Por Frank Sabatini Jr.

It’s the opposite of how most San Diego restaurant groups have typically taken root. Family names like Cohn, Busalacchi and Rubio have grown their kitchens from metro locations before fanning outward. Karina’s Mexican Seafood Cuisine did it the other way around.

In 1981, Don Arnulfo Contreras and his wife, Maria Ines Curiel, opened a restaurant in Spring Valley and tailored it to Mexican immigrants. They eventually branched into Chula Vista, National City and El Cajon before their children carried the torch into San Diego proper earlier this year, entering straight into Downtown at the east end of B Street, where no other restaurants reside.

Situated at the ground floor of an office building, the big-windowed space marks the eighth restaurant within Karina’s Group. It was previously home (under different ownership) to the fly-by-night Chaplos Restaurant & Bar, which attempted a supper-club theme that was perhaps too unapproachable for this unassuming location.

Karina’s feels much warmer with colorful murals and whimsical décor extending to imitation cardinals perched overhead on faux, leafy branches. Vintage black-and-white movies are projected regularly on a wall toward the back of the dining room, and a handsome, wood bar mantle flaunting ornate columns and arches that Chaplos brought in remains in place.

The jumbo menu is a study in shrimp, which dominates every category from appetizers and ceviches to entrees and specialties. This, despite a separate section titled, “shrimp dishes.” Yet if you come knocking for octopus, king crab legs, whole snapper or red meat for that matter, the menu obliges.

We started with the popular “ceviche Karina’s,” a very-green commingling of lime-marinated shrimp cloaked in avocado, cucumber, cilantro and Serrano chili sauce. It’s served with crispy corn tortillas and a squirt bottle of mayo should you want to inject creaminess along the way. Though addictively bright and tangy, the abundant portion of the ceviche made it impossible for only the two of us to finish.

Other ceviche choices mix shrimp with either scallops or octopus or stand alone with ahi tuna and white fish. Some are citrus-based while others feature clam or tomato sauces.

Trios of tacos span across the appetizer list as well. You can get them filled with marlin, lobster, abalone, rib-eye and of course, shrimp. We chose the latter in beer-battered form, assuming their crispy jackets would add a modicum of novelty to the flavor profile.

But not really. They tasted like shrimp tacos I’ve had everywhere else. We did, however, enjoy the contrasting textures of the batter and shredded cabbage against the pillowy corn tortillas.

Sipping on “Cadillac” margaritas spiked with Grand Marnier to appropriately celebrate my companion’s recent purchase of a Cadillac, we veered from shrimp by ordering a lobster sandwich and a chile relleno-enchilada combo plate.

The lobster, trawled from Baja waters and cut into large chunks, was lopped generously onto a nicely buttered roll with a light smear of mayo. But if only lemon came with it the sandwich would have mimicked an actual lobster dinner, allowing the citrus to compliment the sweetness of the meat and butter. Kudos to the kitchen anyhow for cooking the lobster so tenderly.

The chile relleno harbored three cheeses: mozzarella, cotija and queso fresco. The light, spongy batter, however, was tainted by so much salt in the recipe that we couldn’t eat it. Conversely, the chicken enchilada went down in a jiff, revealing moist breast meat inside and well-constructed tomatillo sauce on top. We also enjoyed the accompanying black beans, which were supple in texture and subtly spiced.

Tangy guava cheesecake made likely with desirable measures of sour cream brought a fine end to our lunch amid a mixed clientele of office workers, condo residents and what appeared like a handful of tourists who strayed from the Gaslamp District.

For them, and anyone else on the hunt for seafood dishes cooked with authentic Mexican flair, Karina’s offers family-style meals in a playfully stylish atmosphere.

—Frank Sabatini Jr. es el autor de “Secret San Diego” (ECW Press), y comenzó su carrera como escritor local hace más de dos décadas como miembro del personal del ex San Diego Tribune. Puedes localizarlo en [email protected].