ROCKIN’ BAJA HISTORY
About an hour’s drive south of San Diego along the Baja Mexico coast, lies what was once a small fishing village called Puerto Nuevo. For many years tourist have flocked to the local fisherman’s houses to eat local Pacific lobsters, wrapped in warm flour tortillas along with ranchero beans, Mexican rice and a hot red chili sauce. Butter was a rarity in the early days and it was advisable to bring your own. Of course icy cold Mexican beers and Margaritas were used for ”washing it all down”.
If you were to visit Puerto Nuevo today, fifty years later, you would no longer see a sleepy little fishing village with shanty houses, but rather multi-million dollar restaurants and fisherman’s private homes still serving their famous Puerto Nuevo lobster dinners. It was during the early sixties that my family and I first became familiar with the Puerto Nuevo lobsters. In the late seventies after maybe a hundred trips to ”Lobster Land” I became convinced that a similar type food could be introduced in the States.
In the summer of 1983 I introduced the Puerto Nuevo style lobster dinner to this side of the border. Then in 1985 the menu and decor at The Old Bonita Store Restaurant were converted into that of a Puerto Nuevo Style Lobster house serving Baja style lobster dinners as well as many new lobster specialties created by Chef Juan and myself.
In May of 1992, we were persuaded to open Our Puerto Nuevo style restaurant at the Oceanside Marina. It was there My wife and I came up with the idea of “ROCKIN’ BAJA LOBSTER” ® the prototype of many more to be opened along the Southern California coastline.
We invite you to “Relax awhile Baja style”, kick back, drink an icy cold beer or Margarita, have a shot of tequila and enjoy the good times at “ROCKIN’ BAJA LOBSTER” ®
Thanks for joining us!
Rick DiRienzo
Founder