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Click above for a photo tour of La Fisheria
La Fisheria isn’t going to get my award for most consistent restaurant of the year, but I’m giving the puckishly named Mexican seafood place a shiny gold star for being so much fun.
This fresh and effortlessly cool, beachy room is the new American home of Mexican TV celebrity chef Aquiles Chavez, a quirky guy with a pirate’s short dreadlocks and, until he trimmed it recently, a theatrically waxed-out handlebar moustache that is part of his brand.
Chavez blew into town like a cheerful tropical front, trailing TV crews in his wake and announcing that he was going to show Houston how real Mexican seafood was done — in an inventive modern form, no less. I’m not sure that’s what he has accomplished in the four months since the restaurant opened, because the food can be a roller coaster of highs and puzzling lows. But La Fisheria certainly isn’t boring.
Not when plump mussels arrive at the table in an unexpected bath of red wine and beet essence, a broth so delicately earthy and naturally sweet that it brings out the mussels’ oceanic character in a brilliant way. Or when a simple tuna tostada from the lunch menu shows up with the fish cut gossamer thin, rich and soft against the crackle of fried corn tortilla, with a little burst of fried leeks on top. It costs $5.50 and tastes like a million bucks.
Or how about those little shrimp tacos from the lunch menu, each clasped around a single tempura-battered shellfish, dressed with crunchy red cabbage and a squiggle of chipotle mayonnaise? Each one delivers a very large bang for its $2.50 buck. So does the counterpart luncheon taco of nicely grilled octopus in the same setting.
I’m zeroing in on those lunch items for a reason. I like La Fisheria best in its noontime mode, when the prices are friendlier and the menu is, too. The more ambitious and expensive dinner menu is a bit of a minefield, although it has its rewards. But I’m happiest here dropping in for a casual lunch or, at night, for a quick snack of smaller plates from the inviting bar.
I find myself constantly tempted to breeze in for one of the sumptuous shrimp cócteles in an oversize goblet, the precisely cooked shellfish as fresh and pearly as if they had slept, and slept well, in the Gulf of Mexico last night. I love the brothy tomato sea in which they swim, with its subtle currents of sweetness (is that tamarind?) and salt and spice, with soft green islets of avocado bobbing around.
The cocktail broth is so good I picked up my goblet toward the end and just drank it like soup. It’s far superior to your basic run-of-the-mill Mexican seafood cocktail awash with jazzed-up ketchup. Indeed, the shrimp cocktail broth and that surprising mussel-and-beet dish point toward an unusual skill with soups in this kitchen.
Check out a suave, poblano-chile-laced essence of eggplant poured around hunks of tuna that poke up above the surface like volcanic peaks. Or a similarly appealing cauliflower soup mined with sauteed shrimp. Even a simple tortilla soup with shrimp exudes authority, vivid red-orange against the blue enamel cup in which it is served.
The soups here are a good example of a chef who’s swimming against the current. Soups are given short shrift not only in Houston but in America these days, and it’s fun to see them show up as a significant part of the kitchen’s repertoire.
Fortunately, the air conditioning and fans in the crisp dining rooms are strong enough to make even a hot soup seem suitable for a Houston summer day. Dare I even hope for a cold soup or two to make an appearance?
Chavez has a nice way with octopus, too. He says it’s the only sea creature he buys frozen (the rest is all fresh from the Gulf of Mexico), and he cooks it without water in the pan, then finishes it with duck fat (!) and herbs on the grill.
If you’re leery of octopus, try it on baby tostaditas with a gentle pink chile mayo and fried leek. If you’re an octopus fan, get it grilled with duck-fat-fried potatoes that are delicious, if floppy — unless you do what Samba Grille chef David Guerrero told me he does and order it “extra crispy.” Guerrero spritzes on lime and a jot of serious, pitch-dark, off-the-menu habanero chile sauce for maximum grilled octopus mileage.
Trouble can creep in with some of the weightier entrees. A woefully sludgy beet risotto sported a lobster tail that was woody-textured in places. An interesting stew of duck, chorizo and mussels suffered from too much salt; what should have been a nuanced dish ended up sounding only a double note of salt and pork fat.
