Jorge Meraz: Today in "Crossing South" we visit a popular Valle de Guadalupe restaurant which has gained the admiration of not only customers but of other chefs in the region and it's coming to you right now.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Jorge: We always enjoy our trips to Valle de Guadalupe.

I mean, just look at this, folks.

It doesn't get any better than this.

You're enjoying for the wine country, you're enjoying the food pairings, you're enjoying Baja's young wines.

It's just amazing, right?

And we have a special treat for you guys today because many places that we've gone to in the Valle, there's one thing, one name, that keeps ringing, that keeps--and although the winemakers, the restaurateurs, they keep saying, like, you know, there's a place that you have to check out.

And we're at the place right now.

The winery is called Bruma, the restaurant is called Fauna, and the chef is called David.

He comes highly recommended by his peers and that's what you want, that piques our interest when even the chefs around are telling you, "That's your man.

You've got to talk to that guy."

Well, I think it was time to listen.

So, it's "Crossing South," folks.

We are at Fauna at Bruma.

He's got a brand new wine garden and we're gonna show it to you right now.

We're gonna meet him right now, folks.

Don't go anywhere.

"Crossing South."

Jorge: David, I just want you to know that we're here because not only consumers but actually your peers mention you a whole lot.

Why is that?

Talk to me.

David Castro Hussong: Well, first of all, thanks for coming.

I really appreciate it.

I think we're focused on doing just delicious food that's-- all these years I working in different places and-- Jorge: Where has life taken you?

What's your-- David: I spent some time in Denmark, some time in New York, San Francisco, yeah, around the world but this is home for me.

So I'm from Baja, Ensenada, my family's one of the oldest families here in Ensenada.

Yeah, I'm part of the Hussong family.

Well then, from all these, like, different experiences, coming back home and I just really focus on doing delicious food and doing something which is very simple.

I don't like to-- Jorge: Mess with it?

David: --play too much with the presentation.

Like, I focus first on the flavor and then if it looks-- well, I'm sorry, but I'm sure it's gonna taste delicious.

Jorge: Forget the details, the little flower-- should taste good.

That's the main thing.

I don't think anyone's gonna blame you for that.

So first up, I wanted to get a tour of this amazing complex, which is actually made up of three separate businesses.

You have the new wine garden, a campestre-style, open-air, rustic wine bar, which you can also eat at.

The atmosphere here perfectly captures the essence of Valle de Guadalupe.

Then you have David's main restaurant, the one that's made a name for himself.

It's called Fauna.

David: My vision with Fauna was to really, like, represent who I am as a person, as a chef, as now a father, but this is, like, my baby.

Jorge: The design: very, very organic.

David: Exactly.

Was designed then by the architect Alejandro D'Acosta.

I know him for a very long time.

He's almost like my uncle, brother Hugo D'Acosta was the original, the first, winemaker here in Bruma, and he was the one actually got me the first interview with the partners and that's how I end up here.

Jorge: Tell me about the dedication that's needed.

What's needed to succeed in a business like this?

David: Cooking is a craft and, as any craft, the more time you spend doing your craft, the better you're gonna become and that's now the secret, so it's gotta work a lot and that's it.

Jorge: I think it's a good lesson, the fact that you, at 16, were already an apprentice in your field.

Other kids wanna learn something, be an apprentice at a young age.

David: Exactly.

Jorge: For the work ethic.

David: Start working.

I mean, for me it paid off.

There's not--it's not a recipe, it's not like a recipe for success but at least for me it did work.

Jorge: And lastly, there's a winery which is called Bruma.

That's where this amazing tree immediately catches the eye, along with that circular pond.

The water is not only for aesthetics, it also serves as a natural insulation for the wine cellar underneath.

David: The tree was right here.

It was already dead, and we just cut it, put it together.

Jorge: But isn't this, like, way below ground?

David: Yes.

Jorge: So did you bring the tree on here?

David: The nature of the hill was coming down, so, I mean, probably was a little more down but it was somewhere around here.

Jorge: Gotcha.

It's very creative, very unique, very beautiful.

You know, I can see that you're saying you're always striving, putting yourself with a high bar.

You can tell.

David: The whole room is like that, and I think some people are following us and I love that.

We focus more in the whites and rosés.

We don't do much aging so this is only our premium wine, which is only one day old, and we have 30 other labels.

Jorge: So even though Fauna and Bruma are separate businesses, they share a location and a symbiotic relationship.

I wanted to try their wine.

Jorge: Really good of y'all, thank you, David, but we're ready to try the food.

That's the part you wanna see, folks.

"Crossing South."

Don't go anywhere.

We're gonna try it right now.

