Tamarindo Antojeria Mexicana

It's not often that I get the first scoop on a restaurant, but thanks to C's good eye, we discovered this place early.

Located on a pretty block in Old Oakland, Tamarindo, a "place of little cravings", offers up regional Mexican dishes in a small plates format. The space is a small but gorgeous store-front, with seating for about 25, and architectural details aplenty. Beautiful lighting could be turned down a notch for more ambiance, but the exposed brick and large artwork set the mood nicely, otherwise.

Tamarindo's Sangria was excellent -- not too sweet, with small diced fruit, a more refined take on a rustic beverage.

From the Antojitos (or Small Plates) menu, we ordered several dishes to share. Queso Fundido ($7) is a delicious, oozy mass of Oaxacan cheese, topped with chorizo and served with dense, almost creamy corn tortillas. This was very good, though my least favorite dish.

Ceviche ($10) was wonderful, and everything ceviche should be. Not overly sharp, with a nice amount of heat from Serrano chiles, this fish was dressed with a surprising spice -- crushed coriander. I found the combination completely inspired.

One of my favorite dishes was the Mulitas ($6), grilled Niman Ranch steak, melted cheese, guacamole and salsa fresca sandwiched again between those amazing palm-sized tortillas. At first taste, these seem almost overly simple. But then the flavors meld in your mouth, and become the most subtle but perfectly flavored bite.

We also ordered one of the evenings specials, Chile en Nogada ($13). This was my favorite dish at Guaymas when Guaymas was still good, and I've missed it dearly. Tamarindo's version sated my craving nicely. A large poblano chile was stuffed with sauteed ground beef, walnuts and nectarines, then dressed with a walnut-cream sauce. The dish was served cool, which was different, and I think I prefer it served warm. Still, though, all the nuances of the walnut sauce came through, and the sweetness helped to cut the building heat of the poblano. Altogether a successful dish.

Finally, from the Guarniciones menu, we ordered the Arroz Blanco con Platanos Fritos ($3), a small plate of fragrant and tender rice topped with three slices of fried plantains. I loved having the rice to cool our palates with when the spices built up, and what's not to love about perfectly cooked plantains?

For dessert, we had  Arroz Con Leche ($6) and a Cajeta Crepe ($6). The rice pudding was ok, but I'm not sure I'd order it again. It was VERY milky (more like a sweet rice soup, really), and rather too heavy-handed with the cinnamon garnish. On the other hand, the crepe was a total winner. As C said, the cajeta had amazing depth of flavor without being too "non-bovine derived." It took a lot of self-control not to lick that plate clean, I tell you.

Service was warm, genial and generally efficient. One small oversight was remedied right away, and always with a smile. The proprieter took a moment to welcome us, and thank us for coming in, and made sure to say goodnight to us as we left.

Tamarindo is a wonderful addition to downtown Oakland; we already have our return visit planned. I honestly, genuinely hope Tamarindo makes it on this quiet little street. Just don't everyone rush there at once -- don't forget, there are only 25 seats. And I'll be sitting in one of them.

Tamarindo Antojeria Mexicana
468 8th Street
Old Oakland
510.444.1944
(open 8am - 3pm and 5pm - 10pm Monday - Saturday)

Comments

[David]

Fatemeh:
Please! No more delicious posts about Mexican food....you're killing me....Can we do a croissant/tortilla swap electronically?

David

[C]

Actually, I believe that my comment was “the goat’s milk adds an amazing depth of flavor, without being overtly non-bovine”.

Great post – great dinner!

Love you,

C

[sam]

presenation looks yummy. all the witty non-bovine quotes have gotten me wondering what the Cajeta Crepe actually is? Where does the goatmilk come into play?
That's cute that C writes comments on your blog. Maybe Fred will write one on mine one day and if it's even half as cute, I'll be happy...

[Fatemeh]

David - You invent that electronic exchange, and you'll be a millionaire my friend. What I wouldn't do for a proper macaron.

C - Sorry for the misquote. ;-). Love you, too.

Sam - Cajeta is goat milk caramel. You can get little tubs of it from Cowgirl, I think... It's really delicious stuff, and you can DEFINITELY tell it's goat-based by the flavor.

And yea, that C is pretty cute, huh?

[sam]

damn
i was cow girl today
but before i read your reply.

[Gustavo Manrique]

I have tried some of their food before they opened, and i knew it would be a hit! ......
Muchas felicidades y muchisisisisima suerte.

[Pat]

So far I've been to Tamarindo twice, once alone and both times only for lunch. I always leave wishing I had gone for dinner so as to justify eating more of the delicious morsels.....if they have the tamarindo mole as a special, don't miss it!!!

[Ian]

I went to Tamarindo once, for lunch.

I strongly recommend it as a rendez-vous for a date. Glass of wine, wonderful lighting, and great food.

Just make the night perfect with a deserving date.

[shuna fish]

I'm about to go here tomorrow. Of course I had to read about it first in SF Mag, sorry. But you should know that when I googled the rest. today your site was first, then Chowhound came up second! xo

[Sam]

Just a note. The days of operation are incorrect here. They are CLOSED on MONDAYS. We found out the hard way.