The fish entrees here can be beautifully cooked, but the various parts of the dishes do not necessarily hang together. Red snapper pibil-style would have made a bigger splash with a more of its resonant brick-red achiote daub and sprightly Xni-pec relish, a sort of refined pico de gallo. Instead, the dish went long on sweet potato puree and a rather faceless medley of chopped grilled vegetables.
That same vegetable medley underpinned a Catch of the Day that was advertised wrongly by a waitress as grouper; it turned out to be far meatier cobia instead. Its lovely texture and flavor would have been even better had there been more of the lime-and-caper sauce. As it was, the citrus and briny notes got a bit lost among all the vegetables and neutral chunks of yuca.
A slab of Gulf tuna seemed overmatched by its cargo of vegetables in a piercingly sweet-sour escabeche mode, and further zapped by an intense dice of soy-pickled cucumber, so that the top-billed lentils and nopalitos were all but lost in the flavor shuffle.
The same thing happened to a tiradito of red snapper (none of the advertised salmon was available the day I tried it) cut so thin it shattered apart the minute it was touched by a fork. Such thin fish simply couldn’t stand up to the “Mexican school salad” garnish of pickled carrot, cucumber and radish. The carrot in particular was so tart it dominated the plate.
Chef Chavez was making one of his frequent rounds of the dining room while I attempted to eat that tiradito. He asked how I liked it and, perhaps because he is so solicitous and down to earth, and because I hadn’t been busted as a critic yet, I told him the truth. He told me the origin of his “school salad” idea — it’s a combo that was an after-school favorite for kids when he was growing up — and I ended up charmed and mollified, even willing to try it again someday.
That’s key to my enjoyment of the place. It’s full of personality, from the protean and hard-to-peg organization of the menus to the quirky details of the décor, many of which were devised by Chavez’ s business partner, Mirna Roy, who was working in the offshore oil industry when she met the chef in Tabasco state on the Mexican Gulf Coast. The handsome tables are cobbled together from pale wood salvaged from offshore container crates, and when the pewtery industrial lanterns cast too much light, Mirna covered the bulbs with shiny peach cans.
“Mexican tech,” jokes Chavez, but it’s a quip with pride behind it. He and many of his well-to-do countrymen may have left Mexico for the more secure environs of the United States, but the ties still bind. They’re manifest in the excitement with which Chavez extols his all-Mexican wine list, which may very well be, as he claims, the only one of its kind in America. (The wines, many of them made in Baja, are surprisingly good and often well-priced.)
They’re apparent, too, in the typical crowd that fills La Fisheria, which always seems well-populated with Chavez’s casually chic fellow expatriates. I always feel as if I’ve taken a little trip when I people-watch at the friendly bar, perched on my stool of oilfield lumber and sipping a well-made frozen margarita.
Or maybe trying out a glass of very nice Mexican cava with one of the best desserts in town — fat batons of yuca fried into crunchy and caramelized fritters, served with a semifreddo-style “ice cream” flavored with hoja santa. That’s the licorice-minty leaf that grows as well in Houston as it does in Villahermosa.
At such moments I’m in Houston, but I’m not. I’m inhabiting some Gulf Coast of the future, right here in the now. That’s what I call fun.
La Fisheria
Ω
4705 Inker
713-802-1712
www.lafisheria.mx
Key
Ω a good restaurant that we recommend.
ΩΩ very good; one of the best restaurants of its kind.
ΩΩΩ excellent; one of the best restaurants in the city.
ΩΩΩΩ superlative; can hold its own on a national stage.
Amazing! I will stop reading this column. Some perfect dishes and amazing restaurants are usually scrutinized in a mean non-forgiving way, yet this "pirate" chef completely unknown in Mexico (where I am from) pops up with a cheap themed house, bad seafood recipes, terrible margaritas and is found "fun".
I'm done...
Dolores Sotelo
Dolores, I'm with you I'm done with the column as well.
