Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Cascal

Although I grew up in the South Bay (Saratoga, to be precise), I have really spent very little time in Mountain View.  As a kid my family used to drive over at least monthly for a family dinner at El Calderon, where I would indulge an early but deeply-rooted love for pupusas.  My Dad used to suggest we were going to El Salvador for dinner, but really, it was just Mountain View.  No wonder I got lost. 

So, driving to Mountain View last week for a girls' dinner, I had zero recognition as I pulled up to Castro Street, where I could not drive or park due to an inordinate amount of foot and road traffic ... firemen alongside their trucks demo'ing fire hoses for small children ... and other telltale signs of a suburban street fair or farmers' market.  No clue what actually was going on as nothing appeared to actually be for sale. 

Anyways, I digress.  After a 1.5 hour drive from the city, and a little extra time glued to Google maps, I finally found Cascal and my girl friends.  They were perched at the bar and ahead of me by a cocktail ... at least one cocktail.  I needed to cheer up, and fast.  Luckily tapas with the girls was just the thing.

We ordered an array of tapas (surely more Latin American than Spanish as advertised):  beef short ribs atop a Venezuelan arepa; a hearts of palm salad served with watercress, pineapple, and jicama; crab and shrimp tostaditos; wild mushroom empanadas with manchego cheese; a scallop ceviche; and lamb enchiladas in a mole sauce.  We each got a couple bites of these tasty treats and enjoyed some Malbec alongside. On top of this it was a lovely evening to dine al fresco ... which put me in a much better mood for the drive back!  If in Mountain View again, I will consider this a fun back-pocket option, especially for a group up for sharing plates.  Thanks, ladies, and hope to see you all again soon!

1 comment:

  1. you should have posted a little bit of what happened after dinner...

    ReplyDelete