The beauty in Mexican food is through its unpretentious nature and simplicity. The common trend in the restaurant industry is a "fresh" take on classical dishes. Leave it to a San Franciscan to contort Mexican street food into a Gringo's mess.
Nestled in the NOPA district of San Francisco, Nopalito looks promising upon the initial glance; a simple motif without profuse decorations adorning the walls, emphasizing the architecture of the concrete patio. The grey tones with a pop of cactus green compliment the idea of street food against the wooden table tops. But Heath ceramics and terra-cotta coffee mugs can only go so far.
I started with a Michelada, which is a tomato spiced beer, similar to a Bloody Mary. The hint of orange was the only solace that I could find on the first sip, the jalapeno was far too strong to be refreshing and left me begging for more agua.
My food arrived promptly and I dug into the Panucho de Pollo al Pibil. The panucho was stuffed with black beans and the texture complimented the crunchiness of its fried masa encasing. The chicken al Pibil on the other hand, lacked any sort of flavor that the title "Pibil" ought to live up to.
Weak in the traditional
achiote paste normally used to spice the chicken, I found myself dumping pinches of salt all over the dish.The Taquitos de Papas con Rajas were just as uninspiring as the preceding dish. I enjoyed the natural starch flavor in the potatoes, but when Rajas were emphasized, I expected much more of that subtle smokey pasilla flavor. It looked tasty with the fresh guacamole and bountiful amount of cotija cheese smothering the taquitos, but was mediocre in taste.
At the end of my meal I was left wanting more, not feeling quite as fulfilled as I would have felt having gone to the local taco truck in Mission for half the price. If I do go back, I will be sure to check out the Mezcal cocktails; if they can pull off the never ending challenge of properly mixing the smokey Mezcal it would be a last glimmer of hope.
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