Dolores, Aquiles' show is known in Mexico, I don't recall the names (I think he had two shows prior to moving to Houston) but they are on Utilísima. One show is sort of him with a small audience trying to cook and everyone is telling jokes, while the other is more like a travel food show similar to Anthony Bourdain in the U.S.
I've eaten a few times at La Fisheria, and I think this article is accurate. The first time I went, the ceviche was probably the best I've eaten in Texas if not the entire U.S. The second time I went, I wondered why I didn't just go to Tampico restaurant or if I wanted to pay a lot of money, Hugo's.
Nice review Allison, I am hispanic and I was VERY disappointed in La Fisheria. The food is not really authentic coastal Mexican seafood. It tries to hard to "glam" up what shouldnt be for the uknowing Gringos!!. It is also VERY expensive for the quality. The seafood soup "mariscos" was cold and bland. The main fish plate I had was marginal and seasoned too much. The only good thing about that place was the Micheladas and the Churro dessert. If you look at the other reviews in other websites other diners echo this same sentiment. Its really hit or miss and not worth a second visit. Aquiles Chavez needs to revamp the menu and get better quality food, or this place will be closed in less than a year. Believe it or not, you want more authentic Mexican seafood, just go to a hole in the wall like Mambo's seafood or Tampicos on Airline.
haha! Rafa, you just discredited yourself by mentioning Mambo and Tampico. One word to describe both places: Gross.
Mexicanme-
You obviously are NOT mexican if you think Mambo's is gross...been to pappasitos lately because I bet you think thats Authentic Mexican too...LoL
No Pappasitos for me or my family. Mambo's is not Mexican either. Did you know their shrimp is chemically treated? No creativity in their dishes, frozen seafood, overcooked, mushy textures, and actually does taste like frozen seafood. And Tampico lacks flavor.period. Ever have seafood in a part of Mexico that was on the coast, but not a tourist town?
Mexicanme - MOST seafood is frozen in transport even in MEXICO where they are taken to fish markets along the "carreteras", so half your critique went in the toilet. I have been to coastal towns including Merida, Veracruz, and Tampico as well as some on the pacific coast like puerto escondido and Acapulco (away from the tourist area) and the food is similar in taste and they have even integrated the rice element (which both Mambos and Tampico use). Creativity you say? then you need to go to La Fisheria because creativity doesnt always mean quality and you will be right at home there. You really need to get out more because it appears you really havent experienced real mexican seafood (are you really mexican??) LoL
You know nothing about me or what region I'm from, all laughable. In the end, you still like Mambo's. Enough said.
Mambo's is excellent, especially for the price. I take it you don't like fresh fish.
The portions look small....Does this place serve normal salsa?
From other reviews I've read about this place, it seems that they spend more time with presentation and talk then they do actually selecting and preparing the food.
Quirky and bombastic does not equal quality food.
It was a roller coaster indeed... of mistake after mistake. Nothing in this place is authentic or remarkable and yet you still give it a key. Just because the owner makes the staff wear costumes like they are in Acapulco, doesn't mean the place is authentic. As Dolores said above, it's a cheap imitation of the real deal, and when I say cheap, I'm not talking about the price as it is expensive for what it is. Also, cocktails were awful, service mediocre.
My question to the writer is, do you get a different treatment just because you are a writer and they tend to you like a superstar? I find some of your entries hard to believe. You trash places that are actually remarkable, maybe unknown to you and your cultural background, but praise others that are cheap imitations.
blank, I got in two visits here before I was recognized. And quite honestly, the results weren't better AFTER I was recognized--same highs and lows, regardless. We just simply disagree on the value of what I regard as the high points, is all. It happens. I liked it despite the flaws and look forward to returning. You don't. That's what makes a horse race.
Allison, I can't get pass the flaws, there were way too many, and real food critics should not get pass them either because this is valuable information for the restaurant owners to improve.
Here we are just praising a guy that thought that could get away with mediocre food by creating a fake Acapulco. Coming from someone like you, who has some authority in the matter, this sends a message that really, being mediocre is fine as long as it's cute and pretty.
