Mariscos Monday: A quick visit to Mariscos la Perla Negra

I mentioned that Mariscos Godoy had closed in a recent post. Though it was quite a shock, we had noticed that the food there had changed a bit over the last year, much more salty, unevenly prepared, the music seemed louder than ever…….. And yet, we were sad, and a bit shocked to see it was gone and now replaced by "the Black Pearl". The Missus was interested to see what the new shop brought to the table (no pun intended), so we took a weeknight drive down to Chula Vista to see.

At first glance, the place looked pretty much the same, as did the menu…we were later told by our Server that the menu is 98% the same as Mariscos Godoy. The twp per-cent? I'm not sure as the menu looked the same.

Things started off with chips…..

The consomme and salsa……I did notice that the "fish dip" was missing……

I also noticed that the consomme. which was decent, was less salty than before….also, the music was played at a moderate volume……

The Missus and I decided on ordering just two items….which was just enough for us. Starting with the smoked marlyn stuffed peppers called Toritos.

Light and more crisp than what I recalled, the smoked fish wasn't as salty, but still had more than enough smokey flavor to satisfy. This is still a favorite.

We also ordered the Langostinos Zarandeado. The price ($24.95) is the same, but there's one less whole langostinos.

Still, this was less salty and greasy than what we had during our last two visits to Godoy. The "squat lobsters" were grilled perfectly, still plump, tender, and full of flavor – garlic, chili, nice savory flavors. There was much less in terms of portion, side dishes (no beans), and condiments, but the food seemed prepared better. What did throw me off was the flour tortillas……. I'd never had flour tortillas at Godoy. I thought that perhaps we were "gringo'd", but then noticed the other tables had flour tortillas. Go figure…..

This was a much more relaxed place that the fiesta atmosphere of Godoy….though I did notice that the have live bands on Saturday and Sunday……. I am hoping the Mariachi and the "Gorilla" has been retired though…..

Yep, once I got ambushed on my birthday….once I saw them do a version for kids….the gorilla used milk instead of a Corona!

Anyway, I'm sure we'll be back to check them out again; though probably not on "band nights".

Mariscos la Perla Negra
651 Palomar St
Chula Vista, CA 91911