Tacubaya: Dona Tomas' Not-So-Little Sister

In a VERY odd, and extremely unexpected coincidence (redundant, no??), Sam today wrote about her latest purchase from Sur La Table.

She titles her post "Dumb Design". So, you can probably guess how much she loves it. On the other hand, my very favorite kitchen tools are my collection of wooden spoons from SLT. I buy them by the half-dozen for about $2 apiece, and I always have a fresh new one for the random dish that doesn't want a seasoned spoon.

But why is this a coincidence? Because we stopped in to Sur La Table on Berkeley's Fourth Street this afternoon after a tasty lunch at Tacubaya.

Dona Tomas, owned by the same folks at Tacubaya, is a restaurant whose food I enjoy, but whose attitude I deplore; this is the reason I rarely go there, and why I've never written about it. Fortunately, Tacubaya doesn't suffer the same fate as it is a counter-service only.

While the line this afternoon was fairly long, it moved briskly and tables turned efficiently so there were rarely people waiting after their orders were placed.

C went with the Chilaquiles ($7.50), tortilla chips smothered with guajillo sauce and topped with scrambled eggs, thinly sliced onions, cheese and crema. These were delicious, though I keep hoping to find a version I like as much as Tamarindo's -- something about the salsa verde they use ups the ante a little and keeps me loyal.

I ordered a Torta Al Pastor ($7.95), which was quite good, but left me wishing I'd ordered the tacos instead. The juice and grease and goodness of the pork were lost in the denseness of the bread, and only the bites with avocado were moist enough for me.  And somehow, the black beans only managed to make it to one half of the sandwich -- an even distribution might have remedied the dryness issue. The meat itself, on the other hand, was delicious and tender, albeit a bit light on the spice.

We also shared half an Ensalada Primavera ($3.95), which could have been divine in this scorching heat had it only been dressed a wee bit more. The only bits of salad that had even a bit of gloss to them were a few wisps of cabbage, and despite my best efforts, there just wasn't enough lemon vinaigrette to go around.

Despite these little misses, we'll likely revisit Tacubaya to try a few other things -- it's a convenient and quick lunch with fresh  and mostly local and/or organic ingredients.

Tacubaya
1788 Fourth Street (wedged between Vino! and Cafe Rouge)
Berkeley, CA
510.525.5160

Technorati Tags: Food | Food & Drink | Restaurant Review | San Francisco | Berkeley

Photo courtesy of Flickr user stu_spivack. Protected by Creative Commons License.

Comments

[sam]

Hey - Fatemeh - I am loving the tenuous link to my "dumb design" post ;)
From your picture Tacubaya looks very pretty inside (almost like a colourful collection of fruit-flavoured condoms or the entire range of Chef'n products!)

you have to tell me more about the new spoon per dish thing - i think maybe I am going wrong somewhere cos i dont do that.

[Shuna]

And, for the sweet inclined, they have some pretty great Mexican Hot Chocolate.

[Kimchee]

Next time try the Papas con crema. They sound like a simple side dish but are really 3 heavenly little pillows of fluffy potatoes lightly fried on the outside and drizzled in cream and some yummy green sauce.

Last time I got the salad there it was also underdressed. I've been sticking with the tamal de verduras and the black bean tostada.

I'm with you on Tamarindo's chilaquiles. Haven't found comparable ones yet, though I prefer the red sauce one on their regular menu. They are perfect! Sometimes I make the "Chilaquiles in Chipotle sauce" recipe on epicurious (which are close to the red sauce ones) from Bon Appetit's special Mexico collectors issue (May 2003). A great issue that I actually kept and have made SO many things from.

[Fatemeh]

Sam - Tacubaya IS very pretty; it's a nice use of that space (which in a previous life, if I recall, was a mediocre deli. But don't hold me to that). And it's an ideal location; there are far too few places for one to "grab a quick bite" on Fourth Street.

Shuna - Mexican chocolate doesn't work for me -- it's the whole cinnamon thing. ;-p

Kimchee - WOW. Thank you!! I'm going to see if I can dig up a copy of that. I haven't tried Tamarindo's red chilaquiles, but will have to try them next time. Are they on the dinner menu or brunch only?

[jen maiser]

I will sometimes go to the EB just to go to Tacubaya. There is something that their red sauces that really hits the spot for me. I love their sope (I think it's with chorizo and potatoes), and also like their tortilla soup.

[Kimchee]

They red chilaquiles are on the Tamarindo lunch/dinner menu and the green are on the brunch, but they told me I can always order the red at brunch too if I just ask.

There are several of the Mexico magazine recipes featured here:
http://www.epicurious.com/bonappetit/features/mexico

and the rest here (by searching for May 2003, Bon Appetit recipes):
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/find/results?search=May%202003&opt=+&src=1

p.s. still haven't seen any Mashti Malone ice cream at Whole Foods yet.