What's more, the pieces of goat shoulder in Nopalito's birria de chivo (goat stew, $14) mingle with a smooth, mole-like sauce, a brick-colored blend of dried chilies, chocolate, roasted tomato, cinnamon, and other spices. It comes with sides of organic pinquito beans, salsa de arbol, and a small pile of the restaurant's inimitable house-made tortillas, flecked haphazardly ― and quite beautifully ― with rough-hewn corn. Wrapped in one of those husky tortillas, a chunk of saucy, fall-apart goat meat feels bucolic, civilized, and a little reckless, all at once. Even if you're squeamish about goat, go for it.
Nopalito 306 Broderick (at Oak), 437-0303
