Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Undercover in Mazatlan

I always thought it was cool when there were crossover episodes of TV shows when I was growing up. I mean, how cool was it when the Jetsons met the Flinstones or when Mork from Ork found himself hanging out with The Fonz in Milwaukee? Granted, it was nothing but a cynical ploy by TV executives to increase viewership, but I was a naive kid and it didn't matter. It was always a big deal to me. In honor of that great tradition of the crossover episode (minus the cynicism, of course), I am honored to present my own...

I am a nascent foodie at best. I know nothing about the real nitty-gritty of the art of food and cooking, though I wish I did and hope to some day. I am, however, blessed to know some real foodies. One of them is my friend Sarah, who happens to be a great cook and great writer who brings a real working knowledge about food to her fantastic blog Undercover Caterer. If you haven't already done so, go check out her site. Not only does she talk about food, but she also has a plethora of great recipes- many of them inspired by her Nana (and we all know they have the best recipes). I've had the pleasure of eating her food. She's the real deal.

Since she found out I started writing about food we'd made a plan to one day go somewhere and share a meal to write about on our perspective sites. After a few rainchecks, we finally got our schedules right and were able to connect to make that wonderful trip down a mutual memory lane that is Franklin Boulevard...

Destination- Mazatlan

As with most places on Franklin, Mazatlan is one of those places you drive past and point at, saying to yourself or anyone you happen to be with, "I've always wanted to check that place out." Well, we were a part of that club for too long. Accompanied by her husband Guido, we made that trip...and we didn't need to deal with long lines at the airport and customs to tell people we were going to Mazatlan.

Dig the redone exterior...It wasn't always that nice on the outside

As with most of the wonderful places down Franklin, Mazatlan is in a relatively nondescript location. Then again, as with most of those same places, it sits next to another business that makes you just scratch your head and say, "huh?"

Here's what I mean:

OK...all together now..."Huh? French Bakery on Franklin? WTF?"

Yes, maybe take a few moments to let the cognitive dissonance wash over you and pass. That is indeed a french bakery with plywood replacing the glass on the windows and doors...

...or is it?

Clearly not a french bakery, but what is it and why are the doors wide open? Alas the enigma that is Franklin Boulevard. Perhaps some questions are left unanswered.

Nope, not a french bakery. Not even a bakery, for that matter. Just a storefront filled with a bunch of random palates and assorted crap. We actually tried to figure out what it was all about, but something didn't seem quite right. Rather than stand around an ogle, we thought it would be best if we just got inside the restaurant before some malcontent came out and asked us what the fuck we were doing snooping around their place. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.


We were bummed because we just missed happy hour. Can't go wrong with those prices!

So after trying in vain to assign meaning to the abandoned french bakery, we finally arrived in Mazatlan. We really didn't know what to expect on the inside, since the outside was recently upgraded and the reflective mirrors offered no glimpse of what awaited us within.


Yes! Another cheesetastic wall sized mural!

The place was smaller on the inside that we had imagined. I think cozy is the right word, actually. I was absolutely stoked at the sight of the wall sized mural. This seems to be a reoccurring theme in these restaurants in the hood. They had the same thing at the Vietnamese joint I visited on Stockton Boulevard (well, not the same thing of course...same as in a representation of home). I mean, it's cheesy, but I get it. The murals are almost like a prologue to the story about to be told by the food. They provide a context, creating a sense of place or a sense of longing for a place. After all, food is supposed to tell the story of where we came from...

So when the sign out front said "Tacos y Mariscos", (oh yeah...remember, mariscos is basically seafood) they were serious.

As you can see, the menu is 90% seafood

We did, after all, plan to get our grub on with various sorts of seafood. Our mission was simple: ceviche, shrimp, and squid...oh yeah, and a couple of tacos, because at $1.25 a pop, how can you not?

We ordered and watched World Cup highlights in spanish on the tiny television set in the upper corner of the room. While the place was empty when we arrived, save for one other person waiting for an order to go, the room began to fill with a couple of families, small kids in tow, along with some teenage boys looking for sustenance before doing a summer evening cruise on their bikes looking for girls and/or trouble...you know, typical teenager stuff.

