Rehoboth Foodie

From a street vendor in Guadalajara to a storefront sandwiched between a UPS Store and an electrical supply place! That's quite a leap for owner and chef Aquiles Demerutis. (Half Mexican and half Greek, he calls himself "Greexican.") His taco joint, El Dorado, is becoming the go-to place in Rehoboth Beach for light and fresh Baja-style fish and shrimp tacos and burritos.

Dorado means "mahi-mahi" or "dolphin fish" (same thing), and that's Aquiles' magic ingredient. On my first visit I bellied up to the counter and ordered a chicken burrito. He looked stunned, set down his pen and said, "Sir, you can get a chicken burrito at Applebee's. Boring! Why not order my specialty!?!" Anything if not obedient, I complied. And I'm certainly glad I did.

If El Dorado got any more informal, they'd be in a tent. The specials are emblazoned in dry-erase marker on a (real) surfboard suspended above the counter where your food is made-to-order. The menu is small and laminated. A circle of tables and booths orbits a fixin's bar brimming with cool and fresh goodies.

We started with the nachos. Very basic and satisfying, with a creamy yellow cheese reminiscent of a moderately sharp cheddar. It was a welcome diversion from the obligatory white "melting" cheeses out there nowadays. The guacamole is fresh and light, not too smooth (I hate food-processor guac) with not too much tomato. The taste of the avocado shines through nicely.

Most everybody at the table ordered various combinations of the fish and/or shrimp and/or chorizo tacos and/or burritos. The beer-battered mahi is firm and crunchy, and is all taco'd up in a soft flour tortilla with fresh cabbage strips. The shrimp are lightly battered and crispy, and the burrito in which they were tightly swaddled was full of crunchy cabbage, jalapenos (I asked for them) and a white cream-based sauce somewhat similar to the Mexican crema.

The fixins' bar is the star of the show at El Dorado. Aquiles or one of his loyal minions will deliver your order to the table, and now it's your turn to load up on the cool and fresh pico de gallo, an avocado salsa with chili peppers, even more shredded cabbage, a tomatillo salsa made with Chili de Arbol and (this is my favorite), a potent and magical mix of onions, carrots and habaneros. Very hot and impossibly delicious. I cannot tell a lie: I went back up to the counter and ordered a pint of it. Tonight I'm going to stand over the sink and eat it all. Please don't tell anyone.

Specials on our most recent visit included the Cancun Burrito (mahi, scallops, guacamole, chipotle peppers (smoked jalapenos), pico de gallo and romaine), and a Crab Quesadilla (crab and all the necessary goodies sandwiched between two flour tortillas). All the mains are accompanied by rice and beans--not refried beans, mind you, but firm, flavorful pintos.

El Dorado is in the Plaza 24 shopping center at 18766 John J. Williams Highway (Rt. 24), immediately on your right after you turn onto Rt. 24 from Coastal Highway, They're open in season from11am to 9pm everyday. Give them a call off-season just to make sure--sometimes they close on Sundays (302) 645-1596.

By the way, they have a small but quite adequate selection of beers and Mexican bottled soft drinks. Click here to see the menu at El Dorado. (L., D.,) Price range: Inexpensive-.