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Marlin Mar y Tierra (Closed)
7500 N. Mesa St.
El Paso, TX

RESTAURANT INFO. RATING TYPE FEATURES BEST ITEMS/ SPECIAL RATINGS
Cost: $$
Hours: Open daily
17 Mexican
Seafood
Cooking Oil: Vegetable
Smoking: No Smoking
Best Items: Fish Fillet, Enchiladas Suizas
Filete Veracruzano: Striped Bass
Fish Soup:
Fish Tacos: Striped Bass
Enchiladas Suizas:
Refried Beans:
Salsa:
LAST TRIED TIMES TRIED
30-Aug-05 7
After being in Seattle I would not classify Marlin as gourmet seafood, but it is a good example of a Mexican style seafood restaurant. The featured items are fish fillet dishes of various styles including Veracruzano (with tomato sauce, olives, pickles, and vegetables), garlic, and other versions found at almost all Mexican seafood restaurants. Also prominent on the menu are the various shrimp cocktail dishes.

This restaurant serves traditional Mexican food such as enchiladas, and an unusual item is gorditas made with a choice of crust (corn or flour) and about 6 or 8 different fillings.

The Filete Veracruzano is better than most--made with fresh water striped bass it is very mild and tastes somewhat like the Boquilla bass that used to be widely served around the El Paso/ Juarez area. I did not think the sauce was as good as some I have had, but overall it was pretty good.

The side dishes are good also and include yellow rice with vegetables such as lima beans, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes (this is just about the only restaurant version of mashed potatoes I've had that tastes like home made).

The Fish Soup is better than most (but will be too spicy for some people). While I like the appetizers better at Seņor Fish and Puerto Vallarta (chips, bread, ceviche, etc.), the "non-fishy" tasting fish at Marlin is a lot more enjoyable to me.

The Enchiladas sSuizas (green chicken enchiladas with sour cream) are some of the better ones in town, although the quality is a little inconsistent.

Having some good items available, it is a shame that the service is so bad it has either ruined or made less enjoyable just about every meal I've had here. Some examples are: enchiladas suizas with no sour cream (even after I asked for it), not serving soup when the menu says it is included, and ordering cheese enchiladas but getting chicken (and having to pay for the chicken). I have no idea who the owner or manager is, because that person has been nowhere in sight the times I have gone. El Paso is full of restaurants with bad management and service, but this is one of the worst.

Still, the two or three times my meals have been correct (or with only minor problems), they have consisted of above average seafood or enchiladas. The prices are high, though, and most of the time I don't think it's worth putting up with the hassle to eat here.

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