Guayamas

Escaping the blanketing fog in SF, we headed up to Napa this weekend and basked in the sunshine for a few hours. It was heavenly. So much so that we decided to linger north of the Golden Gate Bridge a while and have dinner in Tiburon on the way home. We'd scoped the menu at Mexican restaurant Guayamas last time we were in Tiburon and made a mental note to check it out sometime. The huge eatery sits right on the bay - the perfect place to pull up a chair, have a cocktail, and watch the water - San Francisco's skyline in the background. And that's exactly what we did, except food instead of alcohol and San Francisco remained hidden behind a wall of fog. A wall which, as you can see, was determined to sneak back into our lives over dinner. Luckily, the food was so yummy (and plentiful!) that we could have cared less.

Because if it's on the menu I have to order it, we started with guacamole. It was good, but lacked a full flavor punch. On the other hand, the house salsa that comes to the table for free is delicious. Full of onions and roasted tomatoes, it added the salt that was missing from the guacamole when paired up on one chip, which is my fave way to eat the guac/salsa/chip trifecta anyway.













Next up we each had a salad, and they both had the same jalapeno vinaigrette because it was the only vegan dressing. Still, these were very different salads, the one on the left consisting of greens with papaya, mango, and jicama, and the one on the right having potatoes, beans, and corn. Both were high quality salads, and I'd order either one again in heartbeat.

Between the salads and chips/guac/salsa we had already had enough food, but we'd ordered this huge entree as well, so we dug deep and had at it! This is the Platillo Vegatariano, and it's as tasty as it is hearty! What aren't shown are the pile of corn tortillas and huge bowl of some of the best black beans I've ever had. This dish normally comes with rice too, but they make their rice with chicken broth at Guayamas (lame). But really? Rice would have been overkill. As it was, the beautifully charred corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, and veggies nearly did us in. And by that I mean took me to my happy place. :)

All in all, we would definitely go back to Guayamas. We'd order less food and more margaritas and aim for a nice warm day to get the full effect, but even in the fog, this place hits the spot!

Next up: New-to-me eats within San Francisco's city limits. Stay tuned...