Closed – Page 45

Carin de Ria – A quick first look

April 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

**** This location of Carin de Ria has closed

Soon after Eater San Diego's announcement that a new Filipino "fast casual" concept restaurant named CARiN de RiA opened in Escondido, I had couple of folks ask me if I'd tried the place. I'd pretty much had my fill of "concepts" and fast-casual style places at that time so I just waited for a while. Recently, I found myself in the area and decided to drop by and check them out.

I liked the lay-out of the restaurant….on the small side, but very clean and simple. I especially liked the gentleman manning the counter, who I believe is the owner; very warm, but also very professional. He just seemed like someone who has a restaurant background and also really cared about his customers.

The menu is pretty tight with 5 "braised/stew" style dishes, 3 items off the grill, plus pancit (of course), and lumpia (of course…of course) and a couple of other items.

I started with some lumpia ($3).

It becomes immediately clear that you're not in a "turo-turo" ("point-point") steam table joint. First the prices….which are definitely in the "fast-casual" range. The lumpia were very small. However, they were hot, freshly made,light, and crisp. The filling also had very good flavor…..I could even make out some garlic-porkiness. This was probably the favorite item I had.

Now for most folks, the first item they's try would be either Adobo, Bistek, or Inusok…..what most places call BBQ Pork. One of my favorite dishes is Kaldereta….here it's Kaldereta Baka, basically a beef stew. Well actually, it's Caldereta ($8) on the menu and comes with two sides. I like that you have a choice of brown or white rice, but you know what I choose, right?

For my sides, I chose the "charred corn salad", which was the better of the two sides, even though it didn't have much charred color, nor the development of the sugars that a good grilling of corn would. Good salt and the tomato added a nice acidic touch to it. The eggplant and tomato salad; basically ensaladang talong. Good garlic flavor here, but it was pretty flat overall, the eggplant was too hard and chewy, and versions that I enjoy have a touch of vinegar, which was lacking here.

The rice was a tad hard for my tastes as well.

The caldereta was nice and tangy, but needed a bit more salt and lacked the complex flavors of a long braised dish. The carrots were almost raw and hard and some of the pieces of beef were really dry, like both items had been cold stored and added at the end. I also missed other ingredients I'd find in various versions of this dish; olives, red or green bell peppers, that kind of thing. It seemed like a caricature of the intended dish.

Like many other of these "fast casual" concepts; there seems to be that "soulful" component missing; though I enjoyed some of the dishes here a lot more than say, Green Shallots. As a plus, that gentleman behind the counter was very pleasant, so I'm hoping they do well. This is not the place to get your turo-turo fix; but if you want something a bit lighter you might want to give them a try. I'll probably drop by again if I'm in the area in a couple of months.

Carin de Ria
3440 Del Lago Blvd
Escondido, CA 92029

You can read Lynn's post here.

Halal Pollo Asado from Casa Medina

April 21, 2014 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** Casa Medina has closed

A couple of months ago Casa Medina replaced I believe, Bismallah Restaurant….which I recall (reading the sign)served Pakistani, Indian, and yes, Chinese food. I had actually wanted to check them out several times, but the Missus, probably with good reason, always vetoed the suggestion.

Still, for some reason, the name intrigued me…….Casa, is fairly straight forward….obviously "house" right? But was the Medina, the Andalusan surname….very Spanish….or was it the Arabic "Medina"? Against my better judgement, I decided to find out.

Man, this restaurant is huge and was totally empty for my entire meal, making the meal kind of an eerie experience. So the theme is obviously Mexican, but the food is Halal…..

This would have seemed like such a strange experience if not for two things; first, the young lady working the counter was so sweet, friendly, gracious, and overall great.

There is a bar with serve yourself chips and various salsas.

The chips were hot as they were just brought out. The salsa roja was really weak, but then I found the stuff in the squeeze bottle; a chipotle based sauce with what tasted almost like yogurt/lebni in it. It was really good….that was the second thing, because from there, everything took a nose dive.

