Seafood – Page 16

Porto: Matosinhos and Tito 2

June 27, 2014 mmm-yoso Porto, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Seafood, Travel

Ah yes, Sunday in Porto. Joao had told us when he gave us a short orientation to the apartment; many local restaurants are closed, of course tourist restaurants are open, but you don't want to eat in those, right?

Getting out early on Sunday, it was pretty obvious that things were going to be very quiet…..

The only place that seemed alive and kickin' at this hour was the corner coffee shop and bakery…….you still needed your morning "cafe express" even on Sunday! Strangely, after having their morning caffeine boost and pastry, there's no dallying around, folks just seemed to walk out of the shop and disappear, like a scene from Dr Who…….

We headed up the street…..empty except for just a few folks….stragglers it seemed…waiting to fall victim to the Sunday Zombie Apocalypse…

We headed off to the Minipreco Supermarket next to the Mercado do Bolhao…..which we knew was open, to grab a few items for dinner. Our cab was set to pick us up at 5am in the morning for our flight to Rome, so we decided to just have something light for dinner.

After a nice walk back to the apartment, dropping things off, we headed back up…..

Joao told us that on special Sundays, he takes his family to Matosinhos, a town located to the west of Porto….this is where the docks are….and where we were told, the fish come in and where locals go to eat it. So we headed off on the Metro, getting off at the Matosihnos Sul stop and finding ourselves in Matosihnos…..

We headed down a bit, turning on Rua Herois de Franca and after a couple of blocks things started perking up a bit. We hit a restaurant row. Each restaurant had what looked like makeshift dining areas set-up in front, which seemed to be built on wooden pallets.

You could tell that there was a bit of partying going on here on Saturday night….

There were restaurants all lined up in a row, simple looking tascas next to some pretty nice white tablecloth looking places. Most of them had a grill being primed in from of the shop…..

But which one to choose? Well Joao had told us to "walk past all the restaurants on the street, don't worry, do not get discouraged…..do not stop until you come to Tito 2." And so we did that, even passing Tito 1 on the way.

So this was the place, huh? It looked just like every other place on the street….but heck, Joao hadn't let us down yet!

We looked over and a very nice young man smiled, greeted and seated us, then proceeded to call another studious looking young man…who spoke perfect English….

You know, the pallet seating looked pretty nice, don't you think?

While we waited for our menus to arrive, I peeked around the corner where the grill action was just starting up.

The menu arrived….it was sardine season, so that was a no-brainer….I then saw something that was on my food "bucket list"….something that I just had to try…..I just knew this was going to be a great meal.

Meanwhile, the Missus had snuck off to use the restroom, coming back to tell me to check out the interior of the brick and mortar restaurant….which looked pretty nice.

Just next to the doorway were the "fresh catches"…fish you could select for your meal if you so desired.

Soon our appetizer arrived, something that I'd been waiting to eat for several years….I never thought I'd be getting it in Portugal……

These were percebes, goose barnacles, you know, the stuff you scrape off the hull of boats. Yes, they may be pests to some; but to the Spanish and the Portuguese these are delicacies…rather expensive delicacies. Our Server kindly suggested .2 kilos as being enough.

So the deal is you twist off the head of this, squirting water on yourself is mandatory……you then eat the flesh.

The flavor is intensely briney, like taking in a chewy piece of the ocean…I really liked the texture. It was a bit too briney for the Missus, but I loved the intense flavor.

The Missus wanted to give Sopa de Peixe, fish soup another try……this was really thick and a bit too fishy for our taste…like fishy glue. Not our thing.

The sardines on the other hand were fantastic.

So simply done, no messing around with a fresh product….rubbed in salt, a bit of acid, so nice. The finish was that rich oil that coats your tongue, but also very clean, without that lingering and somewhat off-putting bitter fishiness that often accompanies sardines. This was one of our favorite dishes during our trip.

The potatoes were very nice….so much flavor, so simply done; olive oil, salt, garlic, parsley….

The salad broke things up nicely….also simple.

I also ordered the Lulas Grelhadas – grilled squid with lemon and olive oil.

Perhaps not the best I've had, but nicely prepared.

