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RESTAURANT REVIEW |
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RESTAURANT REVIEW |
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When they're part of the chile
verde at Marisa's in Downey, the taste is heavenly. By Jennie Douglas Special to the Press-Telegram |
Marisa's in Downey has been serving traditional Mexican food since 1975, but I might never have found it if Gloria Barras, a Downey reader, hadn't been kind enough to write. Barras has tried many other Mexican Places, yet it is always glad to get back to Marisa's, her avowed favorite. |
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It's a cute little cafe with oodles of charm. Try to snag one of the quaint wooden booths because the tables are made of stunning inlaid parquetry, each with a different design. Diego Rivera prints hang on the wall along with flower filled baskets, and a shelf holds a collection of earthenware pitchers and ollas. There is a salsa bar with three lively salsas. I tasted all of them, and finally settled on the green one, which seemed to possess an extra lilt. The skillful blending of chilies is an art, and this zippy salsa is a striking example of the principle. There are no chips. Instead the waitress brings a basket of crisply fried whole tortillas. I heartily approve of this method, and, if we're lucky, it may catch on. The menu is long and comprehensive. Not many placesoffer a choice of 14 combination plates, and there are burritos, tostadas and tacos galore. |
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| "I've never tasted a carnitas enchilada before," said my husband, Martin. Not many people have. I don't ever recall spotting it on a menu myself. Marisa's is unusaully flexible and versatile. You may order an enchilada with any type of meat, and you're the boss when it comes to filling your taco. Experience has taught me that it's wise to pay close attention to the house specialties, and five are listed here: steak tampiquena, steak picado, chile verde, pollo con mole and tacos de pescado. So often the specialties have a higher price, but all of these are reasonable. It was difficult to choose, yet chile verde, $6.25, one of my perennial favorites, was hard to resist. When correctly prepared, this classic dish is manna from heaven. The big chunks of pork were meltingly tender, but the real glory was in the sauce. It was a tart, tangy blend of onion, garlic, a mild chili, probably a poblano, and trusty tomatillos. When it comes to pure, unbridled flavor, no vegetable can beat the tiny, hard tomatillo, and that flavor develops and deepens as they cook. In this particular case, long, slow simmering had worked its powerful magic. This is the way that chile verde is supposed to tase, and from now on I plan to ask whether the sauce contains tomatillos each time I order. |
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Martin couldn't resist the eternal allure of something new. He selected the carnitas enchiladas, $5.50, and they were an appealing sight, covered with a smoky-tasting red sauce and oozing lovely melted cheese. I was concerned that the carnitas might have lost some of their crispness, but there are no crisper carnitas than these. They're the kind we like best, chewy, stringy and suffused with the rich essence of pork. It is possible to create palatable fajitas using almost any type of meat, but carnitas must always be with pork. That's the whole point! All of the dinners include good refried beans, garnished with two kinds of cheese, fluffy, flavorful rice and hot tortillas. This is old fashioned Mexican cookery, and it tastes fresh and homemade. Excellent food takes time to prepare, yet it's always worth waiting for. |
| I'd also ordered a carne asada torta, $3.95. I knew we'd have room for only a few bites, but that was part of my plan. I love tortas, those delectable Mexican sandwiches, and I had the rest of this one ear-marked for tommorow's breakfast. It didn't work out that way. At 10 p.m., Martin cut it in half, and we polished it off before going to bed. This torta was huge, weighing close to a pound. I couldn't believe it when I picked it up. Inside were pieces of succulent steak, beans, lettuce, tomato, delicious guacamole, onion and cilantro. It's a lulu, and a bargain to boot. I want to thank Gloria Barras for passing the good word along. Everything she wrote about Marisa's is true, but I don't think she's alone. Marisa's is a natural, fine choice for anybody's favorite Mexican restaurant. |
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Downey - (562)861-1783 Fax: (562)862-5330 Email: downey@marisas.com |
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