The Capistrano Grill : Dining on Grand Scale in Tijuana’s Zona Rio

If it sometimes seems that the crane--the construction crane, that is, not the feathered variety--should be designated San Diego’s official civic symbol, the same could be said for Tijuana.

That city’s booming Zona Rio, which flanks the Tijuana River and has developed into a fashionable entertainment and shopping hub, seems to sprout new buildings constantly. A fair number of them are restaurants, of which most have been built on a far grander scale than is typical in San Diego; almost all appear to be aimed at the young, chic crowd that in the evenings claims the neighborhood.

This profusion of eateries frankly stands in a fair way to become the envy of San Diego, because these establishments eschew the factory-style feeding that has become a frequent feature of north-of-the-border restaurant experiences. Instead, meals in Mexico tend to be served far more stylishly, thanks to proprietors and staffs that still respect the niceties of an evening on the town.

Pride in Products

At most of the establishments, dinners progress at a stately pace, without the faintest hint of hurry, and servers never, ever feel the need to identify themselves or otherwise intrude upon their guests’ privacy. The menus by and large resemble one another from place to place, but each restaurant offers at least a few house specialties, and most seem to take pride in their products.

One of the Zona Rio’s newer restaurants, the Capistrano Grill, occupies an almost monumental structure in a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood just a few blocks from the international border. The vast white building looks rather like an ocean-going vessel, its prow picking out a passage among the sizable apartment blocks that loom above it on several sides.

Just why Tijuana restaurateurs go in for such huge establishments always seems a mystery to San Diego guests, who tend to arrive between 7 and 8 p.m., hours during which few Tijuanans are likely to be found at the table. The result at Capistrano Grill, as in most cases, is a largely unpopulated dining room that offers peace, quiet and the virtually undivided attention of a large and enthusiastic staff.

The first floor of the building, by the way, houses a bar-cum-discotheque that features live music nightly, a good place to stop after dinner if entertainment has been written into the evening’s program.

One recent guest remarked that the second-floor dining room, with its high ceilings, wide picture windows and fresh, red roses (one per table), seemed reminiscent of the conservatories that were typical features of grand Victorian houses. Be that as it may, the room is a comfortable one, and the vista reaches across the river and plain to the hills of old Tijuana, which twinkle nicely after dark.

On a typical evening, the choice of tables will be at the guests’ discretion, so by all means select one of the oversized and wonderfully comfortable booths.

Genuine Mexican Taste

The menu runs to greater length than at many Tijuana restaurants, although its selection of dishes is quite typical; much of the variety owes to the many variations on themes (a profusion of grilled steaks, for example). The level of preparation generally is quite high, and count on everything to offer a genuine Mexican taste, even those dishes borrowed from French cuisine.

The appetizer list has its tricky moments, none of which involve its simpler offerings, such as raw and baked oysters, melon with Serrano ham (the Spanish equivalent of Italian prosciutto), and a gigantic and relatively expensive “fountain” of seafoods, which is meant to be shared by two or more guests.

For those who can’t wait to dig into something familiarly Mexican, there is the house version of queso fundido , or melted cheese garnished with chorizo sausage; at Capistrano, the dish includes strips of tangy green chiles. A much more exciting choice is the stuffed avocado “Acapulco,” filled with a ceviche of mixed fish and shellfish so tantalizingly flavored with lime and cilantro that it seems to bring a burst of Mexican sunshine into the room.

The appetizer list also threatens the unwary with a pitfall in the form of an entree, the combinacion Mexicana , which inexplicably is listed here. The guest who ordered this expected a plate of botanas , or those little snacks that some establishments serve while guests read the menu; the plate, instead, included a portion of carne asada , a cheese burrito, a chicken-and-pepper tostada, beans, rice and guacamole. All, by the way, were excellent, but the size of the plate was disheartening in light of the fact that an official entree also had been ordered. The same problem occurred to a lesser degree with the crab crepes in sauce Mornay (a rich white sauce flavored with cheese), which were accompanied by a large serving of rice. The rice could in any case be ignored, however, and the crepes themselves were both quite delicious, and a fine example of what happens to French food when it is interpreted in a Mexican kitchen.

Traditional Specialties

The menu continues with an excellent selection of soups and a brief list of traditional Mexican beef specialties, such as sirloin tips in spicy chipotle sauce, and medallions of filet mignon finished with tequila. This last was quite the triumph, a trio of small steaks topped with a brown sauce of supreme delicacy and depth; the flavor of the tequila, not quite identifiable on its own, seemed to give the sauce an unusual mellowness.

The seafood list offers trout amandine , a rarity on Tijuana menus, as well as the more typical fish Veracruzano, shrimp with garlic sauce, and lobster fried in the style popularized in Puerto Nuevo, the “lobster village” south of Rosarito Beach. The camarones Capistrano, a house specialty, turned out to be quite a surprise, the giant shrimp dressed not only with a mild white wine sauce, but with thin slices of smoked salmon.

As novel as it was, the combination seemed both obvious and French; however, a search of standard French cookbooks failed to turn up a recipe that even approached it. Having said all this, it must be added that, although good, the dish was not exceptional.

Because it describes itself as a grill, Capistrano offers quite a number of grilled fowl and beef dishes, including quail, Cornish hen and various American-cut steaks, such as T-bone and Porterhouse. The carne asada was quite good (and beautifully and generously garnished), the meat cut more thickly than usual and cooked rather on the rare side. A squeeze of lime proved an excellent addition to the steak.

The maitre d’ presides over table-side dessert cookery, and does a dandy job with the crepes Suzette, which we in the United States have come to regard as rather fusty but which nonetheless can be wonderful, as their long popularity attests. The version here, flamed in a variety of liquors and flavored with lime and orange, more than filled the bill.

The vanilla flan, served in a brandy sauce, also surpassed the norm by a good degree; other choices are pears flamed in amaretto, strawberry mousse and cake flavored with Grand Marnier.

Some Prices Lower

Prices are in some cases significantly lower than in San Diego, but others, especially for seafood and appetizers, approach those charged here. Steaks, for example, are in the $10 range; shrimp dishes cost about $14. Generally speaking, a dinner for two with wine should cost about $35 to $50.

Capistrano is very easy to find. From the border, take the Avenida de los Ninos Heroes to the traffic circle at the Cultural Center, turn left and proceed to the second intersection, which is the Paseo Tijuana. Turn left; the restaurant will be on the left. This street, by the way, leads straight back to the border.

Next week: The best (well, probably) Mexican restaurant in San Diego County.

CAPISTRANO GRILL

1205 Paseo Tijuana, Tijuana

Lunch and dinner daily.