I wasn't really sure where to put this adventure, as Abarrotes Rojas, a.k.a. Tienda Rojas is not exactly a restaurant, but they do have a deli case, where they sell tortas, so I thought that I'd include them in the restaurant section, as I had the pleasure to enjoy one of the delicious, albeit cold, tortas.  

Photo:  Tienda Rojas, is located along dusty Calle Independence.  That's the bay, and the Pacific Ocean in the background of the photo.

Sunday afternoon, September 28, 2008, and I'd been wandering all over town, and had spent a lot of time on the beach, enjoying the sun, the scenery, the salt air, and the lovely señoitas; in short, many of the good things that the small town of Bahia Tortugas has to offer.  Hiking around town helped me work up an appetite, and before searching out more substantial nourishment, I decided to pay a visit to Tienda Rojas, and pick up a torta, and maybe a beer or two.

Photo:  Note the flats of eggs placed on top of the bare meat cooler in the store.  The girl tending the store is talking to a customer, who can be seen near the open door in the background of the photo.

Tienda Rojas is located on Calle Independencia, only a couple of blocks from the beach, and they're popular with the yacht crowd, as they stock practically every item that you expect to see at a Mexican convenience store, and many items that you'd see at a grocery store.  They have a good selection of canned goods, sundries, paper items, and even a few camping and automotive supplies, and of course, a couple of open-the-door, stand-up beer and soft drink coolers, what are well-stocked with cold drinks.  Just the thing on a hot, dusty Sunday afternoon at Bahia Tortugas.  I was already thirsty...  If you like tortillas, they have every variety that you could wish for, all locally made at the tortilleria a couple of blocks to the north. They also have a meat and cold cuts display, but it was largely empty, but curiously, they had it piled high with flats of eggs.  Inside the case, they had a few ready-made tortas that looked pretty good...

Photo:  The store clerk and her daughter tend to the store on a Sunday afternoon, as I snap their photo.

On this Sunday afternoon, one bored, 20-something girl was working the store, and she was multitasking, as she had her little girl with her, while she tended the store.  I asked her how much for a torta, and she replied, "12 pesos," so I asked her to grab one for me.  Although I had plenty of beer at the motel, one can never have too much beer, and their beer appeared especially cold, so I grabbed a six-pack of Pacifico and made my way to the counter.  Wrong move!  The girl suddenly flew into a panic and excitedly exclaimed something to the effect of "¡Yo no le puedo vender cerveza. Póngale apoya!"  Something about how I can't sell you beer?  What is that all about? So I asked her what all he fuss was about and why couldn't I purchase a six-pack of beer?  She said, it's the law in the state of Baja California Sur, that beer can't be sold on Sunday.  But, I mentioned to her, I enjoyed a beer with breakfast at Restaurante El Moroco earlier today, what's the deal?  She explained that in Baja Sur, it's ok to purchase beer in a restaurant on Sunday, but beer, or any other liquor, can't be sold over the counter.  Gee, am I in Texas or Oklahoma?  So I reluctantly put the six pack back in the cooler, paid for my torta, and headed back to the motel to enjoy a cold torta.

Photo:  You can see the meat - sliced ham - on the bottom this amazing torta, as its covered by the large amount of vegetables. Note the carrot slice and the slice of avocado.  Mmmmmmmm good!

For a pre-made torta, it wasn't bad, as it included a generous portion of ham, albeit the meat was obscured by large slices of avocado, sliced tomatoes, and orange bell pepper slices, all placed on a fresh, torta roll.  Garnish included Mexican mayonnaise, which included a twist of lime.  Not a bad torta...

A word to the wise:  When you visit Baja California Sur, stock up on your beer on Saturday, or you're in for a long, dry spell on Sunday.

Abarrotes Rojas (Tienda Rojas)
39 Calle Independencia
Bahia Tortugas, B.C.S.
Mexico

---

Copyright(c) 2009 eRench Productions. All rights reserved.