From Cancun to Cruces
Mariscos brings Mexican-style seafood to the desert.
Let's face it: However numerous the charms of Southwest New Mexico, we do not live in the land of great seafood. San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, the Gulf Coast, all are renowned for their seafood restaurants. In case you haven't looked at a map lately, though, all those places are on the ocean; until the Big One drops the West Coast into the Pacific and Glenwood has beachfront property, we remain a long sail from the nearest sea.
Mexico, with its miles of coastline on both the Gulf and the Pacific, also boasts a delicious seafood tradition (snapper Veracruzana, anyone?). But the "Mexican food" that makes its way to our side of the border typically is long on tortillas, cheese and salsa and short on fish and shellfish.
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Happily, Mariscos Cancun Mexican Seafood restaurant in Las Cruces, which opened its doors earlier this year, is an exception; it's a desert Southwest outpost of a small chain that also has three restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Although you can order all the usual cheesy Mexican standards—if you must—the stars of the show at Mariscos hail from the briny deep. Sure, other Mexican eateries hereabouts may have the occasional seafood entree, but what impresses about Mariscos is the sheer variety of preparations. Of course, you can get the famous Red Snapper Veracruzana, but maybe next time you come you'll want to try the ranchero snapper instead, or the mojo de ojo snapper, redolent of olive oil and garlic.
But we're barely getting started here. Choose from 10—count 'em, 10—different shrimp preparations ($10.95-$11.95), or a similar variety of entrees crafted with crab instead. You can even combine seafood with more familiar Mexican fare, such as in the shrimp or crab enchiladas ($10.95), served with the usual rice and beans. Not even the generous glopping of cheese or the spicy sauce can overwhelm the sweetness of the seafood within.
Or how about Mexican-style lobster? Four different creations will make you forget all about how they do it back in Maine ($15.95-$27.95); we're going back for the Lobster Thermador with Mexican spices.
Non-seafood lovers can choose steak, or get the best of both worlds with steak and lobster. Mariscos also serves breakfast, and if you're not quite up to lobster at 7 a.m., well, the menu has a long list of specialty omelettes. On weekends, you can even indulge a hankering for omelettes—or lobster—in the wee hours, as Mariscos is open 24 hours a day on Fridays and Saturdays.
You can wash down your seafood selections with a wide variety of beers or wine.
It's a bright, cheerful adobe place with plenty of booth seating. Service is fast, friendly and attentive, and prices are a lot less than what you'd pay at a seafood restaurant on either coast. Look for Mariscos at the corner of Amador and Mesquite—or just follow the crowds carrying shrimp forks and lobster bibs.
—David A. Fryxell
Mariscos Cancun Mexican, 504 E. Amador Ave., Las Cruces, 525-2163. Major credit cards. Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday open 24 hours.