DINING OUT

Mary Furr

Restaurants in Huntington Beach come and go faster than a flight of

birds, but not Mario’s Mexican Restaurant on Edinger Avenue. It’s one of

the oldest continually operating restaurants in the city.

Owned since 1970 by Mario Valenzuela, now managed by son John and

assisted by grandson Daniel, Mario’s is ready to roll over into the next

year.

Find a seat on the patio or in the dining area where red, green and gold

lights shine through the colored glass windows and celebrate with a

fiesta platter ($8.25), a big platter with plenty to share.

Twenty-year veteran chef Raul Jiminez displays his talents with a base of

nachos (chips with melted cheddar), shared with a sliced quesadilla (a

folded cheese-filled tortilla), flour flautas (tiny cigar rolls of

shredded chicken and beef), a pile of tiny chicken wings with a thin

lime-flavored coat, and covering the center, lumpy guacamole and a dab of

sour cream. Now that’s a feast to please any diner.

If you’re ready for a really big meal, try Mar y Tierra ($12.95), a long

skewer of halibut, marinated sirloin steak and big, unpeeled tail-on

shrimp separated by onion and crisp red and green bell pepper slices,

served with lumpy refried beans and rice.

Costa Azul ($9.95) is a tasty surprise of tail-on, bacon-wrapped shrimp

filled with minced crab meat and fried to a crispy dark brown -- a

mouthful of mixed flavors and texture, soft and mild on the inside with a

citrus tinge.

Lunch specials ($5 to $5.95) include enchiladas, tacos, taquitos and fat

burritos, all prepared in the traditional manner familiar to

Californians. Another choice is the shrimp and fish ($8.95 to $9.95)

offered with a variety of six preparations from which to choose your

favorite.

Postres (desserts) vary from the Taco Sunda ($2.45), a flaky sweet

tortilla filled with ice cream and chocolate, strawberry or caramel

syrup. Less sweet is the Burrito de Manzane ($2.45), a neatly folded

square of sweet dough filled with stewed apples with a side scoop of ice

cream. And of course, there is the traditional homemade flan ($2.25), a

firm custard swimming in caramel syrup.

As grandson Daniel says, “We’re more ethnic with our family recipes. We

try our best. We’re family-owned and family-run and always will be.”

I say, thank goodness.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments or

suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.

FYI

MARIO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT NO. 1

WHERE: 15964 Springdale St., Huntington Beach

PHONE: 897-6664

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.

MISCELLANEOUS: Credit cards accepted. Closed New Year’s Day.