I was in the Preston-Watterson area around late-lunch time and felt like trying someplace new. Pulled out my "Food and Dining" map and spotted La Perla Del Pacifico. There wasn't much info about the place, so it became an adventure -- and turned out to be quite enjoyable.
Nothing fancy about the restaurant, about 20 four-tops and a few wall ornaments, but it was very neat and clean. The beer list was limited to Bud Light, Corona, and Pacifico, but that was OK; Pacifico was fine. The menu is 6 full pages with everything from cheeseburgers to about a half dozen renditions of octopus. The seafood has both fried and broiled/grilled entrees. Much is in Mexican, but the owner presented an album with 8x10's of all the entrees.
I opted for the (translated) Shrimp in Butter and Garlic ($10.99) with a side of Guacamole. The Guacamole came out first with the owner stressing that it was fresh, and, boy, was it! I'd swear that they just made it from scratch on order, and it was delicious (with a slight hint of hot stuff for a zinger). You got about a cup of it for $2.99.
The entrée was likewise excellent, The shrimp came with the typical shredded lettuce salad, half an avocado, sliced and fanned over the salad, and not Mexican rice but white rice, molded with a cup, that had peas, corn, and carrot slivers -- very good. And the shrimp! There were twenty 40-count shrimp, tasty and not overcooked, swimming in a sauce of butter with loads of minced garlic -- delish. I finished off with some flan. It came out a huge wedge (shaped like 1/6 of a pie) with an excellent coffee-based sauce.
All in all a pleasant meal with very friendly service. Nothing spectacular but definitely a return spot, and a lot for less than $20.00.