What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1001510
featured dining guide story Advertorial Feature by dave woods | nwa democrat-Gazette Father's seafood recipes make Playa Azul unique around the region 42 What's up! july 8 - 14, 2018 W hen it comes to working in his father's restaurant, Edmundo Alvarez is a jack of all trades. "I pretty much do whatever is needed," he said. "I can bartend serve, cashier, and I wash dishes if I have to." Edmundo's job description is typical of the members of a restaurant family. His father, Jose Alvarez, opened Mariscos Playa Azul – translated… Playa Azul means blue beach – in Springdale about two years ago. Edmundo said he and his father are happy with the reception the Mexican seafood restaurant is receiving. "The reception has been very positive," Edmundo said. "Our restaurant is a little different. It's mainly seafood, but it's made in a traditional Mexican way. We have a lot of different seafood soups, cocktails and ceviche's." Edmundo's father is from the seaside city of Acapulco and his mother is from Guadalajara. "All of the recipes are my dads," he said. "He knows a lot about seafood." Edmundo said that his family worked diligently to source the freshest seafood when they opened the restaurant. With a name such as Mariscos – which translates to seafood – it better be good and fresh. He said that finding the right purveyor of seafood was initially a challenge, but diligence paid off and they are very happy with the quality and freshness of seafood that are able to serve. "One of the dishes that is very popular is our shrimp cocktail," he said. "It's a Mexican-style shrimp cocktail. It's shrimp, onions, cilantro and our cocktail sauce. We use avocado and lime juice and orange juice. It's very good and very refreshing. Especially now that it's starting to get warm outside. People want a cool, fresh dish." Keep it simple. Another of Edmundo's menu favorites is Playa Azul's ceviche, a traditional seafood favorite made using a variety of fish, shrimp and other seafood cooked in lime juice. "The ceviche is very good and we sell a lot of it," he said. "The fish ceviche is very popular and it's one of my personal favorites. We season it with salt, pepper, onion, tomatoes, cilantro and a little bit of jalapeno. It's very simple. Keeping it simple makes it better. It's part quality ingredients and part simple perpetration. We always use fresh lime juice and never the premixed kind." Fresh seafood offered at Mariscos