El Sabor Del Mar

Sergio’s – Fine Mexican Seafood
608 Austin Avenue
Waco, Texas 76701

www.SergiosWaco.com
sergio7mares@yahoo.com

            Before there was “Sergio’s” on Austin Ave there was “Siete Mares” on Dutton Ave and there was even a short time, between the two, when “Sergio’s” was located down on David Street. I have eaten at all 3 places, but my best memories are from my dining experiences at Siete Mares.

 My family and I used to dine there very frequently; for birthdays, random get together, even took some dates there. Siete Mares was a high light for Waco’s restaurant spread, introducing high quality authentic Mexican sea-fare. Not only did the locals love the joint, it spread to the White House. President George W. often had Siete Mares cater out at his ranch when he was down here visiting. Sergio (the owner) would come back all the time with presidential treats and knick-knacks, and would hand them out to kids at the restaurant. The press also liked Siete Mares and would dine there often enough while in town covering the Prez. I don’t want to go pointing fingers, but soon after the press starting dining there the food & menu started to change… it started to morph in to a more Americanized menu; small example- the meal started to come with white rice and you’d have to request Mexican rice. Then of course the economy tanked and the neighborhood took a turn, and Siete Mares closed.

            A few months after Siete Mares closed, I honestly wasn’t sure if Sergio was going to open a new joint. I had heard rumblings, and I knew he was working on other projects. He eventually bought a Mobile Kitchen and started taking that to Waco’s Farmers Market and other places around Waco. You can still find his Mobile Kitchen every Saturday at the WFM. He also eventually bought a little place down on Davids Street, with a much more limited menu and seafood only on the weekends I believe. I only ate there a couple of times, sticking with their homemade chicken Taquitos. That place didn’t last very long, with such a poor location. When I finally heard that he was looking into buying the place over on Austin, I was very excited.

            Once Sergio’s was finally opened we wanted to go try it out, but I have a simple rule when it comes to new places, even if it’s just a reopening. Always wait a couple of weeks to let them work out the kinks. It will save you a lot of trouble… example that is unrelated with this particular restaurant: When BJ’s opened here in Waco I knew they would be slammed, hard, so hard in fact that they were over whelmed/under-prepared and ran out of 80-90% of their food supplies one weekend. I almost went that night, but thank goodness I avoided that mess. Back to the original topic though, Sergio’s. After a couple of weeks passed, and heard some feedback from friends and read some reviews on WacoFork I figured it was time to dive it. Gathered up most of the family (about 12 of us), like in the old days, picked up some ice-cold beers and nice bottle of wines and headed out. My cousins and I arrived first, and had to wait for them to put some tables together for us all. Once all seated, we begin to browse the menu. He has many of his classic dishes and a few new things. I for one stick with my old standby, since I haven’t had it in ages- La Diabla, with mixed veggies and rice. La Diable is a dish of sautéed shrimp with a habanero sauce, MUY CALIENTE!

            The rest of my family places their orders, but of course we are crazy people so none of them really order off the menu. They all want to replace sides, swap one sauce of another, ask if they can get with that, etc. Not the easiest task for a waitress, whom in my opinion, hasn’t been in the bizz for very long. Our food comes out 2-3 at a time, and of course there are a few mix up and switches that need to be made, 10 minutes later it is all sorted out and we are ready to dig in. Everyone was very pleased with the food; very tasty, nicely cooked, hot… just like we used to remember it. Besides the minor chaos mix up, it turned out to be a great night with the family.

            I went again this past week with just my immediate family. This time I ordered a little something different; Blackened Mahi Mahi, with a Smokey chipotle sauce on the side, along with white rice and mashed potatoes… not the most colorful of plates, but I mostly just wanted to try the fish & sauce. I must say, it was pretty dang tasty. The fish was nice and flaky, perfectly cooked. The seasoning was just right and had a nice little kick to it. The sauce was awesome, Smokey, spicy, smooth in overall flavor… a little went a long way. If you like chipotles, you’ll love this sauce! The mashed potatoes were nothing spectacular and rice is rice… at least neither one was over cooked.

Over all I have had positive dining experiences both times I have been to Sergio’s and definitely plan on going back. The biggest disappointing thing about the new place is I have yet to see it full. I remember Siete Mares being packed and people actually having to wait for a table. Sergio’s is back and needs your support; Mexican Seafood lover unite and go try them out!  

I really want to go by for lunch one day and try the Crab Nachos that WacoFork wrote about, they looked mighty tasty

                                                * p.s. It is still B.Y.O.B.*

 This is a dish my brother orders: Shrimp in Green Sauce.