Jorge Meraz: Today on "Crossing South," we visit a place reminiscent of Mexico's golden age of the '40s and '50s, a unique place with a variety of experiences and it's coming to you, now.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Jorge: One of my favorite things of visiting Mexicali is the scenic ride through the Rumorosa Mountains.

It's something straight out of a sci-fi movie, like a Star Wars planet.

The name Rumorosa actually refers to a small town around here of about 2000 people.

But I would say most people use the term to refer to the amazing rocky landscape you see here on this mountain pass.

This used to be an infamously dangerous road with two-way traffic.

You'd hear stories of accidents and sometimes spot wrecked cars that had plunged over a cliff.

Today, however, a much safer, well-marked, divided highway makes traveling to Mexicali nearly stress-free.

In the wintertime, because of the higher altitude, you might even catch some snow on the ground.

Jorge: No, that is not a movie set behind us.

That is literally like a cabaret stage that harkens to a bygone era, maybe the 1940s, what is called, normally referred to, as Mexico's golden era, golden age of cinema.

It's so weird, right?

It's almost like a cabaret and that's all I know based on the visuals, based on seeing this place.

But the person who's gonna fill in the gaps and tell us actually what this place is really about, if I'm cold, if I'm warm or not, There's a man right next to me, Martin, how you doing, Martin?

Martin Garza: Hey, nice to meet you.

Martin: Welcome to Mercado Cine Curto.

Jorge: Martin, thank you.

This is crazy.

It feels like a movie set.

It feels like a cabaret.

Like I'm going to see, you know, people from the golden age of cinema in Mexico.

Can you tell me if I'm close or what am I looking at?

Martin: You're kind of close.

This was actually a movie theater.

Jorge: Really?

Martin: It was founded in 1946.

Jorge: So tell me the intention.

Like, was it--was it run down and did you guys restore it or what's the story behind the place right now?

Martin: Yes, this was a movie theater from '46 to 1992.

Then it was abandoned for about 30 years and we restore it.

Jorge: When--when did you restore it?

Martin: In 19--I mean, 2019.

Jorge: Okay, so, recently.

So were you guys working during the pandemic, basically, restoring it or what?

Martin: When this place was first built, it started in 1943.

From that time and World War II started.

So it--the project was delayed.

There was no materials and stuff like that.

And they finally built it in 1946.

And then the story repeated itself this time around with-- it was a pandemic.

They started, like, in 2018.

Pandemic hits.

And then the project was delayed until 2021, December 2021.

January 2022 is what--when we started what it is now.

It became a public market.

Jorge: How do you reconcile the market with the stage in the middle?

How does that work?

Martin: Yeah, well, this is a public market.

It has food stands.

All those places over there are different foods from the region.

And on the other side, we have craft beer, we have specialty drinks.

We have beer.

We have--this is bakery, fresh breads baked there every day.

Jorge: Bread's always good.

Martin: And we're also a venue for concerts.

Jorge: So you have two anchors for people to enjoy, right?

Martin: For example, today we're gonna have a Spanish theme night with wine, cheese, bread, and some dances like some typical-- Jorge: So, I'm seeing the type of food and who's providing, like, if you have a concert with a wine and cheese, you know, Spanish theme, who's providing that food, because I see other type of foods on the side.

Who's providing the food for that?

Martin: Our different vendors.

Jorge: Oh, they're the ones.

Martin: For example, the bread was from the bakery.

Jorge: Oh, you take it over here--over there.

Okay, got you, got you.

Martin: Yeah, it's kind of like the idea for all the different places to collaborate, for to create an experience.

Jorge: So they won't necessarily serve the food they normally do, but they'll provide a little ingredient here and-- Martin: Yes.

Jorge: Okay, got you, got you.

Jorge: Everyone loves a good story.

If a place has history and culture, it will draw a visit, for sure.

But good food will draw habitual visitors.

We all love to break bread in a cool place and if the food rocks, we make a habit of it.

So let's check it out.

Jorge: This is a tuna tostada.

I'm seeing some sesame seeds, some sriracha there in the middle, some leeks, and avocado in the bottom.

Let me--let's try this.

Boy, that's fantastic.

It's got a, almost like a pepper paste and oil.

You can taste a little bit of jalapeño in there with the sriracha and the avocado and the leeks and the tuna.

I could eat that till sun up and I'd be good if it was just that.

So if our night is beginning with that 10 right there, then I think it's--we're in for a good one.

Okay, so let's keep going.

Jorge: The Catedral Taqueria.

So this is your Mexican taco.

Although, as you can see, you can probably tell, these are flour tortillas.

So normally, al pastor or carne asada tacos are not made with flour tortillas.

