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If you can believe it, Thursday evening, October 2, 2008, the fabled malecón, was almost dead, and most of the many seafood restaurants that face the beach, and the beautiful Sea of Cortez were shuttered and closed? As for me, earlier in the evening I'd already enjoyed a wonderful meal at Tacos La Playa, but after wandering around for another couple of hours, and drinking a few more Pacifico beers, I was in the mood for some more fish tacos.
Photo: Mariscos Conchita is located along "Fish Taco Row," along Paseo del Mar, and facing the Sea of Cortez. Normally, the malecón, along bustling street of the same name, is very busy with pedestrian traffic, both locals and tourists attracted to the seemly endless array of seafood restaurants, and the beautiful beach that San Felipe has to offer. But on this evening, most of the restaurants, in the three-block section of restaurants facing the malecón were closed. Bad thing, as I was hungry. So on this Thursday evening, I went against my principals and did an encore performance from a restaurant from the night before: Mariscos Conchita.
Photo: A dusk view of Paseo del Mar, from the upstairs balcony of Mariscos Chnchita. Note the light coming from the lighthouse, located on the hill, in the right background of the photo. Competition is strong for seafood restaurants that line San Felipe's "seafood restaurant row," along the malecón, facing the Sea of Cortez, so that keeps the quality of food high, and the prices low, which is a good thing for diners. Since things were so dead tonight, I decided to return to Mariscos Conchita, as there weren't many other places to choose from, and I had enjoyed an outstanding meal the night before. Only this night, I didn't want to eat in my motel room, as by the time the sun went down it was a lovely, warm evening, and a perfect evening to enjoy a delicious meal of fish tacos, overlooking the action, from the balcony of Mariscos Conchita.
Photo: Looking down from the kitchen at the Czech family enjoying dinner. My table is next to them, as you can see my camera case, and a few beer bottles on my table. I knew the drill, since I'd dined at the restaurant the evening before, so when I was greeted by the menu girl in front of the restaurant, I simply told her that I was going to eat upstairs, on the balcony, and could you please bring me a Dos XX and a menu? So that's about it, as I chose a table on the balcony, relaxed, and sipped my beer after it was placed on my table. Of course I placed an order of exactly what I'd enjoyed the night before: Two fish tacos, rice and beans.
Photo: I talked my waitress in allowing me to take her photo, in the deserted second floor dining room. The kitchen is up the stairs, to the rear of the photo. Most guests, like me, prefered to dine outside, on the balmy Thursday evening, October 2, 2008. San Felipe was dead, and so was Mariscos Conchita. Upstairs, there was only one other party, a young family visiting from the Czech Republic, and there were a handful of people dining on the sidewalk tables below. I got to talking to the Czech toursits, and I found it interesting that we conversed in Spanish, as I don't speak German, and they didn't speak English, and I found it quite interesting that they were able to speak Spanish, although it was very different Spanish than the version spoken in Northern Mexico. In talking with them, it seems that they take vacations in sunny Spain, so they picked up a smattering of Spanish during their visits to Spain. This is the first time that I've ever heard "Spanish" spoken, and it's quite different that what I'm used to.
Photo: This jewelry vendor invades the second story balcony and seems to have piqued the interest in the Czech family's older daughter, as dad cautiously looks on. By enjoying dinner on the balcony, overlooking the action from above, you still can't escape the grip of the street vendors, as a vender peddling dubious silver jewelry made his way up the stairs, and opened his box of fine wares for my Czech friends to admire. Mom and dad didn't seem particularly interested, but their little girl seemed amused, but at 3 years old, her purchasing power was somewhat limited, and the vendor didn't make a sale. When he came over to me, I got rid of him using my standard get-out-of-here phrase of a polite, yet firm, "Gracias, pero no," which leaves no room for them to argue or wheedle.
Photo: My wonderful dinner, including chips and tray full of condiments, for the unbelievably low price of MEX $20.00.
Photo: I barged into the kitchen and caught our waitress talking to a member of the kitchen staff. Note the ever-present television in the background, but to my surprise, it's tuned to a soccer game, rather than a soap opera. After enjoying a couple of Dos XXs, a bowl of chips and salsa, and the company of my Czech friends, my dinner arrived, and it was even better than the night before. When you dine-in, while you're waiting for your dinner, you get endless bowls of chips and salsa, which really go good with the beer, and soda crackers! Like the night before, my fish tacos arrived perfectly cooked, two pieces of fish each, placed on two cd-sized corn tortillas, along with an order of Mexican rice, and an absolutely huge helping of refried beans. The girl brought a plate of condiments to my table to place on my tacos, and the plate included, salsa cruda, pickled jalapeño pepper slices, sliced red onions, runny guacamole, diced cabbage, and sliced cucumber, and the ever-present key lime halves.
Photo: After applying my choice of condiments, this is what my delicious dinner looked like. The food was not only inexpensive and plentiful, it was absolutely delicious. I can't say enough good things about Mariscos Cochita, but you owe it to yourself to pay the restaurant a visit. The dinner served at Mariscos Conchita is simply unbelievable, as the food is fresh, the presentation is gorgeous, the food is perfectly cooked, the atmosphere is to-die-for, and the staff are friendly and efficient. The price for the delicious dinner, including the endless chips, salsa and soda crackers was a mere MEX $20.00, which is less that $2.00 U.S. dollars, and the beers were MEX $15.00 each, a little high, but still very reasonable. Let's see, a delightful dinner and four beers for MEX $80.00; so I just rounded it off and gave the girl a MEX $100.00 which left a 20% tip... Less than $10.00 U.S. dollars for a delicious meal, great beers, and two hours of enjoying the breathtaking view of the Sea of Cortez, soaking up the salt air, and enjoying watching the action along San Felipe's malecón on a beautiful early fall evening in October. How could life get any better? Mariscos Conchita Copyright(c) 2008 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since January 19, 2005. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...
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