| Courtesy of AJ, via Yelp |
I like my carnitas, lengua, or cabeza as unobscured as possible by the burrito's inevitable rice / beans / lettuce / guacamole / sour cream onslaught, so I tend to order small soft tacos, which I make even smaller by dividing the contents evenly between the two tortillas they're served on, adorned only by chopped onion and cilantro. El Tonayense does 'em just great, as far as I'm concerned.
But Jonathan Gold's recent wacky screed against the classic SF burrito reminded me that in my impecunious college days down south I frequented a West LA dive called El Nopal, sadly now gone, whose sign proudly advertised it as "Home of the Pregnant Burrito."
| Janine Kahn |
Tucked among the Mission's rampant taquerias, it's possible to find authentic regional Mexican food.
An appealing new spot advertises its roots in its name: La Oaxaquena. Its tidy storefront, with tiny blue formica-topped tables and wooden chairs -- there are a few more seats perched at a counter in the back -- is nicely decorated with textiles, pottery, and folk art from its namesake home in Southern Mexico.
| Janine Kahn |
The Oaxacan specialties featured on the menu include the enormous tlayuda, a crunchy giant tostada topped with quesillo cheese imported from Oaxaca, chopped lettuce, and your choice of a dozen different toppings ($12.50 with meat, $10 without), including Milanesa (chopped breaded pork), carne asada, jamon, longaniza sausage with potatoes, chorizo, and three different kinds of chicken: stewed (tinga), spicy (asado), and cooked with tequila. We tried cecina, a tasty cured spicy pork. It's big enough to feed two or three, or four as part of a meal.
| Toro E. via Yelp |
| Chow in the Castro: One of 117 restaurants that took part in Dining Out for Life |
"Overall, we're thrilled with the numbers," said Minchillo, who admitted it was much harder to recruit city restaurants for this year's event. The Stop AIDS Project approached 400 restaurants; 117 ended up participating. Still, Minchillo said, that was 20 more than participated last year. Sponsorship dollars were down significantly ($30,000 this year, compared to $40,000 last year), and raffle sales the night of the event saw only a slight increase. Minchillo said exact numbers should be available in a week or so.
Adrian Hoffman, vice president and culinary director for the Lark Creek Restaurant Group, said Holland-Toll left the company late last month, setting off a last-minute search for a replacement. Hoffman said the reconcepted restaurant, to be known as the Tavern at Lark Creek, was still planning to open on May 29th, just over two weeks from now. But he held out the possibility that the opening could be pushed back a few days. Hoffman said he was close to naming a replacement.
Let's do lunch:
Sick of sammies? SF Weekly food maven Meredith Brody says check out a spring risotto (with any luck, the asparagus, shallot, and mint version'll be on the menu) at Perbacco in the FiDi (230 California near Front, 955-0663).
Drink therapy:
Toast Hump Day at Levende's Wine Wednesday, where you can score half-price bottles of vino with dinner (20-buck minimum food purchase per person). Levende Lounge (1710 Mission near Duboce, 864-5585), 6-11 p.m.
Sure, that's the murky bay out there, but pretend you're partying near some chi-chi resort's playa -- with happy hour prices worthy of a banana republic -- at La Mar Cebicheria Peruana (Pier 1.5 on the Embarcadero, 397-8880), 4-6 p.m.
Livin' the life:
Witness the second coming tonight when Schmaltz Brewing Company launches the second incarnation of its He'Brew Rejewvenator spring ale. The celebration goes down at Mission Beach Café, where wunderkind chef Thomas Martinez and pastry whiz Alan Carter preside over a beer-friendly spring menu. 6 p.m. $60. 198 Guerrero at 14th St., 861-0198.
