San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — In San Diego, there may be more places to eat tacos than there are fast-food stops. Taco stands; food trucks; guys on the corner with a grill and meats in their trunk; places that specialize in Baja-style fish tacos or street tacos; fancy places with filet mignon tacos; carne asada, adobada, cabeza, or barbacoa. Sometimes every region, meat, or style in the country of Mexico is represented in a single block.
Oscar’s, a purveyor of fine Mexican mariscos, has earned its place in this city-wide taco melting pot and is the quintessential, laid-back, fast-casual seafood eatery, especially if you go to one of the beach locations where the beer flows steadily and the patrons have no shoes on.
The fish tacos are the epicenter of the menu, heaping-sized things that come with your choice of fish (white, shrimp, smoked, scallops, etc.) and preparation (grilled or Baja-style). While the fish is fresh and the flavor is good, you’ll struggle mightily to find it under vibrant piles of cabbage, red onion, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro.
The grilled fish taco is moist and carries a satisfying char, rating easily as my favorite in San Diego of this type of taco. The battered fish taco is air light and crisp and has discernible garlic and mustard notes, unusual but tasty and they kick things up a notch. The Taco Especial contains fish, shrimp, and scallops, a pleasing mix of textures and tastes that provide heat and smokiness. Oscar’s adds no butter to their food and uses only a handful of ingredients in most entrees: salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and crushed red peppers.
The fish ceviche is some of the best you’ll find at a fast-casual eatery, the fish of the day marinated in lime and tossed with red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and chiles and served with two warm tostadas on the side. The mild acidic flavor doesn’t make your tongue furl back into your throat and kill your taste buds for everything else. It’s slightly tart, bright, and refreshing, and the fish is firm on the exterior, but with a tender, translucent center that gives as you bite into it.
Oscar’s homemade salsas form the better part of a rainbow: a red Japanese pepper hot sauce, a yellow chipotle aioli, and a green habanero aioli. The two aioli sauces, in particular, bring notes of smokiness, creaminess, and heat. Salsas are kept chilled in the refrigerator in squeeze bottles. I love me a place that does its part to not inflict salmonella on the masses.
The folks working at Oscar’s add a slight damper with customer service that borders on non-existent from employees who appear to want to be anywhere but there. One woman who works the counter gives new life to the term Resting Bitch Face, and other employees have been distracted with phones and personal conversations to the point where I’ve had to repeat orders and correct errors.
Written by Joy
Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.
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