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I had just topped off my gas tank at the Pemex station across the road from Rancho Grande, and I was beginning to drive north, towards the day's destination of San Felipe, without a care in the world, or a thought in my largely empty head except for the thought about how much I would enjoy a delicious, home-cooked breakfast. But looking around at the stark desert scenery, in this largely deserted land, I assumed the last outpost of breakfast would be Gonzaga Bay, as I left Alfonsina's in my rear-view mirror... which hadn't been open when I paid a visit to them earlier in the morning.
Photo: Restaurante Papa Fernández is housed in a substantial brick building, features shady trees, and indoor, as well as outdoor dining, on their shaded porch. Papa Fernández Resort is located about three miles north of Rancho Grande, along the Sea of Cortez, which is about a mile east of the notorious north-south East Shore Baja California Road, and its marked by a sign, partially constructed from a plastic 55-gallon drum, that advertises the services that Papa Fernández's has to offer, including a restaurant, and the words, "food" and "comeda." No matter how you spell it, and no matter what language its written in, if you're hungry for breakfast, then the word "food" will stampede you to the source. In my case, I decided to delay my trip to San Felipe for just a bit, in order to enjoy a delicious breakfast at Restaurante Papa Fernández, located in the resort of the same name. Papa Fernández's resort isn't located along the main north-south road, as you have to take a side road that leads east, and downhill towards the resort, and the sparkling blue Sea of Cortez. The bay, fishing camp, and the restaurant are located about a mile from the mail road, and as make your way toward the restaurant, you'll pass many outbuildings, campers, and vehicles, that appear to now serve as homes to the local residents. The restaurant is easy to find, as it's housed in a substantial brick building, plainly marked, and shaded by salt cedars. I parked my truck under a tree in front of the restaurant, much to the amusement of a couple of dogs that were lounging in the shade, and opened the door to the restaurant, and let myself in.
Photo: A view of the dining room, as soon as you walk in the front door, showing the bar, some of the photos and pictures, and the entrance to the kitchen. Due to the limitations of my camera, I wasn't able to show the tables to the right of the bar. When you enter a room in Baja California, or anyplace in Mexico, it's the custom to greet anybody, or everybody with a greeting indicative to the time of day, such as ˇBuenos días!, which in this case was appropriate, as it was about 09:00, on Wednesday morning, October 1, 2008... Although the door was open, and the restaurant was plainly open for business, nobody returned my greeting, which seemed quite odd. Could the place be deserted? Could they be taking an early break? Life moves at a very slow pace in the vicinity of Gonzaga Bay, so while I was waiting for something to happen, I got a chance to look around the dining room. On this hot Wednesday morning, I was the only person in the restaurant, and it appeared as I was the only guest at the resort. The dining room is very rustic, as the tables appear to be rectangular folding tables, covered with flowered, plastic table cloths, and the chairs were folding chairs, similar to what you'd see in an auditorium. Each table had a cluster of a bottle of catsup, hot sauce, and class shakers of salt and pepper. Tile floors and a wood ceiling contrast to the painted walls, that were decorated with photos, it seemed like hundreds of 'em, depicting Mexican culture, local activities, and in particular, a large framed portrait of Papa Fernández, standing next to John Wayne, who reportedly had a fondness for this part of Baja California, and visited the area frequently when he was alive. A very bare bar, without stools, is located in a corner, and the sole object behind the bar is a 1960's-era refrigerator. To complete the unique decor, there are numerous trophies, the sort that a grade school child might win for beating a 100-yard dash record, and mounted antlers of mule deer, antelope, and elk. (Editor's note: Before the government practically outlawed hunting, Baja California was a hunter's paradise, but those days are just a pleasant memory...) Restaurante Papa Fernandez offers outdoor dining as well, on their patio, under shady trees, which would be pleasant on a mild evening, but I preferred to dine indoors, so I could admire the fine decor, and chat with the host or hostess... if they ever came.
Photo: Claudia's house, in back of the restaurant. This photo was taken from the back porch of the restaurant, as I was standing in the kitchen door. At that moment, my thoughts were interrupted, as the screened door to the outside was open by a grade-school age boy, who dashed in and asked me if I was here for breakfast, in Spanish, of course, and I replied that I was. He asked me if I could wait just a couple of minutes for his mother to arrive, as she was at the house next door doing laundry, and she'd be over shortly. In keeping with the unhurried pace of life in Baja California, I told him that it would be OK with me, and I'd sit down, grab a menu from the stack lying on the bar, and make a breakfast selection before mom arrived. I watched him run out the door, and over to the house next door, where he and his family resides. I already knew what I wanted for breakfast, namely eggs, refried beans and tortillas, but I wanted a chance to see what choices the menu offered. The menu is quite basic, and only a few options are offered for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are the same, with quesadillas, tacos, burritos and enchiladas the main offerings, along with combination plates and many combinations of shrimp, which seems to be the flagship of the menu. Prices are on the high side, but quite reasonable, considering the remote location of this restaurant. I had no problem with the menu, or anything else about the restaurant.
