Yip on Mamacita
Mamacita Restaurant & Bar * 2317 Chestnut St @ Scott * San Francisco, CA 94123 * (415) 376-1629
Cuisine: Mexican
Neighborhood: Marina
Well, first off, City Search's opening line on this place is "Voted best mexican food and margaritas in San Francisco." Be gently reminded why you come to Yip and City Eats for your recommendations instead of City Search.
The Scene
If you walk in and look straight ahead or turn to the right (to the bar), it feels like a simple but chic adobe esthetic. Good start for a gourmet Mexican restaurant. There are these great ethnically influenced lamps clustered all over the place, too. But, if you turn left, there is a random non-thematically appropriate sky blue wall. It's like those puzzles you played as a child, "which one is not like the others?"
The Menu
Well, I'm from LA (in case you've forgotten, since I don't mention it a lot), meaning eating Mexican food is like spending time with my very own mamacita. Please note that Taco Bell doesn't qualify as real Mexican food. I've been wanting to get that off my chest since I spent a painful Mexican-food-free 4 years in upstate NY. In terms of menu, Mamacita has like 25 different kinds of tequila, just as all Mexicali joints should. Oh, and the food looks enticing too (especially the long list of apps).
The Food
Three crucial things to point out: Who ever heard of a sit-down Mexican restaurant that doesn't have complimentary chips and salsa? Well, hear of it now, and that's all I am going to say about that. It speaks for itself. The trend of City Search's stellar recommendation continues. For my meal, I had the carne asada s/3 tacos. The steak was overdone. The guacamole was a slimy puree. The corn tortillas were undercooked. All in all, not a great taco experience. And I hate to hype up some other place in the process, but no taco out there that I've had, and I've had a few, is as good as a Nick's Crispy Taco on Polk Street in Russian Hill (look for that posting coming soon). And while my margarita was delicious, it was miniature. And it had way too much ice. And, well, $8 for a house margarita? That's right ladies and gents, I said house. No, no, no. Even if it IS being served by a Smyth Jarod look alike.
The Service
Very friendly. And very eye candy. The men walking around serving up your cocktails and carnitas are nothing short of beautiful. I blinked and thought I was back in LA with aspiring models and actors turned wait staff. But then I remembered I was in The Marina, where ridiculously good looking is par for the course.
The Bathrooms
Nice floor. Nice sink. But strange pictures - a Virgin Mary juxtaposed with some half naked teenage boys. This callout comes from my friend, Heidi, but I think its weird, too.
***********
In a spoonful, very sceney, food is bad and overpriced (for me and my friend, we each had s/3 tacos and 1 margarita, with tax and tip it was $50). Go for the eye candy, not the margaritas.
Yip gives it 1.5 spoons.
ps. City Search gave it a 9.8 rating. And that's out of 1o for the slow ones. (Who votes for these things?!)
Cuisine: Mexican
Neighborhood: Marina
Well, first off, City Search's opening line on this place is "Voted best mexican food and margaritas in San Francisco." Be gently reminded why you come to Yip and City Eats for your recommendations instead of City Search.
The Scene
If you walk in and look straight ahead or turn to the right (to the bar), it feels like a simple but chic adobe esthetic. Good start for a gourmet Mexican restaurant. There are these great ethnically influenced lamps clustered all over the place, too. But, if you turn left, there is a random non-thematically appropriate sky blue wall. It's like those puzzles you played as a child, "which one is not like the others?"
The Menu
Well, I'm from LA (in case you've forgotten, since I don't mention it a lot), meaning eating Mexican food is like spending time with my very own mamacita. Please note that Taco Bell doesn't qualify as real Mexican food. I've been wanting to get that off my chest since I spent a painful Mexican-food-free 4 years in upstate NY. In terms of menu, Mamacita has like 25 different kinds of tequila, just as all Mexicali joints should. Oh, and the food looks enticing too (especially the long list of apps).
The Food
Three crucial things to point out: Who ever heard of a sit-down Mexican restaurant that doesn't have complimentary chips and salsa? Well, hear of it now, and that's all I am going to say about that. It speaks for itself. The trend of City Search's stellar recommendation continues. For my meal, I had the carne asada s/3 tacos. The steak was overdone. The guacamole was a slimy puree. The corn tortillas were undercooked. All in all, not a great taco experience. And I hate to hype up some other place in the process, but no taco out there that I've had, and I've had a few, is as good as a Nick's Crispy Taco on Polk Street in Russian Hill (look for that posting coming soon). And while my margarita was delicious, it was miniature. And it had way too much ice. And, well, $8 for a house margarita? That's right ladies and gents, I said house. No, no, no. Even if it IS being served by a Smyth Jarod look alike.
The Service
Very friendly. And very eye candy. The men walking around serving up your cocktails and carnitas are nothing short of beautiful. I blinked and thought I was back in LA with aspiring models and actors turned wait staff. But then I remembered I was in The Marina, where ridiculously good looking is par for the course.
The Bathrooms
Nice floor. Nice sink. But strange pictures - a Virgin Mary juxtaposed with some half naked teenage boys. This callout comes from my friend, Heidi, but I think its weird, too.
***********
In a spoonful, very sceney, food is bad and overpriced (for me and my friend, we each had s/3 tacos and 1 margarita, with tax and tip it was $50). Go for the eye candy, not the margaritas.
Yip gives it 1.5 spoons.
ps. City Search gave it a 9.8 rating. And that's out of 1o for the slow ones. (Who votes for these things?!)
posted by SoCalATA at 8:52 PM
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