Get hooked

The first time I saw someone standing outside of El Pescador dressed like a fisherman, yellow rain slicker and all, I clapped my hands like a seal and excitedly waved back. I just love people in costumes. This tradition would continue for many months before I finally decided to actually go into El Pescador, a restaurant that has been on Plumb Lane for as long as I can remember. My friends Brett and Tim joined me for a lunch, but Tim wasn’t quite sold on dining here since his motto is, “If it’s from the sea, it’s not for me.” After I promised to buy the Margaritas, he was game. While El Pescador mainly offers fish or seafood dishes, they do have some non-fish items for people who don’t enjoy things from the water.

El Pescador has an old-school nautical theme, with yellow booths, carpet with blue anchors, and fishing nets with sea creatures hanging from the ceiling. It was bright and cheerful if a bit dated inside. The place was fairly crowded, and it can get pretty loud, so this is more the place for a fun meal out versus a quiet dinner.

We were immediately given a basket of warm, fresh chips, a small dish of warm refried beans and two different salsas. The chips and the beans were amazing, and as if the two types of salsas weren’t enough, there were also six different types of hot sauce at the table.

Brett and I decided to start with the ceviche ($13.95), which was served “Uncle Benjamin style.” I have no idea what that means, but apparently at El Pescador, “Uncle Benjamin style” means a huge serving of delicious ceviche packed with white fish, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and lime. The ceviche was so large that it could have carried us both over for a meal. We also ordered a pitcher of Margaritas on the rocks ($18) that took longer than I would have liked to get there, especially since we started experimenting with the different hot sauces, so our mouths were on fire by the time it arrived. Our glasses came with umbrellas in them, which is always fun, and the Margaritas worked to cool our tongues.

For entrées, I ordered the diabla fish ($12.95), which our friendly waitress cautioned was “very spicy.” Very spicy is just the way I like it, so when two large fillets of basa arrived covered in a red spicy sauce, I was ecstatic. The dish came with tortillas, beans and rice, so I set to work making some spicy fish tacos and dumped lots of the extra sauce over the top. Brett went with the seafood fajitas ($16.95), which came out with a huge serving of sizzling seafood and a large side of guacamole, sour cream, tortillas, rice and beans. I liked the seafood mix they put in the fajitas, which included squid, white fish, shrimp and scallops. Everything was nicely cooked and had a bit of kick to it.

Tim, our non-fish eater, had three enchiladas ($11.95), and went with shredded beef, chicken and cheese. Tim said the shredded beef was his favorite, as the meat impressed him. I had a bite of the chicken enchilada, and I thought it had a nice flavor with lots of melted cheese.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at El Pescador. We had a great time, the food was good, and the service, if a bit slow, was really friendly. It might have been a guy in a fisherman’s outfit that reeled me in, but the food is definitely a catch.