After a nice leisurely bike ride up the San Diego coast we happened upon Mariscos in La Jolla. While Tyler was skeptical initially by its appearance the food turned out to be awesome. Even though they specialize in seafood, the rest of what we tried was great as well. If you’re in the Bird Rock area and are craving some Mexican, we would totally recommend Mariscos.

T: This place was a great find! I was skeptical at first.
A: skeptical?!? you likened it to a retirement home!
T: ok, in my defense, it was completely empty, and the menu used lots of navy blue text. I don’t know why retirement style restaurants always use navy blue text. If you’re wondering what a retirement style restaurant is, just think of any place you’ve been where you’re 2 generations younger than any of the other patrons. That kind of place. This was far from that, and it was extremely tasty.
A: true dat. both of their salsa’s were good. normally the salsa fresca, for lack of a better term, can be questionable at most establishments, but here… mmm mmm mmm! delish. my one qualm was that the chips were obviously fried at too low of a temp and were soggy/oily.
T: salsa really is one of the most important aspects of a Mexican restaurant. One of my favorite parts of eating Mexican is that there is instant gratification of tasty chips and salsa, almost immediately upon sitting down. If the restaurant can’t make a decent salsa, it really sets a bad tone for the rest of the meal. Particularly since I love to use the salsas on the rice and beans.
A: take notes people – first impressions matter! so did you enjoy your chile verde burrito as much as you enjoyed the salsas?
T: I did, and I wish we had a picture of it. The tortilla was very soft and delightful. Not at all dry or cardboardy. The pork was cooked to perfection- very tender and moist, and the salsa verde they used on the inside was tangy and reeeally tasty. It was a huge and meaty burrito, but was good enough that I damn near ate the whole thing. Actually I think I did eat the whole thing. Mmm. Ok, so I’m going to give a preliminary rating of Mariscos… we’ve only been one time, but I’ll give them a 4.7/5 in the Mexican restaurant arena. I thought their food was better than 95% of the mexican we eat in San Diego.
A: i have to agree. i’m so frequently let down by pretty much everywhere other than Ortega’s in OB, but Mariscos rose to the occasion. Now, the service was a bit slow… our server brought out each dish, one at a time, as if she couldn’t carry more than one thing, but i don’t think that is her normal gig. i think her normal gig is going to high school. anywho, the food was great. my fish was perfectly cooked and utterly moist. if i were to have eaten as it was served i might have thought it to be under-seasoned but with the addition of salsas it was freaking rocking! i give Mariscos a 4.3/5. they rocked it. we will definitely be going back, if i have anything to say about it.
T: Even if you don’t have anything to say about it we’re going back. Whatchu think about that, woman?
A: i think you is right on, hommie!

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Sometimes we have to highlight our favorites even though it may not be an entire meal. Such is the case tonight with tomatillo salsa. This salsa verde was made with blanched tomatillos pureed with onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, and freshly squeezed lime juice. The outcome is an insanely delicious tart, tangy, and spicy bowl of goodness. We are willing to eat this salsa on pretty much anything including (but not limited to) tacos, tortilla chips, and cheezits. It’s also great to braise or stew meat in. Did I mention it makes a great enchilada sauce as well?

A: hey tyler…. there’s something i need to tell you…
T: woman, you best not be pregnant
A: hehehe no joke! but i’m being serious here! i need to confess to you that i am in love… in love with tomatillo salsa! there i said it!
T: I assume that’s not the name of a transvestite lover of yours… you know what, I love it too!
A: god i’m glad i’ve gotten that off of my chest. and you are correct. there is no transvestite lover in my life… right now. just tomatillo salsa. tomatillo salsa is all i need….sigh…
T: I love a girl that’s low maintenance.

