Menus Magazine, 1997.
Baja Grill at K-38, On Oleander across from Cinema Six. Right off the bat, this place is packed. The Gypsy Kings are playing in the background. We're at the bar (which among other come-ons) features a Smithsonian collection of bottled hot sauces just for you. Here, elbow to elbow, the regular patrons are quick to help a newcomer get a grasp of the evenings specials and the margaritas are served as quick as lightning. "Top-shelf" is "bottom line" here every day. Fleetly you've turned at K-38 too. Now, for all practical purposes, you are at that small shanty on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Because what started as a kilometer marker on a surfer's side road (K-38), which marked the spot where the waves broke the way they were supposed to, has now become the place for "Baja Fresh" cuisine prepared the way it should be…with chilies and spices from all over the Southwest and Mexico.The man who surfed K-38, and who is now the Crown Prince of Chilies, is Josh Vach. And he definitely knows his sport. The Baja Grill uses chilies from two categories of six fresh and twelve dried and every combination thereof. Fresh lend a citrus sharp to intense heat. Dried provide the complex flavors of plum, raisin and chocolate with smoke, subtle or earthy heat. Combine these with choice meats or fresh local seafood and you start to get the picture.

Innovation is the prize here. Each item we has was better than the one prior and they all were better than anyplace else we'd ever had them before. We started as everyone must with tortilla chips and an over-the-top fresh tomato salsa which had it all going and was characteristically warm in the belly. The Black Bean Soup was rich and multi-dimensional with chopote and cilantro undertones. The slow roasted corn chowder was, appropriately, fit for a Gypsy King. Josh's Baja Rolls are soft flour tortillas stuffed with all things good and come served in sliced medallions like kaleidoscopic sushi rolls. The presentation is as gratifying as the ingredients. The Stetson features an achiote marinated chicken breast, quac, Monty jack, roma tomatoes and red cabbage for color and crunch. It's served with chipotle slioli. There's a Tuna Roll and a Roasted Vegetable Roll each served with an equally uncommon sauce. The Santa Fe Skewers were comprised of a choice between blackened/roasted shrimp, marinated grilled chicken or tender braised beef. To our delight they came served with yet another new array of dipping sauces.

The time there was a BBQ sauce which, thank god, was not from North Carolina, a Chipotle that would zing you real good and an Avocado Vinaigrette that was a creamy citrus guacamole with a smoky finish. All of this was real fun but then…

The especialidades arrived. First, the Enchilada Supremas Del Mar with its three corn tortillas of red, gold and blue enveloping Dungeness crab, fresh shrimp and bay scallops in a roasted garlic cream sauce. It's all made to order and the attention to detail is triumphant. My Yucatan style pork or "Carnitas" featured a portion of slow stoked pork shoulder which was cooked for twelve hours till it just fell off the bone. It's a well chillied marinated roast whose nuances are attributed to the Achiote paste, an earthy mixture of annatto seed, garlic, cornmeal and spices. You take this treat and wrap it in the fresh tortilla along with some black beans, guacamole and a good showing of that special orange salsa. Now we're having fun.

K38 BAJA GRILL
5410 Oleander Drive
Wilmington, NC 28403
910.395.6040

Porter's Neck
Shopping Center
8211 Market Street
Wilmington, NC 28405
910.686.8211