Fauna's food and I'm giddy, I'm excited.

Jorge: So if you've come here for the first time, you wanna try the full gauntlet.

Basically, it's maybe 90% or more.

You can ask for the festine, the feast menu.

And instead of bringing you, like, a la carte, you know, like, a dish, they're bring you, basically, the menu but a sample size of the whole menu, which is what we're gonna try right now.

Like, for instance, this dish right here, this is ten times the size when you order a la carte.

We're gonna get ready, folks.

The first one we're gonna try is this sample platter of oyster and clams.

Now, if you look at the first one here, this is an oyster with a tomato water with a smoked scallop.

This one right here, an abalone and it's got a pumpkin seed, aguachile sauce.

This one is a chocolate clam with chimichurri, so these are very fresh menu.

Can see some oil, you know, in there.

So you can see the separation of the water and the oil.

Local Baja oyster with tomato water.

So refreshing, it's almost like a sparkling water inside, as if we had a little champagne.

It's kind of like what it tastes like.

Let's try the abalone with the aguachile.

Gotta really open wide.

Wow, it's oily, it's almost buttery.

Really refreshing.

Let's go to the clam.

We're working our way up, so this chimichurri with this chocolate clam.

Oh, that was such a good pairing.

Maybe I should have tried it with the other ones too.

Have you ever wondered how a seafood pairing goes with white wine, that chocolate clam with this Casa Jipi, if you come and get that dish, that's a pairing.

That's a seafood pairing right there, wow.

This, believe it or not, this is a cactus quinoa.

This is a completely vegan menu.

Oh, look at that at the bottom.

I'm not a vegan but this is very tasty.

You can see the quinoa there, and you got the piece of cactus, that minced cactus.

Jorge: I'm no vegan, but that's good.

This is not vegan but it's vegetarian.

You've got some dehydrated kale, you've got avocado below it, and you've got some cheese.

If you wanted vegan, they can remove the cheese.

Well, it didn't fall apart when I picked it up, so I'm gonna try it like that.

Jorge: The cheese and the kale provide, right, a salty goodness to it.

Jorge: We're gonna try this tune ceviche.

If you can see below that, that is a emulsion butter.

It's got avocado underneath.

It's got a serrano chili, but that emulsion seems to be, like, something that's really creamy.

Look at that, oh man.

He said to try it with a chip.

I'm gonna try it first, alone, no chip.

Gonna mix it up.

Get some emulsion into it.

Oh, that's so buttery.

The competition only gets more strenuous as we move forward.

It's "Crossing South."

Don't go anywhere.

Jorge: Where'd you learn to cook, man?

David: I learnt to cook first at, I think, home.

I come from a family that we loved to eat, we loved to cook.

Many chefs in the family.

Jorge: Any particular style?

Was it campestre style?

Is it, like, gourmet?

David: Very rustic.

There was nothing in the ranch, just fire, lamb or cattle, depending on the day.

Jorge: But you know, sometimes, some of the best dishes that you'll try have nothing but salt and pepper, right?

David: Unfortunately, yes.

That's all you need.

Probably avocado or salsa, but that's it.

Jorge: So you learned the basics in Baja.

David: Basics in Baja.

The next I work in is some of the, I think, best restaurants down here, Laja, like, that was, 14 years ago.

Jorge: So, you were at Laja before in the Valle de-- David: Exactly, yeah, it was when we were sitting down just waiting for a wine cart to show up and we were, like, "Oh, this is-- this wine cart.

This is a table of two."

And we were very excited.

So, yeah.

Jorge: Wine cart.

David: Yeah, seriously.

We always joke about it.

Jorge: Somebody told you that back in the day when-- during those times, like, people would fly in helicopter to eat there and then leave.

Is that true or not?

David: True, it's true.

Oh, it's true, yeah.

That and also it's true that we were waiting outside and then we'll see the car, like...and we run to the kitchen, like, "Hey, we have two guests."

And then we'd run to the garden, take some carrots and clean them up really fast and I start prepping.

We wouldn't get ahead because we didn't know if we were gonna-- Jorge: If they're coming in.

David: Yeah.

Jorge: Those days are definitely long gone.

David now has his own restaurant and hopefully waiting for that once-in-a-while customer is a thing of the past.

Fauna has become a hotspot for Valle de Guadalupe food and the quality he serves makes customers line up en mass.

Jorge: Okay, so this is the second course.

Okay, so this is the grilled lettuce.

It's got a seaweed, this powdered seaweed.

It's called frutti kake.

It's got a soy and saki emulsion and along the frutti kake it also has, like, sardine bits.

This one is--I mean, you can see what it is, right?