Photo: Claudia smiles as she peels a potato, for my Baja style fries. Note the stick of chorizo sausage on the counter, and the plastic bag of chorizo that she has just taken from the refrigerator. Check out the sink and you'll notice that the dishes and utensils are washed by hand. Claudia, the cook, waitress and the boy's mother came in the back door, through the kitchen, and greeted me with a warm smile, and apologized for not being here when I walked in. I told her that it wasn't a problem, as I was the only customer in the restaurant, I wasn't on a time limit, and this was, after all, Gonzaga Bay, and people don't rush at a place like this. My remarks seemed to have broken the ice, so to speak, and I was rewarded with another friendly smile, and the invitation to make myself at home. She noticed that I was looking was looking at the menu, and asked me if I'd made my selection, and I told her what I wanted: Chorizo, eggs, beans and a stack of corn tortillas. After taking my order, she disappeared into the kitchen, and I could hear pots and pans banging around, as she began to prepare my meal. As she was working in the kitchen, I had ample opportunity to step outside, observe my surroundings, and take photos. It appeared as I was the only person alive, as at 09:00 in the morning, I couldn't see any activity. The morning was already hot, as the thermometer in my truck already read over 90 degrees, and not a breath of air was stirring. The Sea of Cortez was nearly as smooth as glass, with only a slight ripple from the tide. Truly a lazy, kick-back morning, at a rustic Baja California fish camp.
Photo: That's my truck parked in front of the restaurant, as two residents enjoy the relative coolness of the shady patio, on this warm October morning. I like to eat, and I love to cook, as cooking is a major preoccupation and hobby of mine, and it goes without saying that I like to take a peek at a restaurant's kitchen. With rare occasion in the U.S., being allowed in the kitchen is a huge no-no, due to insurance issues, but in Mexico, that isn't a problem, especially in an out-of-the-way location like Gonzada Bay, and a family-owned and operated restaurant, such as Restaurante Papa Fernández. The kitchen is very basic, as it contains a four burner, homestyle range, with an oven, and a larger commercial-style range, complete with four burners, griddle and oven. The work area consists of a table attached to a half-partition that separates the section of the kitchen where the ranges are located, and the part where the preparation work is performed, and the dishes are washed. Dishes are done in a sink, home-style, and a dish rack was located near the sink, full of dishes that were air-drying. The kitchen has neither a microwave oven or a refrigerator, as the only refrigerator is located in the dining room, behind the bar. This restaurant is low-tech!
Photo: Looking from my table, toward the front door, and some of the posters, photos and antlers that decorate the dining room. The dining room is quite clean and comfortable. Claudia didn't seem to mind chatting with me, as she prepared my breakfast, so I took the opportunity to ask her a few questions, and to learn a bit more about the restaurant, and Papa Fernández's Resort in general. The place is owned by the founder's family, as Papa has passed on, and the resort is open every day of the year, and offers primitive beach camping, under a palapa, pit toilets, but no showers. The restaurant is never locked, and its open from the time the first customer arrives, until the last customer leaves. She told me that they offer many dishes not printed on their menu, as they pretty much offer what they have on hand, shortages do occur, due to the remote location. I asked her about the photo in the dining room of Papa Fernández with John Wayne, and she said it was true, that John Wayne did visit the resort, but it was before she moved there, as she's married to one of Papa's grandsons. She gave me one extremely interesting tidbit of information: Since the resort is basically a fish camp, when you catch fish and if you don't want to cook the fish yourself, they will gladly cook the fish any way you want it, at the restaurant. Naturally, they'll cook your fish for a price, as they're in business to make a living. My breakfast, consisting of refried beans, chorizo and eggs, fries, with a basket of corn tortillas, arrived in a timely manner, hot from the kitchen. I was quite surprised that my order included fries, a.k.a. papas fritas, as they weren't noted on the menu, nor did Claudia mention them. Along with the food, she placed on the table a bowl of some of the best red chipotle salsa that I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy, as it truly enhanced the flavor of the food, but it didn't lend heat. The eggs and chorizo were nicely blended, with a huge portion of chorizo, and the refried beans were leftovers from the night before, reheated for breakfast, which makes them even better than the original time that they're served. The corn tortillas were toasted and slightly blistered, nice and yummy, and wrapped in a towel to keep them warm, which wasn't a difficult chore on this warm morning. Although it was only mid-morning, the temperature was over 90 degrees, both inside and outside, so I asked Claudia to bring me a Pacifico beer from the fridge; today they only had Tecate, whatever; I enjoyed a Tecate beer, along with my meal.
Photo: Claudia reaches over to grab the pan of chorizo cooking on the stove, as my beans heat on the back burner. Altogether, the price for the delicious breakfast and the beer came to MEX $85.00; about $7.00 U.S. dollars, which is not cheap, especially compared to the MEX $25.00 peso breakfast that I'd enjoyed the previous morning in Guerro Negro, but still very reasonable, and a good value. Due to the remote location, and the lack of restaurants, facilities and services in the area, Restaurante Papa Fernández COULD gouge their customers, but they don't, and I assume they only charge higher prices to the logistics of supplying their remote location. The food was delicious, the quantity was excellent, and the service was efficient, and very friendly. Where else can you dine at a restaurant, chit-chat with the cook while she prepares your food, gaze out of the windows at the beautiful Sea of Cortez, observe dogs sleeping just outside the doors, eat where John Wayne once dined, swat a few flies in the process, and enjoy the laid-back, friendly atmosphere in a place such as Restaurante Papa Fernández? Very few places. Due to Claudia's friendly service, great food and a very gracious attitude concerning my boorish questions and photography, I left a MEX $100.00, and a MEX $20.00 peso note on the table, and wished her a very pleasant day.
Photo: My delicious breakfast of refried beans, chorizo and eggs, Baja style fries, corn tortillas, and some of the best chipotle salsa that I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Restaurante Papa Fernández may be the only game in town, but it's the best, as the restaurant serves delicious food, served by friendly staff, at reasonable prices. Do the math: Nice people + great food + beautiful location + good value = RETURN VISIT! Highly recommended! Restaurante Papa Fernández Copyright(c) 2008 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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