I do hope the chef reads the comments so they improve the food/drink quality and the service if they want to survive in Houston, where real and good Mexican food can be found easily.
Well, I certainly ding the chef on the various dishes I found wanting. He seems to be a smart guy with real talent, and I have a feeling the review is not the review he would have wanted. We'll just have to see what happens next, I guess. Unlike you, I look forward to that.
Remember folks it's Alison Cook not Alison Cocinera. She doesn't know authentic Mexican cuisine. I've learned to stay away from her supposedly "authentic" Mexican recommendations like Yelapa and Xico Xicana.
Hi, Matt. I certainly did not posit "authenticity" as a virtue of Yelapa or Xuco Xicana. Or of La Fisheria either, where I clearly say he's putting a modern spin on things. So that's a different discussion entirely. Glad to see you back, though, you've been away too long. Thanks for clicking!
I am hispanic and know authentic Mexican cuisine..and THIS is NOT authentic. La Fisheria needs alot of work and revamp the menu if its going to be really authentic
That's kind of insulting and unfair to the writer. As others have mentioned, there's no gold standard for "authentic" food of any nation. There are regional standard dishes, but even then, a lot of the best food plays on variations of those dishes. A lot of the Mexican food we make at home uses Asian ingredients such as arbol chiles and soy sauce. The reason is because there was a big Chinese population that settled on the Pacific side of Mexico, and they influenced the cuisine. The same thing happened in other parts of Mexico, where middle eastern people introduced the trompo, Jewish people apparently introduced cabrito, and Germans introduced their beers (and music.) Prior to that, the combination of Spanish and native foods, many of which differed because of the different civilizations and climates, and you see that Mexican food is as much of a mix of different things and has changed over time as any other nation in the Americas.
That's pretty stupid, Matt. I don't recall Alison prizing these restaurants based on any sort of authenticity.
I do. I still can't get over the supposedly homemade tortillas as proclaimed by Alison. When I went they were clearly out of a package and that was confirmed by the manager.
Be that as it may, in reading the review again the only person making any claims to the "authenticity" of the food is the chef, not the critic. Ms. Cook simply commented on the things she liked and, quite pointedly, the things that needed to be improved or corrected all the while avoiding the issue of "authenticity".
Moreover, Mexico, like the US, is not monolithic in food culture even when dealing with the subset of seafood. As such, I find it easy to believe what one thinks is a completely inauthentic representation of a dish from one area or town, may make others sick with memories of home. I know for many years I considered other people's gumbo "not authentic" because it tasted nothing like my mother's. It's a very imprecise descriptor to begin with.
Gosh peoples! Once you get over the fact that the best mexican cuisine isn't offered at restaurants, then you realize it not so bad. Everyone knows that the real "authentic" food is at someone's tia/abuela/mama 's house somewhere....
Hell, I even eat at places like Freebird's and Chipotle now. Tomato, tomatoe, TOMATE/TOMATILLO!
yall already know what they say about people that argue online...hah
"Authentic" Mexican cuisine that’s a running target. Mexico has a rich and diverse food culture and has no "Authentic" cuisine anymore then there is "Authentic" American, French of Chinese cuisine. The food is a reflection of its regions, people, and their taste, and it varies greatly. There is no arbiter of Mexican food, nor should there be, it is, was and continues to be a food adventure that reflects its people, many regions, climates and foods. There are many innovative chefs in Mexico helping to redefine foods in their own modern interpretations which are well received both locally and internationally. They don’t feel bound to some perceived definition of what it is to cook “Mexican”. They take ingredients and techniques which are classic Mexican and explore new techniques, interpretations and innovate as other chefs have and continue to do around the world. They refuse to be defined or limited in their approach to food. There is no "Authentic" etched in stone food, to claim such is an insult to Mexico, its people and its diverse food culture.
Great thoughts. Couldn't agree more.
