JuanitaJuanita, Sonoma, CA

 JuanitaJuanita Menu 

So if you think it looks fun-ky on the outside, wait until you get inside. Piñatas hanging from the ceiling, old and new bumper stickers on walls coolers doors, testimonials and hand-drawn artwork from students of all ages as well as their teachers, more piñatas, posters from social events long past, and, last but not least, more piñatas. To go along with the formica counters and naugahyde-covered stools....
We have been enjoying meals at Juanita's for about as long as I can remember. Whether it be a no-meat tostada on a pleasant summer evening or a hot enchilada plate on a chilly, rainy winter afternoon, the food has been tasty and filling. Occasionally, in the late summer, if the weather has been consistently warm enough, and our garden productive enough, I'll bring by a bag of hot peppers from the garden to share with them. The women in the kitchen are always happy to have fresh organic hot peppers from Sonoma...

When you first sit down you are given your menus along with a wax paper-lined, small galvanized pail of warm corn chips and a plastic coffee cup of their made-fresh-daily Salsa Verde. The trick is to try and eat the chips and salsa without making a total mess of either yourself or the flat surface directly in front of you, and I wish you a lot of luck with that, you're going to need it...You get a plastic spoon in with the salsa, too, in case you want to try ladling it on rather than dipping...Good Luck with that one as well...I usually just line up a couple of long white napkins mapping the trail from the salsa cup to my face and not worry about the drips...it works....most of the time....And what makes this process a bit more difficult than it ought to be is the small containers of distracting, dog-eared, food-stained Trivial Pursuit cards that share counter and table space with the ample variety of hot sauces.

As to the fish tacos...first thing to know is that they are usually served only on the weekends...and don't get there too late on Sunday either, or Buddy, you find yourself S-O-L. So Friday evening to Sunday afternoon is your best bet. As you can see, it is quite the appetizingly colorful dish as well as a heaping serving (or two).

Under the Tomato, Guacamole, Cilantro Stalks, Salad Greens, Red Cabbage and Pickled Red Onions are some spicy chunks of fried fish and onions, all filling to more than capacity two double-layers of fresh corn tortillas...And to wash it all down, a pint of draft Racer 5 from Bear Republic of Healdsburg....
Needless to say, lunch stayed around long past dinner time...