tacos… one of many transport mechanisms for tomatillo salsa

A: oh yeah, i also need something to eat it on – although if need be i am willing to just spoon it to myself.
T: In all seriousness I find it needs a salty counterpart- i’ve always been disappointed when spooning it to myself in green salsa binges.
A: uh… dude? do you think we have a problem? do we need a tomatillo salsa intervention?
T: maybe you have a problem, but I’m doing just fine. It hasn’t made me lose my job yet, and I can still eat all the salsa I want without my family knowing about it… I’m doing just fine. I don’t have a problem.
A: [sings] i’m so excited… i’m so excited… i’m soooooo…scared
T: It’ll be ok, Jesse. I’m going to rate this salsa a 4.65/5. I love tomatilla salsa, but I can’t help but think to some of the other (non tomatilla) salsas I’ve had and… want to eat them badly. I’m kind of a salsa whore.
A: tell me something i didn’t already know. i never said that i didn’t really enjoy tons of other salsas. hell, i’m a salsa whore, too… it’s just that tomatillo salsa is a notch above the rest for me and i just freaking love it! as far as rating this particular salsa is concerned, i’d have to give it a 4.33/5. it was really really tasty, but it wasn’t the best tomatillo salsa i’ve ever had. ortega’s tomatillo salsa is always pretty close to the best. mmm mmm saaaaaalsaaaaa…..
T: [in a deep voice] mmmmmm… me gusta la saalsaa…

Recipes in this post:

• Simple Tomatillo Salsa

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What do you get when you stick a couple of Louisianians in Southern California: Catfish Tacos! For dinner we’re eating tacos made with baked catfish seasoned with cumin and chile powder, finely shredded cabbage, diced avocado, a tangy white sauce, monteray jack, and whole cilantro leaves on soft white corn tortillas. A fresh coleslaw dressed with some of the tangy and slightly spicy “white sauce” accompanied the meal to round things out.

T: These were some of the best damn fish tacos I’ve ever had. They were outrageously good. Damn, girl.
A: preach it brotha! i thought they were pretty rocking myself. i think the main key with fish tacos is to not over-cook the damn fish! and to season it properly, of course.
T: Cook it right and season it right. I’ll try to remember that.
A: simple enough, huh?

Good coleslaw

T: whatever you did to make that happen, it was a beautiful thing. I wonder if they would have been as good with some other kind of fish…
A: absolutely… as long as the fish is cooked well and seasoned well! we’re getting repetitive here, t-dog!
T: you’re getting repetitive, woman. Either way, the catfish was awesome. So was the cole slaw. I’m giving the tacos a rating of 4.78/5. The coleslaw wasn’t quite up to a 4.78, but it can coast by because of how amazing the tacos were.
A: coast by?!? i thought the coleslaw was great! it was zippy… it was tangy… it was way better than like… oh 99% of the coleslaws i’ve had in my day.
T: it was still just coleslaw, though.
A: who doesn’t love some good raw cabbage? you’re a freak if you say you don’t…. freak.
T: i didn’t say I don’t… you’re jumping to conclusions, missy. I do enjoy raw cabbage, but let’s get serious. It’s a lower level of food. If you would like I can lay out the hierarchy of foods, beginning with bacon…
A: please do.
T: Alright, it goes a little something like this:

                              Bacon

                Cheese    Gumbo    Duck    Curry

     FISH TACOS    Cheeseburgers    Pickles    Sausage         

other    other    other    other    COLESLAW    other    other

It’s ok if you disagree with that, but you’re wrong if you do.
A: ooookay! we’ve established that you’re a freak. moving on! Well, i don’t rank coleslaw and other veggie goodness at the bottom of my food-goodness pyramid, so the coleslaw in this meal didn’t detract from my score at all. I give the meal overall a rating of 4.68/5. It was freaking good….all of it. i am soooo on an at-home taco kick right now. they are just so easy! and so tasty! and so quick! and… and… and….
T: and located one level above raw cabbage on the food pyramid. I was just thinking… what do you think about making some homemade tortillas sometime?
A: heheheh remember the last time i tried to make tortillas?!? we ended up eating our carnitas on endive! but i think you’re right. i really should go after it again. i’ve learned some technique tips since then.
T: …. let’s make sure we have some endive.

