Cathy Salustri

I remember the first time I heard the phrase "fish taco". I had traveled to San Diego on business and needed a break from my boss (ever see Office Space? This lady put that guy to shame) so I walked down to the water. On my way, I noticed several taco stands that advertised fish tacos. It just seemed wrong, somehow, to a girl raised on Crabby Bill's and Florida seafood to put fish in a taco. Why, I thought, would someone want to DO something like that?

Last week I went to the Baja Malibu Grill (6297 Central Avenue, 347-TACO) and found out exactly why someone would do something like that: because it tastes damn good. I feel confident that the taco shacks in San Diego didn't have fresh grouper like the Malibu, but the ones I ate made me wish I had at least tried the fare in San Diego. For $6.50 I got two tacos filled with grouper (your choice of grilled or battered and fried, I tried the fried), Pico de Gallo, and Cantamar Slaw topped with Baja's sour cream sauce. The meal also came with two sides- I had a double side of their fresh corn salad.

Before I went in, I had decided to try the fish tacos but I really didn't know if I'd like them, so I brought my friend Frank with me, figuring he'd eat them if I couldn't. As it turns out, I not only ate my dinner but half of his chicken burrito as well (well, the thing was huge, he couldn't possibly have eaten it all). I also tried his beans and rice (he needed to save his appetite for dessert, or at least that's what I told him), which tasted very fresh, not always an easy task for refried beans. For dessert I had chocolate peanut butter pie and Frank had key lime pie. I instinctively go for anything with peanut butter in it, but I also had my doubts about the key lime pie- I can't stand key lime pies with that meringue crap on top or that have that false hospital green color. But as I worked my way through my pie, I decided to try the key lime, which had a nice yellow color (after all, Frank didn't finish his dinner, remember? Did he really deserve dessert?) I loved it.

Forget the food, though, eating at the Baja Malibu was fun. David, one of the owners, surfs, and the inside of the restaurant has a hang ten feel to it. The place is all thatch, surf, and beach Ð just what I need as the mercury drops and I long for days at the beach with nothing but a good book and a fish taco.

Hours: Tuesday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. • 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. • 9 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. • 2 p.m. Closed Mondays. Dine in and take out available.