Since this was Halal, I ordered the two piece chicken plate, not cheap at $9.99. Even though the leg and thigh were really small, flavor trumps all….except when the chicken has no flavor…and is dry….and tough……

Let's not even go into the dry and hard tortillas (2), the very bland beans and the mushy and very salty rice…..well….let's not…. As I was eating, I looked around the empty restaurant, wondering if I was a victim in some kind of strange, "punk'd" like show….it was that bad. Once, many years ago, a barbershop opened up in my neighborhood. I walked by one day to see a good friend of mine giving some poor dude a haircut. I say poor dude because this friend wasn't a barber…..he was a cop! I looked at him and he gave me a nod and I kept on walking….. A couple of months later; there was a story in the paper about a sting which used a barbershop as a front….that poor unwitting customer. That's kind of the feeling I had.

Was it as bad as the Turkxican Doner-rito? No, not nearly….but that's like saying which you prefer, being electrocuted or run over by a bus. I'll take none of the above. In all honesty, if the food was halfway decent, I'd give the place another try; the young lady working the front of house was so very sweet. But as things stand….sorry to say this "ain't no Halal El Pollo Loco".

Casa Medina
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

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

On a beautiful day like today, why are you reading a food blog? Sichuan Liang Mian from Dede’s and Fu An Garden and one other you’re sure to know.

April 14, 2014 mmm-yoso Burgers, Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Honestly……it's such a beautiful day, why would you read our humble little blog? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't….really! Plus, there's a Blood Moon Eclipse tonight.

Ever since Ba Ren closed, I've been looking for a good Sichuan Liang Mian, the wonderful, spicy cold noodle dish, which has become comfort food for me. It's a simple combination of ingredients working in harmony, creating a deceptively complex balance of the "suan (sour) – tian (sweet) – ma (numbing) – la (hot) – xian (salty). I had recently tried the version at Spicy City, which wasn't very good, so I thought I'd check out Dede's, it had been a while, and also Fu An Garden.

Dede's:

*** Dedes' has closed

Man, this was a total fail.

The noodles were mushy and the sauce watery and insipid. This had too much vinegar and in spite of the looks really lacked the spice…..probably because it was so watered down.

I've got another post on a better meal at Dede's lined up, but this was terrible.

Dede's
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Fu An Garden:

*** 07/06/2016 Fu An is now Fuan Seafood

*** Fuan has closed

While the flavor was pretty close during my last visit and the noodles terrible, this was an improvement.

Looking at this…well, I had my doubts…too pale, too much peanuts, where's the flavor? But I was wrong, all it needed was a good mix. The noodles were vastly improved, though in our opinion, the flavor still falls short….not enough "ma", not enough "suan", not spicy (la) enough……just not enough. Sad really, since the chef here used to be the #2 man at Ba Ren.

Fu An Garden
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

In retrospect, perhaps just the simple item to the right will do tonight. The also deceptively simple hàn bǎo bāo. Might be nice to grab a couple hàn bǎo bāo from jìnchū……sorry bad translation, perhaps someone can let me know what it should be called in pinyin. Anyway, grab a couple and go watch the "Blood Moon"……. You know, there's a punchline in there somewhere.

Have a great week!

Finally got around to Pho from Pho Nhu Y Clairemont

April 13, 2014 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Nhu Y is no longer

Taking advantage of that last couple days of rain we had a few weeks ago, I finally made it over to Pho Nhu Y, the Clairemont version for some Pho….well check that. I actually did want the Bun Mam, but had totally forgotten; I was the ummmm, "Korean Guy", that wanted to order Bun Mam before 3pm and scare off all their lunchtime customers. My bad….

I think the garnishes….the single sprig of basil and small amount of bean sprouts are an good indication of Pho in the area and San Diego in general….

The actual bowl of pho looked pretty good. I got number 19; rare steak (usually a mis-steak), well done steak, tendon, tripe, and flank.

The bowl actually looked pretty good when it hit the table. The broth was dark, but clear, and I liked the amount of fat. Another hallmark of San Diego pho is a totally defatted product, which just kills the richness.