It's a broccoli, but it's a smoked broccoli.

It's got this broccoli and parsley purée, it's got chiltepin oil and black sesame seeds.

See 'em right there?

And this is like a little bit of a lemon zest that's included in it.

And this one, right here, is the grilled octopus.

So you have your heirloom tomatoes.

It's got, like, mojo sauce.

It's got pasilla pepper.

There's a Oaxacan chili in there called mixe and it's got a wiu beef chicharrón.

So, apparently, I have to try these tacos so they brought me some tortillas here and who am I to argue how you should eat these things, right?

So they asked me to--the waiter told me you can put the tortilla on your plate and let's try the fried lettuce.

I don't know if--whether to cut it or just put it in.

I think he said just put it all in.

Jorge: That is so full of flavor.

I can't believe I just ate a tortilla with no protein and it tastes, like, incredibly good.

Jorge: You know how we always joke, "Why can't celery taste like, you know, like a rib eye or something"?

Jorge: Now why can't vegetables taste like this?

Tell me.

Why can't a piece of celery have this taste?

If science can do that, if they can only harness taste and put it like this, that would be really good.

Jorge: I think David's close to that equation.

Jorge: This is like a single ingredient dish.

Let's get some of that emulsion.

Very refreshing dish, but it's like a salad.

We're gonna go to the grilled octopus, and the waiter suggested also to put it in the tortilla.

Let's put it in there.

You see here heirloom tomatoes, the mixe, the mojo, the pasilla pepper, and let's try it.

I'm loving this octopus, folks.

Incredibly tender.

The tomato gives it this level of acidity that you just need right there.

The meat of the octopus, crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside.

The chili is not overwhelmingly spicy.

It's an oily, viscus, seasoned octopus.

Ah, ah, ho, ho, ho.

We're enjoying this, folks.

Don't go anywhere.

Jorge: When you left, you went to Denmark, you went different places.

What did you learn over there?

What did you learn in other places you went to?

David: I think I learned to appreciate where I'm coming from.

Yeah, when you don't travel, when you're only stuck in one place, you think the rest of the world is the same.

And then when you go to, especially, like, Denmark, that the culinary backgrounds are not like ours.

In Mexico, they're running for many, many years, it's very, very complex.

We have so many different dishes, so many different types or styles of Mexican food, depending on the state that you grew up or where your family comes from.

We're very, very lucky.

As Mexicans, we're super lucky.

We're very lucky to have all these different dishes, all these different styles, and so all these different flavor profiles.

Jorge: If you like freedom, the fact that Baja is like a young state, doesn't have many of the, you know, old traditions of-- you think that it's more-- it's free-er, maybe, to explore?

David: Yeah, absolutely.

It was really nice running up here because there is not, like, the authentic recipe of the aunt, or-- Jorge: You have to go from-- David: Yeah, "You have to follow this and--" but at the same time, you have the background of flavors from these different states of Mexico.

Jorge: All the people that have come here, right, brought their flavors to-- David: Yes, so I don't have to do exactly one way because that's not how we were teached because I and my family came from Germany, but I do have the flavor profiles in my brain and, you know, and in my hands to do it, but I don't have to do it a certain way.

It's just I have these flavors and then I-- and we have these ingredients.

How can we put all those things together and make something amazing?

Jorge: David was definitely able to create some amazing flavors.

Bringing out the most of his ingredients, he optimizes them way above their preconceived potential.

He has done so without necessarily being tied up to Mexican traditions when, at the same time, utilizing them when they enhance the taste of his dishes.

Jorge: This is the dinner which is blue corn tortilla with sweet potato inside and that's a meco chili sauce and that chili is from Oaxaca.

So David seems to have implemented a lot of Oaxaca flavors into his meals.

These are poached scallops with brown butter.

And at the bottom, if you can see there, it has eggplant and squid ink purée.

Pork salpicon, it's got fermented cauliflower which is the salpicon.

You see your cilantro, you see your avocados.

You've got your pork squares right there.

Right, so let's try it.

You can tell he grew up in Baja.

This meal, literally, tastes like a Mexican dish in the '80s, corn tortillas with refried beans, sour cream or mayonnaise, whichever you would wanna put in, and the sweet potato inside is just this little creative touch.

It's so good.

I love the taste of that.

It's almost like a new thing, but with a touch of the oldtime, you know, Baja flavors.

So we're gonna try the salpicon.

The salpicon is a very typical meal.

It's common.

It's normally something people would take to a picnic, to a brunch, the salpicon.

But normally, it'd be shredded meat.

That's how I've-- when I've had it, it's with shredded meat, and they have it with tostadas.

