taco guy in town that comes, and he does all the tacos for us.

We have a secret margarita recipe, and so people, just-- they don't wanna leave.

Jorge: For sure.

Erin: And so the tacos and the margaritas-- you can hang out.

You can eat.

You can drink.

Jorge: So the tour is officially to a certain point where it ends, but people gotta extend it, right?

Erin: So, Jose and I joke that sometimes people stay longer after than the actual ride 'cause, like I said, they don't wanna leave.

Jorge: For sure, for sure.

Erin: We love our horses.

They're our business, but they're also-- like, we love the animals.

So we have 32 horses.

Jorge: Oh, wow.

Erin: Yeah, it's a lot of--lot of horses.

We have sheep, we have goats, we have chickens, we have roosters, we have pigs, we have dogs, we have a kitten.

A lot of times, what people comment on, when they come here, is how happy the animals are.

The horses are really happy.

They get to do a job together, and then they get to live together and hang out.

Jorge: They look strong.

I mean, that's what I saw, so they're well fed and healthy.

Erin: Yeah.

Jorge: You know, that I could see off the bat just looking at 'em.

Well, the other question I have for you is do you have a cowboy hat for me?

Erin: Of course.

Jorge: Heh-ha-hah-hah-ha.

Erin: Oh course, we'll get one.

Jorge: It's "Crossing South," folks.

Don't go away.

We're gonna go on this ride.

The name is Horses by Jose, and we're gonna ride horses by Jose.

Stay with us, folks.

More of "Crossing South" coming your way.

Jorge: I got my cowboy hat from Jose, the man himself, the one and only.

Then I was ready to saddle up and take this bad boy for a spin.

Jorge: So, Erin, what can we expect?

What's gonna be the first-- Erin: So we're gonna start, kind of, gentle through the trails, go along the river, but we didn't have rain this year, so there's not much river there.

Jorge: So it's just a riverbed basically so-- Erin: Yeah, we'll see some of the river.

Hopefully, we'll see some birds, and then we'll head out to the beach.

Jorge: That's gonna be really nice.

Erin: Yeah, yeah.

Jorge: The dogs, they love the-- Erin: We got dogs that are comin' with us.

Jorge: They love to go, right?

Erin: They do.

So, right now, we're heading into the estuary.

This is protected federal land, technically, but it's open for public use.

We've got a lot of trails through here.

Jorge: Is it like ejido land?

What'd they call that?

Erin: It's ejido land, but it's also protected because of the estuary.

Jorge: Oh, okay, so nature-preserved.

Erin: Yeah, it's one of the only estuaries like this in the whole area, and it's a big bird-migration spot.

Jorge: So, ejido land is a sort of communal, social farmland based on a system established from the Mexican Revolution back in 1915.

Because of the wildlife that uses this particular estuary during migrations, it is actually government-protected.

This wildlife rest stop, so to speak, is not altered so as to not deprive the birds that come through here from a much needed break.

Erin: We take all kinds of people.

We take some people, it's their very first time on a horse.

We take people who are experienced riders, but it's nice and gentle that, through the trails, you can kind of walk.

Once we get down to the beach and people wanna go faster-- Jorge: Yeah, that's the opportunity.

Erin: --that's the place to do it.

Jorge: How do you train your horses?

'Cause at least Flicka responds very smoothly to any command.

Erin: Yeah, she's real sensitive.

Jorge: She's not stubborn or anything.

Erin: No, she's a great horse.

The boys who are with us do a lot of the training for us.

So we raise our own--we breed our own horses, then we raise 'em, so they're around us all the time.

They're socialized, and then, when it comes time to ride 'em, they're used to the whole thing.

Jorge: I don't know if "Flicka" is because she likes to flick her head or not, but she's super reactive to your commands.

Some horses are stubborn, and they just don't want to, and you have to, like, maybe give 'em a little kick to-- for them to, you know, obey you, but these horses seem to be very responsive, very, very responsive, so they're well trained.

