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Perla del Mar is one of the many small restaurants that line the shores of Playa Bagdad, north of the statue of Christopher Columbus, where Mexico Federal Highway 2 terminates at its eastern end, at the statue. I was visiting Bagdad Beach with three buddies, Jerry, Ron and Rogelio, and we were looking for a place to eat lunch. Searching for a good restaurant, we headed north from the statue of Columbus, and immediately found ourselves facing a row of small restaurants, that face the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Today was early Tuesday afternoon, September 26, 2006, and with business on the slow side, many of the restaurants posted "greeters" outside, welcoming you to try their fine restaurant and to reel in customers during this slow business day. Perla del Mar looked good, the greeter-guy had a nice smile and was very friendly and we were very hungry, so Perla del Mar became our choice for lunch.
Photo: Our friendly "greeter" poses in front of the open air dining room at Perla del Mar. Like most buildings at Bagdad Beach, Perla del Mar is elevated to avoid tidal waves, which are occasionally encountered during hurricanes.
Photo: You know you'll be enjoying fresh fish, as you see these fishermen at work, mere yards away from the restaurant. The fishermen bring in their catch, cut up the fish on the beach, and bring the fish to Perla Del Mar, and other nearby restaurants. We were seated at a comfortable table, with a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Mexico, and each of us were presented with a printed menu by our smiling waiter, who performs triple-duty as one of the cooks, a server, and one of the prep-guys who cuts up vegetables. Waiter, cook and prep-guy; that adds up to three jobs, which is true multitasking for one individual. Wait a minute! A printed menu at a small, family-owned and operated fish restaurant at Playa Bagdad? Trust me, a printed menu is an oddity at a small restaurant like Perla del Mar, but it was a welcome surprise. From the menu, each of us was able to pick exactly what we wanted to eat, and we were able to order icy-cold Coca Colas and Coronas from the menu as well. The waiter took our drink orders, and said that he'd take our food orders when he delivered our drinks.
Photo: Here's a photo of a portion of their sign on the front of the building that advertises the fine food they serve. Looks like everything is freshly caught seafood, and it all looks good to me.
Photo: As you enter the mostly open-to-the-air restaurant, you're greeted by the "bar." Today, it looks like the bar is only being used as a place to store fresh cilantro. We didn't have long to wait, as within two minutes, the guy was back with our drinks and a note pad to jot down our lunch orders of fish. If you don't like fish, you're out of luck at Perla del Mar, as fish is all that you'll find on their menu, which is typical of the small restaurants that line the shore at Bagdad Beach. In addition to our drinks, he brought a large bowl of fried tortilla chips, and homemade, green salsa. In the state of Tamaulipas, salsa comes in both the red and green varieties, but the green, tomatillo-based salsa seems to be the most popular variety, as it appears as the de facto default salsa served at every table. As he left us, we were left in a state of wonderment, intoxicated by the fabulous view of the gulf, the smells of an authentic Mexican fish fry, and the joy of releasing the cares of the "real world," for at least, an hour or two. Not to mention that Perla del Mar is a great place to relax and take in the fine scenery that the gulf coast offers.
Photo: Meet Marķa, at work, behind the scene, in the kitchen. This girl not only prepares much of the food, but she's also an expert tortilla maker, as Perla del Mar makes all of their tortillas in-house from scratch.
Photo: Marķa smiles, as she makes fresh tortillas by hand at Perla del Mar. The amazingly fresh tortillas alone make the trip to Bagdad Beach worthwhile. Even when I'm surrounded by fine scenery, good friends and a cold Corona, its hard for me to sit still, especially when my digital camera is next to me, so I just had to explore the kitchen of Perla del Mar. Typical of most beach restaurants found in Tamaulipas, the kitchen is very cramped, but functional, and not at all fancy, and would be condemned in a second by O.S.H.A., or the food police. Despite the bad vibes from the food police, when you enter Perla's kitchen, you'll find three very friendly ladies who do everything, including cooking, cleaning, bookkeeping, preparing vegetables, and raising a very beautiful little girl. The guy that acted as our waiter alternated between cooking our fish, slicing our vegetables and keeping us satisfied at out table. That's true multitasking at its best, which can only be found in small restaurants such as Perla del Mar. Touring the kitchen of a restaurant invites an appetite, so I returned to our table, to sip my Corona, eat chips and salsa, savor the view of the Gulf of Mexico, and chat with my buddies. As my buddies and I were in the process of discussing the pro's and con's of the exchange rate between the Mexican peso, and the U.S. dollar, (sorry, we were really admiring the "form" of the local women... , ) we received the first course of our lunch, which consisted of a bowl of fish soup, and a bowl of fried rice.