What was really strange was that two parties came in after us; both spoke Portuguese…both looked at what we were eating and ended up ordering exactly the same thing (we'd already finished the percebes…), which I thought was kind of strange.

The price was amazing, all this, plus a carafe of wine and water for 36 Euros!

The service was very nice, the food very good…..if we're ever in Porto again, we're headed back to Tito 2.

Tito 2
Rua Herois de Franca 321
Matosinhos, Portugal

We stopped for some espresso before going to the metro stop. At the stop a metro police officer headed up to us. In some countries this is not a good sign…not here. He stopped to ask if we needed some help, but we already had our tickets. He smiled and look at us and asked, "how is you time here? Are you enjoying it….having any problems?" What could we say? We loved our time here….

Dinner for us was a simple deal……the Missus new "specialty", some head cheese, bread….a decent drinkable wine (and a beer to follow for me).

We had a nice night's sleep. We woke at 4am, got our act together, and our ride to airport was prompt. The way to the airport was interesting as we got to see what a sprawling city Porto was…….a city we were going to miss.

Thanks for reading!

Mariscos Playa Hermosa in Phoenix

June 24, 2014 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Phoenix/Scottsdale/Chandler/Central AZ, Road Trip, Seafood, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Kirk and Cathy are busy today, but Ed (from Yuma) has had some free time lately, so here's his post from a recent road trip.

A friend of Tina's from grad school was retiring at the end of May, 2014, so we were in Phoenix for the weekend. On a previous trip, Tina had already located a Mexican seafood restaurant that she was sure I would enjoy – Playa Hermosa:

We arrived fairly early before the restaurant had begun to fill up, and I was immediately impressed by the brightly colorful decor:

The chairs were almost too beautiful to sit in:

Even the tabletops were decorative works of art:

The chips and salsa showed, however, that there was more to Playa Hermosa than met the eye:

The fresh chips were accompanied by a fiery red salsa full of chile seeds and an avocado/cilantro green salsa that was mild and smooth.

We also ordered margaritas ($5.99) that were very attractive, flavorful, and effective:

The menu featured a wide range of seafood choices and preparations. Tina chose the camarones culichi (shrimp in green sauce – $13.99), and I decided on the fish and shrimp combination with the poblano sauce ($15.99).

Both meals began with a ceviche de pulpo tostada:

Very tasty. The octopus was perfectly tender and the citrus flavor of the juice was not overpowering.

Tina's shrimp came in a little boat of a complex and tangy salsa verde – it was creamy and elegant, highlighted by green chili and citrus notes. We understood why one of Tina's friends had recommended this dish:

It came accompanied by tortillas, excellent vegetable rice, chopped lettuce and tomato, fresh red onion rings, and slightly refried pinto beans that Tina especially appreciated:

I also loved my dinner:

Next to the same side dishes, my lightly crusted, perfectly grilled fish was topped with numerous shrimp and a truly outstanding ranchero sauce dominated by grilled fresh poblano peppers:

The tender flaky fish was perfectly prepared, and the only real shortcoming of my entrée was that the shrimp were a little overcooked and chewy – as were Tina's.

While we were eating a small mariachi band came in and began playing people's favorites. At first they stood between our table and most of the rest of the restaurant. At that point they sounded better than they looked:

They soon moved throughout the restaurant and we enjoyed their performance.

In fact, we enjoyed our entire meal. Our server was really superb, explaining dishes from the menu, always noticing when we needed something, and being professional and friendly throughout. While the decor and entertainment might make this place seem like a tourist restaurant, virtually everyone in the restaurant – except of course for Tina and me – seemed like a local. We would happily return.

Mariscos Playa Hermosa, 1605 E. Garfield, Phoenix AZ 85006, (602) 462-1563

Mr Fish and Chips 7 Years Later……

June 16, 2014 mmm-yoso Seafood

Man, time sure does fly, doesn't it? The last time I posted on Mr Fish and Chips was well over seven years ago! Sheesh, seven years…..seven years! Just think, the first iPhone was released in June of 2007 four months after this post…..Twitter was less than a year old…and it seemed that Mr Fish and Chips had been here forever.