Then you get the best of both worlds here.

It's like you have the actual authentic rural experience, the adventure, the outback, you know, unconquered country but, at the same time, protected.

You know, you're right next to civilization.

You're with, you know, expert hands, so, like, it's a great starter, right?

It's a great starter experience for someone who wants to-- you know, thinkin' about getting horses or getting more involved.

It's a very nice experience.

We see the ocean, this great Pacific Ocean, which we have so long anxious to see.

Let's go.

Let's go to the ocean, guys.

Check out this beauty, folks.

I mean, the Pacific Ocean on horseback.

Isn't that something?

Look at the stretch.

Look at that cowgirl right there, that silhouette.

Isn't that something?

Erin: So Chakorta is Allegria's younger brother, and Zeus's younger brother, and he's got that "little brother energy."

He's like, "Come on, guys.

Let's go."

Jorge: Just wants to go.

She grew up coming to Ensenada, to Mexico, but this beach is where she learned to gallop, even though she grew up around horses all her life.

Nice to meet you.

Thank you.

His dad was a racer, a thoroughbred racer, and 20 years, he hadn't ridden.

He brought his dad here.

He says, "It's like riding a bike," right?

This was so fun.

You get your money's worth.

Many horses are forced to gallop, you know, and they're kind of hesitant, they're resistant, but these are giddy for it.

These horses are ready to roll.

This experience is a dream for both beginners and experienced riders.

It's a perfect balance because the horses are eager to take off if you want them to.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Jorge: Folks, after a lovely afternoon galloping and riding with Horses by Jose, we conclude another wonderful experience in Baja.

Don't go anywhere, everyone.

More of "Crossing South" coming your way.

Let's just go, folks.

Let's go home.

♪♪♪ Jorge: Can you imagine a better way to end such a cool afternoon than with some amazing tacos?

I sure can't, and I refuse to imagine anything better.

I fully embraced this experience hands extended, eyes closed, ready for it to absorb.

I'm ready to eat tacos with the friends that we've made today.

Jorge: Tacos galore, so, after a nice day of riding, you know, you come back to this.

Can't go wrong with that, of course, not.

Let's put some condiments on it.

Thank you so much, Mr. Jose, so much for your hospitality.

Eating tacos here, hospitality, it's part of the arrangement when you come here to Horses by Jose, right?

After this lovely horse experience, we went to a secluded place nestled between Tijuana and Rosarito, and believe me, "secluded" is an understatement.

We would learn that the payoff at the end of this road was worth it.

Jorge: And this place is not easy to find, for sure.

You could say it's in the backwoods between the Colonia Santa Fe in Tijuana and the fancy beach, you know, golf course, Real del Mar.

But it's worth the trip, we feel, and you'll see why.

It's a place called Cata.

It's got seafood, and, boy, does it have seafood.

So we're here.

We're gonna meet Mr. Cata himself.

He's a local personality.

People come and take pictures with him.

Apparently made a name for himself on Facebook, Facebook Live.

His food speaks for himself.

We're gonna get to know that.

It's "Crossing South," folks.

Jorge: So we're standing here, and Mr. Cata himself doesn't speak English, but his daughter does, and she's standing right next to me.

How're ya doing?

Katherine Buelna: Hi, nice to meet you.

Jorge: Katherine, right?

Katherine: Katherine, yeah.

Jorge: Nice to meet you, Katherine.

How long have you guys been in business?

Katherine: We're in business since 2014, yeah.

Jorge: Okay, 2014.

So what kind of style food is it?

I mean, mariscos seafood is pretty common, right, in Baja?

But is there a style that you guys prepare?

Well, what style of seafood are you guys making?

Katherine: We prepare, like, Sinaloa style 'cause El Cata is from there.

Jorge: Okay, Baja used to be like a steak state, right?