Another unfortunate hallmark of San Diego pho is the sodium/MSG level. And of all the bowls I've had recently, this was probably the worst, way too much MSG…..it made the broth unpleasant. Too bad, because the color looked right and all….but man, I really couldn't taste much.

There was an amazing amount of noodles in this bowl….which was a "regular" ($6.69). Which was way too overcooked and mushy. Man, I really couldn't get a break here.

The proteins were decent, though the tendon was way tough and the tripe really hard. The rare steak was even ok.

In total, a disappointment. I'm not going to beat that "can't get decent bowl of pho in Kearny Mesa" dead horse…..well, I'm going to try not too do that.

So yep, 300 more words of pho……

I'm going to stick to the Bun Mam here.

Pho Nhu Y Vietnamese Grill
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

LW’s SD BBQ

April 8, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, Sandwiches

**** LW's has closed

Back in September, I shuddered at the thought of what a place with "SD BBQ" in its name was going to make. Well, it turns out I was wrong…….LW's, which opened a couple of months back in the old (and tired) Chinese Garden spot, does BBQ….not something par baked or boiled then slapped over some mesquite and sauced……well, for you hard core BBQ folks, you won't see an ash pile out back….I don't think the owners of the strip mall would take too kindly to that.

Still they actually smoke over hardwood and could easily be the best restaurant within a half mile radius….

OK, before you get to excited, let's hold on there Jethro! There's a couple of things you need to understand, the competition in the area are places like Hometown Buffet, Roberto's, Mountain Mike's Pizza…it's Bay Park, not North Park.

They claim to smoke over hickory….for up to 14 hours. Personally, find that Hickory is a bit too strong to use for some proteins, too much of it can give off a bitter flavor, so I wasn't sold.

I'm also not a fan of the sauces here, kind of powdery, on the bitter side, even though there are 6 varieties all taste like they were made from the same base. The fact that they refuse to serve anything without sauce on it kind of makes me think they may have problems holding their product. When I asked why, I wasn't given an answer.

Still, it's in my neighborhood…….

I first visited when they first opened and decided to get a Beef Brisket Plate ($13.50), no it ain't cheap, but the portion size is generous.

Since I couldn't get this without the sauce, I asked them to go easy. Decent smoke flavor, the beef was a bit too fatty, though this wasn't bad at all. I'd like a bit more bark, but there was a nice smoke ring.

The sides were mediocre, mass produced rolls, bland coleslaw, the beans being the best of the bunch.

Overall, ok……not terrible, there was some potential here.

The same week I smoked a tri-tip, I decided to try the Beef Tri-Tip Sandwich Combo ($8.95).

No, this won't make forget Firestone Grill, but the flavor of the beef was decent (I'm glad they went real easy on the sauce), the beef adequately moist though on the chewy side. It was served a bit too cold (especially with sauce on it) for me.

The potato salad was decent, it had some nice flavor, perhaps a bit too sour and I didn't care for the vegetable mix in the coleslaw.

One night, after getting off from work late, the Missus having already eaten, I decided to drop by and grab a half rack of ribs to go ($15.95). I quietly asked the young man working the counter if I could get it with the sauce on the side….I was pleasantly surprised when he said, "no problem"…… And then I got home.

A bit too "falling off the bone" for me…though the Missus loved it. I ate one piece and that was enough, decent smoke flavor but a bit on the dry side, and too much sauce. I also noticed that it looks like they didn't remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.

Strange thing was, that during this visit I was told that the owner's were from North Carolina….funny, but the sauces didn't seem like any Carolina style sauce I've had. I tried all of them, from the bottles on the table and they are all too sweet for that style. The "KC" style sauce here would make Arthur Bryant roll over in his grave….take my word for it; I've been there.

My most recent visit was a couple of weeks ago.

It was nice to see the place doing some pretty good business.

I went with a Pulled Pork Sandwich which was nicely priced at $6.25.

Tired of begging for no sauce, I just asked them to go easy, which they thankfully did. This was a decent sandwich, though nothing special; the pork was quite cold and a bit tougher than I like, but this wasn't bad. The coleslaw added a nice textural counter-point and being on the mild side, didn't interfere with the flavor of the pork.