Normally, they make them with corn tortillas, unless you're in a household.

But that's what they--that's what they brought.

So, let's see--let's see what they got.

Two dishes in, all winners.

Two dishes in, all winners.

When you, you know, redesigned this place again, you could have made it into anything you wanted.

What made you go back to that theme, 1940s, you know, golden age of Mexico?

So what--tell me about that.

Martin: The vision was not only to restore this place.

The vision, the idea, was to restore the whole downtown of Mexicali, which was also abandoned.

All the street.

We have our cathedral here but not many people came here.

Like, in the 1940s, 1950s, this was the place where everybody came here to--with their families on the weekends to walk around and-- Jorge: Before?

Martin: Before.

Martin: And then the city grew and this place became abandoned, not only Cine Curto; the whole area.

And when we started with this project, the other buildings, there was nothing going around here.

So this also, like, started to promote the whole area.

Life is coming back to the area.

This is a young city.

Mexicali is 120 years old.

So cities start in their downtown, they grow abandoned and then they come back and restore their--they come back to their roots.

Jorge: That's a cycle?

It's a cycle, right?

Martin: We're in the middle of that here in Mexicali.

Jorge: So now, other investors might go like, "Hey, I wanna restore that historical building and make it into something."

Martin: And that is what is happening right now, after two years of this project.

Jorge: Were you guys the first ones, then?

Martin: Yes.

Jorge: Oh, that's crazy.

Jorge: Congratulations, what a way to contribute to your city.

This is what Martin was talking about: life coming back to downtown Mexicali.

You see more movement.

You see it becoming like a more pleasant area which is basically ready to take on new business.

There's little cafe shops here and there.

You know, you're hearing literally Bing Crosby playing on the sidewalk.

Pretty fantastic, what's going on here.

We can't wait to see how it all turns out, but this is the beginning of it, and these guys are the ones that started it all.

Jorge: Mexicali, which is Baja California's capital, is waking up and taking advantage of some of its historical buildings.

It still has many that are abandoned but they have so much potential.

Case in point, the restored Cine Curto.

This place has been restored to its past glory by local visionaries who wish to revive Mexicali's downtown area.

Jorge: They brought a burger here.

Looks a little bit messy.

You know, I'm not crazy when they put shredded, you know, lettuce.

I like the lettuce leaf, you know?

And in Mexico it's common mostly in, like, family-owned, you know, mama-papa diner-type burgers, it's very common.

It's almost like the lettuce they use for the tacos or for other dishes, they use the same lettuce and they--they'll use for the burgers.

So it's something you'll notice.

The color of the meat looks really nice.

Look at that, char-broiled.

You can see the searedness over there.

It's a very simple burger.

This is like a burger--it looks to me, like a burger that you would make at home in a Mexican household.

But you never judge a book by its cover.

You know, it may surprise you, you know?

They took care, look, put a little searing on the bun, so they're not just mailing it in.

They're trying, according to what they know.

So let's see how good it is, right?

What I can say is that, what's around it, a bit forgettable, but the patty itself is very good.

The flavor is all in the patty.

It's all about the patty in this one.

It's definitely the type of burger that you would not remember to come back to, but you also, you would not complain or turn it away.

You would enjoy your day.

Like, you eat this burger and it's like, oh, it was a good meal.

This is something that you folks are probably more used to: American finger food, football game platter.

You've got your barbecue wings here.

Let's just see what they got.

Okay, good barbecue sauce.

We're trying.

We're going into examining the patient, trying their different things at their platter.

This is pretty straightforward, but they offered it.

So I wanna honor them by, you know, they put it forward.

I'm gonna review it for you guys, but this is something you're probably more used to.

Barbecue's good here.

Tried the barbecue wing and it was pretty good.

It--just sweet enough and good sauce.

Let's try their buffalo wing which seem to be boneless.

I think this--I think these are boneless.

Mm, spicy.

Those are extremely spicy and very heavy on the vinegar, for my taste.

Nothing indicative of what the culinary scene in Baja has going.

More of a familiar platter for American audiences.

But still, if I had to order this dish, I would do away with the buffalo wings.

I would do only the barbecue ones and the rest is good.

The fries are good.

Nachos are okay.

Jorge: Okay, so that round was not as memorable, but that's okay.

The bar has been set a bit high for these Super Bowl appetizers to compete fairly.

They do have their place, though.

But now, exploring the building, I wanna see how many of its original features remain in use and are being integrated into the modern remodel.

And as for the visitor experience, it turns out it's not just a historical building but also the site of major historical milestones for Baja California.

Jorge: The outside looks beautiful, right?

It makes me think of the majestic, the movie, you know, movie theater all-time with all the--all the marquee lights.