People in Tijuana, a lot of carnes, you know, a lot of steaks, but all the influx of people from Sinaloa brought, you know, the preparation of seafood to Baja.

Is all seafood in Sinaloa prepared the same, or is there, like, cities that have different styles?

Katherine: No, yeah, we're from Guasave, and there's a-- Jorge: And that's very specific?

Katherine: Yeah, specific style.

Jorge: Guasave has its own style?

Okay, Guasave style.

How many places have Guasave style in Tijuana, for instance?

Have you found many others, or is that like-- Katherine: Yeah, there are many but-- Jorge: But your dad has-- Katherine: Yeah, of course.

Jorge: Your dad has his own style, right?

Katherine: Of course, that's why people like it.

The secret is this sauce.

Jorge: The "Cata sauce."

So you guys had this made?

Katherine: Yeah, he made it four years ago.

Jorge: Oh, nice.

Katherine: And people really like it.

We have, like, 24 different types.

Jorge: So is this your brand?

The Cata brand?

Katherine: Yeah, yeah, of course.

That's what makes us different.

Jorge: Very nice.

Man, you guys are, like, entrepreneurs here, and how many types of sauces do you have?

Katherine: Twenty-four.

Jorge: Twenty-four different sauces.

Look at that.

Jorge: Before coming here, I had seen photos on the internet of the dishes Cata serves, so it's fair to say that I had high expectations.

Let me tell ya, the dish that we started out with, this gigantic seafood cocktail did not disappoint at all.

Jorge portions, Jorge style.

Jorge: Okay, folks, I mean, heh-heh-hah, this is what I'm talkin' about.

Look at this.

They've got scallops, they've got raw shrimp cured with lemon.

They've got shrimp, they've got octopus in there.

Let's start this little shindig.

Look at this cocktail.

Tell me, tell me honestly, honestly, wherever you're at, can you get this?

You gotta be in Baja.

You gotta be in Baja.

Scallops and shrimps galore.

Let's add some octopus to the mix.

I love octopus.

You know what?

When--they do a lot of cocktails in Mexico, seafood cocktails, and this guy, Cata, it's like great minds think alike because he's got my favorite ingredients in a cocktail, in a seafood cocktail, which is octopus, shrimp, and scallops.

That's what I always get whenever I'm in a seafood place, and they're phenomenal, heh-heh.

Okay, it's worth the trip through the backwoods.

I don't know if the tamarind, you know, paste adds anything.

When somebody puts some paste, kind of like a michelada, you're supposed to drink it, and you drink the paste with it.

We got more dishes to come, so I don't know if I'll erode this all the way down.

I'm just gonna add some seafood with it, and that's what you want.

You know, another key marker of a good cocktail is when it's just overflowing with seafood.

You don't want a place that, you know, kind of, skims on the seafood content.

You want a place that's generous, and this sure is generous, hah-hah, oh my goodness.

Jorge: As amazing as that was, the night was not over.

It was just getting started.

I was simply a passenger in Cata's carousel of seafood.

Jorge: Okay, so now we're gonna try this.

This is an aguachile, a mango aguachile.

Aguachile is like a lemon-cured shrimp dish.

We're gonna try it with mango right now.

It looks pretty rockin', but we're gonna try.

We're gonna--okay?

It's like eating a crudo, a shrimp crudo but with mango sauce.

A mango with spiciness.

Now, this one, "spiciness," you know, it's not that spicy where, like, it would be overbearing for someone who's not used to the culture.

It's just spicy enough to give you that kick.

I'm gonna try it, using a little bit of mango, see if it makes a difference there.

Jorge: Do you know the old adage of how it's not just about the destination but the journey?

I think, with cooking, it's the same thing.

You see the care that some of these dishes are made with, the preparation, the ingredients?

There's an artistry to preparing these meals.

It's not something you just randomly slap together but, rather, quality ingredients delicately harmonized like a symphony for the enjoyment of guests.

