 | The Mexican seafood bug struck the other night, and an internet search
uncovered "Mariscos Mazatlan" in Chula Vista, on 3rd Avenue just north of
Palomar Street (this is a stretch of 3rd that is definitely off the beaten
track). Readers of this list will know that I have been partial to Karinas and
Mariscos Hector's, both on Broadway.
Chula Vista seems to make a specialty of Mexican seafood houses, which are
comparatively rare north of the city. To my surprise, there was a branch of
Karina's just across the street from Mazatlan--welcome to know, as the location
on Broadway has inadequate parking and is often crowded (not to mention loud).
We'll try this other location sometime in the near future.
Service was friendly and very informal. The place is not fancy, and many
families had small children/babies. We were served excellent tortilla chips and
a chile-based salsa (as opposed to a more tomato-based one) that was hot but
not as burning as the salsa served at Hector's.
With your dinner order, you are served a cup of fish broth with rice. The broth
had a rich fish flavor, some slight heat, and was very good. It did not have
whole pieces of fish in it, though, unlike the fish soup served with meals at
Hector's; I thought the flavor was better, though, here.
For dinner, I had the filet of fish (cod, no less!) with a chipotle sauce. I
was served a generous portion of fish, swimming in a creamy sauce that packed
some heat. It was superb. My wife had order the salmon served zarandeado style,
which is cooked with a creamy chile-based salsa, wrapped in aluminum, and
cooked over a fire. It was also delicious and very ample.
Each meal came with a side plate of rice and beans. The rice was a bit oily but
had good flavor. The beans were also good, and did not taste of lard.
The kiddies had fish-and-chips and a quesadilla. Both were served with a very
generous portion of french fries that were cooked properly and that had very
good flavor.
The bill for the four of us came to $31 + tip. This seemed quite reasonable,
and a better value than our other favorites. There is no question we will be
back; the menu is extensive and features lots of other fish dishes I'd like to
try.
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