I did make one mistake….curious, I ordered the Chicken Wings (6 pieces – $6.95).

Rubbery skin, bitter smoke flavor, lacking in seasoning….'nuff said. I ate two and pitched it…I hate to waste food, but this was terrible.

The folks here are nice, though sometimes a bit confused. I'm glad places like this are finally opening in this area. Though I'm not a "just happy to have something like xxx in my neighborhood" kind of guy. In terms of portion versus price, I think it's a good value. Is it good BBQ? check them out and let me know what you think……….

LW’s SD BBQ
3057 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Pho Royal

April 6, 2014 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Royal has closed

I tried to hit as many Pho places as I could during the recent cooler weather. I happened to be down in Chula Vista and drove past this place. I last visited when it was Pho 888. Now it's Pho Royal….so that makes it; what, 3 different Pho joints in the last 6 years? Pho-real?

The exterior looks much better now that it's no longer giardia-green. The interior look basically the same, except for the wall of water and the elephant planters…which made it seem more like a Thai Restaurant. There were two young girls working….I assume they're the owner''s daughters….very nice kids.

The menu is interesting; regular or large bowl, then you can choose up to 7 different proteins for your bowl. I went with a small bowl – $5.95 and went with "C,D,E, & F"….that would be brisket, flank, tendon, and tripe.

As is the standard nowadays; the plate of garnishes is kinda sparse, mostly bean sprouts, a sprig of basil, a couple of slices of jalapeno…..

The broth was too light in flavor, slight anise, almost no beef flavor, a bit of sweetness, but not too salty. The noodles perfect, which was nice since most bowls I've had recently included over-cooked and mushy pho banh.

The tendon was MIA, there were but a few strips of tripe which tasted fine. The brisket and flank were cooked to death, just falling to shreds and the brisket tasted a bit "off"….a residual "ice-box" flavor permeated the meat.

The prices here seem in line, the bowl is "pho-not-to-offend" much too light in flavor, but at least it isn't a MSG bomb. I still think Pho Hiep makes the best bowl in the area….let me know if you think there's something better!

I recently received an email that made me crack up……I won't reveal the persons name because they didn't want me to. But the gist of the email was along the lines of "you're the only person I know who can write 300+ words about a bowl of frgiin' soup". Yes, it's true….I can and have done so again!

Pho Royal

635 Broadway

Chula Vista, CA 91910

Hours:

Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm

Sunday 12pm – 9pm

Jin’s Pot

March 31, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

***Update: Jin's Pot has closed and is now Xian Kitchen ***

I was quite fascinated by the opening of Jin's Pot; serving Yunnan Cuisine here in San Diego. Admittedly, I really don't know a great deal about true Yunnan cuisine as most of the places I've been to even in the SGV, seem to be a combination of Sichuan….or perhaps it is Northern Yunnan which borders Sichuan, cuisine. With over 20 different indigenous ethnic groups in the "Kingdom of Animal and Plants", Dian Cai, the cuisine of Yunnan seems to be quite diverse.

I first visited a couple of days after I did that midweek post. The place was really empty; the older gentleman who greeted me, hardly spoke English, but seemed very nice. Eventually, a younger man entered, very friendly, and things got under way.

Things started with some boiled peanuts….not too salty and pretty good overall.

The one Yunnan Dish that I have had several itmes is the well known Crossing the Bridge Rice Noodle ($11.99).

I must admit, just like Kirbie it seems like there was quite a bit more to this compared to versions I had before. Thinly sliced chicken breast, mushroom-pork "meatball", bean curd skin, all went nicely with the dish….the luncheon meat wasn't Spam, I'm kinda wondering if this was a substitute for the famous xuānwēi tuǐ – the prize winning ham of the region?

The soup was fairly hearty, with a decent salt content, being a bit higher in fat and collagen it retained heat quite well. The rice noodles also held up well.

This was a pretty decent bowl of noodle soup, though not worth the $11.99 price, even with a 10% grand opening discount, I thought it over-priced. Consider that you can get a Kotteri Tonkotsu with a side of Kakuni Pork from Yamadaya for the same price….

