A French patisserie in Baja seemed like a throwaway meal, but the Tijuana Convention and Visitors Bureau seemed to think enough of L’Abricot that we stopped anyway during our Baja bender. I probably should have trusted the locals, since the food of Maribel Villareal Sosa won me over.

Sosa attended Ritz Escoffier and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before carving out a charming French niche for herself in Tijuana.

She presented each of us with a plate of three specialties: a single poached quail egg with Dijon and fines herbs vinaigrette; French onion soup with caramelized onions and a judicious amount of cheese; and a textbook vanilla-flecked crème brulee topped with raspberry, strawberry and kiwi.

On the way into L’Abricot, we passed by a fully loaded pastry display, which featured several enticing options, but none as tempting as the powdered sugar-dusted Linzer Torte. Thankfully, we got to experience Sosa’s exemplary tortes, which featured fluffy almond flour and an oversized raspberry jam thumbprint.

On the way back to our bus, people stopped to indulge in more of Sosa’s tantalizing pastries.

Thank you to the Tijuana Convention and Visitors Bureau, Crossborder Agency, Cotuco (Tijuana Tourism Board), and Tijuana Canirac (Tijuana Restaurant Association) for sponsoring our eye-opening culinary tour of northern Baja. Thank you to Bill Esparza from Street Gourmet LA for leading the tour and for supplying so much invaluable information.