They asked me to have it with this blue corn tortilla and instead of shredded meat, you've got your blocks, your pork blocks.

This was really good.

It's vinegary, salady, and it's got that little pork right there, just to make it up into a hearty meal.

Hmm, so he asked us to mix this up, these scallops.

Mix them with the octopus ink, the purée.

Look at that.

It's almost like it's tar, right?

But these are scallops.

This might get messy.

We're going in, sir.

If you've ever brushed your teeth with charcoal, you know.

So, look at that, slowly dripping, okay?

A creamy, citrusy taste.

There is no dish that we've tried that is not full of flavor.

Well, there came a time when the learning ended.

I mean, and not ended because you're probably always learning but there came a time where you being an apprentice in other restaurants stopped and you start doing your own thing.

So how do you renovate?

How do you discover?

What do you do?

How do you cook that, that you get such good, you know, recommendations, man, like, what do you do-- David: Every time is more difficult and I like to talk about this with different creative friends, you know, like, artists and musicians and that.

I think when you're young and you don't have to demonstrate much, it's like, if it's fine, it's fine.

Now, I feel the pressure is, like-- Yeah, it's like you have to do something that is, like, amazing, and it's so hard.

I wish I could tell you it's easier, but sometimes it's really like, "Oh my god."

Jorge: A chef at this level is like an Olympian.

David tells me it takes years and years of intense training to achieve excellence like this.

But David seems to be coping quite well with this unasked for role.

It's the card he's been dealt with.

He's definitely not shying away from the challenge, I can tell you that.

Jorge: All right, so we're gonna start with this one, folks.

Check it out.

Okay, this is a squash with a pasilla pepper chili sauce on it.

And let's try a slice of it.

Wow, it just melts in your mouth.

So it's a grilled cabbage with cabbage purée below.

It's got a chili butter, you know, sauce drenched all over.

You can probably see how it glistens, right?

It is something to behold to see someone make a simple ingredient that would normally be, you know, accompanying a piece of protein or part of a salad, and make it its own thing.

You know, this guy truly honors every ingredient.

This is a cabbage.

We've had a lettuce taco.

This is a dish, this cabbage.

Okay, so this right here is a beef gizzard with some mashed potatoes.

So it's got a demiglaze of the beef.

So this is the demiglaze.

This is a caramelized reduction of the meat sauce, of the gizzard, you know, sauce.

So it looks pretty good.

And we'll just scoop it all out, get a little bit of everything.

It almost has, like, this Asian flavor to it.

The exterior, crunchy to perfection.

Mashed potatoes, just soften the mouthful, and inside, incredibly tender meat.

Jorge: This is a braised lamb.

You can see there, at the bottom, it's got the lamb stew, you know, the juices underneath it from the same lamb, and it's got some chilhuacle chili oil.

And chilhuacle is a pepper which is from the family of chipotle chilies, basically.

They said to eat it again with tortillas but, before, I always like to taste what the chef's making.

This is braised right here on location on an open fire.

Look at the juices.

Look at the oils.

Look at the seasoning of the chili peppers.

I have been to too many restaurants that focus solely on the main dishes, and then they have a half-hearted effort for the desserts.

For the most part, that is not the case for Valle de Guadalupe restaurants.

And the Fauna dishes have been something special, so my expectations are pretty high for this final phase.

Jorge: Okay, so you guys know how I am with desserts and that's what gets me up in the mornings and this is banana ice cream underneath.

This is a cookie, a cookie crust.

Look at how crunchy this is.

And this is what they call crema pastelera which is a cake cream, so, pastry cream, basically.

Let's try it.

Whoa, look at how that cracked, right?

All right, let's get some of that.

You see that?

Oh my god, both the cream and the ice cream, the chip, combines for a phenomenal taste.

Jorge: This is a honey semifreddo with blue corn chips.

It's got ice cream and salted caramel.

Right, folks, let's get in there.

There you go.

You got a little bit of everything, of every layer.

That's an elegant dessert.

Elegant and delicious, wow.

Jorge: So this is the churro.

It's got crumble in there.

It's got guava-- and it's got dulce de leche melted.

Look at that.

Oh man, this looks exciting, folks.

They've all been good so far.

There's not been one loss.

And this one looks like the best.

Scrumptious.

This guy has a very specific talent.

He can make a single ingredient and just bring out its full potential which is what he did.

And capturing the essence of all-time classic dishes and bringing them for a new generation with something creative that he brought from his own imagination and creativity.

Jorge: So after getting to meet David, the champion of chefs, taste his amazing use of endemic produce, and unique cuisine, we leave wondering what other experience will await us the next time we get to cross south.

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