Monday, March 1, 2010

Mmmmmmmmm, Seafood by the Airport

I picked Ariel up at the airport on Saturday after her trip to snowy New York. Thanks to Virgin America's in flight Internet she was able to send me a message with the urgent title "I am hungry." I yelped restaurants within five miles of the airport, sorted by highest rating, and narrowed the selection to a Jamaican spot and Mariscos Moni. Ariel, as usual, chose the Mexican food at Mariscos Moni (henceforth abbreviated as MM).
For anyone who is not aware mariscos (note this is wikipedia en espanol, but you get the point) is seafood of all kinds. MM's menu featured three pages of whole fish, ceviches, and standard dishes with seafood. Items like carnitas, carne asada, and pollo were relegated to the back page. This was the first time I have ever seen this. This restaurant is really dedicated to their seafood.
The meal started with chips and salsa. The salsa was a little too spicy for my tastes and did not have nearly enough substance (few tomatoes). The chips were average at best. We followed that up with a mixed seafood tostada. The mixta consisted of shrimp, octopus, imitation crab, and a few other items I couldn't identify. All of the seafood was tender. I liked the marinade and its ceviche-like acidity, Ariel did not like how tomatoey it was.
For entrees Ariel ordered the shrimp fajitas and I got the shrimp enchiladas. My little shrimp in the enchiladas were undercooked and the dish was not as hot as it should have been when it was served. The fajitas came out sizzling and were quite delicious, especially all of the onions and bell peppers which reached that smokey/carmelized perfection that make fajitas so delicious. Both dishes came with huge portions of rice, salad and beans that were cooked with ample amounts of lard.
Overall the food was just slightly above average but the cost for the three above dishes and two sodas was $40. That is too much for what we got. The best thing about this meal? Reheating my dish last night in a pan with a little olive oil was better than the original serving. All of the cheese, sauce, rice, and shrimp (now thoroughly cooked) turned into a delicious congealed mess.
If you are looking for good mariscos try Mariscos Guillen La Playita on Lincoln in Venice. This shack it like Moni only fresher, better, and cheaper.

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