Welcome Nopalito

PH and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch at newly opened Nopalito in the Inner Sunset. The blustery grey day could do nothing to dampen our spirits as we celebrated PH's birthday with the bright flavors of lime, cilantro and tomatillo in the scrummy ceviche appetizer, not to mention the other well-made Mexican dishes we ordered today.

 

The ceviche: tender morsels of marinated fish and squiggles of calamari tossed in lime, tomatillo, jalapeño and cilantro with a generous fan of avocado on top and a pile of tortilla chips by its side.

The chicken enchiladas came doused in a richly satisfying sauce of chiles, chocolate and nuts topped with a tangle of onions and a crumble of queso fresco, plus a mound of refried pinquito beans.

Numero Uno: El Tonayense Tacos

I'm seriously over the moon when the El Tonayense truck cruises on over to the Wharf and decides to park right next to the office. It's a rare occasion indeed; it's only happened twice in the past 6 months. But when it does, you better be sure I'm making a beeline for the black-and-gold roach coach, and I make sure to get out there well before noon (read: before the huge line forms and snakes down the street).

Why am I thrilled with El Tonayense? Well, for a mere $2 each, you can get tacos generously filled with well-seasoned, moist and flavorful grilled meat—I'm partial to the al pastor (spit-grilled pork), though the chicken's also deelish. All of 'em come with a smattering of onions and cilantro, along with a dousing of zesty hot sauce. I asked for spicy pickles on the side, and they piled 'em on. A most excellent and inexpensive noonday meal.

Tacolicious Tacos

New York pal DY was in town and coming down with a cold, so I took him to newly opened Tacolicious in the Mission to get him a piping hot bowl of posole. Typically, these spicy Mexican soups are made with chicken, but the Tacolicious version had shredded pork swimming in a chile pasilla-tomato broth, accompanied by chunks of avocado, cotija cheese, crispy tortilla, cilantro and other herbs to add to the mix.


We of course had to try a bunch of tacos, it being Tacolicious. DY's fave was the Guajillo-braised beef short rib, while mine was the fried local rock cod with shredded cabbage and tangy crema as well as the taco of the week: the uber-rich and savory braised lamb in adobo sauce. Heck, they were all really tasty, stuffed generously as they were with deliciously tender meat. The chicken in mole sauce could've done with a touch more seasoning. But all in all, I enjoyed my meal, enhanced as it was by the "pasion"—a habanero-infused tequila margarita flavored with passionfruit and a good squeeze or two of lime.