There are so many Mexican seafood restaurants in and around Montebello that it’s actually possible – as I discovered – to walk into one … and find yourself in another.
This is the land of many platters of peppery grilled shrimp, found at an abundance of fish houses with names like Mariscos Linda, Pez Cantina, Ximapa, Mariscos Choix and La Paloma Grill.
I was heading for what I thought was Las Islas Marias. The name on the restaurant clearly said “Las Islas Marias Mariscos Estilo Nayarit.” The large groups of diners were gobbling shrimp and whole fried fish. I had no doubt I was in Las Islas Marias. And then, I was handed a menu.
The menu was for Rincon de Guayabitos #3, also “Mariscos Estilo Nayarit.” Feeling a tad confused, I asked the several employees – all of whom were working at a run from kitchen to table, and table to kitchen – what was up.
I was told that Las Islas Marias was gone, and Rincon de Guayabitos had taken over. Which was fine in terms of the food, since Rincon is a well-established seafood house with branches in East Los Angeles, La Puente – and nearby on Whittier Boulevard in Montebello. It had a following. It had a reputation.
Though the menu said #3, this was actually #4. And it had enough seafood dishes to keep me well fed that night.
It also had oversized speakers playing loud Norteno music. And bottles of beer served in ice-filled buckets. Which went down fast at tables of family groups who – as at the zillions of Chinese seafood restaurants to the north of Montebello, showed up to bond through food.
The sight of three, and maybe four generations, all gathered around a table piled high with cazuela, cocteles, caldos and comida Mexicana, with buckets of Modelo nearby, warmed the room. Food has long brought families together – it’s a tradition as old as time. And seafood seems to work especially well. Especially when it’s good and messy.
And so, my table confronted the shrimp in abundance – and in a sundry of ways. We confronted shrimp in oversized cocktail glasses – thick and heavy glass – packed variously with small pinkish shrimp, with a shrimp and octopus combination; a shrimp, octopus, clam meat and artificial crab and abalone; and the same, but also with oysters, the elegantly named “Vuelve a la Vida” – “Return to Life.”) The cócteles are served both cold and hot. Cold I understand. Hot … not so much.
There are eight cazuelas – which translates as “casseroles” – which aren’t so much casseroles, as they are (most often) plates of ceviches of shrimp, scallops and octopus, various fish, and a bit of everything all together. Of course there are shrimp tacos – it’s the law, I do believe – but also fish tacos and marlin tacos.
You’ll find shrimp and much more seafood in the caldos, which might be defined as a soup in the same way that a bouillabaisse is a soup; they’re really jumbo stews with some extra tasty liquid tossed in.
The platillos offer shrimp eight ways – and lots of shrimp. The platillo of camarones al mojo de ajo – with garlic – was big enough for two. Though admittedly, the salad and rice that came with the shrimp felt a lot like an afterthought. They were just kind of … dull. Though with all that shrimp, they didn’t have much of a chance.
The chips with the salsa, by contrast, had an impressive crunch to them. I like crunch – for me, it’s a taste as much as a texture. Crunchy always satisfies.
Here and there around the restaurant, I could see diners busy with tilapia – whole with skin and bones – busily dissecting the meat from the critter. There were other tables where raw oysters and clams were served from the “Pura Vida” column of the menu. There were preps of aguachile – good and spicy. There were tostadas, and seafood salads.
And toward the end of the menu, there was a section headed “Comida Mexicana” – carne asada, bistek enceboliado (with onions) and ranchero, and quesadilla de carne asada. Fishless dishes for those who go to a seafood restaurant … and don’t order seafood.
As an adjunct, the kid menu included chicken nuggets and hamburgers. Kids don’t know what they’re missing, passing on the shrimp. Maybe they should offer shrimp nuggets as well.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Rincon de Guayabitos #3
- Rating: 2 stars
- Address: 1418 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello
- Information: 323-530-0388
- Cuisine: Mexican Seafood
- When: Lunch and dinner, every day
- Details: Beer and soft drinks; reservations not needed
- Atmosphere: In a space that was last Las Islas Maria – and during a recent visit that name still appeared on a large sign and in the window – one Mexican seafood house replaces another Mexican seafood, in a space that’s large, has loud music, and walls without much décor. It’s all about the food.
- Prices: About $25 per person
- On the menu: 4 Seafood Cocktails ($20-$22), 8 Cazuelas ($20-$45), 3 Tacos ($6), 11 Tostadas ($6-$18), 5 Caldos ($20-$22), 10 Platillos ($18-$30), 7 Pescado ($15-$30), 14 Chef’s Specials ($5-$40)
- Credit cards: MC, V
- What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)
