Mariscos Chihuahua...Bottled Beer...40-degrees
How many different ways can you think of to prepare and serve shrimp? At Mariscos Chihuahua restaurant, located at 2902 East 22nd Street, they have probably thought up more ways to serve shrimp than any other restaurant in town.
I was negotiating over a cell phone where to have lunch with several business partners at a location on the southwest side of town.
“Where are you now?” I asked Nathan.
“I’m at 22nd and Country Club.”
Now I have never eaten at Mariscos Chihuahua, but I have tasted their food at catered events. The picture of there blue awning, that I had driven past many times, flashed in my mind. I suggested that we all meet there.
As we pulled up into the turn bay to make a left turn into the parking lot, a city bus stopped in front of the restaurant to let off some passengers. Three big scary looking tough guys with tattooed biceps stared us down as they crossed the street in front of our car.
“Where are you taking us Bill?” one of my friends asked.
As we pulled into the parking lot we noticed that the front of the restaurant was under construction. We also noticed that the parking lot was full, and having to walk between fresh wood beams to get through the front door was not a deterrent for any of the patrons.
Seafood is the mainstay of the Mariscos Chihuahua menu. You won’t find beef or chicken here, it’s all of the sea.
I ordered a bottle of Pacifico Clara. I noticed that the opening of the long neck bottle was too small for my thermometer so I asked the waitress for a glass. She brought a 12 oz frosted mug which I viewed as a bonus. The beer’s temperature was 40 degrees and tasted great with the salsa and thick tortilla chips that were served with the drinks. It wasn’t long before my young friends and I started sampling the extra bottles of hot sauces that were a fixture on the table.
For lunch I ordered the garlic shrimp, the first of many shrimp dishes offered on the menu. It was delicious. The shrimp, butterfly filleted, blossomed with chunks of buttery minced garlic. Every bite was an explosion of flavor. Each meal came with a side of white rice and a bed of lettuce with sliced tomato. “With all this garlic, I won’t have to worry about vampires around my house for a while,” I said.
“Or mosquitoes,” said Benji. Benji ordered a piece of white fish which he enjoyed.
Jacob and Jeremy each ordered a dish that featured shrimp wrapped in bacon. I sampled one of the delicacies and was impressed with the taste.
Nathan ordered a dish that had his shrimp swimming in a deep bowl of spicy red sauce. I don’t know if it was the last sip of the Pacifico beer or the extra hot sauce I had eaten, but I started to imagine his shrimp swimming the backstroke. Like an Esther Williams movie, swimming graceful patterns and performing synchronized diving from the side of the dish.
Other locations of Mariscos Chihuahua in Tucson include 1009 N Grande Avenue, 3901 S 6th Avenue, 356 E Grant Road, 999 N Swan Road and 435 W Irvington Road.
If you like seafood and would like to try shrimp prepared in many different and unique ways, try Mariscos Chihuahua.
