Thursday, June 17, 2021 • The BuLLeTIn
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 13
FOOD
TRUCKS
& CARTS
p.14
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Continued from previous page
In addition to his mother’s recipes, Zavala
put his own mark on the restaurant, starting
with the drink menu, which was designed
by bartender Tony Seagobon. Seagobon has
created specialty cocktails like a Pink Guava
Pina Colada, Mezcal Y Ginger (which in-
cludes muddled basil, cucumber and sweet
and sour), and an Old Parr Sour using Great
Old Par Squatch, sweet and sour and or-
ganic agave nectar topped with a splash of
Cabernet Sauvignon.
And the dishes, don’t expect to see rice
and beans on the menu. White or spiced
rice comes with a number dishes. But Zav-
ala explained that he doesn’t offer beans be-
cause everybody makes the beans at home.
Clearly, this is a nod to his Hispanic cli-
entele. Most of the menu features seafood
— shrimp and langoustine (extra large)
prawns, fish and yes, even a lobster tail item.
The food presentation was impressive as we
watched the servers walk by carrying mor-
tar bowls with prawns and other ingredients
popping up over the rim. Several soups and
fish-stew dishes, staples of the Jalisco region,
are also offered.
The dishes are beautifully presented and
seem fit for a fine-dining experience. Yet,
the restaurant is humble. Richly painted
walls have few decorations with a nautical
theme. And though every meal was well
plated on nice dishes, the cutlery is bendable
like something you’d find in a diner.
A friend and I opted to start our dinner
sharing a Tostada de Camaron (Shrimp
Tostada) appetizer. Shrimp marinated in
lemon juice and mixed with tomato, red on-
ion, cucumber and cilantro was piled high
atop a crispy corn tortilla. It was basically
ceviche on a tortilla. The server explained
that it is traditional in Mexico to spread a
thin layer of mayonnaise on the tortilla. This
added just a hint of fat and balance to the
dish. It’s topped with several slices of avo-
cado. This generous serving of large chunks
of shrimp was light, fresh, and a welcome
alternative to the typical heavy beans, cheese
that makes the base of a typical tostada. It
was a good way to start the meal, but it was
such a large serving that the two of us de-
cided to put it aside so we didn’t get too full
before the entree.
A seafood and meat platter was the per-
fect way to sample the biggest variety of Los
Langostinos’ offerings. We expected that
each plate would include a small taste of
each meat or seafood. Both dishes had such
generous portions that either single platter
could have fed both of us for two meals.
The Piña de Mariscos includes a variety
The Tostada de Cameron is piled high with sweet shrimp ceviche.
Los Langostinos Restaurant
The map apps have a problem getting you
to Los Langostinos. The Redmond restaurant
is in a strip mall near Enterprise Rent-a-Car,
along Highway 97 across the street from
KFC. It’s south of Odem Medo Way. Enter by
turning on the road just south of the mall.
The address is 3113 S. Highway 97, loslan-
gostinosrestaurant.com, 541-604-7580.
of seafood served in a half-pineapple shell
that doesn’t add any of its tropical flavor to
the dish. Although it is listed as being served
in salsa diablo, it wasn’t spicy. Langostinos
were served whole in the shell, butterflied
and grilled. The meat was tender and sweet.
We used a spoon to scoop out the other
seafood including a mussel, chopped small
scallops and shrimp, and thin strips of oc-
topus. While it was fine, this frozen seafood
wasn’t particularly flavorful or tender. We
chose this dish because the seafood was nat-
ural, unlike other similar menu items that
included imitation crab. As this is Central
Oregon, we can’t expect all of the seafood
to be fresh, but other local restaurants have
served higher-quality shellfish.
The Asado Ranchero meat platter was
comprised carne asada beef, marinated
chicken, chorizo sausage and a skewer for
shrimp wrapped in bacon with red peppers
and zucchini. The shrimp was my favorite
as the tender, sweet shellfish was thoroughly
wrapped with smoky bacon. Each meat was
very good. The chicken was juicy with Mex-
ican marinade. The chorizo was tasty not
oily. The carne asada was slightly marinated
then charred on the grill. I prefer my meat
to have a bit more marinade, but it was good
meat. Zavala later explained to me that each
meal is cooked to order. The meats on this
dish can be either grilled or cooked on the
barbecue for a smoky flavor. I recommend
grilled. It won’t say anything on the menu,
simply ask for your preferred preparation
when you order.
The best way to eat the asado ranchero is
to grab several different items and put them
in a tortilla with some pico de gallo. Fried
cheese, grilled jalapeño, cactus, avocado
and a little rice mixed well with the meats to
make tasty bites. The platter also includes
what Zavala calls, “barbecue onions.” They
appear to be scallions that have been al-
lowed to grow into small bulbs. These were
mild, sweet and complemented the meats.
We found it best to pierce the bulb with a
steak knife so we could cut them as the on-
ions were very slippery.
In search of more traditional Mexican
food, another friend and I dropped in for
lunch. I had to try the shrimp burger, but
was surprised to find that it wasn’t any kind
of burger or chopped shrimp patty. It was
more of a shrimp sandwich with bacon
wrapped shrimp. A thick layer of melted
yellow and white Mexican cheese held the
shrimp together on the hamburger bun. A
slice of fresh tomato and lettuce were sprin-
kled with chili oil (Zavala explained that it
is supposed to be a creamy sauce). A grilled
pineapple ring was a great tropical balance
to the smoky shrimp. Caramelized onions
and jalapeños added a hint of sweetness and
zing to round out the smoky, seafood flavor.
It’s served with a pile of thin, french fried
potatoes. This was definitely something I
would return to eat.
Having lived many years as part of a Mex-
ican family, I am familiar with their home
cooking. Los Langostinos may not be a
fine-dining restaurant, but the recipes re-
mind me of the simple home cooking you’d
find in a fish-loving Mexican household.
e
Reporter: barb@barbgonzalezphotography.com