For some reason, this little mom-and-pop….and daughter operation kind of flies under my radar. It could be that I just don't consume that much fry-o-lated food anymore. It could be that it's tucked away in the strip mall that I hardly visit….the one that's been undergoing renovation for what seems like forever.

So I was rather surprised when frequent commenter "Soo" mentioned that a fire had shut down Mr Fish and Chips. I eventually did check out the location after taking my sweet old time and they were indeed closed. I'm sure Soo was happy when they reopened.

So after waiting a couple of months, before we left on our trip, I decided to drop by….you know, just to see. Apparently Soo wasn't the only one happy to see them back in business. They really knew all their regulars and what they ordered, the older Korean woman even chastised one of the men who hadn't visited since they reopened.

I went with the Fish Plate ($8.99) with Fries. This is straight up fried fish….no flavor of the month seasoning, nothing frou-frou….very old school.

The fish is decent, it ain't tilapia or swai, or anything you'd find on a 99 cent fish taco. The batter is closer to tempura, crisp, light, slightly lacquered. The fish was moist and flakey, very mild in flavor. The fries….sigh….are SYSCO-lated, but I expected no less. I would usually order the onion rings…..but decided my batter quota was already being met. I thought the simple coleslaw was better than I recalled, cold, nice vinegar…..maybe I've been longing for something simple and old school.

For some reason, I really thought the Malt Vinegar was weak and insipid….perhaps my tastes have changed, but I couldn't get the flavor I wanted no matter how much of that stuff I poured out. Don't ask me about the tartar sauce….just don't.

In the end, I got what I expected and came here for. What more could I have asked for?

Mister Fish & Chips
5647 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours
Mon-Sat 11am-9pm
Closed on Sundays

White (Ivory) King Salmon

June 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes, Seafood

It's been good getting back into the old routine here after our trip. That of course, would mean my weekly trip to Catalina Offshore…..and of course, running into Tommy Gomes. This time around, Tommy asked me if I'd ever cooked White King Salmon…..heck, wasn't that really expensive stuff; like what Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud are serving at pretty hefty prices? And I have a chance at it? A nice center cut piece to be exact…. Tommy, did you miss me??? I'd never cooked this product before and I asked Tommy what the difference was between this and regular wild king salmon. His response, "it's different, kind of hard to put a finger on it, the mouthfeel is definitely different, give it a try…." Which is precisely what I did.

I'm sure you're wondering what this looked like, right?

Ever see salmon that looked like this?

Yes, this is King Salmon, the same species as your run of the mill Onchorhynchus tshawytscha, also known as Chinook Salmon. What causes the lack of pigmentation? Apparently a genetic mutation that causes an inability to metabolize astaxanthin. According to the Alsakan Department of Fish and Game, "research has shown the white kings and the red-fleshed kings are identical in composition of lipids, moisture, protein and omega -3 fatty acids". Different sources state that this mutation occurs in anywhere from 1% to 5% of the population. White King Salmon used to be destined for canning or the smokehouse; but perhaps, like Patagonian Toothfish, aka Chilean Sea Bass a name change from White King Salmon to Ivory King Salmon brought about a larger demand?

Bottom line, does the taste and texture any different from regular wild King Salmon? Some say yes, but the described differences are all over the board and contradicting. Some say no.

So here's the drill; I first went with a simple pan saute, with a quick dill infused olive oil to finish and some stir-fried vegetables.

Wow, this was good, to us it was quite different from the usual King Salmon we get. It's not quite oilier, but somehow richer, reminding us of King Clip in the way it flaked. The flavor was quite a bit milder and the typical salmon flavor was a bit more faint, it also seemed to have a slightly sweeter finish. This was outstanding fish…….

So, the Missus decided that I should figure out a way to crust this, adding pepitos to the whole thing. Easy to say from where She sits when I gotta make this stuff! Anyway, toasted and coarsely ground the pumpkin seeds. Panned seared the simply seasoned salmon; added a smear of dill mustard as "glue" to hold the pepito crust, finish in a hot oven………holy smokes……

This was my favorite preparation; it had it all, great texture (man that skin had gotten a texture like chicharron), the combination of nuttiness, dill, and mustard did really well, not interfering with the flavor of the salmon. In fact, it just seemed to add the correct instruments to the band.