The wait gave us a chance to reminisce about our own misspent (only sometimes though) youth. All three of us, having spent some of our younger days in and around South Sac, exchanged Franklin Boulevard stories and marveled at the mini-renaissance that has happened over the last 5 years or so.

To those who have never had the pleasure to spend a lot of time down of Franklin, it may seem poor and run down at first glance. But let me tell you, if you've been a frequent visitor over the last 10 to 15 years, the difference is amazing- new grocery stores, dilapidated store fronts and mini-strip malls given shiny new make-overs, new businesses thriving, a police substation...It's like night and day. All of the improvements notwithstanding, it is still our Franklin Boulevard. It just feels right and safe. So I'll spare you the rest of the Proustian rap on the remembrances of things past and get down to business...

My tacos came first:

Taco de Carnitas (Pork)


Taco de Lengua (Toungue...yes, Beef Tongue!)

I swear, if Taco Hell ditched the genetically modified corn taco shells and mystery ground beef and served REAL tacos like these, I'd marry it! I mean, it's probably easier to make tacos like these than the sorry excuse for tacos they schlep over at The Bell. Just heat the little corn tortillas, put a spoonful of meat on it, slap a dollop of salsa on top, garnish with cilantro...and VOILA! You have the perfect taco! It's not rocket science. A taco shouldn't be needlessly stuffed with flaccid lettuce. A taco needn't be crunchy. A taco should not have shredded cheese product melting it's chemicals everywhere. A taco should just be what you see above- simple and to the point. And these tacos aren't hollow calories. They get inside of you and actually nourish you, unlike the fast food tacos that leave you hungry in an hour or so. Besides, at $1.25 a piece (and $1 during happy hour!!!), how can you be anything but a taco winner?

Next came the moment we had all been waiting for. The arrival of the mariscos.

mm...Tostada de Ceviche!


Not just Shrimp Cocktail, but Shrimp AND Squid Cocktail!


Oh look. It's my friend Sr. Tapatio Sombrero Guy and his friend Sr. Huichol along with the white stuff! They really know how to party...

Now, if you're from California, it's a given (I hope) that you've all had mexican style shrimp cocktail. However, unless you've been to a real, down home, mexican place, it's unlikely that you've had said cocktail with little squid. If you haven't, you've been missing out. All I would ask, is that you keep an open mind about it. I mean, you could go to a restaurant in Midtown and order the fried calamari appetizer and say you had squid, but there's something more awesome to say that you've had what is essentially raw squid, which is what I got in this concoction. I think what I liked best about it was it's presentation. It came in a big styrofoam cup. Simple. No nonsense. Ready to take home. This also says a lot about the food itself. That it does not come is a fancy vessel with a grand presentation screams, "We don't give a fuck about what it looks like. We only give a fuck about how it tastes, so enjoy!" Straight up chutzpah. And it was good. As with everything, I added some Tapatio to spice things up and was well on my way to eating all of my little shrimpies and squid. I was a happy camper.

The ceviche tostada wasn't bad either. I will agree with Sarah's assessment in that it was fresh, but it was a little too chopped up and seemed more like a sort of paste. This is not to say it didn't taste good, but sometimes texture plays a role as much as taste does. All in all, it was refreshing and great for a hot Sacramento evening. Plus as all mexicans know, you just drown something in lime and it can't help but be yummy.

Observe the wreckage...

In the end we had a great time. How can you not when you're reminiscing about old adventures while eating seafood? If anything, I would go back for the happy hour just to gorge myself on $1 street tacos and stare at the mural on the wall. If you do go, I will give you just one piece of advice- steer clear of the oysters. Just trust me on this...

For the other side of the crossover episode, go see Sarah's chronicle of the same evening here: A Quick Trip to Mazatlan. More pics there. I guess you could look at it as bonus footage.

Mazatlan
4800 Franklin Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95820
(916) 451-4149

2 comments:

  1. If you're ever in LA, let me know and I'll take you to a little place in Lynwood for the best ceviche de camaron. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

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  2. outstanding !!!
    there has to be something said about a guy that can use nascent in a sentence. and really enjoy the finer parts of life.

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