Recipes in this post:

• White Sauce (for fish tacos)

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1. Seared Mahi in Slow-Roasted Tomato-Tarragon Broth
2. Mahi Mahi with Cherry Chipotle Beurre Blanc
3. Lemon-Herb Grilled Shrimp & Quinoa Salad

There are several Santana’s located around the San Diego area, we chose to visit the one closest to our home in Point Loma for lunch. Apparently Santana’s is the “home of the famous california burrito” and we both tried it on for size. California burritos are packed with carne asada, french fries, cheese, and, while some place add sour cream, at Santana’s they add fresh tomatoes. If what you’re looking for is a quicky fast food cali burrito, visit Santana’s, if you really want a good one, go somewhere else.

Fear the Cali BurritoA: So this was my first experience with the infamous california burrito…sadly
T: i didn’t think it was so bad. Maybe you just don’t like California burritos. As a person who eats them at least once a week,… wow. At least once a week. Listen to me. I don’t think I’ve ever said that out loud. I think I might have a problem.
A: you know the first step to recovery is admitting there’s a problem. so, you’re well on your way, right?
T: yeah, but I’d like to hit that low point where I wake up in the hospital and can’t remember anything… until they tell me the stories of how I started stealing from my family to buy california burritos. Until I hit that low point, I’m going to go ahead and stay addicted.
A: wow. wow. i’m speechless…i think most likely you’re going to have a heart attack and end up in the hospital and have to turn your life around that way. Do we need to do an intervention???
T: no I could quit at any point. I just don’t want to.
A: harh…that’s what they all say. i’m not buying it. i’m going to have to meet you for lunch everyday and make sure your not eating these things any more!
T: shut up! I hate you! why are you always trying to control my life! You’re mom smells bad! Actually your mom smells fine. But don’t you mess with my california burritos, woman.
A: okay, okay… i’ll let you lead your life how you want to, but expect the “i told you so” when you end up in the hospital at age thirty with a clogged artery. God i hope that doesn’t happen.
T: yeah, in all seriousness… california burritos are no laughing matter. What you just witnessed was a dramatization. But it could happen to you if you don’t make the right choices today. Please, refrain from eating more than 2 california burritos a week.
A: 2 a week?!? if they all taste like Santana’s cali burritos, i wouldn’t be caught eating two a year. I really thought that their “carne asada” tasted worse than Taco Bell’s. seriously. it was bad. The whole thing was luke warm, the cheese didn’t even get a slight melt on…
T: my cheese was melted.
A: mine wasn’t. i could pick out singular pieces of finely shredded cheese. The fries weren’t bad, but i would have prefered eating them dipped in something rather than in the burrito. I’m definately open to attempting another California Burrito, but it has to be made with someone who cares about the product.
T: like the lovely ladies at Karina’s, in Leucadia. I’ll have to take you there the next time we eat “donkey killers.”
A: huh? donkey killers? uh… i’m not really following you, homes.
T: the ancient ones used to make california burritos that were so large they were known to choke donkeys. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.
A: hmm… are you delirious? What can i do to snap you out of Tyler-land and back to reality?
T: I don’t know. I’m gaining like 2 pounds a week. Literally. And the california burritos are getting easier and easier to take down. I don’t know if there’s any going back.
A: it’s just a good thing you were under-weight when we moved out here. now you’re just catching up. hopefully it won’t be irreversable, but maybe you should limit yourself to two cali burritos a month, rather than a week.
T: That sounds reasonable. But I work next door to a badass taco shop. Reasonable now and reasonable right before lunch time are two completely different things.
A: i feel ya. so, how would you rate Santana’s based on their California Burrito?
T: Santanas seemed like a fast food joint. Santanas is a fast food joint. now, it was way the hell better than burger king (or taco bell), but I wasn’t too impressed. The burrito was good only because I’m silly about california burritos. Let’s put it this way… I don’t want to know what was going on in that kitchen.
A: Me either! And i happen to disagree with part of your comment. I really would compare this burrito to what taco bell would serve if it served California burri..
T: IF they served california burritos. But they don’t. and I disagree anyway. Plus taco bell would have to start making french fries. not gonna happen. And if they did make french fries they would suck ass.
A: i’ll agree to that much. Lets just leave it at me being extremely underwhelmed by my first encounter with a california burrito, and i’m blaming it on Santana’s. I give Santana’s a 2.3/5. It was edible… but just BARELY. I certainly wouldn’t waste my time or caloric intake going back.
T: I give the burrito a 3.7/5. It gets some points for being a california burrito, but it loses points for being very close to, or, for actually being, fast food. So far the reigning cali burrito champion is Karina’s! Woo hoo, go Karina’s! I have every intention of blogging about that burrito one of these lunches. Hopefully you will be able to come have lunch with me sometime.
A: absolutely, any thursday or friday, and it’s on! I’m a little confused about one thing though. Did you just rate the burrito or Santanas?
T: the burrito gets a 3.7/5. Santana’s gets a 2.9/5. It seemed kinda nasty.
A: totally. Maybe we should mention the kick-ass place we went to for dinner.
T: Was Jimmy Wong’s Golden Dragon, now they call it “The Asian Bistro.” On mondays they have absurdly cheap prices. We ate 2 excellent entrees, and I had a large Kirin, for under $20. We were floored because the meal was so good we hardly talked the entire time. And then we got the bill and it was… under $20! Amazing. We’ll be going back there, no doubt.

