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.