La Canoa is full of atmosphere and seafood. Even the vestibule has a display of oysters in the shell along with an occasional red snapper, tilapia and crab resting over ice. The dining room is a riot of color with undersea murals and hand-carved wooden chairs decorated with all sorts of sea creatures painted in equally brilliant colors. A thatch umbrella sits in the center of the room and to the side is what appears to be the hull of a boat. Walk inside and the space transforms into a bar filled with cervezas and premium tequilas.
The menu is extensive at La Canoa. In addition to red snapper, you’ll find tilapia and catfish. There are also jumbo shrimp, oysters, octopus and even frog legs. Most items are offered simply grilled or with sauces like mojo de ajo (garlic), one of chipotle peppers, Veracruzana (tomato with olives), and diabla, which is the spiciest. Seafood cocktails, served in jumbo sizes, and soups are numerous. The sole meat items are quail and Cornish hen. Lunch specials also include standard, meaty Mexican fare.
There are a few appetizers, including a decent guacamole ($5.50) prepared with a bit of onion, but ordering one is not really necessary. The servers arrive with a basket of chips and two salsas, plus marinated jalapenos with carrot, onion and cauliflower. Then one seafood empanada per person is served, as is a small dish of ceviche. Both of the salsas qualify as spicy, one with the distinctive flavor of chipotle peppers and the other studded with bits of avocado to cool the fire. The ceviche is of minced fish with cilantro, onion, tomato and the tartness of lime juice. It is perfectly good—and it is free! The empanada, with its spicy fish filling, serves as an example of how this kitchen enjoys using chile peppers.
Huilotas a la parrilla, or grilled quail, proved unavailable, which led to the ordering of caldo mares ($13.95). This is a soup of four different kinds of seafood served in an attractive pottery bowl. Jumbo shrimp are abundant and clams come in the shell. Along with fish, a whole blue crab arrives on top of it all. Thanks to hot sauce, the broth is spicy. The broth also features peas, minced carrots and potatoes. A side plate of chopped onion and cilantro with lime wedges accompanies the dish. This is a delicious, spicy soup, though the crab can be a bit messy to eat. A claw cracker is provided.
For something spicier, try the pulpo a la diabla ($13.95), pieces of octopus in a potent red chile sauce. The sauce is oily by Mexican standards, reminding me of the most authentic Szechuan food, but it is a good one. It fails to make the octopus tender, however. The diabla sauce is also available with nearly all of the other seafood options.
The most impressive item has to be the Zihuatanejo special ($16.95), which is served on a metal platter. Seven jumbo shrimp are stuffed with cheese into even larger jalapeno peppers that are then wrapped with a strip of bacon before they are broiled. The peppers, no spicier than poblano, are quite mild for jalapenos. It’s a memorable entrée.
The main reason for visiting the nearby Fiesta Garibaldi is to order the langostinos, which also make an appearance on the menu here ($24.95 for 12, $12.95 for six). They are saltwater crawfish, small versions of spiny lobsters. The flavorful langostinos are halved and served with a mild red chile sauce that is not so spicy as to overpower.
Side items may include a simple salad, runny beans topped with cheese, white rice with peas and carrots, and potato salad that usually comes with the spicier items. In addition to tortillas, the kitchen also has fresh-baked breadsticks that are especially good with the soups and the langostinos.
Mexican seafood reigns supreme at La Canoa, the most interesting Mexican restaurant to open in some time. So settle in and enjoy a leisurely, excellent meal. n
La Canoa
1520 W.
Lincoln Ave.
(414) 645-1140
$-$$
Credit Cards: All Major
Smoking: At Bar
Handicap Access: Yes
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