Tierra Mar is the newest restaurant in our area. Located off Illinois Route 17 on the river east of Kankakee, this building was recently transformed into a charming restaurant with a fantastic chef, quality food, serene ambiance, excellent service and a great view of the Kankakee River.

Many might be surprised that Tierra Mar isn’t the typical Mexican cuisine you would expect — burritos, tacos or chimichangas. Their cuisine is from their native state, Nayarit, Mexico — excellent seafood dishes along with many other entrees.

Nayarit is located in central Mexico near the Gulf of California and is known for its tourism but also its agriculture and fishing.

My husband, Dave, and I spent some time with our server, Araceli Ortega, who is also the co-owner with Vicente Perez. She brought us a delicious sample of their Ceviche de Pescado fish. It is fresh raw white fish marinated in lime juice with salt, chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro and carrots. It was absolutely fabulous.

Dave and I ordered a sample plate of their empanadas that included Camaron shrimp and chorizo. These were served with sour cream and spicy sauce on the side. I highly recommend ordering these.

Guacamole and salsa is made fresh daily and is fabulous. A basket of fresh tortillas accompanies both sauces.

Also on their appetizer menu is the Botana Mar – shrimp, octopus, oysters and crabmeat served cold. Or a beautiful Vuelve a la Vida (Return to Life cocktail) with shrimp, octopus, clam meat, imitation crab meat, scallops and oysters. The appetizer menu is extensive and very hard to choose which one you would like to try.

The entrée selections are amazing. Dave ordered the Carne Asada con Camarones, grilled prime skirt steak with rice, refried beans and guacamole salad, banana pepper, green onions and tortillas.

I was torn between the fajitas or venture out into one of their platillos specialties — I’m happy I did that because it was fantastic. I chose the Camarones Zarandeades – beautiful butterflied jumbo shrimp, grilled in their shells and served with their specialty spicy dark sauce on the side and homemade garlic bread.

This is where Tierra Mar shines – their seafood selections that highlight their home state of Nayarit.

The platillos entrees include a whole red snapper, deep-fried and covered in their Nayarit style house sauce and topped with grilled onions and shrimp. Several of our readers shared with me this is one of the favorite entrees.

Shrimp lovers will enjoy several of their specialty items such as the bass fillet, or chopped octopus, or deep-fried jumbo shrimp stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon. This will be next on my list to order.

All the food is fantastic, but it’s their signature entrees that are not only unique, but exquisite.

First their Langosta Al Gusto — whole lobster cooked your way with a choice of garlic, butter, cream of mushrooms, spicy Diabla, or their signature sauce (mild or spicy.)

Dave’s choice would be the Carne Asad, Camarones y Colita de Langosta with skirt steak, shrimps, baby lobster tail with your choice of sauce.

Gather a group of friends for a special occasion and try their Tierra Mar Langosta loaded with seafood, whole lobster, whole red snapper, whole tilapia, breaded tilapia fillet, breaded shrimp, shrimp a la Diabla, Cahpuzon, skirt steak and of course, their guacamole and garlic bread — a feast for the evening.

Dave is the chocolate lover in our house. He couldn’t pass up one of the signature desserts — all homemade, of course. He ordered the Cajeta chocolate cake with pecan filling. This is an over the top sweet.

Cajeta is often referred to as Mexican caramel. It’s made with goats milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. It’s commonly referred to as dulce de leche. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful dining experience that and the delicious Mexican coffee.

The presentation of the food is terrific, portions are large, the food is made fresh so there might be a bit of a wait, but it’s so worth it. Everyone who works there is friendly and helpful.

The owners are excited about the future. In warm weather the deck will be open for celebrations with mariachi bands. They also would like to build a boat dock for boaters to stop in for lunch or dinner. Although they are still waiting for their alcohol license, they do serve some cultural drinks like the Horchata sweet rice drink or another made with hibiscus flowers.

The restaurant is an excellent addition to our area. We’re especially happy to have them in our neck of the woods. Stop by and give them a try — it’s worth it.

Tierra Mar is at 6070 E. State Road 17, Kankakee. The location has been the site of several different restaurants but had been vacant for a time. For reservations or take-out, call 815-614-3332.