El Caribe
5610 N. Lamar, 452-6207Monday-Thursday, 11am-9pm; Friday, 11am-10pm;
Saturday, 10am-10pm; Sunday, 10am-9pm
El Caribe is a little-known jewel serving an interesting mix of Interior Mexican and more-conventional Mexican fare, and it's located on the west side of Lamar, about a block south of Koenig. Their Interior dishes concentrate on the regions of Yucatán and the Gulf coast around Veracruz. Tastes are authentic, the prices are very reasonable, portions are huge, and the service, for the most part, is very efficient.
The space is decorated with a funky amalgam of neon beer signs, with a few travel posters thrown in. It won't win any awards in that department, but the air conditioning is cool and the space is clean and well-lit. The patrons on all three of our visits have been a pleasant mix of Latino families, blue-collar workers, and young hipsters.
On one visit we were recommended the Pollito Relleno ($9, and a misnomer, as the suffix ito usually indicates diminutive size). What arrives is a large chicken breast pounded out and stuffed with cheese, mushrooms, and chorizo (with no hint of greasiness from the sausage) before it's fried. It arrives napped in a pool of a mild, flavorful tomato sauce, and we subbed the lime-cilantro rice (rich and mildly tart) and frijoles ô la charra (smoky and luxurious ... some of the best we've eaten lately). A Beef al Pastor Taco ($2.25, marinated and excellently spiced) rounded out the dinner.
Other treats are the Queso Caribeño ($6.75), which is more asado/fundido than the typical con queso style. A velvety white Mexican cheese is combined with sautéed mushrooms, garlic, small shrimp, and onion to produce a nicely stringy and flavorful dish that's great on tortillas. A weekend-only dish is the Pork Pozole ($7.50) which arrives as a huge bowl of falling-apart tender pork and white hominy swimming in a rich ancho-chile pork stock. Riding shotgun is a chalupa that is fine, but uninspiring.
We tasted the Camarones Mojo de Ajo ($9.95): six marinated jumbo shrimp sautéed with lots of garlic, diced rajas of roasted poblano, and caramelized onions. The shrimp were slightly overdone, but the flavor combination is superb. The Chile Relleno ($8.25) comes with your choice of stuffing (we opted for chicken and cheese), and the poblano chile is encased in a light, fluffy breading and topped with a tomato-chile sauce and melted white cheese. It's an excellent rendition of the classic dish.
We found the kitchen to be very accommodating when we asked for a custom enchilada plate, composed of two chicken enchiladas: one topped with Caribe's version of mole (dark and rich, with a nice spiciness and a finish of cinnamon ... perhaps a touch too much, but very good) while the other is covered with chimpa (another name for pipián: a pumpkin-seed mole). Both are mouth-watering sauces, normally served on roasted chicken pieces (both $7.25), and we noted that every member of the staff seemed to be dining on the mole.
We're suckers for Tres Leches Cake ($2.25) whenever it crosses our path. Caribe's is sinfully rich and decadent, made in the classic Iberian way with over-the-top sweetness. They also have sopapillas and flan for the same price. In the drink department you'll find a full bar and the normal items, but also real lemonade, strawberry (smoothielike) liquado, and horchata in the $1.25 to $1.75 range.
There are untried temptations that will drive us back: the Shrimp and Snapper Soup ($9.95) and the Caldo de Rez ($5.50, both Saturday and Sunday only), a large assortment of seafood specialty dishes, and the mesquite-grilled beef fajitas. When you're in search of Mexican that's just a bit out of the ordinary, with good solid food that won't kill the budget (and it is right smack in the middle of town), El Caribe is hard to beat. It's not that big of a place, so don't everybody go at once.
