TIJUANA.- Last Wednesday, Cine Tonalá theater in Tijuana continued with promoting its image and the concept of mixing two passions that represent the city and Baja California: Food and art.

Photo: Ángel García / SanDiegoRed

Both the design of the Cine Tonalá building and its culinary offer have made it the latest hip place in Tijuana (which is a good thing, don't get us wrong), so it's no surprise they've been working on these kinds of events, as a way to further cement their image as a representative of what's best in Baja.

The program and event is called Culinary Food Lab and it has had its first chapter this week with a six-course dinner and pairing with a Baja California Ecosystems theme.

The logo of the new collaboration between Cine Tonalá and the Culinary Art School: Culinary Food Lab.

Its main purpose, according to Cine Tonalá, was to present "the interdisciplinary link we have as an organization with architecture and design", as well as simply enjoying the region and everything it offers.

We arrived at our tables on the terrace of Tonalá (a little later than scheduled), and there was a rich mezcal welcome cocktail with nopal jelly mixed by Humberto Fernández from Tonalá.

FIRST COURSE by Irving Gonzalez from The Westgate Hotel.

Dish: Tierra del Valle- Tequila "Espolón", chardonnay, chocolate, chipotle, real honey and King Trumpet.

Pairing by Jennifer Arana from Cine Tonalá called "El Cholito."

Description: A shot of Baja Chocolate clams with pineapple.

SECOND COURSE by Zoé Villareal from Verde y Crema.

[i]Salbute Negro- Blue corn, green seaweed, scallop, hedgehog mayonnaise, red seaweed, and striped sea bass.[/i]

Pairing by Irving González from The Westgate Hotel with a fresh Margarita.

Description: Mango, cucumber, rosemary, tequila Spur, bourbon, honey and lemon.

THIRD COURSE by Pedro Bermúdez from Culinary Food Lab.

Dish: Raw with Native Quelite Sauce.

Pairing: Corona del Valle / Sauvignon Blanc 2016

FOURTH COURSE by Héctor Briceño from Cine Tonalá.

A mushroom dish from Baja with carrot puree, beans, Trumpet mushroom, carrot salad and seaweed.

Pairing: Casa Magoni / Rosé 2016

FIFTH COURSE by Martin Vargas from Amaya.

Sea bass, mashed greens and clam with apiana sauce.

Pairing: Casa Magoni / Mixture of 2014 Red wines

SIXTH COURSE (dessert) by Héctor Briceño from Cine Tonalá.

Lychee, peppermint sauce, lychee gelatin, green apple and elderberry.

Digestif (after-dinner drink) "La loca de Artemisa" by Fernando Fortis from Das Cortez.

Description: Wormwood with Coffee and Liquor base 43.

To conclude, DJ Das Falco was the musical guest and acted as an excellent addition to the whole experience, with a mixture of music genres that made us suspect he was also another pairing attempt with the food.

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@JoedeSancho

jose.sanchez@sandiegored.com