Of course I had to come up with a different version for our next meal. The Missus wanted something really tender and steamed. I had to grill off some other items for Her, so I went with a version of en Papillote on the grill. My usual M.O. for this would be to add some wine for moisture and flavor….unfortunately, the current diet the Missus is on allows no alcohol of any kind, to drink or cook. So I went with a few slices of lemon on top, a healthy squeeze of lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of Grieben Schmalz.

After 20 minutes, the Missus had Her favorite preparation. This was nice, everybody brought something to the party; the schmalz laced with caramelized onions added some nice sweetness along with the thin sliced zucchini, the tomatoes and lemon juice a nice contrasting acid, the onions a mild sweet pungency….the schmalz and juices from the fish had rendered over the vegetables.

Simpler is often better, as is the case when using salmon belly. I saved that cut to have with a nice salad, salt, pepper, and the Big Kahuna raging.

Melt in your mouth salmon belly…..a nice final dish.

So, if you skipped to the end here and want to know what we think; I'd say buy it if it's fresh…..if I don't get to it first!

TJ Oyster Bar (revisits)

May 16, 2014 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and His Missus are enjoying the European vacation you've been given a peek into, Ed(from Yuma) is enjoying the end of an era and Cathy is enjoying staying indoors and listening to the radio and weather updates while adding words to photos.

About two years ago, I wrote a post about TJ Oyster Bar, mentioning it might be moving. Turns out that the original location is still open (and consistently busy) and the new location (technically on the same block, around and on the other side of the McDonalds) is also open. I like this location better. It's smaller and I don't feel self conscious when eating alone, which I had occasion to do a few times earlier this year. I was introduced to this wonderful dining establishment by cc, who writes the Pink Candles at Ridgemont High blog.

The outside signage has changed.

As has the look and pricing of the menu. The selection and freshness of the items has not changed.

There is bar stool seating. A handful of two seat tables are available inside with two four-seat tables out front.

My comfort item here, the Seafood Pescadilla ($7.99). Served with rice, this Monterey Jack quesadilla is filled with sauteed buttery, garlicy shrimp, scallops, krab and octopus bits.

The shrimp salad ($ 8.50) Romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, topped with a dozen quite large, flavorful shrimp, Parmesan and a house dressing, this is quite large and refreshing on a hot day.

Another favorite of mine is the shrimp ceviche tostada ($3.75). Chopped plump, juicy shrimp that have been prepared in fresh lime juice with tomato, onion and cilantro. This is always satisfying on a hot day.

I hope everyone is staying cool!

TJ Oyster Bar 4246 Bonita Road Bonita, 92002 (619) 267-4577 Website

Sunday Sandwiches: SuperNatural Sandwiches – the brick and mortar shop

April 20, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, Seafood

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches is under new ownership

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches has closed

No one was happier than I was when I heard that SuperNatural Sandwiches finally had a brick and mortar locaton pinned down. I've had my share of their sandwiches, seen them at Catalina Offshore, gotten to know Anthony(the Talking Head) and Tony(the Food Geek) a bit, since I'm kind of a regular customer and they're friends of friends….as I noted in my previous post. Which is a two-edged sword…..but in this case, I can be fairly brutally honest, it helps that they have a good product, they're nice guys, and that I run very fast when folks throw stuff at me.

I really love the fact that their location is pretty much in the pathway of one of the sites I visit in the course of work, so stopping by once in a while for lunch is great.

There is of course, the entire Nautical/Seafood theme…..a bit over-the-top for me, but so are the sandwiches. The current shop is relatively tiny and I've seen it get packed quickly…..

The two different folks I've run into manning the counter have been great….very friendly.

They've expanded the menu to include what they call the "Sinister Seven", more land based sandwiches. The original sandwiches, which have been served at Farmer's Markets and events around the county is known as the "SuperNatural 7". See kids, this is what happens when you grow up reading too many comic books.