Photo: Our friendly does double duty, as he moves into the kitchen, and begins to prepare our lunch. In Bagdad Beach, the kitchen is not off-limits, as photography is welcome, and insurance issues seem to be non-existent.
Photo: One of the serving staff does double-duty as a cook, as she stirs a pot of fish soup, simmering on the back burner of a propane-fired stove. This restaurant actually has electricity, unlike many others, but all cooking is done over propane.
Photo: A pot of seafood soup, and a pot of soup stock are simmering on the back burner. "Bowl of fish soup... bowl of fried rice..." doesn't that sound like some cheezy "loss-leader" thing that you'd expect to appear on some fake, Chinese-wannabee menu? Not exactly true at Perla del Mar, as the fish soup they present could only be described as "Caldo de Pescado," which means fish soup in Spanish, but it's actually a blend of locally-caught seafood, including shrimp cooked in a mixture real, homemade seafood broth, jalapeno peppers and diced tomatoes. Next to the seafood soup is a bowl of fried rice, and the entree is topped off by a sliced key lime. I didn't mention the fact that this "appetizer" is presented on a plate, which makes for a very attractive presentation. But wait, there's more... as our waiter placed a tortilla warmer on the table, filled with steamy-hot corn tortillas that you just can't resist.
Photo: The kitchen at Perla del Mar shows the table where nearly everything is prepared. The photo doesn't show it, but the kitchen is actually quite spacious, and seems to be run quite efficiently. All vegetables are grown locally, and delivered fresh daily to the restaurant, and diners are treated to the freshest vegetables available.
Photo: We catch our server/cook in a pensive pose in the kitchen. Like most of the staff, she wears many hats and performs many duties. Check out the sink plumbing on the wall behind her.
Photo: Jerry snaps the photo, as the author, Rogelio and Ron pose for the camera. as we're enjoying beer and soft drinks, in anticipation of our fine lunch which is soon to arrive. Note we have a basket of fresh tortilla chips on the table to snack on, along with bowls of fresh, salsa cruda. Such a great way to enjoy a early Tuesday afternoon at Bagdad Beach! Oh, as you indulge yourself in the delicious rice, or the rich seafood soup, and take in the savory view, what more could you want? Just as you think you've had it all, the waiter brings your main course to you; in my case it was a plate of fried shrimp, fried rice, French fries, and sliced lime, tomatoes and cabbage. You yes, as you eat this food, you're in pure food lover's heaven, no doubt about it! The rest of the guys ordered a meal similar to mine, but as I was too busy eating my meal, taking in the wonderful scenery, and just plain, well you know ... relaxing... so I didn't pay as much attention to what my buddies ate. However I can tell you that nobody went away hungry, and everybody raved about the quality of food, the presentation of the meal, and the friendly, fantastic service.
Photo: Rogelio's choice of fish soup and rice is delivered to him by our friendly waiter, as Jerry looks on with keen interest, and Ron takes a sip of Coke, as he works on his bowl of fish soup. Note Jerry's seafood cocktail, locally called a cocktele, but known on the west coast of Mexico as a "marisco."
Photo: Ron, Rogelio and I chose appetizers of seafood and rice - Jerry chose a fish cocktele - and this is my appetizer. Lots of key limes and various flavors of picante sauce help to make the appetizer even more delicious. Oh, the Corona beer is a nice touch...
Photo: My lunch of fried shrimp, lime, cabbage and tomato garnishes, with rice along with ever-present fries, and a stack of Marķa's fresh tortillas, made with her famous smile. Fries seem to be a staple at nearly every meal in the Mexican State of Tamaulipas. This meal was amazingly delicious! When you visit Bagdad Beach, also known as Playa Bagdad, check out Perla del Mar, as it's a class act owned and operated by very friendly people, and they'll treat you to fine food, and you won't go away hungry. Perla del Mar is, in a phrase, "My kind of place..." Perla Del Mar Copyright(c) 2006 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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