John L.
Yelp
Opened on March 1, 2022, this restaurant is owned by the same people who own Mexico Restaurants in White Plains, MD and Huntingtown, MD. Two average restaurants that have captive audiences because they have no competition. I know the areas and I've eaten at both. This place has their ideas of Mexican seafood. My wife and I have had great chef made Mexican seafood dishes at other places. This place falls short in many ways. We tried 5 dishes.
They give you tortilla chips, two salsas, and a ceviche dip when you dine-in. The ceviche had minced tilapia, red onions, diced tomatoes, cilantro, and carrots in salt water. That's right, salt water and natural flavors from the ingredients. My wife liked it. I thought it needed seasoning. The salsas had lime juice, chile peppers, salt, and a touch of vinegar. One had jalapeños and the other had red cayenne pepper. They were hot, too tangy, needed sugar for balance, and had few flavors. They were some of the worst salsas we have ever had. The chips were typical.
1) Mendigo Especial
A soup with octopus, shrimp, onions, celery, and green peppers in a seafood broth. It came in a schooner glass with 3 large cooked shrimp hanging on the side. The shrimp had shells that were hard to peel and were not deveined. They were a waste. The broth had flavors of lime juice, onion, garlic, seafood, jalapeño pepper, tomatoes, and salt. It was hot and flavorful but unbalanced. It needed some sweetness to balance the lime, salt, and pepper. The shrimp and onions were good in taste and texture. However, the octopus, celery, and green peppers were so mushy that they were slimey. It was gross. The soup was different, but once was enough.
2) Pasta Costa Azul
Fettuccine, shrimp, and mussel in a cream sauce. It came with 2 pieces of pan-fried bread. The sauce tasted like a slightly spicy alfredo sauce without cheese. It had a buttery cream flavor with a hint of black pepper. Everything was cooked well. This was okay, but not special. I'd rather have alfredo sauce because it has more flavor. The bread was soft on the inside and fried crispy on the outside. It had moderate flavors of garlic and butter.
3) Filete de Pescado
Tilapia filet cooked in Sinaloa sauce. It came with french fries, rice, a slice of tomato, and a slice of cucumber. The Sinaloa sauce had onions, mild cayenne peppers, garlic, salt, and black pepper. It was mildly hot and VERY salty. The fish was soaked in sauce. The fish filet had no bones. It was light, tender, moist, and well cooked. The fries were seasoned and crispy. The rice had a few peas, corn, and carrots. It had a hint of sweetness and saltiness. The vegetables were fresh. With less salt, this dish would be okay. You get a choice of 8 sauces. Don't pick Sinaloa.
4) Filete a la Crema
Tilapia filet topped with shrimp, octopus, imitation crab, bell peppers, and creamy mushroom sauce. Served with rice, french fries, a slice of cucumber, and a slice of tomato. There were 6 medium-size shrimp, lots of imitation crab, and some slices of soft octopus. The shrimp tasted fine. The crab was shaped like thin flat noodles in 0.75-inch squares. It had a typical flavor of fish with crab extract. The octopus had no flavor. The sauce had a light mushroom and milk flavor with seasoning. It was nothing special. The fish was the same as above, which was good. The rice, fries, and vegetables were the same as above. The octopus and fake crab were not worth eating. Otherwise, this dish was okay.
5) Flan
The flan was mildly sweet with mild flavors of egg yolk, vanilla, and milk. It was creamy, smooth, and slightly dense. There was whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top with sweet caramel sauce at the bottom. We enjoyed it. It was the highlight of the meal because the rest had problems.
The service was excellent, and everyone was polite, helpful, and responsive. The dining room and restrooms were clean. They have unisex restrooms with lockable doors. There was a bar with 10 seats. They are located in Berkley Square shopping center and the parking lot is free. There was nothing special or outstanding in a good way. They have a variety of ceviche and steak dishes. Who goes to a seafood restaurant for steak? I don't advise people to eat raw seafood for health reasons. So, there's not much for me to recommend other than the service.
