419614 Mon Jul 09 23:54:51 -0700 2007 10 3 California 0 2734864 Mariscos El Kora’s truck is one of three seafood specialists I’ve found on the streets of Salinas so far. After four visits, I find it the least of the three. However, it seems to be the most popular, always milling with customers. One Sunday I counted 14 chairs and even more than that number in customers munching on seafood-topped tostadas. Mariscos truck - http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1059/752046752_ebd51868f4.jpg?v=0 Parked on the curb in front of 32 East Menke Street, the truck promotes “estilo Nayarit”. I asked whether it was under common ownership with El Kora restaurant on Griffin, and at one time it was, but is now separate. Menu - http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1117/752046760_cbf6e7d917.jpg?v=0 What it still shares with the brick and mortar restaurant (http://www.chowhound.com/topics/352019) is an absolutely killer, housemade green salsa. A brilliant shade of green and extremely spicy with grassy overtones, this super hot sauce seems to be made solely of coarsely ground fresh chilis. A little goes a long way, be careful when you squirt it from the squeeze bottles. They’re generous in doling out a stryo cup of it whenever I’ve asked. Tostada mixta - http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1059/752046806_3d8144e50c.jpg?v=0 My first time here I ordered the tostada mixta. I thought it was terrible, overcooked shrimp, tough octopus, and smelly fake crab. The tostada was sandy and lacking in much flavor. I did find it interesting that the rustic chunks of cucumbers and tomatoes were pressed onto the tostada under the big pile of seafood. After two bites, I dumped it. But for another perspective on its possible appeal, another time I spoke to another customer who said he’d been coming here since high school (more than 10+ years). He’d tried the Las Glorias truck around the corner, but thought the seafood didn’t have as much flavor. He explained that he likes his food chunky with something to bite into, and I had to agree that the finer dice of the veggies at Las Glorias was a big contrast to the ungainly hunks of cucumbers here. Also, the serving size is bigger here, can’t disagree with that. Campechana - http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1126/752046818_2e0fbde650.jpg?v=0 My second visit with David Boyk and Cyrus Farivar, we tried the campechana, $7. This was more solidly packed than the version at Las Glorias, and included some canned clams and cubes of abalone. The juices had a stronger briny flavor of canned clam juice and tomato water vs. the cool cucumber flavors of Las Glorias. Once we’d eaten part of it, the staff called us back to plop a couple raw oysters to top off our cocktail. Again, the portion size is bigger here. The oysters were the highlight of this, and after a few bites, David, like me didn’t feel like eating any more of this. Campechana and tostada de ceviche - http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1438/538060450_c3d558a0db.jpg?v=0 I gave it another try during our taco truck crawl and chowdown last month. We tried the campechana again and ordered a tostada with fish ceviche. The cottony, dried out ceviche was awful, not even recognizable as fish. And, while the campechana was a strong contrast to the two Sinaloan style we’d had, “heidipie” said she didn’t want any more of this one. I’ve been back one more time to get some raw oysters for my dad on Fathers Day when Las Glorias had already shut down. Asking for them “en vaso”, six shucked oysters with juices and chopped cucumber, tomato, and red onion was a bargain at $5, especially with the little cup of homemade green salsa. Yet, the oysters were poorly shucked, some stabbed through the center and bleeding their milky middles. With four visits, I’ve given this one more than a fair shake. It’s not for me, but given it’s popularity with others, some might like to try it. Salinas Chowdown Report - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/409977 Google Map of Salinas Street Food - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/407568 Mon Jul 09 23:54:51 -0700 2007 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2738472 Well, I guess some people's 'authentic' are another's 'not for me' Interesting to hear what the appeal was to one of the customers. Wed Jul 11 00:43:49 -0700 2007 2734864 10264 rworange 2 2784490 Gosh, can't really say whether this is "authentic" estilo Nayarit or not. Some of it just tasted less than fresh and unappetizingly "strong" to me. But it was interesting to ask the partisans of El Kora what they thought of Las Glorias mariscos that is parked around the corner and vice versa. Never the twain shall meet! The customers at El Kora sniff that Las Glorias has no flavor and small servings, whereas the Las Glorias devotees say that it is the freshest and they'll never go back to El Kora. Wed Jul 25 23:46:31 -0700 2007 2738472 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2785487 Are you sure those cubes in the