Jorge: Okay, so this is a fish ceviche.

I love ceviche.

You know, it's one of those classic Mexican meals, seafood meals.

My mom made ceviche, growin' up, and I've always liked it.

Now, this is a little bit chunkier if you can see here.

Normally, they're cut into very small pieces.

Sometimes, they even grind it.

These are chunks of fish so-- this is so good.

If I had to rank 'em right now, number one, big ole cocktail.

That's like, that's a home run.

That's just a home run.

Number two, the ceviche.

Number three, the mango aguachile.

That's my personal ranking right now.

There's more to come, mm.

Jorge: Can you tell me a little bit of the story about your dad, how he learned to cook, of Cata, you know, getting in the kitchen there?

Katherine: Well, I think that the first is he fished since he was, like, 11 years old, I think.

Jorge: Would Cata go with his dad out on the boat to la Panga's to get stuff?

Katherine: Yeah, yeah, yeah, ha-ha, yeah.

Jorge: Fishing-- Katherine: And he moved to TJ, and he started a project in the university and-- Jorge: What project is that?

Katherine: It was, like, the--skills.

Jorge: So your dad was in school-- Katherine: Yeah, and he made it just like-- Jorge: --in college, and in, like, business class, he's like, "What if I do this, you know, seafood restaurant?"

Katherine: Yeah, and then he made it.

Jorge: And then he--hah-ha-ha.

Smart, smart, your dad's smart, okay?

So he went from the classroom to reality.

Oh my goodness.

Katherine: And here we are.

Jorge: And here we-- Katherine: Ha-ha-ha.

Jorge: There you go, kids.

Don't just leave it on paper.

You know, take a chance.

Roll the dice.

Make your own way in the world, right?

To the ones who risk, you know, "victor goes the spoils."

Can you tell me about your location?

It looks pretty fantastic.

All these terraces, were they already here?

Did you guys build them?

Katherine: Yeah, but, one month ago, we start, like, puttin' some things new, but this location was kind of like this.

Jorge: You saw these terraces, and you're like, "Okay, this is--" Katherine: "This is a great project."

Jorge: --"this is a great spot."

It is, it is.

And you guys fixed it up nicely.

It looks--it's very cozy.

The view is amazing.

Jorge: Be that as it may, this view was certainly enhanced by the food being served by Cata.

Jorge: Okay, now, we have also a dish that's very, very common in the city.

Chinese-food restaurants make a version of it.

There's taco stands that make versions of it, and there's restaurants that make versions of it, which is the camaron enchilado.

It's a very common dish in many different iterations in Baja, which it simply means "spicy shrimp."

So that's what this is, so we're gonna taste the camaron enchilado that Cata is bringing for us.

You can see the peppers there.

It's very good, really heavy on garlic, the way you want, and not spicy at all.

I think most anyone can take the level of spiciness, so Cata's got it goin' on.

Jorge: Oddly enough, Cata is not a one-trick pony.

Normally, people who make seafood just stick to seafood, but he's not just a seafood master.

He also cooks up an amazing beef dish called beef barbacoa.

Jorge: Okay, so this is barbacoa res, very, very, Northern Mexico dish.

It's cooked in a ditch.

They literally dig a hole, and they cook it for 12 hours.

Look at the meat, how tender it is.

Jorge: Oh, wow.

This is a really good dish.

I thought Cata made-- only made seafood.

This is phenomenal.

We'll try it with a little puerco beans, which are very highly seasoned refried beans as well.

Mm, oh, man.

I think this has squeaked in to number two, hah-ha-ha.

This is really good meat.

Well, when you cook something for 12 hours, I can probably imagine that it's going to take a lot of the seasoning and take it real good, and it sure has.

Jorge: It was nice to see that there's something also for the little ones.

There's many kids that don't like seafood, right?

Well, they have the normal fast-food.

They have fries, buffalo wings, and even a tasty burger.