Peace!

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Tonight we’re eating a mexican fusion meal. Corn roasted in its husks with a chipotle lime butter and layers of refried black beans, freshly roasted red peppers, avacado, and spicy seared chicken breast. The plate was garnished with a cilantro tomatillo salsa.

Mexican Fusion Seared Chicken BreastA:so, what’d ya think of dinner tonight?
T:I enjoyed it. My favorite part was the tomatillo salsa stuff.
A:which i don’t think we actually have a picture of. that stuff was rocking. I really thought the whole meal had a freshness… or lightness, to it that a lot of meals i fix don’t have. i fresh roasted the red peppers and corn. I’ve been getting all of my produce from a local california produce market. trying to do the eat locally thing!
T:yeah it did taste pretty fresh. It’s funny because the beans weren’t fresh at all.
A: I know, but they had soooo much lime in them when i initially made them (back in like, february, or something) as a black bean soup, at your mom’s request. I just defrosted the leftover container and buzzed them with the hand blender and voila! refried black beans with an oh-so-fresh flavor!
T:wow I didn’t realize it was from that soup. Freezers are amazing contraptions.
A:yup! i thank mr. “i’m the first man who made a freezer” everyday!
T:Yeah, thanks Mr Imthefirstmanwhomadeafreezer. You’re awesome.
A:WOOO HOOO! Maybe we could give out a whatwereeating award to him. seriously. I have saved SO much money by freezing leftovers.
T:Yes, we should award him a whatwereeating award. What will the “trophy” be? A piece of cheese?
A:sounds about right! maybe we can shellack it and he can keep it forever… in his grave. he is dead right?
T:umm… heheh, I was thinking it would be a “virtual” trophy. You know, a digital one. And I don’t want to be the one who digs up his grave so he can have a piece of shellacked cheese in there with him.
A:but what if he really wants a shellacked piece of cheese in his grave? isn’t it our duty to give it to him? he did win the award you know.
T:alright well you can have a conversation with him, find out what he wants, dig up his grave, whatever! I don’t want to hear about it… in fact, I think it would be best if you kept that as your own little secret.
A:WHAT! You think i’m crazy don’t you? okay, maybe a little. i guess i can agree on a virtual award.
T:The alternative would be to put the shellacked cheese in the freezer. You know, in honor of the freezer.
A:hmmm… i think you’re on to something. can we use a piece of cheese i don’t want to eat. i have one of those we can shellack tomorrow (then freeze).
T:We could use American cheese. Nobody wants to eat that.
A:i actually have a piece of bleu cheese in the fridge that i was thoroughly unimpressed with…i know… me…unimpressed with bleu cheese?? it is really not good.
T:should we shellack it? how do you shellack something, anyway?
A:i think it’s like a varnish. you can find it in any hardware store.
T:I’m liking this idea. Let’s go for it.
A:Awesome! weekend project! well, now that we’ve fully honored mr. thefirstmantomakeafreezer or whatever his name was, let’s focus on the blog. I give this meal a 4.2333/5. It was refreshing and light…not at all greasy. I would eat this meal again in a heartbeat (if i were to ever make it again, which probably won’t happen)
T:yeah, you would have to make the soup first. it wouldn’t be as quick as it was tonight. Well, I give this one a 3.7/5. It was enjoyable, but I didn’t like it as much as most of the meals you make. I think what got me was the pureed beans. They aren’t my fav in general. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, just wasn’t as magical as some of what you make.
A:it wasn’t but i really did enjoy the flavors. I am a lot more of a bean fan than you . You mainly like them saucy and whole right? i like them refried, mushy, whole, firm, saucy, dry, or anyway they come. yum!
T:Yeah I love them whole, and with a lot of liquid. Like, soupy bean soup!
A:which these were until i gave a nice buzz! oh well, you can’t win ‘em all. This meal focused on a few flavor and didn’t really try to mask anything. just accentuate the ingredients.
T:well I’d say you won! just because i’m a picky bean eater doesn’t mean this wasn’t a success.
A: i don’t mind having a few losses. not that i consider this a loss, a rating in the 3s is a pretty darn high rating.
T:yeah. It is. The tomatillo sauce alone would have gotten a very high score. You should share that recipe with the folks out there.
A:i certainly will! and think i’ll give the recipe for the roasted corn with chipotle lime butter.
T:oh, yeah. Maybe you should make more of the tomatillo salsa just to make sure you remember how to make it
A:that can be arranged. We’ll see how close i can come to reproducing it tomorrow!

