April 2005

March was really busy around here. The fishing season got off to a great start, with more than 35 striped marlin caught (and mostly released), over 60 snapper, more than 100 sierra, 120 cabrilla, 80 skip jack, 50 dorado and 25 pargo. Like Esaul says, “The best time to fish on the East Cape is when you are here!”

We saw many old friends at the Fred Hall Fishing Show. Axel and Esaul were at the Long Beach show March 2 – 6 and Esaul was at the Del Mar show on March 16 – 20 while Axel was in Salt Lake City at the ISE Exhibition. Now that all the shows are over, it is time for some serious fishing! C’mon down and let’s get to it!

Many old friends visited us this month. Beth Martin (Head Mistress of the Oregon Baja Babes) spent over two weeks at hotel. This time she came without the babes, and brought her husband Dick instead. Marlin Gohn made one of his twice yearly trips with a group of his fishing buddies. Carl and Robert Graham were here. Rob’s sister was with them, and she worked with Hortensia to plan her daughter’s July wedding at the resort. During Semana Santa (the week before Easter) we had many families visiting from the Los Cabos and La Paz areas. Glen Davis also came down with his family and caught some serious fish with Alejandro aboard the Dusty B Dos. Dave Jauhl and Robert Ravard visited from British Columbia, and Togo Hazard made his monthly visit with his good friend, Bill Frey (also known as Fallbrook’s Avocado King). Togo never fails to bring great weather with him, and this month was no exception.

We want to give you advance warning that TV host Ronnie Kovach will be at the resort from June 27^th to July 1^st.  They’ll be shooting footage for the show, Ronnie will be around for a casual talk on fishing tips in the bar, so you can get some insider information and enjoy a Margarita at the same time! He will also have lots of cool stuff to give away, so you might want to mark this on your calendar.

For all our summer events and tournaments, we have been given special airfare deals. For example, if you fly in for Ronnie’s event, you can fly round trip from LAX to Los Cabos on Mexicana for $447.29, or from Ontario on Aeromexico for $359.29. All tickets include taxes, and all tournaments and events are included. Let us know if you’re interested when you book your hotel reservation, as the number of available seats are limited.

As always, we greet you with open arms and wide smiles and look forward to your next visit to the

Jewel of the East Cape. And of course, we thank all of you for your continued patronage over the years, and we hope to see you very soon!

The Valdez Family

Little known tidbits of Hotel Buena Vista's History

Did you know …

Obviously you do not know this, because no one won the contest last month. We finally stumped you all! (Or so we thought, until Ann hooked up with Mary Fedorka at the resort this week. Mary knew the answer, but she was too embarrassed to win three times in a row and be dubbed the Trivia Queen of Buena Vista. So … no one won!)

For all the rest of you, the person who painted the mural in the dining room is Chuy’s older sister, Guadalupe Valdez Jesse. She did it right after the new pool and swim-up bar were completed in early 1993.

FIRST ANNUAL HUNTING TOUR TO LOS MOCHIS

Don Brown, a professional hunter and guide, joined Esaul, Chuy, and other friends Roy “Pacifico,” Kenny, Sam, Javier, Dan and Alfonso made up a party of nine for the first annual Buena Vista Hunting Tour to Los Mochis February 17 to 21. Axel picked Don, Kenny and Roy up in San Diego, drove them to Tijuana and put them on a flight to Los Mochis. From there they hooked up with the rest of the gang and hunted three days. They had the option of hunting for dove in the mornings and duck in the afternoons, but opted to sleep in and do ducks only! Axel says they couldn’t have been the greatest of shooters, as they went through 125 rounds of ammunition a day and only brought in 20 to 25 ducks a day. Do the math, that’s more than four wild shots to every hit!

They had a great time though and stayed at a brand new, first rate hotel. They ate at all the Valdez family’s favorite restaurants, including El Farallón, the best seafood restaurant in Los Mochis, El Palacio Chino, which serves up amazing Chinese food, and the Steak House, which specializes in Sonora beef. Their daily trip to the blinds was about 30 to 45 minutes and they went somewhere different every day.

All nine men raved about the adventure, assuring us that this is the first annual. Mark your calendar for next February if you’re interested in joining us! Press here for more pictures

FYI, Don Brown was here again the second week of April, but no one saw much of him. He surprised everyone and proposed to longtime love Jamie the first night they were here. It was pretty much a honeymoon trip! Congratulations Don and Jamie!

Click Here for March 2005 Total Fishing Count

POLLO CON SALSA ALCAPARRA

CHICKEN WITH CAPER SAUCE

This sauce is perfect served with chicken, but it’s also delicious with grilled or broiled fish. If using fish, cook it separately and serve the sauce on the side. Its unique flavors and textures will make it a family favorite for years to come! Martina and Oscar, the chefs at Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort, bring it to you. This recipe will serve four people and takes about an hour and half to prepare.

1/8 tsp saffron threads

1½ cups warm chicken broth 

5 tbsp vegetable oil

¾ cup shelled raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1½ tbsp olive oil

1 small white onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small crusty roll, cut into slices

½ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp oregano

¾ cup capers

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Crumble saffron threads into chicken broth and let steep a few minutes. Preheat oven to 325°.

Heat one tbsp vegetable oil in medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not quite smoking. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until they are puffed and have a nutty fragrance, about 30 seconds. Don’t let them burn or they’ll ruin the flavor of the dish! Drain on paper towels.

In same skillet heat olive oil over medium heat until very hot. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook, stirring, three to five minutes. Add sliced roll and cook, stirring until golden brown on both sides. Add cloves, cinnamon and oregano and cook, stirring, another two or three minutes. Add capers with brine and stir well to combine. Simmer, uncovered, for five minutes on low heat. Add chicken stock with saffron and simmer another five minutes.

Place contents of skillet in blender and blend until well puréed, about 30 seconds. Add pumpkin seeds and purée another 30 seconds. Preheat oven to 350 °.

Heat remaining three tbsp vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and brown well on both sides, about three minutes each. Remove from pan and place in shallow 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour sauce over chicken, cover with foil and bake until chicken is tender, about 40 minutes.

This recipe will be featured in Ann Hazard’s new cookbook: COOKING WITH BAJA MAGIC DOS. Look for it in the fall. It will contain 80 new recipes, eight years’ worth of new Baja adventures and all new art! Visit Ann online at http://bajamagic.com.