campechana are abalone? I see them down here in Yuma, but the menus on the trucks make no mention of abalon. And at the current price of abalone . . . At one place in Yuma, the briny taste is emphasized by using the shrimp water as part of the mix. See my discussion of Tio Juan's at Kirk's blog: http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2007/06/yuma_taco_truck.html ed Thu Jul 26 09:29:21 -0700 2007 2734864 40270 Ed Dibble 2 2788210 I'd had one of your accounts of black clams in mind as I waited for the first campechana I'd had here. But no, just the rather flavorless generic canned variety. The other mariscos trucks also use shrimp water in the cocteles, but they're not nearly as fishy as the version El Kora serves. Perhaps because El Kora's shrimp are cooked to death and taste less fresh as a result. I'm pretty sure that the cubes are abalone, such as found in this can: http://www.mexgrocer.com/3627.html . That's the same stuff that I've been eating sliced and covered in oyster sauce at Chinese restaurants all my life. It's been included in a couple seafood cocktails I've had at sit-down mariscos places too without any special mention on the menu. Fri Jul 27 00:10:00 -0700 2007 2785487 10039 Melanie Wong 3 2789292 My favorite Cantonese place in Yuma serves the sliced canned abalone in oyster sauce, which I must confess to enjoying. You probably are right - I should know better than to question your palate - but notice the two cans of cubed giant calamari abalone style on the same mexgrocer page that cost about 1/5 of the real abalone. And the price for giant calamari should be going downward as the species is rapidly expanding its range (to places like Monterey Bay) as tunas and other top fish predators are increasingly being found on our plates. In any case, I have been wondering about those tender cubes for some time now. ed Fri Jul 27 10:42:59 -0700 2007 2788210 40270 Ed Dibble 4 2789512 Abalone has a fine grain that you can see with the eye and has a slight pinkish cast to the beige color. Squid/calamari muscle doesn't look like this. Remember that the canned abalone is cooked weight, so it's really not that costly for a couple cubes. Much less expensive than live or dried abalone. I've been reading about the invasion of giant squid to Monterey and wondering if anyone is featuring them on menus! Fri Jul 27 11:39:45 -0700 2007 2789292 10039 Melanie Wong 5 2790471 Now I will look at those danged cubes with a more educated eye. Thanks. ed Fri Jul 27 16:22:05 -0700 2007 2789512 40270 Ed Dibble 5 2792215 Well, all this discussion sent me out for my favorite campechana, and this time I focused on those little cubes. First I noticed that they were not cut into regular size pieces - some chunks small, some big; some nearly square, others with long and short sides. Therefore, hand and not machine cut. Second, some of the chunks had a rounded edge. Third, while I could discern little flavor in the small pieces, I concentrated, closed my eyes, and really focused on the taste of some of the big chunks, and yes, there was abalone flavor. Last, I cheated and asked one of the folks at the truck, and she gave me that "what a clueless gringo" look and said "abalone." I should add that I was impressed by the number of pieces in the $11 coctel - I'd guess around 20. Those, plus 3 fresh ostiones, 7 or 8 sizable fresh camarones, several impeccable bay scallops, and numerous pieces of pulpo. I felt like I got a pretty good deal. I should know by now not to question either your knowledge or your palate. And thanks for the enlightenment! ed Sat Jul 28 14:43:32 -0700 2007 2789512 40270 Ed Dibble 6 2792368 Mmmm, that sounds great! It's blazing hot in Sonoma County today and I'm wishing I could get a cold campechana easily somewhere. But I'll have to content myself with imu pig, grilled CK lamb, and local salmon at the round of parties tonight. That sounds like a super-deluxe coctel! The one at El Kora was $7 because we asked for an ostione, otherwise it would be $6. I actually think the canned type of abalone tastes better cold than hot. Gonna have to pick up a can in Chinatown. Sat Jul 28 16:12:45 -0700 2007 2792215 10039 Melanie Wong 1 4367726 The Mariscos Las Glorias truck, which I prefer, was AWOL yesterday. So since I was in the nabe, i returned to El Kora. It's been spruced up and has a shiny new sign, http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/3233049090/ I had a tostada with ceviche de camarones, $3. My friend sort of gulped watching me eat it, saying, "are those shrimp raw?" "No, they're 'cured', I replied. It was fine but not the best. A cab driver came over and ordered "vasito loco", and of course we had to ask him what that is. He said it's a little of everything, like a vuelve a la vida coctel. Mariscos El Kora is another voluntary participant in the smoke-free entries/sidewalks program and is has bilingual stop-smoking materials available for its customers. http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/3233049086 Wed Jan 28 18:59:24 -0800 2009 2734864 10039 Melanie Wong