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Type: Mexican
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sun. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Good choices: Seviche, tamale, and queso asado appetizers. Sauteed whole red snapper, chimichanga, chilaquiles de puerco, camarones borrachos, and steak fajitas.
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa.
Access: One step at front door; no wheelchair access to restrooms.
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TIJUANA
164 Broadway, Chelsea
(617) 884-7494
Restaurant reviewed 07/27/98 by Bob MacDonald
Tijuana is everything you could ask for in a Mexican restaurant and more, a reminder that what usually passes for Mexican in these parts is Tex-Mex and that not all Mexican fare has to be five-alarm spicy. The restaurant is decorated with the appropriate number of sombreros, a lariat, antelope skulls, and steer horns. The "Boston Moves With the Silver Bullet" Coors sign could go. Mexican music serenades rather than blasts you, and the table tops are sparkling tiles.
But Tijuana's real sparkle comes on Saturday nights, when a four-piece mariachi band strolls from table to table, families turn out, many of them speaking Spanish, and some kids can't resist getting up to stand next to the musicians. It's a hard place to leave.
Tijuana starts you off with the usual chips and salsa, run-of-the-mill chips actually, but it could be argued that a chip mostly serves as a vehicle for conveying salsa to the mouth. And the salsas are distinctive: A green one with chopped onion (the only really hot thing we encountered here) and a red one that was mild, sweet, obviously homemade, and had just a hint of cilantro.
That a restaurant even serves tamales is a good sign -- most seem not to want to bother because of the labor involved. For an appetizer, the tamale al estilo jalisco ($3.50) is a mouthful. It was light, almost fluffy, with a centerpiece of mildly cumin-spiced chicken and, on the side, guacamole with chopped tomatoes.
Queso asado ($4.25) was a perfectly tantalizing starter: bits of chorizo suspended in gooey baked cheese with warm, moist tortillas on the side.
Molotitos ($4.25) were dumpling-like, crispy cornmeal torpedos fried around a moist mixture of cheese and chili con carne.
Seviche mixto del Yucatan ($4.25) was that Mexican peninsula's raw seafood classic. Necessity being the mother of invention, scrod was substituted for a Gulf of Mexico fish with good results. Chunks of fish and shrimp were so thoroughly mixed with the greens that they were nearly inseparable, a true seafood salad - light, crisp, fresh, and citrusy -- perfect for a hot and humid night.
That Tijuana understands restraint was evidenced by a main-course chimichanga ($6.95). Stuffed with mildly spiced and tender chicken, it was ever so lightly deep-fried to a pleasing crispness.
Polo Cancun ($7.95) was chicken breast marinated in pineapple before being seared and topped with a tomato-based sauce.
Steak strip fajitas ($10.95) were flamed at tableside for added sizzle. Peppers and onions were mixed with the tender strips for rolling up in moist tortillas, and you could add anything from the plate of beans, rice, tomato, and lettuce that accompanies each meal. Beans, incidentally, are not the fatty, so-called refried beans, but more of a barbecue style.
Sauteed whole red snapper ($7.95-$11.95, depending upon the size) arrived fitting perfectly on a fish-shaped plate with room for a lime wedge at the tail. One wonders if they have a plate for each size. Smothered in barely caramelized onions, it made a strong argument that the best food is fresh and simple.
Camarones borrachos (drunken shrimp, $12.25) featured many medium shrimp plus scallops marinated in tequila, adding to their natural sweetness. They were topped with a tomato sauce that contained fried peppers and onions left crispy enough to provide a good contrast.
If we had to choose a favorite dish it was one probably created by an ingenious Mexican housewife as a way of using up leftovers. Chilaquiles de puerco ($6.95) was a casserole made from layers of corn tortillas and pork, topped with melted cheese and a choice of red or green sauce. Adding to its appeal were colorful fresh slices of tomato and avocado, placed atop the casserole and slightly warmed by it. The tender and savory strips of pork contrasted well with still crispy tortillas, the corn adding a sweetness.
For dessert, try the flan a la Antigua ($2.25). It's cool and airy, and there's just the right amount.
Tips & hits
