Perla del Mar, fine seafood in Bagdad Beach, Mexico

Perla del Mar is one of those typical little restaurants that line the shores of Playa Bagdad, north of the statue of Christopher Columbus, where Mexico Federal Highway 2 terminates at its eastern end, at the statue. I was visiting Bagdad Beach with three buddies, Jerry, Ron and Rogelio, and we were looking for a place to eat lunch. Searching for a good restaurant, we headed north from the statue of Columbus, and immediately found ourselves facing a row or restaurants, that face the beautiful gulf. Since it was a Tuesday afternoon in September, business was slow, and many of the restaurants had "geeters" outside, welcoming you to try their fine restaurant and reel in customers. Perla del Mar looked good, the greeter-guy had a nice smile and was very friendly and we were very hungry, so Perla del Mar became our choice for lunch.

Left: Our friendly "greeter" poses in front of the open air dining room at Perla del Mar. Like most buildings at Bagdad Beach, Perla del Mar is elevated to avoid the tidal swel encountered during hurricanes. Right: Here's a photo of a portion of their sign on the front of the building that advertises the fine food they serve.

We were seated at a comfortable table, with a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Mexico, and each of us were presented with a printed menu by our smiling waiter, who triples as one of the cooks, a prep-guys who cuts up vegetables. Waiter, cook and prep-guy; that adds up to three jobs, which is true multitasking for one individual. Wait a mininute! A printed menu at a small, family-owned and operated fish restaurant at Playa Bagdad? Trust me, a printed menu is an oddity at a small restaurant like Perla del Mar, but it was a welcome surprise. From the menu, each of us was able to pick exactly what we wanted to eat, and we were able to order icy-cold Cokes and Coronas from the menu as well. The waiter took our drink orders, and said that he'd take our food orders when he delivered our drinks.

We didn't have long to wait, as within two minutes, the guy was back with our drinks and a note pad to jot down our lunch orders of fish. If you don't like fish, you're out of luck at Perla del Mar, as fish is all that you'll find on their menu, which is typical of the small restaurants that line the shore at Bagdad Beach. In addition to our drinks, he brought a large bowl of fried tortilla chips, and homemade, green salsa. In the state of Tamulipas, salsa comes in both the red and green varieties, but the green, tomatillo-based salsa seems to be the most popular variety, as it appears as the de facto default salsa served at every table. As he left us, we were left in a state of wonderment, intoxicated by the fabulous view of the gulf, the smells of an authentic Mexican fish fry, and the joy of releasing the cares of the "real world," for at least, an hour or two. Not to mention that Perla del Mar is a great place to relax and take in the fine scenery that the gulf coast offers.

Photos: We were able to capture María, at work in the kitchen, on our digital cameras. This girl not only prepares much of the food, but she's also an expert tortilla maker, as Perla del Mar makes all of their tortillas in-house from scratch.

Even if I'm surrounded by fine scenery, good friends and a cold Corona, its hard for me to sit still, especially when my digital camera is next to me, so I just had to explore the kitchen of Perla del Mar. Typical of most beach restaurants found in Tamulipas, the kitchen is very cramped, but functional, and not at all fancy, and would be condemmed in a second by O.S.H.A., or the food police. Despite the bad vibes from the food police, when you enter Perla's kitchen, you'll find three very friendly ladies who do everything, including cooking, cleaning, bookeeping, preparing vegetables, and raising a very beautiful little girl. The guy that acted as our waiter alternated betweeen cooking our fish, slicing our vegetables and keeping us satisfied at out table. That's true multitasking at its best, which can only be found in small restaurants such as Perla del Mar.

Touring the kitchen of a restaurant invites an appetite, so I returned to our table, to sip my Corona, eat chips and salsa, savor the view of the Gulf of Mexico, and chat with my buddies. As my buddies and I were in the process of discussing the pro's and con's of the exchange rate between the Mexican peso, and the U.S. dollar, (sorry, we were really admiring the "form" of the local women... , ) we received the first course of our lunch, which consisted of a bowl of fish soup, and a bowl of fried rice.

Left: Our friendly does double duty, as he cooks our meal. Right: One of the waitresses stirs a pot of beans, as I snap her digital photo.

"Bowl of fish soup... bowl of fried rice..." doesn't that sound like some cheezy "loss-leader" thing that you'd expect to appear on some fake, Chinese-wannabee menu? Not exactly true at Perla del Mar, as the fish soup they present could only be described as "Caldo de Pescado," which means fish soup in Spanish, but it's actually a blend of locally-caught seafood, including shrimp cooked in a mixture real, homemade seafood broth, jalapeno peppers and diced tomatoes. Next to the seafood soup is a bowl of fried rice, and the entree is topped off by a sliced key lime. I didn't mention the fact that this "appetizer" is presented on a plate, which makes for a very attractive presentation. But wait, there's more... as our waiter placed a tortilla warmer on the table, filled with steamy-hot corn tortillas that you just can't resist.

Left: The kitchen at Perla del Mar shows the table where the garnishes are prepared. Right: Jerry snaps the photo, as the author, Rogelio and Ron pose for the camera.

Oh, as you indulge yourself in the delicous rice, or the rich seafood soup, and take in the savory view, what more could you want? Just as you think you've had it all, the waiter brings your main course to you; in my case it was a plate of fried shrimp, fried rice, French fries, and sliced lime, tomatoes and cabbage. You yes, as you eat this food, you're in pure food lover's heaven, no doubt about it!

The rest of the guys ordered a meal similar to mine, but as I was too busy eating my meal, taking in the wonderful scenery, and just plain, well you know ... relaxing... so I didn't pay as much attention to what my buddies ate. However I can tell you that nobody went away hungry, and everybody raved about the quality of food, the presentation of the meal, and the friendly, fantastic service.

Left: Rogelio's soup and rice is delivered to him by or friendly waiter, as Jerry looks on and Ron takes a sip of Coke. Right: Ron takes a spoonful of rice, from his appetizer plate of seafood soup and a bowl of rice, garnished by a couple of key lime halves.

Photo: Here's my main meal: Fried shrimp, lime, cabbage and tomato garnishes, with rice and French Fries. French Fries seem to be a staple at nearly every meal in the Mexican state of Tamulipas.

When you visit Bagdad Beach, also known as Playa Bagdad, check out Perla del Mar, as it's a class act owned and operated by very friendly people, and they'll treat you to fine food, and you won't go away hungry. Perla del Mar is, in a phrase, "My kind of place..."

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