La Embottelladora Vieja

Description:

• If you're planning to splurge on one fine meal in Ensenada, this should be the place to do it. Hidden on an industrial side street and attached to the Bodegas de Santo Tomás winery, it looks more like a chapel than the elegant restaurant it is. Sophisticated diners will feel right at home in the stylish setting, a former winery aging room now resplendent with red-oak furniture (constructed from old wine casks), high brick walls, and crystal goblets and candlesticks on linen tablecloths. The wine list is exemplary, featuring bottles from Santo Tomás and other Baja vintners, and the "Baja French" menu features dishes carefully crafted to include or complement wine. Look for such appetizers as abalone ceviche or cream of garlic soup followed by grilled swordfish in cilantro sauce, filet mignon in port wine-Gorgonzola sauce, or quail with tart sauvignon blanc sauce.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010