SAN ANTONIO — Arnie and Luis Ortega tried to find a hint of seafood from Mazatlan, Mexico in San Antonio but couldn't. Nothing measured up to the flavor of their homeland, so they opened their own seafood restaurant.
"Most of the restaurants here are like Tex-Mex seafood or Louisiana-style seafood," Arnie said. "But nothing with the fresh ceviche or the more bold flavors where we use different kinds of pepper sauces in the making of these sauces that compliment this seafood."
Arnie is Luis's uncle. They hail from the Pacific Coast of Mexico. You can take the guys out of Mazatlan but you can't take Mazatlan out of the guys.
"We started thinking about doing our own seafood," Ortega said. "The kind of food we grew up with."
Pulling in the net was a process. They secured a location at 9502 I-10 Frontage Rd. El Taco Tote opened in 2009. Unused space from the taco joint and seed money from its profit would give birth to 210 Ceviche in June 2013.
Ortega said that they wanted to give the business a name people could easily remember.
"So we came up with the area code for the phone. You know, 210," he said.
The restaurant serves upwards of 15 ceviche creations. Ortega said that he and his nephew travel back to Mazatlan looking for inspiration 12 times a year. They marry tradition with a burst of fusion happening among young culinary artists in Mexico on their San Antonio menu.
"Ceviche is not to be static," Ortega said. "It's evolving like everything else."
So is the 210 Ceviche brand. The Ortegas will celebrate their fifth anniversary of the business by opening a new location in Phoenix in June. The Phoenix space will be called 210 Mariscos. It joins an El Taco Tote already opened in Phoenix.
The menu at 210 Ceviche has traditional Mexican food on it as well. Ortega said that, at one time, they carried about five percent traditional Mexican food on the menu. Now, the menu boasts a 10 percent increase in classic Mexican delights.
Neighborhood Eats was provided with a huge sample of seafood starting with a baja taco: beer-battered fish with cabbage, pico, and chiomayo sauce. It was good.
The al guajillo was on the tester. It's cooked fish, shrimp, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and spices with rice. Delicious!
The aguachile tatemado was a spicy mix of shrimp, veggies, and goodness. Approved!
Neighborhood Eats continued the taste test with the 210 Cevice: fish, shrimp, and calamari. This was just okay for me.
Now, the flavor came shooting back with Botana La Palapa. The shrimp, oysters, fish, octopus, ceviche stacked around a large serving goblet garnished with a big shot of beer was delicious.
The same can be said about the caguamon preparado.
Thanks Tina for tipping us off for this week's Neighborhood Eats. If you have a suggestion send Marvin an email (Mhurst@kens5.com) tweet him (@Mhurstkens5) or post it to his Facebook page. #KENS5EATS