Prince would approve of my new sneakers...
They have that old school look. Plus, they are quite comfortable since they have a foam insole that feels like I am walking on a cloud. I'd never worn Pumas before and decided to go for it after having admired the royal purple shade of these sneakers.
Who cares if it didn't match with what I wore today (the staff shirt which is navy blue)!
For lunch, Mr. TJ, La Ley and I went to Rubio's, took our food to go and ate it at my house, which is nearby. Pay no mind to the dirty grout on my counter top.
My red Argentinian shrimp taco combo with chips and beans. My former student was the cashier who rang us up; as an unexpected bonus, he gave me a cup when I didn't even order a drink. Oooh, nice.
Corn tortillas were too thick, but the shrimp were plump and juicy. The seasoning was smoked paprika with tomato butter (I couldn't really taste the latter ingredient, to be honest) with avocado slices, fresh salsa and chipotle white sauce. I wanted something more exciting than their regular fish taco today. This was pretty good and would hold me over until dinner later with Bert.
TC had a play to work that evening so we were on our own again for seafood Friday. We'd been to Mariscos Hector's on the west side of Chula Vista before but not the one in Eastlake. Our secretary and her family enjoy coming here and had recommended we visit.
Mariscos Hector's is in the lot with Kohl's and Krispy Kreme. NExt to it is Epic Wings which used to be Noodles & Company a while ago. Hector's replaced an eatery called Wanna Taco (how do I remember this? I made that observation in my comment to Cathy's post, linked at the end) back in 2011. Never ate there when it was Wanna Taco either.
Lent menu ("cuaresma) - I wanted us to try the first choice since it was, after all, Seafood Friday.
Booths are along the outer perimeters with decent lighting. We were originally seated at a table in the middle with the lights off above. A booth opened up and we asked if we could sit there instead, which they said it was ok. We were underneath a series of chalkboards with specials. I could see the open kitchen and the mounted flat screens (Mexican boxing was on).
We were the only non-Mexicans in here which was a good sign. I'm totally down for that. I grew up in the South Bay where it's mostly Latino anyways. I'd be worried if there WEREN'T any Mexicans in here.
The folks working here were super nice and attentive. Almost immediately, these thick cut and crisp multicolored chips were brought out with salsa and limes. This was quite a full basket. We didn't finish the chips since we wanted to save room for dinner...
We ordered a small shrimp and octopus cocktail, the Lent special which was chile relleno with cheese and smoked marlin along with the fish fillet with culichi sauce. The sauce, a specialty from Sinaloa, is made from smoked poblano chiles and crema along with serrano chilies, garlic, onion and chicken bouillon. I've had this particular sauce before with CAB at the other Mariscos Hector's nearly two years ago as well as at the now defunct Miramar Seafood with both Cathy and CAB back in 2012.
But first, a michelada...
Ice cold beer with lemon juice poured into a large salt rimmed goblet. Very refreshing. This was the plain version rather than the one with Clamato and tajin (Bert wasn't too keen on that, but that particular preparation is La Ley's favorite). He chose Bohemia over Modelo, Pacifico, and Bud Light.
This was the small octopus and shrimp cocktail served with Mexican saltines. We barely got a few spoons of this when our main entrees arrived. I have to say that the shrimp were large and plump and the octopus was so tender. The cocktail juice was also refreshing with lime, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and cilantro. Our consomme was delicious, being a chilly evening. It was nice to enjoy this tomato based soup with rice and fish.
Fish fillet combo in culichi sauce. The sauce was as good as I remembered it to be. Bert really enjoyed this as well. The fish fillet, which still had the skin, was on the thin side though. For $15.95, we expected it to be thicker and/or meatier.
Both entrees were served with rice and beans. My rice was red (tomato based) with mixed vegetables while Bert's was the white rice version.
This was the Lent special - a lovely red sauce covered chile relleno, topped with crema. Inside was flavorful smoked marlin (not overly salty either) and Monterey jack cheese. The egg batter was so light and fluffy. Let's put it this way, the sauces on both of our plates were GONE at the end of dinner (I skipped on the beans). We share a little of each others' plates. I really need to learn to make that culichi sauce myself so I can enjoy it more often.
OMG.
Who else went to Mariscos Hector's?
Cathy and her Mister went to this location back in 2011 when she and her Mister explored East Chula Vista.
Last year's post:
"Seafood Fridays - Weeks 4, 5 & 6" (I was lazy and combo'd the last few weeks, ha ha)
Mariscos Hector's
2305 Otay Lakes Rd.
Chula Vista, CA 91915
(619) 421-1300
www.hectorsmariscos.com + reviews from you know where
This is one of my co-worker's go-to spots. Her favorite dish is the bacon wrapped shrimp, which I will have to try next time. She told me she would have to try what we had in return!
2 comments:
Those are some colorful sneakers CC! The "Purple One" would be proud.
Yes they are Kirk, yes they are! The color is so vivid and rich. They're a fun pair of sneakers and I've already been complimented on them several times.
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