Did you--did you make it close to how it was or did you do a whole new thing?

Martin: No, there's a lot of things that are--that were just restored.

For example, that painting is original.

Jorge: It's original?

Martin: As it was.

Jorge: Oh, my goodness.

Martin: We didn't do anything to it.

It's just--we don't know who the artist is.

We just know it was someone from Spain because the original founders were from Spain.

Adolfo Curto is their last name.

They were a businessman from Spain that had different movie theaters around the region.

Jorge: And they're the ones that built this?

Martin: It, original, built it here, yes.

In this place it's where our state of Baja California was.

It became part of Mexico.

Here, the Congress had their session and they did the Constitution here in this place.

Jorge: This building?

Martin: In this building, yes.

The Congress, they, in the '40s, there were not enough buildings this big or luxurious because this was the only place with air conditioning and stuff like that.

It was a very fancy movie theater.

So for special events, they would do them here.

Jorge: So they did the Constitution for Baja California here?

Martin: Yes, and they said, starting today, Baja California is part of Mexican Republic.

Jorge: So it's part of Baja California's history?

Martin: Yes, it started here.

Jorge: Baja California started here.

Martin: We have-- Jorge: You heard it, folks, you heard that?

Literally, Baja California, the mere concept of it, its constitution right here, this building.

Wow, that's amazing.

Jorge: I'm not big on, like, thick bread.

If you notice, these pieces are, you know, thicker than your normal thin sliced pizza.

They say it's pretty popular with the patrons here, so let's try it.

It's not just bread.

It's like an oven-baked crunchy bread.

So I can tell why people like that one.

You know, if I had a plate full of olive oil, I'd probably just clean that out with that type of pizza.

So, okay, not bad.

Jorge: Okay, so this kind of excites me because very few places make chimichangas anymore.

And I love chimichangas.

Let's put a little bit of the salsa because they brought it for a reason.

Just put a little bit on the veggies.

Oh, you see, rewarded for being health conscious.

I put the veggies and turns out there's a bit of avocado right underneath.

Rewarded for not ignoring the veggies.

This actually has chicharron which is like a pork rind dish with octopus.

And it's more of--they're saying it's more of a taco dorado, which is like a fried taco as opposed to a chimichanga, but it looks like a chimichanga, so, even though the chef, you know, didn't want to call it a chimichanga, it's a chimichanga.

De facto, it's a chimichanga.

Right, let's see.

This excites me.

This is pretty good because it's not a taco dorado; this is a flour tortilla, right?

Taco dorado is normally a corn tortilla.

That is very good.

Let's see, you put the avocado bed.

Using the salsa there.

You got your veggies, you got your radish, you got your greens.

Let's put some radish in there.

Yeah, that's what you want right there.

I think we have the silver medalist here.

Surpassing the initial tacos.

Not the tostada.

The tostada remains the champion, but what a tasty little dish here, full of flavor.

You can tell the chicharron and the octopus have a lot of seasoning in it and not spicy at all.

This one is not spicy.

The salty factor is perfect, so it's a dish made with care.

Jorge: Cine Curto, with all its features, entertains guests with a variety of food, a hip environment, a place to be seen, and live entertainment that brings a truly eclectic set of performers.

All of this adds to making it a very unique experience.

They have everything from small artists to more established ones.

Martin: I don't know if you know Mexican bands, but we had [speaking Spanish] This Friday, we have Leon Larregui from Zoe.

Jorge: Okay, so it's across the board?

Martin: Yes, we have DJs over there.

We have orchestras.

We have teatro.

Jorge: Have you had any--anyone record, like, a music video here?

Martin: Yes, music videos.

A lot of people for their wedding.

They come and take photos here.

Jorge: Yeah, for sure.

Martin: Do you know who Pedro Infante is?

Jorge: Yeah, of course.

Martin: He had a show here two times, back in the day.

Jorge: He did, yeah, that's, you know, when I saw the stage, it's exactly to the time it took me back to, amazing.

And the food, is there anything you can tell me about the food of the vendors that you chose to be here in your market?

Martin: We have a variety of what is, like, traditional from the region.

We have pizza and this is a very special pizza because it's-- they have recipes from Naples.

It's like authentic Italian pizza in Mexicali.

We have seafood, we have hamburgers, we have ribs, and smoked stuff.

And we also have a taqueria with handmade tortillas outside.

Jorge: You gotta have tacos, man.

Martin: We have to have tacos and we also have craft beer.

Those are different local breweries from Mexicali.

We have over seven different local breweries here.

Jorge: Pizza Bianca, they're saying that this one is a Naples-style pizza.

