Cinco de Mayo has come and gone. That day my wife and I weren’t feeling like battling the crowds at a local cantina and we decided to try Maderos, a restaurant that just opened in Redondo Beach.
Maderos took over the space where Hostaria Piave was originally located in Redondo Beach. Despite being two blocks away from the beach, they have a dedicated parking lot. Diners enter into their outdoor patio that is nicely decorated with papel picado hanging from the rafters.
Margarita on the rocks
To celebrate the occasion, my wife started with a margarita on the rocks. I, on the other hand, felt more like it was a beer night and selected a Modelo.
Three different salsas accompanied by freshly made chips quickly made its way to our table. They were served in attractive mini bowls and along with our drinks signaled to us that this was a nice beginning.
Tres Quesadillas – cheese, shrimp & chorizo
Tres Quesadillas included a jalapeno cheese, chorizo, and a shrimp with salsa chile de árbol quesadilla. My wife favored the jalapeno cheese and I enjoyed the salsa chile de árbol. If you know my love of seafood, that won’t be a surprise.
Fancy version of elote
Elote is a popular street food dish in Mexico. It is usually served as corn on the cob with seasonings like mayonnaise, creme, chili powder, garlic and cotija cheese applied to the outside of the corn cob. Maderos transforms this from street food to a unique dish with lots of flavor.
Chicken and fish taco combination plate
For her entree, my wife, selected chicken and fish tacos. We were surprised that they didn’t double up on the tortillas despite how thin they were. Not only did they taste good, but they held up without tearing.
Pescado à la Veracruzana is one of the most famous seafood dishes of Veracruz and because I don’t see this on many menus, I selected this as my entree. It was served in a tasty tomato sauce and topped with grilled peppers. The whitefish was extremely soft and fell apart with the touch of my fork.
Cake-like flan with a caramel sauce
For dessert, we shared a flan. Most flan is custard based and almost like jello in consistency. Maderos’ flan was dense and was more cake-like and yet it tasted like flan. It was topped with a caramel sauce.
Probably the best thing about Maderos is the staff. Rodolfo and his crew are friendly, upbeat and attentive to your needs. Rodolfo is always scanning the restaurant to see what needs to be done. I was even surprised that he grabbed a broom and swept beneath a vacant table.
Maderos, 231 S Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach, CA 90277