Via-Mar
Ξ April 5th, 2008 | → | ∇ 90042, Food, Highland Park |
Upon returning home from my week in and around Isla Mujeres, Mexico, I was hoping to find Highland Park’s gang problem solved, extra money discovered for LA Unified, and a subway to the sea. Unfortunately, some gunrunners made news barricading themselves indoors so all of you worrying that Northeast is being overrun with winebars and Starbucks can sleep easy. (How disappointed does the anchor sound when the reporter confirms that despite all the “weapons”, there hasn’t been a shot fired?)
Well, at least I knew I could go drown my socioeconomic sorrows in some solid seafood at Via-Mar. I’ve sampled quite a bit of the menu here and I won’t blow sunshine up your ass by claiming everything is always good for every mood you may be in. For example: I’m not a fan of the carne asada, and I think the fish in the ceviche tastes too fishy (although my girlfriend is a huge fan). Still, the shrimp cocktail here is excellent and the lobster and shrimp burritos are the best on the planet. The tortillas are packed to the point of exploding with crisply fried meat, rice, cabbage, and sweet Mexican cream. It speaks volumes that I came here for my first meal out after a week eating Mexican seafood. The final plus is the nice outdoor patio they have. On hot summer days you can cool out under the misters, catch Chivas on the TV, some banda on the stereo, and pretend you’re in Mexico for a few minutes. Don’t forget to drop a little tip in the waiter’s jar on your way out.
Via-Mar Restaurant 5111 N. Figueroa St.
on April 9th, 2008 at 6:43 am
This place used to be a Senor Fish back in the day.
on April 21st, 2008 at 10:04 am
Yes,why leave the neighborhood to eat excellent Mexican and Central American food! Unfortunately, the gang problem still persists, and of course Highland park is not currently being flooded with wine bars and Starbucks, but with the current redevelopment proposal of the area between Avenue 56 and 59, it could be! Not only is a satellite campus for East Los Angeles City College proposed for this area but residential units as well;some of them four stories tall. There goes the historical and ethnic character of the neighborhood,in my opinion. Developers will make money; the traffic will worsen, and many small homeowners will eventually lose out-remember colllege campuses tend to expand, gobbling up ther neighbors! there will be a meeting about this development in the Ebell Club on April 30. I think it will be during the day, but the time was not listed on the article listed on the site that I visited. Oh, and how convenient is this as many people will be working and therefore be unable to attend!Is is sad that while the colleges scream about social justice,they don’t practice it.