I decided to have one of my favorites, the "Siren" on my first visit. I've had this sandwich a couple of times and love the interplay of the Mexican White Shrimp, sweet and plump, the rich aioli, the crunchy, buttery, mildly sweet, brioche type lobster roll. that shrimp is delish…..it's good stuff…I know because they cut in front me in the shrimp line at Catalina Offshore once before….

My other favorite is the bacon-scallop combo called the "Neptune".

Loved the sweet-smokey flavors, the interplay of textures, there was a mild zip from the sauces,

And while the amount of shrimp in the Siren seemed to be a bit less than what I recalled, this was exactly the sandwich that even the Missus….who is not fond of buttery-sweet brioche and aioli style sauces, enjoyed.

A couple of weeks later I returned….Anthony told me in passing, "why don't you try some of our newer sandwiches?" To translate, "we heard you're a really boring guy, but why don't you live on the edge for once and try something different?" Sheeesh, sounds like the Missus.

So I went with the Chimera, a combination of Bulgogi like beef and shrimp.

For me this was a textbook example of "too much of a good thing". You could barely make out the flavors of the Korean BBQ style beef, you could not make out any of the shrimp, either in flavor or texture….all the sauces and the buttery toast cancelled each other out. I'm sure there are folks who love this, but it was a bit too much for me.

On my most recent visit, Tony suggested the Encantado, a "Baja influenced" fish sandwich.

I had my doubts, the fish was corvina, not one of my favorites, but in terms of flavor, I enjoyed this. The escabeche really made the sandwich for me, adding just the right amount of acid-zip that it needed. I'm really not a fan of the bollilo they used, it's too much bread and too crumbly, like really cheap banh mi. I'd prefer something more crusty. Still, I'm glad they didn't use the regular brioche style roll/bread for this as I feel it would have over-powered the other flavors.

So in the end, just like in the comic books, the good guys (the SuperNatural 7) were victorious over the bad guys (the Sinister 7)….until next time, of course!

I'm happy for this really nice bunch of guys. Since I'm more of a quality/flavor over quantity kind of guy this works for me. I even think those togarashi shrimp chips aren't bad either….though I don't think I've met a shrimp chip I didn't like.

There's one last little critical item I have….please remove this somewhat embarrassing eyesore from your front door…please….

Why don't you replace it with Blogged about by "This Tasty Life"?

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 7pm

Mariscos Monday: A quick visit to Mariscos la Perla Negra

March 24, 2014 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

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

Mariscos Monday: The Mariscos Nine Seas Truck

March 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

**** The Mariscos Nine Seas Truck is no longer

I'd been wanting to try out the Mariscos Truck in Hipster Land for a while……that would be Mariscos Nine Seas which is located in the parking lot of Gala Foods and across the street from South Park Abbey.

I really like the "seating area", chairs to sit and stools for tables…..kind of neat.

I also quickly noticed that the menu was basically in English, amking it very gringo friendly. No pretense at the customer base it seems. That Baja Trio seemed like a decent way of tasting a decent range of items, the shrimp, fish taco, and the smoked fish, so I decided on that. It did take me a while to order….for some reason, even when I tried calling into the window; the woman working didn't hear me. It wasn't until one of the guys walked out the door and noticed me that I got my order taken.

Anyway, I had my seat until my tacos were ready. I did notice that the guys who came after me were given consomme; but I wasn't, kind of strange. I'm sure I could have asked for it, but since I had three tacos coming, if they were good, I'd be back……

I wasn't a big fan of the tortillas which were crumbly and bland. The best of the bunch was the shrimp; which were plump and juicy and handled the simple batter quite well. The flavoring was simple, though bland. The fish taco was decently flavored, the batter a bit too light, and the fish kind of slimy, what's with all the watery crema nowadays. Also, even tohugh it was 11am nad they open at 930, they seemed ill prepared….I had to ask for napkins, salsa, there was no cebollas, no limes…….

Tacos de Marlyn is one of my favorites….I love the combination of smoke, saltiness, and the flavor of the fish. This however, was probably the worst version I've ever had….it lacked a decent smoke flavor and was terribly fishy….I'm no shrinking violet; I've eaten fish curd and what they call "fish poo", but this just didn't taste right. I went back to the truck and asked for a "salsa picante" something spicy to see if that would fix tihngs….it didn't…I dumped it.

