Digesting The Reviews: Cinco De Mayo Arrives Early
The restaurant's potential became more apparent on the second and third visits. For starters, the margarita ($5)--made with agave wine instead of Tequila because the restaurant doesn't have a liquor license--still has some of that appealingly bitter, tar-like edge of Tequila, in this case balanced by fresh sparkling limeade. It pairs perfectly with the chunky, fresh guacamole ($6.25) served with crunchy fried tortillas you break apart for dipping.In the end, Duggan bestows the deuce upon Regalito, citing it as a success, both in her eyes and the eyes of local patrons: "The restaurant is simply the kind of place you really want to like--and, judging from the line out the door at around 7:30 on a Thursday night, many people clearly do." Score one for the little guys. Take that, Taco Bell! [SFGate]
Across the Bay, the Mexican two-star theme continues with Amanda Gold's visit to San Anselmo's Taco Jane's. The consensus seems to be that for Marin, you can do a lot worse than Taco Jane's, especially with warm weather on the horizon: "I can see why diners return to Taco Jane's. Despite the fact that the restaurant is aging, its high points--great outdoor seating, solid snacks and refreshing drinks--are timeless." A worn exterior but still well worth a look ... sounds like the Sharon Stone of restaurants. [SFGate]
Michael Bauer sticks with his post-Top 100 San Francisco sabbatical and checks out the other Ritz: Navio at the Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton. Chef Aaron Zimmer's dishes impress across the board, earning three stars for one of the best young chefs in the area. [SFGate]
The rest of the best: Meredith Brody reads all 18 pages of the menu at Daly City's Koi Palace, SFist goes kitsch at Quinn's Lighthouse, Madame Tablehopper revisits Foreign Cinema, and at the Guardian, Paul Reidinger muses on the evolution of Esperpento while L.E. Leone goes carnivore at El Toro Loco.
[Photo courtesy: Flickr]
