Mexican restaurant specializes in seafood

Mexican restaurant specializes in seafood
By Audrey Wong | DAILY REPUBLIC | May 18, 2008



Roberto Canpis a cook at Mariscos Del Pacifico shows one of the shimp plates served at the restaurant on Texs Street in Fairfield. Photo by Mike McCoy

FAIRFIELD - When Moises Hernandez met Hector Torres about six years ago, they soon discovered they shared the same dream.

Both men wanted to operate a restaurant. They realized that goal in late April when they opened Mariscos Del Pacifico in the former Favela's Taqueria location at Texas Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Torres' dream germinated 30 years ago when he first arrived in Fairfield and found only one Mexican restaurant. He decided back then he wanted to have his own eatery. Although more Mexican restaurants have come along, Torres was not deterred.

'It's always good to try to do something so you don't go away thinking, 'I didn't do it,'' Torres said in Spanish, which was translated by Hernandez.

With plenty of competition, Hernandez said the staff will make an extra effort to stand out in the crowd.

'It's a challenge,' he said. 'Any business is hard to do. You need to offer the best service you can, be polite with customers.'

Specializing in seafood is one way Mariscos hopes to stand out. Hernandez said he doesn't know of many restaurants that serve octopus and oysters. The menu also features standard items such as burritos, but the seafood is an attraction.

Shrimp cocktails are a big draw.

'A lot of people eat it. It's one of the top menu sales,' Hernandez said. 'Our cocktails are pretty good. We put 16 to 18 shrimps on it. We go through pounds and pounds of shrimp.'

See the complete story at the Daily Republic Online.