A few weeks later, my coworkers, "YZ" and Lily were nice enough to join me for lunch. Since YZ is from Shanghai and Lily from Shanxi, we'd have no translation problems.

We started with a "Cold Dish Combo" ($11.99), various liang cai.

This really wasn't a good value……the bean curd was bland and terrible, the stewed beef (in the back) was the best of the bunch….but we found the flavor to be on the mild side.

We were told that the "Sour" version of the hot pot was the best so we went with that.

It was kind of scummy, but the flavor was decent, very similar to the broth for the Crossing the Bridge noodles, though not as thick ….not too salty, nor too sour, good white pepper, fairly hearty….YZ enjoyed it the most.

I had read that papaya is used quite extensively in Yunnan cuisine……because we had ordered the hot pot, I decided we should have the stir fried chicken with papaya.

This dish seemed very homestyle. The flavor was sharp and sour, but nothing really stood out. Some pieces of the chicken were on the tough and dry side and the dish had a certain greasiness to it.

The meal came out to $38, kind of pricey for what we got…..I wouldn't complain if the preparation and execution of the dishes was top notch, I'm all about quality trumping quantity, but this was pretty simple homestyle food and thus fell short in both the quality and value category.

The young man serving us was very nice; though I don't think we'll be back anytime soon.

Jin's Pot
4690 Convoy St. Suite B109
San Diego, CA 92111

You cna read Kirbie's post here.

Green Shallots Thai Gourmet Express

March 30, 2014 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** Green Shallots has closed

Yes, even though I noticed this place back in August of last year, I took my time checking it out. For osme reason, the "Thai Gourmet Express" portion of the name made me think of bad mall food court Thai…..

Gladly, this was a "steam-table free" zone. It seems to be using the now somewhat redundant "fast- casual" model…the Chipotle-ness of the world continues. And yet, Thailand has some of the best of what I'd consider "fast food/food court" cuisine. I mean Khao Karr Moo – stewed pork shank, in a Hospital Food Court?

There was a wok station where an older gentleman did his thing….the place was shiny, clean…..

I liked the menu; it's simple, tight, poultry driven. They even sold Thai BBQ Chicken by the piece, so I started with that ($2).

I pretty much got what I expected……standard rotisserie chicken with some lemongrass flavor. It was moist, the skin a bit too rubbery for my taste, lacking the complex, nuanced flavor of good Kai Yaang; garlic, cilantro, fish sauce, sweetness from sugar and perhaps a bit of honey or something similar. The flesh was "American soft"; I actually enjoy a more toothsome and flavorful bird for dishes like this.

Seeing Roast Duck on the menu, I decided to get the Roasted Duck Thai Fried Rice – medium spicy.

The guy working the wok looked like he knew what he was doing, but the rice was on the mushy side. There was a nice amount of roasted duck, which was on the mild side in terms of flavor, but was passable. Not enough fish sauce, lacking in sweetness, the heat was one-dimensional coming via crushed red pepper flakes. Just average.

The gratis soup……well, I'd rather do without.

I wanted to give that wok chef another shot so I returned and ordered the ever so deceivingly simple Pad See Ew with Shrimp($8):

This was not terrible, at least the noodles weren't overcooked and mushy. It did lack enough color, soy sauce flavor, pungent white pepper and the very mild sweetness I enjoy in Pad See Ew. Also, the shrimp 41-50 in size were cooked to death and very rubbery. I also wasn't thrilled that they didn't use Chinese broccoli, at eight bucks for a rather small portion, I think they could have at least done that.

Overall, this isn't the Panda Express of Thai Food, but in my opinion, its bit too "gringo" for my taste. The food is prepared fresh to order. I didn't expect Sab E Lee and this place was definitely not. Like I said about J & T Thai Street Food, "I usually don't go to Chipotle when I'm craving Mexican Food, but I don't hold it against those who do."

Still, the couple on one of the tables was ooooh-ing and aah-ing about the Roast Duck Larb….so maybe someday.

Green Shallots Thai Gourmet Express
5447 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

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