RLHII, you are absolutely right. When I talk about Fisheria, one of my favorite places in Houston, I do not describe it as authentic Mexican, but rather as New Mexican cuisine brought to a higher level. I go there often and I must say that they always treat us impeccably. The first time I went I was celebrating a special occasion and they went above and beyond to accommodate us. For all of you that are looking for "authentic" (read same-as-always), don't go to La Fisheria. But if you are looking for contemporary, adventurous, creative cousin with Mexican influence, please go to La Fisheria
Authentic...the one time I went to Mexico, which was admittedly just to a border town, I had a very excellent taco meal for $1.50. I also had a meal there that would be easily surpassed by the food at Taco Cabana--enchiladas with American cheese slices on them, for pete's sake. The point is, what is "authentic"? What is "good"? I could get food on the east coast that's more "Mexican" than the enchilada plate I had in *Mexico*.
All I care about is whether a place is good. I gather this one isn't so much.
Mac
That's your problem. Border towns cater to gringos and don't really serve authenic dishes. You need to go to Veracruz, Villahermosa, Guadalajara, Morelos, etc..for good authentic Mexican. Border towns don't count!!
Go to the East End or Pasadena for some of the best Mexican food.
Dongo, please share the names of some of your favorites.
Try Mercado Estrella on Harrisburg.
I'm excited about this place. I hope it's like the Frontera Grill Rick Bayless restaurant of Houston. Heard about it months ago and been meaning to try. At first I was hesitant and put it off because of the price. Now I'm definitely venturing after seeing the pictures. Are you freaking kidding me?! Authenticity?! Awww poor baby gonna cry, mussels with beet coulis strays away from Tia Guadalupe's original recipe!?PFFFT. Pictures are gorgeous. My faves I want to try (in order) just from the pictures: Mussels with Beat Coulis, Grilled Octopus (in duck fat?!) & potatoes w/ vanilla oil, tiradito of red snapper, tuna tostada.
What this guy is doing excites me. I hope he makes it. I'm just one guy in Houston, but I'll do my part. The fact that a place like Feast might leave town because not enough people are coming in makes me want to go to Pappa restaurant parking lots and start slashing tires.
Authenticity aside, I think the consensus is that the food is marginal and overpriced. Connies's seafood on the north side and wayside has better food. You are paying for the presentation and decor not the quality of the food.
Rafael, I live very near that Connie's (we call our neighborhood the East End, though). I really don't think it's all that good. There's no one dish there that I crave. There are several dishes at La Fisheria that I actively crave, however--that's the difference. To me, anyway.
Yep, the yellowfin tuna tostada and the lobster and bean taco for two. I've been twice for lunch and found it delightful. Contrary to your dinner experience though, most everyone else in the restaurant on those times were Latin folks. The one thing I didn't care for is the tortilla soup which I found too fishy. Overall it is a great addition to Houston and I hope people are not put off by the negative nellies here. I often wonder why people get so ANGRY just because someone likes a restaurant that they do not like. Seriously a restaurant review is not a personal attack on your taste in food.
Alison, there are actually two Connies, the one on the North side near the farmers market is really good and you should try it (Its better than the wayside location). Connie's is almost like Mambo's (they are the same family of owners) and the food is more "coastal mexican" than La Fisheria will ever be and its also MUCH cheaper than the overpriced fare at LF.
Hmm, when you mentioned Wayside I figured you meant the one near my house (it's about 3/4 of a mile up Wayside from me). That's the one I've been to and I wasn't crazy about it. The interesting thing to me in all this discussion of what's "authentic" is that Mambo's is Asian-owned. And Connie's, too, partly?
Alison,
yes you are correct, Mrs. Annie Ho owns Connies and her family members own Mambos. The recipes and cooks are hispanic and they go to Mexico all the time to find how seafood is being served and eaten, this is why you go to Mambos and in all their locations their clientele will be 99% latino!. Also Keep in mind coastal seafood in Mexico is not pretty like La Fisheria is trying to make it, it is often times served in "parillas" with the whole fish either fried or steamed with alot of Rice and Ostiones (Shellfish or Oysters). Tampico is another good example you can actually pick your fish out on the 1st floor of the Airline location.
99% Latino does not mean it is good. You could say the same thing about any restaurant in a mostly Latino neighborhood, including Taco Cabana or Arandas, 99% Latino. That still doesn't make it good.
