THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607110198
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant Review
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER McMENAMIN
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WAVES LENGTH: 94 lines
I'M NOT a very big Mexican food eater. Tacos, quesadillas and fajitas traditionally have been my idea of south-of-the-border dining. And even though I love seafood, the idea of mixing it with Mexican fare made me a little wary.
But a recent visit to 2-month-old Pescado's Seafood and Mexican Grill dispelled those doubts - for the most part.
Clay pot candle holders handpainted with blue fish wearing sombreros adorn each green and maroon covered table.
Large windows span three sides of the wood and gray-paneled restaurant, providing beautiful views of sunsets over the Pamlico Sound.
I began my meal with Grilled Quesadillas ($5.95), two char-grilled flour tortillas topped with a tasty blend of cheese, scallions, mushrooms, jalapenos and a choice of chicken or shrimp. Eager to sample the ``Mexican seafood'' before I changed my mind, I ordered the shrimp. It was the best decision I made during our meal.
My friend - a self-professed vegetable hater - tested one bite of the veggie-laden dish on a dare and wound up coming back for more. The tortillas were crispy, a must with me. The cheese was perfectly melted amid the mushrooms. The shrimp were juicy and plump. And although I picked out the jalapenos - bypassing the hottest items on the plate - the flavor that seeped into the cheese and tortillas from those little peppers was perfect.
My friend ordered Pescado Bites ($5.95), fresh bites of fish, lightly battered and fried and served with salsa and crisp tortilla chips. They were crunchy, not too greasy and not too fishy.
Our entrees arrived even before we had polished off the large portions of appetizers.
Continuing my exploration of Mexican fare, I ordered the Chicken Chimichanga ($7.95), a large crisp flour tortilla stuffed with grilled chicken and cheese and topped with mild salsa, melted cheese and sour cream. Since chimichangas had never made my admittedly short list of Mexican eating, I was not sure what to expect. Some said chimichangas are soft. Some said they should be crunchy. But given the menu description - ``a large crisp flour tortilla'' - I did not anticipate a soggy entree, which is what arrived on my plate.
After only a few bites, I abandoned my chimichanga and turned to the Mexican rice - a zesty mix of white rice and red and green peppers - and my vegetable of the day, lightly seasoned yellow squash.
To even out our sampling of Mexican and seafood, my friend ordered the fresh fish: a huge helping of bluefish snatched out of the sound only the day before by Bruce Midgett, one of the kitchen's three chefs.
The only bones my friend had with the meal were the three tiny spines that survived the filleting process. But the freshness, he said, more than made up for them. The fish-of-the-day also was available broiled or blackened.
We capped our meal with Mexican Fried Ice Cream ($2.50), billed as a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream rolled in chopped nuts, corn flakes and coconut, deep fried, and topped with honey and rich whipped cream.
This sweet dessert simply amazed me. Fried ice cream? I couldn't fathom it. A Pescado's employee, who explained it to me as frying the outside coating, said the key is to not leave it in the fryer long.
However they created it, it was wonderful.
It tasted like ice cream and honey granola. It served as the perfect ending to our meal. And I was glad my friend was too full to eat much of it. MEMO: Carolina Coast dining profiles are based on a single, unannounced
visit by Virginian-Pilot writers. Restaurant managers are often
contacted later for more information. The Virginian-Pilot pays for the
meal. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Pescado's Seafood and Mexican Grill in Waves has large windows that
provide beautiful views of sunsets over the Pamlico Sound.
PESCADO'S
Where: Off N.C. 12 in Waves - just past the Cape Hatteras Camping
Resort main entrance.
Phone: 987-1010
Features: Mexican fare and fresh seafood. Popular items include
the grilled and blackened fresh fish, quesadillas, chimichangas and
enchiladas - especially those with crabmeat.
Prices: $5.95 to $14.95 for seafood, steak and Mexican entrees,
including fresh baked bread and two side orders; $2.25 to $5.95 for
appetizers. Children's menu also is available.
Hours: Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to
2:30 p.m. Dinner is served nightly starting at 5 p.m.
Drinks: Wine, beer (domestics, imports and microbrews), frozen
blended drinks, juices, soft drinks, coffee, tea.
Reservations: Not accepted.
Smoking: Downstairs smoking section and separate upstairs smoking
dining room available.
Handicapped accessible: Downstairs dining room is. Upstairs decks
and smoking section is not. Entrance ramp, wide entrance aisle,
wheelchair friendly restrooms, parking lot is paved. by CNB