Camacho Watcho

I could eat Mexican food for every meal every day. Honestly, I could…in fact I believe I have done that for a week or so at a time. I think Mexican food is simply irresistible and addicting. My former loves for Mexican food were quesadillas and enchiladas. In more recent years, however, I have rediscovered the simple perfection of the taco.

Some of my favorite memories of childhood are of the dinner table. All four kids and both parents (seated in order of age around the table) would pass tortillas and small bowls of taco fixings around the table. Back in those days we were eating mostly ground beef tacos, which are quite tasty, but these days I’ve been eating more steak and fish tacos.

As I’ve written about before, I do love the fish tacos at SeaSalt and now I’ve found my new favorite beef tacos at Dominguez Family Restaurant. This small, family owned restaurant near Lake Nokomis has been around for several years but I had never been. A few weeks ago after getting picked up from the airport around dinnertime, Kyle and I decided to give it a go. Driving up, we loved the exterior with its brightly painted exterior and the figures of a man and a donkey welcoming us. The inside is simple as well with a small kitchen and a dining area with about ten tables to match.

I loved the menu with its varied options of meals and combinations, but I decided to put some of my favorites to the test a la carte. I ordered one chicken tamal, one chicken enchilada and one beef taco. I loved when I ordered my taco because I wasn’t sure what would come on it, so I just described to her what I wanted…corn tortilla, steak, cilantro and onions. Right away, she smiled and said, “oh, you want it mexicana style.” Si, seniorita…serve it up mexicana style…that’s what I’m after!

My entire meal was fantastic. The ingredients were fresh and the flavors were distinct. And, of course, the star of my meal was the taco…simply delicious! I was happy. We finished our meals and went to pay. While standing at the register, one of the cooks (not sure which member of the family) popped his head out of the kitchen and asked if we enjoyed our meal. I love that he did that. The food itself would bring me back again (especially because I’ve now read about their fish tacos…which I will definitely need to try), but the personal touch goes a long way with me. Looking forward to another visit!

Dominguez Family Restaurant
3313 E. 50th St.
Minneapolis, MN
612.724.8493

It was a fish taco-off this weekend, as I finally tried the fish tacos at Tin Fish. My regular craving and favorite fish taco is from Sea Salt, the seasonal, seafood-only restaurant at Minnehaha Falls. The perfect summer day would be spent with a basket of grilled tilapia tacos and a pitcher of Summit. Ahhh…

Tin Fish fried cod taco

This past weekend, however, we found ourselves at Lake Calhoun near Tin Fish, so we decided to try it. While my normal order is the grilled tilapia taco at Sea Salt, I decided to go for both a fried cod and a grilled tilapia taco to give Tin Fish the full assessment. Note: the Tin Fish tacos are quite large – in hindsight I probably only needed one.

I have to say that, while I preferred the tilapia taco of the two, both tacos were lacking a little something. Both were served with a variety of sour cream, very mild pico de gallo, cabbage and cheese, but none of the ingredients really stood out with good, fresh flavor. Between that, and the tortillas not being warmed, I wasn’t sold.

Sea Salt grilled tilapia taco

What I love about the Sea Salt tacos are the fresh, simple ingredients. The tacos are nothing more than warmed tortillas, grilled tilapia, white onion, a tangy salsa and lots of cilantro, but they are full of flavor. Sea Salt tacos are also served with a side of lime to squeeze on top, whereas Tin Fish was served with lemon. To me, that is odd. Lime is the clear choice when fruiting your tacos with a zip of acidity.

I’m sure you can guess my preference after reading this. Although I would be open to trying other fish tacos to compare, Sea Salt is still the current clear winner in the Twin Cities for fish tacos for me.

Tacos are a staple in my household. I love the versatility of them and the ease of how just a few ingredients can come together quickly to make a fresh, delicious meal.

This past Saturday Kyle and I ventured out to the Midtown Global Market in search of the thinly sliced steak we have eaten there several times at our favorite taco stand. Located just inside the doors of the 10th Avenue entrance, this taco stand is open both for meals cooked fresh in minutes, or as a meat counter to take cuts of meats to go. We bought a couple steaks and headed back home. There, we took the steaks and seasoned them with olive oil, salt and pepper and then quickly grilled them, about 2 minutes per side. Juicy, tender and seasoned well with a marbling of fat, the steak was delicious. Piled into a tortilla with cilantro, avocado and lime juice, it truly made for a fantastic lunch.

A few nights later, I was craving fish tacos. I had attempted to make fish tacos in the past, but I never seem to like the versions that I make. This time was no exception, as we were, unfortunately, not thrilled with how the fish turned out. I believe it was due to the type of fish we used. I had previously bought some cod, intending to use it for a different recipe. However, when I began to crave fish tacos, I decided that to just change things up a bit, add some blackening seasoning and grill it up for a tasty meal. Unfortunately, cod just isn’t the right fish. Next time, I’ll make sure to use tilapia or another more appropriate type. The seasoning was good, but the texture was just all off.

Regardless of the fish mistake, the mango salsa that I served with the fish was delicious. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and have made it twice. Its flavor is sweet, spicy and cool; perfect to pair with blackening seasoning or just to serve with tortilla chips.

Spicy Mango Salsa
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
1 fresh navel orange, peeled and sections diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or more, I love cilantro so I add it liberally)
2 green onions, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (if you’ve never cooked with a fresh jalapeno, note that you should use rubber gloves or put a baggy over your hands to prevent burning)
2 TBSP fresh limed juice (2 fresh limes)
1 tsp soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately or cover and chill.

Spring was in the air. The sun was shining and the air was only a bit cool…so we decided to head to Minnehaha Falls to eat at SeaSalt.

I love this place. It’s a complete package, with everything from a casual vibe to the freshest of seafood (from Coastal Seafoods, no less!). Located at the top of Minnehaha Falls, there are always people abound enjoying the seafood or just enjoying the park, perhaps picnicing on their own. The slight downfall of this is that the lines can be very, and I mean very, long. It stays very busy throughout any given beautiful day, but this should not deter you; the food is worth the wait. Grab a pitcher of Summit and suddenly the wait doesn’t seem so bad. Or, if you’re like me, somehow convince your friends to go there at a certain time and then show up late so you can slip in line with them just as they are nearing the front…yes, that was me! But, I don’t do that all the time…I promise. It was my birthday, so I made an exception!

I went with my usual order of grilled tilapia tacos. Two corn tortillas with fresh grilled tilapia, chopped onion, fresh salsa, tons of cilantro, and fresh limes on the side. Absolutely fantastic! If fish tacos aren’t your thing, I would highly recommend the fish basket/sandwich or the crab cake basket/sandwich. All are fresh and tasty!

On this particular visit to SeaSalt, we did go slightly astray from the usual ordering and also got oysters on the half-shell. I have not tried a fresh oyster in years, as I had convinced myself that I don’t like them. Surprise, surprise…I know. So, in the spirit of trying things new, I threw this out the window and went for it. I topped my oyster with a squeeze lemon juice, a bit of horseradish and cocktail sauce, then I threw it down the hatch. Yum! I can’t believe what I had been missing all these years. I’ll definitely have to try more oysters in the future. I can’t guarantee I’ll love them as much as I did on this particularly beautiful day at SeaSalt, but I’m going to give it a go!

My first SeaSalt of the season…I can’t wait for the next. Love those tilapia tacos and love that ice cold Summit. On a hot, summer day it just doesn’t get better than that.