Kwaherini mabibi na mabwana!

Recipes in this post:

• Roasted Corn w/ Chipotle Butter

Related posts:

1. Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf

Tonight we’re eating fruit salsa made from fresh pineapple, cilantro, red onions, serrano chiles, and lime. The salsa was served with stale tortilla chips, although we recommend not-so-stale chips.

A: This was in the spirit of what we ate for dinner…aka- mexican. although for me.. it was MUCH better than the mexican we ate for dinner.
T: yeah, too bad your dinner sucked. The mole I got, on the other hand, was pretty good. However, the pineapple salsa was definately just as good if not better.
A: thanks T! mole is always good. on the other hand, the ranchero sauce at this particular mexican restaurant sucked.
T: yeah that’s a shame. Fortunately for El Torito we are not rating them tonight.
A: too true. so this was a bit of a throw back to one of the restaurants i worked at. i made a variation of this salsa like, every other day. although, in my biased opinion, mine is better
T: I have had very little pineapple salsa in my life, and to tell you the truth I was a bit skeptical. However, as it turns out, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
A: awesome. i think you aren’t always a sweet and savory mixer. but i have to say, you have grown in your sweet&savory ways. i think you are far more open minded about them than you once were. this salsa has a wonderful bit of heat in its favor too.
T: yeah I have definately begun to like sweet and savories more and more, which is cool. I hate it when the whole worlds enjoys something that I can’t derive any pleasure from. I’ve found, though, that with the right attitude I can come to find the joy in most things. most things. I still think some things suck.
A: lol, such as what??
T: hahhah, the first thing that comes to mind is dried shrimp.
A: wellll…. other than laurie (and possibly lots of other people) nobody eats those things straight! they are quite good cooked into things as a flavor agent. how about eggplant?
T: I almost mentioned eggplant, actually. Eggplant is not like the dried shrimp. I can’t even put those vile things in my mouth anymore. Eggplant, though, isn’t too bad, but it has not grown on me in the least, and actually I think I like it less now than ever. I can and will eat it though. hell, maybe i’ll be shocked by some great eggplant someday. who knows.
A: hehehehe dude… when was the last time you ate eggplant? have we even had any recently? have we had any at all since we moved to san diego???
T: I feel like we have. That’s not what’s important what’s important is that it sucks.
A: aw.. i really like eggplant. i do have to admit that when i was growing up it was the most vile of all veggies to me. my dad would make eggplant lasagna and i would just accept that i would go to bed hungry. these days it’s different. i think i first got turned on to eggplant in the fried form, and it’s just grown ever since then!
T: huh. well, i’ll keep an open mind. hit me with it when i’m really hungry sometime.
A: that’s certainly the best time to get anyone to like a new food. the hunger will overwhelm any distaste they might have. mwhahaha.
T: mega hunger is responsible for me liking all sorts of things… like bleu cheese.
