On the Waterfront, a Salsa Contender

On the waterfront. On the docks of Long Beach. Not exactly Barcelona when it comes to port cuisine. So a lot of the longshoremen at Pier J, eating their lunches from catering trucks, envied Dana Brand as he blissfully tore into plates of steak picado and carnitas burritos prepared by his wife, Felipa Valdez Brand.

Occasionally, Dana would bring a sample of his wife’s cooking to his co-workers, who gobbled the food up with the gusto of Henry VIII. Dana and Felipa decided, why not make a few bucks off Felipa’s talent? So three times a week, in 1993, Felipa and her mother, Alicia, would prepare truly homemade lunches for up to 20 longshoremen, charging $3.50.

The venture proved to be so successful that the family decided to open a restaurant. When a space became available around the corner from Papadakis Taverna in San Pedro in October, the mother-daughter team took it over, naming it after the Mexican state they are from, Durango.

Durango is a simply decorated, street-level establishment near the Cabrillo Hotel, which bills itself as San Pedro’s finest (rates $92 a week). Shortly after you are seated, out come the chips and salsa. The chips are nothing special, but the salsa--smooth, almost pureed--sets the mouth on fire and the scalp tingling.

While Felipa handles the front of the house and cooks some of the items, Alicia is the main chef. The owners take pride in saying that the food will not be quickly brought to the table, since everything is prepared to order . . . even the tortillas.

My favorite order here is a carnitas taco ($1.25) and a chile relleno ($2). The taco is full of freshly fried chunks of pork, wrapped in one thick tortilla with onions and cilantro. The chile relleno is a pasilla chile stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese and strips of onion. I like to put a little of the taco on the chile relleno , and a little bit of the relleno on the taco.

Lots of guys on the waterfront might say they “coulda been a contender.” But the fellas on Pier J will tell you that Felipa and Alicia at Durango are contenders.

Durango is at 616 S. Centre St., San Pedro. (310) 548-1723. Open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Sunday.