Azul Mariscos - Chicago
Azul Mariscos is a beautiful example of how Mexican spices – cumin, cilantro, even chili peppers – are extremely complementary to fish and seafood.
Mexican food has become defined by its more popular dishes – like guacamole and tacos – but Mexican food represents one of the most diverse and delicious cuisines in the world…and it goes way beyond avocado dip and folded tortillas. Fish and seafood, for instance, are huge in Mexico, and if you need further convincing on that point, sample one of Azul Mariscos spectacular preparations, such as the Diablo Shrimp, giant versions of the crustacean cooked in extra spicy chili sauce (you can, of course, ask the chef to dial down the heat a little for you).
There are some traditional and some more innovative fish and seafood selections at Azul Mariscos. From the traditional side, there’s a whole flash-fried red snapper prepared in the style of Veracruz, with roasted tomato, green olive, caper, onion and jalapeno, as well as langoustines cooked in butter-garlic sauce, the kind you might encounter on the beaches of Acapulco. Some of the more innovative dishes include the grilled fresh caught Atlantic salmon with a tequila-honey glaze and the stuffed pineapple, the grilled fruit filled with lobster, octopus, and shrimp in a creamy chipotle sauce.
Of course, if your tastes tend more toward turf than surf, you can get a delicious skirt steak served with tortillas and refried beans, chicken taco or, of course, the hamburguesa, amped up south-of-the-border style with Chihuahua cheese, chorizo, chipotle aioli and avocado slices on a brioche bun.
For dessert, what you want is the Mexican hot chocolate brownie, drizzled with orange dulce de leche and a side of homemade orange-cinnamon-chocolate ice cream. Magnifico.