I'm guessing a lot of folks love this truck…..I'll pass.

The Mariscos Nine Seas Truck
3030 Grape St
San Diego, CA 92102

Amazing Camarones (shrimp) in Paredoncito (Benito Juarez, Sonora)

March 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Mexico, Seafood, Sonora, Mexico, Travel

After a recuperative breakfast at Taquería Jiménez, we headed out with "D" and did some errands…..like hit the mall and stuff. By the time we returned to the hotel, Samuelo had recovered, and soon enough "D" Dad picked us up and we headed to the family compound in an small fishing village named Paredoncito, located at an estuary on the Gulf of California.

Walk to the back of the compound and this is what you see…..an amazing sight.

Horse drawn carts were ferrying people and shellfish back and forth from the boats. I think they must have a clam factory next door…… Mainly because I was literally standing on a mountain of clam shells!

And this had just been brought over……

Those had actually been prepped for one of the dishes.

The first thing that came out was this…….

This has got to be some of the best shrimp I've ever had! Samuelo was totally in heaven…..Sweet, so tender, so full of flavor.

They also wanted us to try the local chile peppers which were piquins….these tiny peppers are hot, but not unbearable.

The aguachile that came out next was just plain amazing….

They really didn't mess around with this, it was simple, lime juice, salt, onion, and some hot sauce……man this was good. Probably the best I've ever had. I'll never look at aguachile the same again.

After stuffing our selves silly with shrimp, tostadas, etc, etc…..

I headed out back.

There was something mesmerizing about watching the boats come in and go back out….then things slowed down as the sun began to set. It was very beautiful in its own way.

Soon enough, "D"'s Dad said the magic words…"vamos"!

It was time for us to pack up and head back to Ciudad Obregon……

For….would you believe it….dinner????

Mariscos Monday: The Mariscos Tijuana Jr Truck and Mariscos Godoy closes

March 10, 2014 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops

**** My understanding is that this truck so no longer

A couple of weeks back, occasional commenter "Buddha" who I've known since the "Chowhound Days" shot me an email telling me that he believes the best fish tacos are now being served from a truck on the corner of J and Broadway in Chula Vista named Tijuana Jr. This past weekend, I finally had some time to drive down there are check them out.

When I arrived at 10am, they were already doing some serious business. The truck is located in the parking lot of a tire shop with very limited parking. I was lucky enough to snare a spot.

There's one guy manning the order window and another manning the window for payment making things easy.

Of course I went with a Taco de Pescado – the fish taco $1.25.

Good god, this thing was huge for a typical fish taco. Two large pieces of fish, moist, the batter is almost a laquer-tempura style, very crisp. Not to much flavor, the crema is watery, you'll need to add some sauce to this one, a squeeze of lime, and maybe the habenero onions. Still, this is a super deal for a $1.25 and I think it may be the best……I need to get back to Mariscos el Pescador and El Prieto for a comparison.

I also ordered a Gobernador, which had a ton of perfectly cooked shrimp.

This really didn't seem like the typical gobernador to me….though I loved the way the cheese had been melted and griddled in some spots. This thing literally fell to pieces in ten seconds. If this was indeed a gobernador, I really missed the onions, peppers, and seasonings. Still no complaints about pertion size, though this too was very mild in flavor.

I was more than satisfied as I left. I'll be back!

Thanks for the recommendation Jeff!

Mariscos Tijuana Jr
706 W J St
Chula Vista, CA 91910

On site daily from 9am – 7pm

Since I was down in the South Bay, I thought I'd check on El Charco, which looks exactly the same as 5 months ago. I think the place is a goner.

Mariscos Godoy is now Maricos la Perla Negra:

As I headed to the I-5 down Palomar I took a quick glance to my right and was surprised. Mariscos Godoy was now Mariscos la Perla Negra:

Anyone know what happened?

A funny thing happened as I was waiting at the light to get back on Palomar; CC sent me a text telling me that Mariscos Godoy had closed! Man, that was kind of weird….I squinted my eyes looking out at Palomar Street….looking to see if I could spot her…..

651 Palomar St
Chula Vista, CA 91911