Papas & Pollo Southwest Mesquite Grill, Sebastopol, CA

 Papas And Pollo

Let me say at the outset that I really wanted to like this one, I really did...a sunny day, Giants baseball and Fish Tacos on the chalkboard sign out on 116...my kind of place to sit, have a cold beer (all Lagunitas beers on tap!), eat some tacos and watch Matt Cain pitch on a Thursday afternoon.
When I stepped to the counter to order I was told that they were out of fish so no fish tacos today, sorry...Damn!...OK, Jumbo Prawn, then (shooting this posting all to hell at that point) and an IPA. I sat down, ate my chips and salsa, watched the pregame warmup and looked around at the surroundings...Had just the right amount of Sonoma County/Sebastopol funkiness...surfboards hanging in the rafters, couple of small rasta flags, tables held pseudo-level with small bundles of folded paper napkins....you could almost picture this place on a beach somewhere with sand on the floor and a well-tanned clientele taking a break from the ocean for a quick meal and a brew or two, (though I don't know how many beaches you picture when you hear the words 'Southwest Mesquite Grill') but the surf/skate crowd looked to be the demographic they were aiming for in their choice of decor...
Just then a white van pulled into the parking lot, Tide's Wharf Fish...hmmm...maybe...Yes! Fish Tacos are back on the menu, she said, would I like to change my order? Well...OK...But it must have been a small order or they were just delivering for my tacos as the van was out of the parking lot pretty doggone quick.
It took a little while after that but she finally brought my order over just as Matt was getting knocked around for a couple of runs in the first. And unfortunately my tacos seemed to match the velocity of his pitches that half inning...just not all there...
I mean everything was present.....but the pieces of fish...well, they were there but well-hidden under the greenery, and that concealment was managed quite easily given the size (or lack thereof) of the snapper chunks. The salsa verde was good for both the chips and the tacos, the salad was fresh, with hearty portions of reddened white rice and black beans on the plate, but it still didn't make up for the amount of fish that wasn't there....
If I knew that this were just a 'fluke' then I would consider visiting again, but...
(and the Giants came back to win 7-5 in what, for them, was a veritable offensive onslaught)

McNear's Saloon & Dining House, Petaluma, CA

 We were on our way to see Yo La Tengo do their 'Freewheeling' show at the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma and on the drive there Tehra & I were discussing various places we could eat before the show. Petaluma has some pleasant places to eat all within walking distance of the theatre. Normally what we do is wait in line at the theatre for the doors to open, put a place holder on the seats and then go and eat. We usually finish in plenty of time to be back before the show starts. When we got there 20 min before doors opening there was no line, which to me, was quite surprising as it was listed as Sold Out. They are a fairly renowned group that has been playing together for quite a while and not through town very often (or in Petaluma's case, not at all, I believe). I looked at their eatery next door to the theatre, McNears Saloon & Dining House and, on a whim, said 'let's go see if they have any fish tacos..'
In the name alone, Saloon & Dining House, you will automatically get an idea of the fare offered, the Saloon BEFORE the Dining House is a dead giveaway. Images of 'fried to perfection' spring to mind in my case. Meals that scream out for beer (at least) accompaniment, and fish tacos is definitely on that list. Sure enough, right there, smack dab in the middle of the menu. who'd a thunk it, to quote Greg Brown, another great show that we caught at the Mystic.
I went with the full order panko-crusted over the grilled for no particular reason and to go along with my meal I ordered a Russian River Brewing 'Pliny the Elder', a great Sonoma County Double IPA.
The tacos were quite good! The fish was tender and juicy, the pineapple salsa added a sharp fruitiness and the sauce added a nice creaminess to it all. Maybe just a tad more chipotle-ality to the cream would be more to my liking, but there were no trace of tacos left on my plate when we were finished. I was not able to make it all the way through the rice and beans though, and maybe that was a good thing in the long run...
Yo La Tengo was a very entertaining show. If The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo should happen into your town (or even just the plain old Yo's for that matter), get your tickets and get them early. They listed the show as acoustic though they stated on their website that 'copious use of electricity would be involved'. You couldn't have asked for better performer/audience interaction as they sat on stage and answered questions and played music. One question involved the first record that they had bought with their own money and The Monkees was brought up, which led to two Monkees songs being played, one being 'Gonna Buy Me A Dog', done YLT style. They love to make jokes and make others as well as themselves laugh, and mix in a song or two here and there...It was a very fun evening start to finish - good company, fine food and drink, and a delightful show...