A: oh my! how sad would your life be if you didn’t like bleu cheese! seriously though, how sad would MY life be if i couldn’t make all sorts of things with bleu cheese as a main ingredient (like tomorrow’s soup!).
T: oh my god, what’s that soup again?
A: i don’t know if i should reveal it ahead of time… perhaps just lure people in with the knowledge it contains bleu cheese…
T: a soup with bleu cheese… oh my god… damn you now i’m hungry.
A: hehehe! eat more salsa! it’s about the healthiest thing we have in the house. except if you are craving bleu cheese, salsa probably won’t curb your desire. i thought about trying to incorporate bleu cheese into the salsa tonight… i at a piece of bleu cheese and pineapple together to see if it would work. it wasn’t bad, but i didn’t want to risk it.
T: huh, that’s insane. interesting. well, it could be worth a shot some day- definately risky, though. I’ll give the salsa as it was a 4.4/5. I thought it was great, but it didn’t quite get me like some tomato salsas I’ve had. What do you think?
A: I think that this salsa hit the spot for me today. the tomato salsa we ate earlier was good but i definately preferred this one. i love pineapple salsa though sooo…. i give the salsa a 4.6/5. It was rocking for me, just the right amount of heat, salt, pepper and cilantro to emphasize the wonderfully ripe fresh pineapple.
T: yeah, I don’t know how a pineapple salsa could have been much better. It was dang good. It was way better than the salsa we had with dinner. Definately.
A: no doubt. i hate that i had an all around merely average dinner. it will just make tomorrow nights dinner rock even more!
T: yeah, get this girl some good food!
A: Amen my brotha!

Kwaherini mabibi na mabwana!

Recipes in this post:

• Fresh Pineapple Salsa

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T: it was indeed righteous, it has been named properly.
A: And I thought it was just funny.
T: how’d you like it?
A: I dug it. It’s nice to finally post a recipe rather than just tell people to email us for recipes (they never do).
T: yeah, it feels nice to give to the community. btw, this recipe was requested by Regan in the comment section of the previous post!
A: Ask and you shall receive.
T: Mom, what did you say about the queso earlier?
L: I said it was the best cheese dip I’ve ever had.
T: those are strong words…
L: and i’m not using them lightly.
T: there you have it, folks. Yeah, it’s good. I give it a 4.4/5. I don’t really know why i give it that, it definately earned that… it could have possibly been higher, but i’ll stick with that rating.
A: I give it a 3.873/5. It was good, but there’s definately room for improvement. It was Queso 1.0.
L: 5/5!
A: so there you have it! All you have to do is ask, and we’ll see about coming up with recipes to fulfull your deepest desires!
T: word, homes. ask for more recipes it’s fun!!!!
A: dude, we still gotta eat dinner, man… yummy leftover thai. mmm mmm mmm. There’s a groovy little place called Spice and Rice that absolutely rocks. Some of the best Thai food I’ve ever eaten.
T: yeah, really good. cool, later peeps.

Kwaherini mabibi na mabwana.

Recipes in this post:

• Amanda's Righteous Queso

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