Our tradition of non-cooking Friday nights probably started in Israel, where we would stop for shwarma or pizza on the way home from happy hour at the beach. It continued in Costa Rica, where we would walk up to the local grocery, which had a pizza stand attached, so we could have a few beers while our pie was cooking. The tradition became so ingrained that, back in Virginia, I felt entitled to pick up fast food on Friday if no one was calling for a happy hour.
It's no surprise that we fell into the same bad habits in Mexico, especially since a few pizza-delivery fliers were waiting for us in the mailbox. Indeed, we succumbed to pizza the first couple of weeks, and it was actually quite tasty, what with the local ingredient of choice being chorizo, not tuna, as in Israel. But still, picking up some 'za without soaking in the neighborhood vibe didn't seem as satisfying as our Friday-night forays in Costa Rica.
So TJ and I made a decision to become official taco taste-testers. And thus, here is the first installment in an intermittent series, a trio of taco reviews. In the interest of full disclosure, we visited the first two taco stands on Saturdays, but their tacos still deserve some of the spotlight.
Mariscos La Bajadita (Seafood on the Little Downhill), on the street parallel to and up from the malecón in Playas de Tijuana, provided a good baseline for the Baja-style fish taco. The fish, probably the conventional cod, was freshly fried, but the batter felt a tad heavy. The vegetables were standard -- cabbage, cilantro, and tomato -- but quite crispy considering it was near closing time. A nice touch was that the tortillas were heated on a griddle upon ordering, not kept at room temperature or in a warmer. TJ was impressed by the selection of sauces: Tapatio, habanero, and even "buffalo." The location was pleasant, with a partial view of the Pacific below, but the welcoming atmosphere was perfect. The clearly family-run establishment was a well-oiled operation; Mom prepped the tortillas and veggies, while Dad cooked the fish, and Son collected the cash.
La Sirenita (The Little Siren), next to the fish market in Ensenada, provided a variation upon the same theme. The fish once again was cod, but this time, the batter was enjoyably lighter. The tortillas were the expected small flour rounds, and the vegetables were the usual suspects, except they were all in dishes on the table, so you could pile on as much cabbage, cilantro, and pico de gallo as you wanted. Likewise, condiment use was at your discretion, with schooner glasses of crema fresca and homemade picante filling the table. The fact that the market was next door certainly piqued the palate for fish tacos, but we could’ve done without the unappetizing sight of all the bird poop on its roof.
This last review is of the only type of fish taco offered at Tacos 'N' Salsas, down the hill from our house, which we discovered on a trip to Beer City. It's actually a bit of an unfair comparison, because the meat here is marlin, which was stuffed in a chile before it was battered and fried, making the fish taste less salty than it normally would. Besides the regular vegetable offerings, it was folded up with pinto beans and onions. Plus, you could choose between flour and sturdier corn tortillas. As its name suggests, sauces abounded. Four homemade picantes were fixtures on the counter, and crema fresca and creamy habanero were offered with the marlin taco specifically. Being in a strip mall on a busy street, the atmosphere is not much to speak of, but it is nice to be able to take a microbrew to-go in a styrofoam cup to wash down your tacos.
The marlin taco was actually only one of many tacos we had at this place. We also tried the chicken and carne asada varieties, as well as a special treat: a brocheta taco. TJ said the shiskabob of steak, bacon, tomato, and pepper was tangy and tantalizing because of its Worcester-style marinade. In future reports, we'll try to track down other uniquely delectable dishes, so stay tuned.
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