SFoodie's 92: Chilaquiles from Nopalito
As a windup to the Weekly's Best of S.F. 2010 on May 19, we've teased out 92 of our favorite local dishes that taste like here, a different one each day. Tweet your own nominations ― extra points for pics ― to @SFoodie.
J. Birdsall
Number 85: Cazuela de Chilaquiles al Guajillo from Nopalito
Chilaquiles are hangover food, mostly, diner fry-ups of soggy tortilla chips thickly veiled with enchilada sauce and grayish scrambled eggs. Not at the hands of Nopalito chefs Jose Ramos and Gonzalo Guzman. Here, the daytime-only dish becomes a vehicle for the restaurant's remarkable salsa guajillo, which, despite the single-chile designation, is a snarly assemblage of five varieties: guajillos, plus anchos, arbols, mulattos, and chipotles. The heat's no more than moderate, but the salsa's brash acidity works like a spritz of cold water in the face ― perfect morning food, in other words. It coats ragged hunks of thick, house-made tortillas, fried to a chicharron-like crunch, while clumps of soft scrambled egg and queso fresco have a dulcifying effect. We'll never go back to the diner version again. Not gladly, anyway.
Nopalito 306 Broderick (at Oak), 437-0303
Hungry for more? The dishes in our countdown thus far are linked below:
No. 92: Cracked Half Dungeness from Swan Oyster Depot
No. 91: Pastrami Sandwich from Orson
No. 90: Coconut Bun from Out the Door on Bush
No. 89: Brown Sugar-Black Pepper Biscuits from Little Skillet
No. 87: Indian Pizza from Zante
No. 86: Tamales from All-Star
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