A Midtown cantina A Midtown cantina (December 03, 2004)

Como Esta offers traditional and health-conscious Mexican food

by Michael J. Montegut

There is a new and innovative Mexican taqueria in Midtown offering a multitude of healthy and traditional choices.

Como Esta Taqueria is Ani Safavi's newest restaurant. As chef/owner of the popular Pommard Delicatessen, the self-taught chef with a passion for food has been polishing her skills for 12 years. Safavi, the main creative force behind the design of the menu and restaurant, was invited by the Midtown council to open the first eatery attached to a Walgreen's.

"I jumped at the chance to create a new restaurant," Safavi said. "I chose Mexican food because it is a cuisine I like to eat and cook at home."

Festive, bright orange/yellow walls painted with colorful chili peppers and framed by a blue beam with yellow stars greet you at the door. The immaculate red and brown concrete floor complements the six brightly colored tables. The menu is a series of bright red window framed around yellow Plexiglas, with text handwritten in true cantina style.

There are six tables with umbrellas out front on the patio, providing ample seating for this fairly small establishment. Often people can be seen eating and lounging comfortably in the afternoon sun.

Como Esta serves standard Mexican taqueria fare and unique vegetarian items for the health-conscious. They offer burritos, tacos and quesadillas, all packed with a variety of fillings such as carne asada, pollo asada, chili verde, grilled prawns and, my favorite, carnitas. All these distinctive cantina-style items come with your choice of beans as well as homemade mild, medium or hot salsa.

They also have a chili relleno combination, as well as chicken and beef enchiladas. Even among these standard items, Safavi has managed to create dishes that are uniquely flavored, with an emphasis on fresh, well-prepared ingredients.

On my first visit I ordered the pollo asada super burrito ($6.25) with pinto beans and hot salsa. My wife had the regular carnitas burrito ($5.25) with black beans and mild salsa.

My burrito had just the right amount of back-of-the-throat spiciness, with the chunky rice and beans and cool sour cream filling supporting the wonderfully tender chunks of grilled chicken, all with a gentle hint of cumin and chili. The only minor problem was the filling was a little looser than I like.

My wife did not fare as well with her carnitas burrito. The meat was overcooked and tough. This made the burrito dry and lacking in that rich greasy, salty, caramelized pork flavor one expects from great carnitas. It required a generous dousing of salsa to loosen it up and add flavor.

Carnitas, for me, is all about the texture -- the crispy on the outside, yet tender on the inside, chunks of salty/sweet pork shoulder. Done properly it can raise simple rice, beans and salsa to something sublime. This item really missed the mark.

For extra heat Como Esta has a small salsa bar, with its three homemade salsas with fresh chili, tomato, cilantro and onion, without the vinegar-y taste of industrial Mexican condiments.

Though my food was always ready in a timely fashion, I noticed that when business got a little brisk their system for handling the ebb and flow of diners was strained. The staff, usually friendly and helpful, was a little harried when the order line exceeded four people.

On my second visit I chose the chili relleno combination ($7.25) with black beans. My wife had the super prawn quesadilla ($7.99) with medium salsa. My dish came with moist, pale red Mexican rice, a small shredded iceberg lettuce salad, tender black beans and a generous dollop of fresh guacamole. This dish had a lightly piquant, pleasantly earthy poblano chili pepper with melted cheddar and jack cheese inside and smoky red mole on top. This entree achieved a near-perfect balance of robust and smooth flavors. It would have been an ideal classic, except the fried chili had a hint of stale grease to it.

Coma Esta's fresh, homemade guacamole got top marks. It was creamy, chunky and rich with pieces of barely firm avocado, ripe red tomato and crunchy, sharp onion, all shot through with bits of fresh, herby cilantro. It was bursting with flavor, heavenly on the tongue and unlike any guacamole I've had at other taquerias. Simple, fresh ingredients are what make this great.

My wife's shrimp quesadilla, with its balanced mix of sharp cheddar and smooth jack cheese, rich sour cream and herby salsa, held together well without being dry or sticky. What made this dish outstanding was the perfect grilled shrimp: sweet and crunchy (not dry, rubbery and overcooked as they are at many restaurants.) It came with a generous mound of that luscious guacamole.

The menu has several unique vegetarian items as well. Tofu ranchero, a combination of tofu chunks, bell peppers and mushrooms simmered in a tangy tomato-based sauce, is available as a filling for all tacos and burritos and as a combination with rice, beans and salad.

Safavi has also created a chili relleno burrito (the spicy, crunchy, deep-fried, cheese-stuffed chili is wrapped in a tortilla with beans, rice and salsa) and an earthy, full-bodied mushroom quesadilla that are both welcome additions to the standard rice and beans available to vegetarians at most small Mexican cantinas. There is even a low-carb burrito for the Atkins crowd. There are always a couple of innovative specials, too.

Recently, I stopped by for a quick lunch and ordered the tofu ranchero super taco ($3.65). Before it was added, the filling looked a little goopy and unappetizing. But mounded on the warm, griddle-toasted flour tortilla with black beans, lettuce, salsa, guacamole and sour cream, it tasted like a chicken taco, right down to the grill smoke. The tofu added just enough extra firmness, and the sauce enough rich tomato and sweet, yet biting green pepper flavor -- a notch above the usual rice and beans vegetarian taco.

A couple things missing from Como Esta are a dessert menu and ice-cold cervesa. Still, if they attend to the spotty food issues, it has the potential, with its outdoor seating and friendly atmosphere, of becoming a Midtown fixture.
Como Esta? Taqueria, 2605A Middlefield Road in Palo Alto; (650) 321-1517
Hours: Lunch/dinner: Mon.-Sat. 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Reservations: no
Credit Cards: yes
Parking: Lot
Beer and wine: no
Takeout: yes
Highchairs: yes
Wheelchair access: yes
Banquet: no
Catering: yes
Outdoor seating: yes
Noise level: Moderate
Bathroom cleanliness: Excellent

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