I can already tell by the texture, the consistency of it, that, yeah, it's--I remember I was in Naples and I literally had to, like, always fold the front because it was falling forward.

So let's just see.

Jorge: Didn't pop, didn't pop.

I mean, it's a good pizza, but I've had so many that are just, like, out of this world and like the first two dishes.

It's not bad, but, like, the first two dishes, the tacos and the tostada, they just raised the bar too high.

They have a few breweries in here on site.

The whole right row of the stage, they have micro breweries, artisanal breweries.

This one is called Hornet and they brought me a blond ale and the foam is gone because I already cheated before you guys were recording, I kinda sipped it a little bit and it's very good.

But I'm just gonna honor it with you guys showing.

This is a blond ale, all right?

Stringent enough and refreshing, full of flavor.

Artisanal beers just rock, right?

And only blond ales, I like them when the sun's out, you know, a little bit hotter weather, climate.

Blond ales, Pilsner, Hefeweizens.

That's when I like them.

When it's like right now, kind of like an evening, you know, more a cooler temperature, and so on, I normally go for porters or for stouts and that's what they brought me as well.

The blond ale was called the Reyna or Queen.

Now, this one is called Jesus de Vera Cruz.

It's the name of this porter stout, and we're gonna try it now.

It's good.

It's not as dense as maybe others that I've tried but it's not bad.

I think I need probably four more of these to kind of get the full flavor of it.

Anyway-- Jorge: All the dishes that I've been trying up to now have been from Main Hall Food Court which surrounds the floor seating.

But it turns out they have their own Cine Curto house restaurant.

It's called Casa Curto, and we're gonna try that as well.

I saved my last tasting for this place.

Martin: This is our restaurant.

We have breakfast, lunch, and dinner here.

It's open every day.

This place was where the--it was the apartment of the owners.

When they had special guests coming here, for example, when Pedro Infante came, they asked him to stay here, so he didn't have to go to a hotel.

So we have a little private room where it used to be Pedro Infante's rooms where he stayed.

Jorge: No way?

Martin: Yes.

Jorge: So, Martin, where does the name "Curto" come from?

Martin: Curto was the last name of the founder.

His name was Adolfo Curto.

So that's how he named the movie theater and we decided we had to keep it.

It's part of the history.

So we just started the Mercado because Mercado is Spanish for public market, for market.

So our name right now is Mercado Cine Curto.

Jorge: So this octopus apparently is made with tortilla ashes, if you can believe that.

It's got some pico de gallo, it's got some achiote veggie powder on it.

It's got a a seared cauliflower puree which is the one--that paste you see at the bottom.

It also has this chili emulsion.

And if you feel like giving me a lifetime of emulsion, ♪ I second that emotion.

♪ No, no-- ♪ I second that emulsion ♪ Let's do what you want to see.

Igor, argh, and let's try it.

That first try tasted a wee bit salty.

Let's see if another arm here, without putting anything.

Let me see if it was one of the emulsions, a puree or if it's the octopus itself.

I hate to say it, but I think it was the emulsion, because the octopus is cooked to perfection.

Jorge: This is really a place that benefits a region.

Mexicali is full of such like buildings that need some TLC.

The whole area has the potential of becoming a historical hub, a hot spot, that would make it a great destination.

Let's hope other investors see that potential.

Martin had one last area from this old-time theater to show us.

Jorge: Okay, so what are you gonna show us here, Martin?

We're gonna read a book or what?

Martin: The lesser price?

This is a secret code and then they open for us.

Come on in guys.

Jorge: This is a speakeasy.

Oh man, this is like a gentleman's club.

Martin: It's a whisky bar.

Jorge: It's a whisky bar.

Martin: They have over 60 different labels.

Jorge: Oh my goodness.

How can people get into this exclusive area?

Martin: It's by invitation only.

Jorge: By invitation!

Martin: Check out this.

Jorge: This is the Fog Timers Club.

All right, folks.

Well, I guess--I guess I made it because I'm in this exclusive speakeasy, invite only, with the leathery smoky musk, just brooming and it's such a cool place.

All right, well, Martin, thank you very much.

You got a good thing going here and your intention of putting back into the city, infusing that energy into this area, the strip, that was abandoned, I think it's gonna pay off.

Jorge: So good job, guys.

Martin: Thank you very much.

Jorge: It's "Crossing South," folks.

We hope you enjoyed the show.

We'll see you next time.

We're gonna keep enjoying some of the stuff here because this place is really cool.

I gotta go hear some cabaret, so see you later.

Let me just-- Jorge: So after getting to travel back in time and seeing the appreciation new generations are showing for their heritage, we leave the past and travel towards the future, wondering what other adventures will await us, the next time we cross South.

♪ I second that emotion.

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