What used to be called Connie's on Gulf Freeway is now Mannie's. Try steamed fish and Try the oysters.
Had a very dissapointing experience at La Fisheria. They didn't have our reservation, the service was terrible and the food was less than mediocre. The fact that so many chefs still have no idea how to use salt and acid is beyond me. We left and went to Concepcion where we had lovely, well thought out dishes that were aptly executed and thoughtfully edited. It seems here that everyone has an opinion on authernticity of these kinds of restaurants, however authentic or not the chef still needs to actually know how to season and execute food.
yours truly,
some jerk that has no idea what he is talking about.
It doesn't matter if it's authentic or not, it has to be good. The food and drinks are mediocre at best and the service is bad. Period.
Now, I agree with JB, Concepcion is just amazing. That's a real chef.
I really wish people could get themselves off the "authentic" thing. I've had questionable German food in Germany. I've had bland tasteless stuff cooked by an old lady in the interior of Mexico that was no doubt totally "authentic", as was the crappy food I had in other places. Authentic is a useless adjective to describe food.
Your sense of what is authentic is probably defined by the first time you ate something - and that may not have been authentic in the first place. Even if you could define the most authentic food in a culture it would be different than what was defined as authentic in that same culture 50 years earlier. Why the sudden urge to try to keep tastes static and unchanging?
could not agree more. Cuisines exist on an ever-evolving continuum. What's "authentic" today may not be "authentic" tomorrow. It has been ever thus.
very true Alison, and you got to use the word "thus", bonus!
total bonus!!!
The only "Authentic" Mexican food I have ever had is at my Mami's house!!!
That being said. I have heard so many contradictory things about this restaurant that I am afraid to go near it. Rude employees, inconsistant preparation of food. Menu items can have fusion or twists to it to be new and unconventional, but up until this article I haven't heard one other good thing about it... How sad that the bad reputation will leave a lot of people hungry for another restaurant.
Good grief, people. No where in her review did Allison state it was Authentic Mexican. I actually don't remember Allison ever using the term authentic for any "ethnic" restaurant. Saying a Mexican restaurant is "authentic" would be like being in Iceland and caling a restaurant "authentic USA". It might be "authentic" to the region where the chef is from, but most citizens of the USA would say it wasn't authentic to their area. The best a critic in Houston can do is say "it's not typical TexMex" so people want complain when they go looking for their chips, salsa, and burritos.
And this IS NOT A GLOWING REVIEW. I counted 5 or 6 (depending on your interpretations) paragraphs that start off with a negative first sentence.
Fisheria was alright when we stopped by on a Saturday, they do spend a lot more time with their presentation then with the way they prepare their food. Its expensive and would not go back any time soon. Best of luck to Aquiles and his business partners.
I've been twice for lunch and found it delicious, the tostadas de atun are my favorite! I've also had dinner there and it was also delightful it was just pricier. I think it's a great addition to Houston and I hope people are not discouraged to try this great place out! Yes, service can be uneven, but I think it's a fun place with great food and amazing Mexican Martinis. :D
To his defense, he's not a cook he's a chef, he creates using techniques long used in Mexican cuisine not cheap imitations, it's very classic for other mexicans to be very envious of other mexicans, with a deep desire to see them fail.
If you're looking for authentic Mexican food, read Diana Kennedy's books on that cuisine; you can try also Rick Bayle's research on Mexican food. Aquiles' food is something a creative wants to invent. He's trying, and in his research he will get it.
A friend recommend going here today and it was perhaps one of the worst dining in experiences Ive had in a long time. The food was definitely overpriced and what was considered to be the main meal was fit to solely be an appetizer. I left HUNGRY and UNSATISFIED. To quell my hunger I ordered the Taco Light on the menu and it took 30 minutes for it to come to the table and when it finally came it was two mini little cold tacos..there wasnt even a description of what they were and I had no idea what was inside of them. AWFUL! I wont be going there again. Aquiles Chaves has alot to work on if he is going to get this restaurant off the ground!