Sunday, June 20, 2010

Mariscos Chente, Lennox,CA: Where the Best Mariscos in Los Angeles All Began

***Update: Sergio is no longer at this branch of Mariscos Chente, but the food is as good as ever with Cosio family Patriarch, "Chente" Cosio, serving up some of the best raw Nayarit-style seafood in Los Angeles, next to his original branch, the top Mexican seafood restaurant in Los Angeles, Coni'Seafood.



Back in April, I broke the news that Sergio Penuelas, the chef behind the success of Mariscos Chente in Mar Vista, had left the restaurant to come work at the other Maricos Chente in Lennox, run by his father-in-law Vincente "Chente" Cosio.


It was at the Inglewood location of Mariscos Chente that I first came across Sergio doing a crawl through Lennox/Inglewood back in August of 2008. The family was operating out of Inglewood, awaiting repairs at the Mar Vista Chente, that had a kitchen fire sometime in 2008, causing the restaurant to close.

The Mar Vista branch was up and running by January of 2009, where after months of monitoring their progress since I first met them in '08, I attended the very soft opening for about ten friends and family.

From that post in January of 2009, Mariscos Chente soon became a favorite Mexican seafood destination in Los Angeles. Its many regulars including myself were shocked to learn that Sergio had left, and that he would be in Inglewood, which might as well be the Inland Empire to many of the Westside clientele. Worse yet? No pescado zarandeado?


Vincente Cosio, the ageless patriarch of the family, and the man who trained Sergio in the ways of the Nayarit kitchen, was working at the original Mariscos Chente's on Imperial Highway, the restaurant he started with his wife Magdalena (They later divorced and Magdalena took the Cosio family recipes and Sergio to open the Mar Vista Mariscos Chente).

Vincente left Mariscos Chente's with his daughter Connie Cosio, who now is the sole proprietor of the the renamed Coni'Seafood in Inglewood, at the original location on Imperial Highway. Whew! Hard to follow?



Well, once again they are reunited like Peaches and Herb. Sergio currently works from Thursday through Sunday, but no need to worry about his days off because Vincente is the one who taught him everything--these are family recipes. Vincente is a master of raw preparations: ceviches, cocktails, and aguachiles. His flavor is a little different from Sergio, but you're just about talking style, they've the same level of excellence.


Chente doesn't do the zarandeado (He thinks he's too old to be sweating over a grill) but order away from the rest of the menu. As much as I appreciate Sergio's cooking, I have no problem AT all having the best raw seafood cocktailing in L.A. from Chente.



Pescado Zarandeado is back!!



The signature grilled, butterflied snook that is without peer in Los Angeles is just as good as ever.



Ceviche of raw shrimp can be be had two ways, Sergio's and Vincente's.



The aguachile, too. Sweet shrimp from Sinaloa flash cooked with lime, and a slightly pulpy, puree of jalapeño chiles, a minimalist ceviche featuring Mexican white shrimp.



In addition to the grill and cocktail disciplines, there are the cooked dishes like the shrimp culichi, a creamy jalapeno sauce, a favorite of mine named after the people of Culiacan, Sinaloa.



A la pimienta, peppered shrimp, one of the treasured family recipes



Deviled shrimp at Mariscos Chente is the more refined version around town. It's wickedly flavorful with a crescendoing heat, rewarding the lips with a light tingle. You can strip away the shells or eat them whole--shell on.



The drunken shrimp, camarones borrachos, displays the true craft of Sergio Penuelas, with a vibrancy, and complexity unusual in most Sinaloan/Nayaritan kitchens.

Sergio, the refined Sinaloan cocktailer, cook, and grill man is back in action just a stone's throw away in Inglewood working with his mentor. When he isn't around and even when he is, you can experience the Nayaritan tradition of Vincente Cosio, the suave and virile seafood veteran from Acaponeta, Nayarit, whose shrimp ceviche is unrivaled.

If you're a follower of Sergio's work in Mar Vista, you have found a new home in Inglewood, and you haven't lost a restaurant at all, but gained a father-in-law.

Mariscos Chente
10020 South Inglewood Ave.(at Century Bl.)
Inglewood, CA ‎
(310) 672-0226‎

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks, great write-up!

So, just to be clear, is this the current state of things:

Maricos Chente's (original location)
Imperial Highway, Inglewood
- Connie Cossio (daughter of Vincente)

Maricos Chente
4532 S Centinela, Mar Vista
- Magdalena (ex-wife of Vincente)

Maricos Chente's
10020 Inglewood Ave, Inglewood
- Vincente (Chente) Cossio
- Sergio Penuelas

streetgourmetla said...

Geoff-s- Bingo!!! It's changed so much this last year that it's been difficult for me to follow.

Did I mention Connie opened a second Marisco's Chente's in Gardens?

Jen Cheung said...

hello there :)
stumble upon your blog! lovely blog you have here. Found you on foodbuzz :) Will be dropping by more often! Feel free to save me on your blogroll :) Happy summer!

Jen

Nomsnotbombs said...

What's your favorite shrimp dish there, Bill? I'd love to give them a try but don't eat much seafood!

streetgourmetla said...

Hello Jen Cheung!Thanks, pleasure to net meet you.


Nonsnotbombs-I would do the a la diabla(deviled shrimp),or the drunken shrimp.Not much seafood?awwww.

Anonymous said...

Gardens? Did you mean Gardena?

streetgourmetla said...

Yes,Gardena.

Anonymous said...

So good to hear this history and get the locations straight. We "discovered" the Mar Vista location after your wonderful reviews, and really enjoyed it. Haven't been back since Sergio left (not because of that, just never got time) and now I think we'd like to check out Inglewood Ave. just to see - then go back to Mar Vista for a comparison!

streetgourmetla said...

Hello anonymous. I love to hear about your battle of the Chente's. Let me know.

Anonymous said...

Yes!!!

Thanks, SGLA for this public service announcement :)

I went to the Inglewood Ave. location, after you mentioned that Sergio had moved, and while everything we ordered was fantastic as usual, I missed the Pescado Zarandeado. Now I can't wait to go back!

Anonymous said...

I just love their seafood! Mr. Chente is my husbands uncle & every time we go visit the family in California we make sure to stop by to visit & dine! There food is simply one of a kind! Thank you so much for your blog! I'm glad to hear other enjoy & appreciate the Nayarit style seafood they serve at Chentes!!!