Mariscos Playa Escondida

Spending Saturday nights with Frank has become a rarity, but this past Saturday was a nice treat. He was home early enough for us to go out to dinner. We were torn between pizza, Thai and German. But deep down, we were seeking something new. He made a few calls to foodie friends to see what ideas they had. All offered good suggestions, but it was a recommendation for Mariscos Playa Escondida that won us over. This Mexican restaurant specializing in seafood was completely off my radar. It's located on East Charleston near Maryland Pkwy in a stripmall tucked behind Tacos Mexico. It could easily be missed if you weren't specifically looking for it. It's a true hole in wall, but let me tell you it is a gem!

This was an experience equal to those we've had off the beaten path in the Riveria Maya. No flight or passports required. It's hard to believe they can achieve these flavors and create this delicious seafood in the middle of the desert. But they do it.

We let our friendly server guide us with our order. He recommended the aguachile tostada and the shrimp empanadas. We had to have both. The empanadas were too hot to handle from the fryer so we let those cool, while we dug into the aguachile. They offer spicy dishes on a scale of 1-10, we ordered an 8 for everything. There was no false advertisement everything had a nice kick just the way we like it. The aguachile is diced shrimp marinated in chiles and lime. If you like ceviche, you'll love this. We gobbled it up between bites of the house salsa and chips.



The empanadas are the best I've had outside Ecuador. These were filled with tender shrimp, onions, tomatoes and garlic. Damn tasty! I'd go for some now, if they were only open on Mondays. Definitely a must a try! We had three for $8.



I was easily swayed on the whole snapper ($9/lb) its topped with spicy cream sauce, onions, jalapenos and avocado, and served with rice, beans and handmade tortillas. I prefer the corn to the flour. I've enjoyed snapper half a dozen ways but snapper tacos were a first; they did not disappoint. A two pound fish left plenty to share with Frank.



He ordered the appetizer of the el tecolote shrimp per our servers suggestion. He warned that it was a lot of work, but definitely worth the effort. He was right. The flavor was fantastic.

They have a nice variety of Cerveza ($3.50). We had five Victorias between us and a few pounds of seafood for $75. It was a steal and a real treat!