When it comes to the ratio of coastline to land area, Mexico's is double that of the United States. In other words, for every square mile of Mexican interior, there are twice as many miles of shore as there are north of the border. Extending over 5,000 miles along the edges of the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, Mexico's multiple coasts make the nation a natural producer and consumer of seafood. With that in mind, Mexican seafood has become a niche unto itself that is filled by specialized restaurants like Las Glorias in south Phoenix.
shrimp cocktail and ceviche tostada
This particular Las Glorias should not be confused with Las Glorias on 19th Avenue, a completely separate restaurant with some good seafood dishes but not an overall emphasis on fish. Instead, this restaurant stands out for its nautical decor and panoply of aquatic foods. The location is just a block south of the light rail station currency under construction at Roeser/Central. Unfortunately, no bike racks are located on the premises, a regrettably common problem in this part of town. Maybe that will change once the current street work is complete.
shrimp rancheros
Las Glorias is easily spotted by two distinctive features: First, palm trees tower over the restaurant and the surrounding parking lot. Second, the building itself is colorfully painted in a seaside theme. While age and construction have made the facade look worn, the interior is bold and vibrant. Nautical images of ships, beaches, waves, pirates, and ominous storm clouds dominate murals. Models of anchors, helms, buoys, and fish adorn the walls. A second even more colorful dining room is separated from the main front chamber by a pony wall.
filete culichi
Every table in the restaurant receives a complimentary bowl of fresh chips with a red salsa of medium intensity and some lime wedges. The latter proves useful later in the meal as a way of adding a bit of tart flavor to both the seafood entrees and any beer consumed with them. Bottles of hot sauce in green, red, and orange habanero varieties at each table provide countless ways to add spice to the food as well. There are no appetizers per se on the menu, but a small shrimp cocktail, a ceviche tostada, or a half dozen oysters can be a good way to start a meal here.
shrimp and filete Veracruz combination
The cocktails are available in bigger sizes of medium and large, allowing them also to function as a full meal, particularly when paired with the accompanying Saltine-style crackers. They all contain abundant shrimp, octopus, or a mix of seafood in a tangy sauce with tomato and a bit of shrimp extract for a briny flavor, as well as chopped cucumbers in the vessel and pieces of avocado on top. If ordering one of these cocktails, make sure to dip the spoon all the way to the bottom of the glass to find extra seafood that may be hiding in the depths of the narrow stem.
shrimp albondigas soup
Cooked entrees of fish, shrimp, or octopus are abundant with preparations that include grilling, frying, and sauteing in a range of possible sauces. Pescado Veracruz is a classic fish dish named for the city on the Gulf of Mexico. With abundant peppers, onions, and olives the sauce is zesty, although not overpoweringly spicy. Rancheros is a slightly hotter alternative, while en diablo turns the fire up all the way. The opposite extreme is fish, shrimp, or a combination of both in a green culichi sauce made from cream, avocado, and mild poblano peppers.
smoked marlin tacos
Tacos are not the main emphasis at Las Glorias, but a platter of three with rice, beans, and a small salad occupies a central place on the menu. The filling choices are a plain breaded fish, a similar format for shrimp, and, most interesting of all, smoked marlin machaca. The last item is intensely flavorful without being overtly fishy in taste. Among the enchiladas, the standout filling is crab. Three rolled tortillas are filled with crustacean meat and covered in a salsa verde with a moderate spice level that enhances the seafood flavor without overpowering it.
crab enchiladas
While rice is typically a side dish at Las Glorias, it assumes a central role in the arroz marinero, a dish that lands somewhere between paella and pilaf with a mound of rice full of minced bits of shrimp, squid, and other seafood dominating the plate. Big bowls of soup are another option with the usual caldo siete mares full of everything from the ocean and a soup of shrimp albondigas with meatballs of coarsely chopped prawns floating in a tangy tomato-based broth. All soups come with corn tortillas for dipping in broth or wrapping soup contents for wet tacos.
arroz marinero
There is only one dessert on the menu: a puck of a supple, rich flan drizzled with a bit of cajeta. It's a simple but effective end to the rich meals served here. In terms of beverages, the drink of choice seems to be a michelada, a Mexican preparation of bottled beer combined in a big mug with tomato and clam juice and a salted rim. Margaritas are also available. Non-alcoholic choices include aguas frescas like horchata and jamaica. The house-made lemonade is tangy and not excessively sweet with a bit of lime to add an additional note of tart citrus flavor.
flan
The menu here is so extensive that there is even more territory to explore in terms of scallops, aquachies, and whole fried fish. Las Glorias' staff wear shirts thanking customers for thirty years of business, and it might take that long to work through the entire menu. The restaurant, while showing some obvious wear on the exterior, still seems fresh and lively on the inside. The nearest ocean beach to Phoenix is 250 miles away in Puerto Penasco, but in South Phoenix, Las Glorias is a longstanding local reminder of the bounty of Mexico's multiple coasts.
5220 S. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85040
http://mariscoslasglorias.com
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