Jorge: Here, Cata, being the generous man that he is, heh-heh, and in his same locale, there's a little bit of-- a couple of other restaurants here, so one of 'em has these tostadas.

I've never been a tostada kind of guy.

I feel like, whenever I host people, I would never give 'em tostadas 'cause I feel like I'm cheating them.

I feel like I'm giving them chips, but that's just me, you know?

Everyone tells me, "You're crazy.

Tostadas are a bona fide, you know, member of the pantheon of Mexican dishes."

So, you know, who am I to argue?

I'm gonna try the tostada, honor the place, too, and try their tostada, okay?

Mm, it's very tasty.

There's a place here that sells burgers as well.

This is the last thing I would order.

Coming here, having seen the seafood platters that they have, I'm not coming here to get a burger, but, you know, we will honor, their effort and try it.

It may be a really good burger.

Let's see how it is.

So it's got ham, kind of, like the Hawaiian pizza, right?

They've got some ham, they've got some pineapple, and I don't know if it's mozzarella cheese, but let's see.

Let's try it.

It's actually quite good.

Well, the first three seconds of the bite, I was like, "Forgettable.

This tastes like nothing," right?

I don't know if it was the pineapple, but, like, five seconds into it, it was, like, "Boom," heh-heh-ho, the taste just came alive.

This drink is called Kate, after his daughter, who you heard earlier, so it's got vodka and ginger.

Let's try it.

Very tasty.

It's called Kate.

And they've got this bad boy, which is vodka.

It's called Oasis.

It's got some of that tamarind paste.

Mm, whatever drink you get, have 'em put that paste on.

It'll be worth it, believe me, ohhh.

Okay, this is a pan de muerto with ice cream.

It's a typical bread that, by Mexican tradition, is used during October.

Mexico has their own, you know, Day of the Dead celebrations, and this type of bread is something that, during that time of the year, is put out, so I'mma just go die.

I gotta say it.

That's very good.

I get very easily excited.

I have a sweet tooth, mm.

I'm not a big bread guy.

I am a dessert guy, but I'm not a bread guy.

Like, if you give me to choose between, you know, pie and cake, I'll go to pie.

I like desserts, but I'm not a bread guy, and that bread was good.

Okay, we got some crepes here, and boy, do we.

I mean, look at this thing.

It's like a catcher's mitt, isn't it?

Let's see what surprises await us inside this crepe, this monster crepe.

This looks like lechera outside.

So, at the bottom, they not only have lechera, they have cajeta.

The bananas are giving it the volume.

The bottom taste is great.

With every mouthful, you're gonna be dealing with a lot of bananas, you know, getting in the way, kind of, so I like bananas, like, as a complement, as part of the taste, not bananas getting in the way of the taste that you've accomplished.

It's good.

It's got lechera, it's got cajeta, how can you go wrong with that?

Mm, just got a little milkshake.

Let's eat.

It's not bad, but it's not fantastic.

It's good to have, right?

If you come and have kids, they feel like, you know, shrimp are, like, yucky, and they don't wanna have the stuff that the grown-ups are having, these are nice dishes to have, so they're good.

They're good.

They're very acceptable.

They're just not, you know, at the level of what we came for which was, you know, famous Cata's seafood, which is what we had.

So these are the experiences that we're having here at Cata's place and the other foods surrounding, complementing his seafood.

It's a great experience.

It's a wonderful view, and we hope you liked it as much as we did.

It's "Crossing South," folks.

We hope you're enjoying this.

I'm gonna right now go get-- should I go for the sweet drink, or should I go for the vodka?

Maybe the vodka.

Jorge: So, after getting to know Cata and Kate and their rocking seafood and riding towards glory on horseback on the sands of Rosarito Beach, we leave eager till the next time we get to cross south.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ male announcer: Like to know more about the places you've just seen?

Maps, videos, podcasts, and more, at CrossingSouth.com.

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