Las Casuelas Nuevas

I have had a very long relationship with Las Casuelas Nuevas in Rancho Mirage, California. My family and I have been traveling to the Palm Springs area for holidays and weekends since the early 80's. Typically we all go to Las Casuelas Nuevas at least once a trip for the big night out. I have gone from the kids menu to the large house margarita and probably have eaten a metric ton or four of their chips.

Las Casuelas (the original) was the first Mexican restaurant to open in Palm Springs (1958). Las Casuelas Nuevas (this location) was opened in 1973 and is claimed to be the first Hacienda-styled dinner house in America. I have never been to Las Casuelas Terraza (opened in 1979) or Casuelas Cafe (1992). The restaurant is like a large house with a big open pation (where we eat on this trip) and several rooms, each with a little different ambiance.

I ordered the Fish Tacos under the "Taco Platters" and selected one grilled and one "Baja style" (fried). For $15.25, the plate includes mahi-mahi tacos fried or dusted with achiote seasoning and grilled, rice and beans. The tacos themselves are the standard double-corn tortilla affairs with the fish, and then a smoky Chipotle Cream sauce and jicama cole slaw.

My wife had the chile verde and our friends had carnitas and fish tacos. I have had the carnitas and chile verde many times and had some orderer's remorse when the food arrived. The carnitas looked positively succulent and dripped with pork fatty goodness. I told our companions about our search for the best fish taco and we spent some time comparing notes on where they felt the best came from. (Note: if I get down near Del Mar, I apparently need to try the Brig).

Both of us that had the fish tacos were disappointed. To be fair, they were fine, and when ordered with good friends, sitting outside on the patio on the front-side of a long weekend in Palm Springs and with a HUGE goblet of margaritas to wash it all down, I am not sure that they could ever be bad. But, in the search for the best fish tacos, all of those outside influences must be ignored and the fish must swim on its own.

To that end, the Chipotle Cream Sauce was pretty good, the tortillas were good and the fish itself was prepared well. It was just missing something to make it qualify as the best. What that is, I can't tell you, but they fall within the ever growing pool of forgettable fish tacos that will do the trick if you need fish tacos and aren't looking to be wowed. The ulitmate question is always "will I order them again?" The answer here is no...that doesn't mean that I won't keep coming back to one of my favorite restaurants in the Desert, it just means that I will order something else and only enjoy being there rather than deconstructing the food.

Website
Las Casuelas Nuevas
70-050 Highway 111
Rancho Mirage, California 92270
(760) 328-8844

Bear Trapped

Ever since the seeds of this blog were planted, I have heard about Bear Flag Fish Co. in Newport Beach. I had heard from multiple sources that their fish tacos are the benchmark for fish tacos. I was excited. Upon picking up my wife at the airport (returning from a Bachelorette Boondoggle in Veg-Rock), and with my daughter in tow, we headed down to Newport for lunch.

Located a mere 2 blocks from the sand and sharing a parking lot with a popular "Sunday Funday" bar, Bear Flag has an unbeatable location. On a warm sunny SoCal day, as it was during our visit, this place shines. Tables inside and out with a casual, surf-fish vibe inside. There was a line 10 people deep, which was a good sign. We ordered to-go and took it home.

Anxious to bust into our eats, we snacked on the chips on the way home. Thick and with a homemade taste, these tortilla chips were a second good sign that we were able to sample some fantastic FTs. We got home, set up our feast and dove in. I ordered 2 panko-grilled fish tacos. The tacos had your typical shredded cabbage and came with tomatos to top on each taco. Here are my takeaways:

1. The corn tortillas held up very well, considering there was 20 min. between our ordering and eating. The tortillas were grilled, giving each taco a smokey flavor. Unexpected and different.

2. Each FT came with a lemon, which was a nice change from the typical lime that comes with FTs at other establishments.

3. The Tommy sauce was drizzled on each FC, and really made for a nice tangy tasting experience.

Overall, the tacos were great. The smokey taste with the Tommy's sauce really left you feeling like they were aiming for something different that other places. They were offering a creative solution. I have nothing but good things to say about the taste, but...

The size of each FT was a serious issue. Typically, when I order FT's I use the price as a guage for the size. When FTs are listed at $1.99, I know not to expect much. But when they are priced at $2.99 with $1.00 extra for avocado ($3.99 total), I expect a sizable FT. For lunch, 2 FTs for $8, should fill you up, right? Not at Bear Flag. A filling lunch here would have required me to purchase at least 3 FTs, perhaps 4. $12-16? That seems a bit absurd to me, even if they are great.

So, either go to Bear Flag when you are only half-full or be prepared to hand over a few more sheckels than you would think.

B

Bear Flag Fish Co.

407 31st Street

Newport Beach, CA