heart-warming chicken lime soup. They have the customary Mexican selections; enchiladas, tamales, fajitas, a you-call-it burrito, and their fan favorite signature dish, chile relleno; all made from scratch. For more exotic palates they offer a Yucatán Pepita Dip—made with roasted pumpkin seeds, the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings—their jerk sauce is the bomb (starts sweet then journeys through to a garlicky, spicy finish) and the Yucatán
Fish Pot—a delicious seafood stew, scallops, mahi- mahi and shrimp simmered with okra, tomatoes, rice, thyme and orange zest and hot chiles. On Saturday and Sundays they have a yummy
Yucatán Breakfast menu and all entrées are served with a mimosa or bloody mary. Yucatan Grill, 550 P.C.H. #111, Seal Beach. For more information call 562.430.4422 or go to
yucatangill.com
CARIBBEAN FLAIR WITH CARE SEAL BEACH’S YUCATAN GRILL I first found out about Yucatan Grill about seven
years ago when they first opened in Seal Beach; word quickly spread about their incredible Taco Tues- days. The inception goes back to when Felix Tulay originally invested in five Green Burrito franchises with real estate buddies. After the merge with Carl’s Jr., Felix decided to sell and open his own oasis with lovely wife of 33 years, Georgiana and thus Yucatan Grill with Mexican and Caribbean was born. I love the bright lively colors; they really transport
you to the Caribbean vibe and is always wonderful there. It has become a tradition to meet friends there to enjoy the best ultra-fresh tacos and margaritas around. A bonus is that they are half price on Taco Tuesdays, as well as margaritas by the pitcher. Aside from the traditional Crispy Shredded Beef Taco, my favorite is for sure, the Grilled Halibut Taco with cheese, pico de gallo, cabbage and chimichurri sauce. Check out all of the other options: Soft Tacos with grilled or shredded chicken, asada, shredded beef, carnitas Mexican-style (green sauce, onions, cilantro), Caribbean Tacos (Jamaican jerk chicken, Mayan mahi-mahi or cochinita pibil), Soft Fish Taco, (Baja or tropical) and shrimp, salmon and tilapia tacos. Felix was excited about their new special, the
Street Taco Trio, consisting of pulled-pork, brisket and chicken smoked for hours. Turns out his new smoker creates this incredible crunch on the outside and a gentle sweet tenderness on the inside—worth the drive alone. I have to also mention that out of all of the Mexican restaurants that I have ever been to, Yucatan has the best standard house salsa of all—it’s just right—the Guacamole is excellent too. I enjoyed the Pomegranate Mojito—Bacardi
Limon Rum, fresh lime juice, triple sec, fresh mint, agave nectar and pomegranate liqueur packed with fresh crushed mint. With that I savored my House Salad with one of the best house-made blue cheese dressings I have had in a while. The Sopa De Lima is a
TEQUILAS WITH A TWIST Quality is often rated as the most important fac-
tors in choosing tequila for the perfect margarita, in addition to selecting 100 percent agave tequilas, quality is made also made up of sub-categories: years aged, composite score (awards won & popu- lar reviews), smoothness rating & taste rating. Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen is the winner of “Critics Award” for Best Margarita in Orange County. They house a vast selection of tequilas in the categories of Blanco, Reposado and Anejo united with special hand- crafted homemade infusions made with fresh squeezed seasonal fruit juices . . .
CHA CHA MARGARITA made with Siete Leguas 100 percent Blue Agave, elderflowerli- quer, fresh lime and ruby red grapefruit juice.
MANGO-HABANERO MARGARITA, Pueblo Viejo 100 percent Blue Agave, Cointreau, mango, fresh mint and habanero infusion.
PINEAPPLE SMASH Herradura Anejo 100 percent Blue Agave, fresh pineapple juice, Tuaca Vanilla Liquer and cinnamon.
PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA, Jose Cuervo Tradicional, prickly pear juice, agave nectar and a float of Gran Marnier.
landscaping and the night sky. Our server Louis Cream, told us that there were
SEXY TEXMEX WEHO’S MARIX RESTAURANT Marix has been a cozy hot spot for Tex Mex cuisine
in West Hollywood since 1985 and is still going strong. Their success is no surprise because of its great con- cept and delicious menu. Locals frequent because of its proximity in town and it definitely attracts gay clientele, especially on Taco Tuesdays—other nights and weekends are usually busy too. In the evening, the retractable roof exposes the romantic tropical
twenty salsas available on the menu. We tried several and they were all fresh with their own personality. The guacamole is comprised of the winning combi- nation of avocado, cilantro, tomato, onion, Jalapeño and lime. All of their tacos are good, so I will point out some of the more distinctive creations—the scrumptious Blackened Chicken, the Chili-Braised Short Rib (spicy chile de arbol salsa, pickled red onion and avocado) and the Swiss Chard (crushed red pepper, caramelized onion, queso fresco and chipotle salsa), in addition are Seared Ahi Tuna (with tomato, jalapeño and salsa) and the Baja Fish. Jorgé the kitchen manager is the creator of the
Crab and Shrimp Enchilada, Wild Greens Enchi- lada and Dos XX Carne Asada Emborrachada. The entrées are served with Black or Refried Beans and Brown Mexican or Poblano Rice. MARIX WEST HOLLYWOOD, 1108 N. Flores
Street, 323.656.8800. 2nd location MARIX PLAYA, 118 Entrada Drive, Santa Monica, 310.459.8596 or
marixtexmex.com.
APRIL 2012 | RAGE monthly 63
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