RESTAURANT REVIEW: La Cocina another excellent restaurant in South Walton

SEACREST BEACH – Following the success of Seagrove Village Market Café and George’s at Alys Beach, George and Ann Hartley have opened La Cocina, a Mexican restaurant in Seacrest Beach.

The restaurant is decorated to look like a Mexican market. It is bright and lively, and can be loud. It is a fun, casual, family-friendly place with excellent food and good value.

I could make a meal from the salsa, cheese dip and guacamole. They are all served with a basket of warm tortilla chips. The chips are light and delicate, and are absolutely addictive.

The salsa is thick, brightly seasoned, and has just the right amount of heat. The cheese dip is offered mild or hot. We ordered the hot version, and found it to have enough heat to add interest without being uncomfortable. The guacamole has a lush mouthfeel from the avocado, and gets lots of flavor from tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime and jalapeno.

Even though the trio of dips would make a good meal, there is so much good on the rest of the menu that moderation is advised. Enchiladas were outstanding. Dinners with two, three or four enchiladas are served with seasoned rice and creamy beans. There are five types of enchiladas offered.

A vegetable enchilada features roasted peppers and goat cheese. Another vegetarian option is the simple, but tasty cheese enchilada. My favorite was the enchilada filled with carnitas and topped with a tangy green sauce. La Cocina’s carnitas are meltingly tender pieces of roasted pork with lots of garlic flavor.

Chicken enchiladas feature shredded chicken and are topped with a dark mole sauce that has wonderful deep flavor. Shredded brisket is also tender, and is well-matched with its traditional enchilada sauce. Corn tortillas wrap and a layer of melted cheese with nice sharp flavor tops all the enchiladas.

Similar options are offered with tacos, which are prepared with flour tortillas. Shredded chicken, beef and carnitas are all good options. The fish taco was our only disappointment with the food. The fish tasted good, but was cool in temperature when it would have been much better warm. Tacos are served with rice, beans, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese.

Quesadillas are offered in vegetable, beef and chicken versions. Flautas, crisp-fried flour tortillas are offered filled with tuna or beef tenderloin, both prepared medium rare.

Our service was friendly and competent, and our server made good menu suggestions. She recommended the Crusty Chimichanga, and it turned out to be a favorite at our table. A beautifully fried chimichanga is filled with lobster, scallops and shrimp. The filling has a creamy consistency provided by cheese.

Other seafood options included a sauté of seafood over grilled peppers served with mango and avocado salsa, and a seafood stuffed poblano pepper.

The lunch menu includes tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas. And there are a number of interesting items that don’t appear on the dinner menu. They include ceviche with pineapple-jicama salsa, a salad of lump crabmeat with avocado and mango, and a lobster taco.

The children’s menu includes chicken tenders, but also features tacos, quesadillas and a burrito. Kids also can enjoy lime or strawberry virgin margaritas.

Adult beverages include sangria (including a white sangria flavored with peach), the LaCorita (a swirl of frozen margarita and sangria), and a variety of Mexican beers that pair well with La Cocina’s food.

While there were several wonderful sounding desserts on the menu, the only one offered when we visited was Deep Fried LOVE, a fried ice cream dessert. The scoop of ice cream had a coating that was chewy in texture. It rested in a bowl of a light crisply fried tortilla. The combination of the ice cream and tortilla with flavors of honey and cinnamon was a nice way to end the meal.

The Hartleys have created another excellent restaurant on 30A. Somewhere you can relax and enjoy good food without breaking the bank.

QuickBites

Restaurant: La Cocina

Location: 10343 East Scenic Highway 30A, Seacrest Beach

Telephone: 231-4021

Hours: Daily – Lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5 to 9 p.m.

Handicap accessibility: good

Children’s menu: yes

Reservations: not necessary

Price range: Starters, $7 - $12

Entrees, $8 - $29

Lunch, $6 - $20

Dessert, $5

Children’s Menu, $5

Payment: credit cards