Octopus tostada (Photo by Jay Paul)
Mariscos El Barco, or seafood boat, is what every food writer wants to unearth but rarely does: a hideaway with uncommon, personal fare that steers far, far away from the workaday or trends. Cross the front deck to enter a minnow-sized dining room inside a converted ranch house at 6409 Rigsby Road. Sailfish hang on the walls and cushy, custom-painted chairs resembling whiskey barrels surround large tables. And if you can, stroll in four to six deep, because portion sizes could feed a kraken.
Rolls of paper towels on tabletops and boxes of saltine crackers stacked on the back wall complete the casual, West Coast seafood shack aesthetic. The stereo plays Banda, which, along with the cuisine, hails from Sinaloa, Mexico.
Here, Chef Juan Carlos Banales charts a course to Sinaloa, a state that anchors the Gulf of California and is known for its titanic, umami-rich seafood trays. I wrestle langostinos dipped in a spicy Sinaloa red sauce, tamping out the subtle heat from the shellfish with a Michelada — beer spiked with lime and tomato juice.
A thick bowl of buttery guacamole smells green with cilantro and balances the combo. An octopus tostada, top-heavy with plump chunks of octopus and drizzled with a Worcestershire-style sauce, appears ready to capsize from its weight. The shellfish and cephalopod are mostly on point, though there are a couple of mushy, overcooked and under-salted bites throughout my meals.
Besides oysters on the half shell, whole fish, crab and lobster, diners can net grilled steak, served with salad and tortillas; plump empanadas; and soups and salad filled or topped with seafood. Space is limited, not only for tables, but for drinks. Almost everything is bottled, including water. Have a shot of tequila and hope along with me that offering ice water is the only thing that changes at Mariscos El Barco.
