Sea and Lemon

We stopped in to try this new Mexican seafood place--they are still in the soft opening phase. We got a Horchata Nutella refresher (offered free with the meal but likely that's over by the time you read this), a fish al pastor taco, a Zarandeado shrimp roll, a signature Zarandeado fish taco, and a mango and avocado ceviche.

The service deserves mention up front. The staff are all in on the success of the restaurant, which is great to see. It is a counter service place, but since they were slower and wanted to show us the refreshers they took our orders at the table.

The way the refreshers work at present deserves explaining. There are about a dozen refreshers on the menu. Not all of them are available on a given day. They brought out samples of the refreshers available. I ended up with the Horchata Nutella refresher. Both flavors were apparent and it's a nice tasty drink.

The tacos and buns are done kind of like a tapas menu--small items that encourage you to order multiples. The ceviches and aguachiles are more full-size dishes that are shareable.

I'm not 100 percent clear on what is in a Zarandeado sauce, but it is a mild savory sauce that doesn't interfere with the flavor of the other ingredients. The shrimp roll was like a small po' boy. They offered it with cheese--I was a little skeptical but went for it. The cheese is mozzarella and actually pairs well, adding savory flavor and a grease factor. Quite good. The shrimp was done perfectly. The fish taco was similarly mild. All of their food is just a little shiny with oil, not severely so and this is a feature for me.

The fish al pastor is tilapia with pineapple and onions. The al pastor flavor is very mild, which is a plus for me as I'm not a fan of strong al pastor flavor. The staff was happy to make salsa recommendations for the items. They have mild, medium and hot salsas--I tried the medium ones and they packed a serious punch. Be ready for the hot ones. Excellent homemade flavor.

The menu has a plant-based section with several tasty-looking options. The mango and avocado ceviche was definitely the highlight of the meal. The seasoning they use created an absolutely unique and delicious flavor in the mango. I've never had anything like it. Combine a bite with mango, avocado and onions on the provided tortilla chips and you've got a near perfect flavor experience. You really need to try this.

The decor carries forward the seafood theme. Some fake lemon trees and a fun mermaid sculpture. The effort really shows. The issues that keep it from being perfect are minor. Their salsa is in squeeze bottles in a cooler, like the ones you'd use for ketchup. Ketchup is smooth, salsa has lumps and seeds, so it doesn't dispense real well. The way they are handling refreshers is a bit confusing. They will figure that stuff out. The gendered but identical bathrooms were clean and ready. Two of us had a nice meal for about $30. Definitely worth a try.

My Yelp Review