El Zaguan Paseo de los Heroes No 10501 Zona Rio District Tijuana

Tel: 34-67-81

I. THE SETTING

El Zaguan, which means hallway in Spanish and appears to be a literary term, is  a very  attractive  establishment  located in  the Zona Rio district of Tijuana. As you enter, you are  greeted with a huge, lovely arrangement of fresh flowers, which  is set off by a shiny circular design  which  graces the floor beneath them. For  those who don't mind the occasional police siren whizzing by, an enclosed patio dining is available,  overlooking  the  Abraham  Lincoln  glorietta. Contributing to the decor are  a   coordinated   color   scheme   of   vivid   blues   and   yellows,  white table coverings,  brick  and  stucco walls, and strolling musicians. The place is open and airy  and  divided  up  into  small,  intimate dining areas on slightly different levels. The  only  drawback  is  that  you need to  watch your step. There were lots of art objects  including  a  beautiful  picture  on the wall  in our seating area of a woman embracing  a  huge bunch of calla  lillies, in the style of Frida Kahlo. On a negative note,  some  may  be  distracted  by the level of the background music, which was somewhat  intrusive.  Most of the other diners  were well-dressed and appeared to be enjoying themselves.  El  Zagun gets the award  for the first Mexican restaurant we've  visited  that  had automatic  flush toilets and washbasin faucets that turn on automatically!  However,  one  of  the restaurant  staff was using the toilet when I was  there  and  left  without washing his hands, something that I would rather not have seen.  In addition, there was a towel  attendant in the men's room, which was absent from the ladies' facility.

II. THE SERVICE AND THE FOOD

Our small group of 8 was served by about 6  waiters and their assistants, a woman who sold roses and took group  photos, and a simple but excellent menu. Offerings included  soups  and  salads,  fish, chicken, and meat dishes.  The style of cooking was traditional Mexican  rural  regional fare. One member of our group was struck by a similarity to  another  restaurant  we  had  previously experienced, called Cien Anos (HHG rating: 10 Backpacks).  Among the more  unusual  menu offering was "Huitlacoche", a gourmet delicacy  fungus  that grows on corn cobs. Served as an entree, it looks  and  tastes  somewhat like what the Chinese call Cloud ear fungus. To an inexperienced diner, it  doesn't  really  have  much  taste but rather a chewy texture, not unlike the calamari which someone else had ordered.

The bar  seemed  well-stocked  and  the  drinks  above average.  I had two classic margaritas, requesting  they be  made  with  Jose  Cuervo  Especial  tequilla. They were  very potent,  served with plates of tortilla  chips  covered  with  two cheeses along  with  bowls  of  green  creamed and red salsa.  One group member, enticed by the glistening Pina colada served in a thick glass with cobalt blue rim with fresh pineapple  hanging  from  the  edge,  ordered one.  It was delicious, but an alcohol content  was  not  discernable  and she switched to the house red wine, which was acceptable  but  not  outstanding.  My  own  meal  consisted  of a spicy mushroom soup, served  with  little  seeded  dinner  rolls,  then a  baked fish entree (Filete de Pescado al ajo) covered  in an orange colored cream sauce with cilantro,  rice and vegetables,  accompanied  by  corn  tortillas,  with  a  3-fruit  tart  for  dessert, and coffee.  The bill for this meal totalled $21.75 including tip.  Personally, I  was very pleased with the food and service, and I thought that everyone was very lively and in good spirits,  the service impeccible,  but  the  background  music was too  loud, something that seems to be culturally related to  the  Latino  temperment.  We had our photo taken, and two people bought the 8x10 glossies that cost $5 each.

Others in our party had  Camaron  Tequilla,  shrimp cooked in a sourcream sauce with  red and  green peppers,  which was  fresh and  tasty, but could not be called exceptional.  The best dish seemed to be the Pechua with 3 chiles - a chicken dish similar  to  Mole.  It  seemed  every  dish  at  one end of the  table earned an 85% satisfaction  rating,  but  each  dish  had  some  minor  problem,  slightly  dry,  not extremely  flavorful,  etc.   Be  aware,  however,  that  the  overall  rating  for  this restaurant is 70-75%, it is very aesthetically pleasing, the service is exceptional and there were no major problems or complaints.

III. THE DESSERTS

The desserts were lovely, brought around "a ver" (for you to see) - fresh fruit tarts with strawberries and kiwi, flan on top of a layer of chocolate. One person ordered a Mango  mousse  which  turned out to be a  creampuff  with  whipped cream and mango slices, topped  with a very  thin layer of icing.  It was quite delicious. Sweet and Low was  available  with the  coffee,  for  those trying  to  atone  for the extra calories. Portions were quite adequate,  and no one left wanting more food. It was a fun evening.

Reviewed by Joel Siegfried and Pat Fisher, 26 May 1997