Picante, Berkeley (Round Three)

Catherine was convinced that she could make me like Picante. She did.

We ordered a bunch of things together and split them today for lunch. We ordered the empanadas, two a la carte tacos with carnitas, split a rajas burrito, and had the chocolate angel food cake for dessert.

First of all, I think that Picante is a LOT better when eating in. My enchiladas probably wouldn't have been so rubbery if I had just eaten them at the restaurant and not at my cramped, greenhouse of a cubicle. Of course having good company also helps out a lot. :)

The rajas burrito is Catherine's favorite--it was very good. They fill the burrito with roasted green peppers, rice, beans and some really good sour cream. It has enough spice as it is, but it's even better when you drop some of the roasted chipotle salsa on top. Either way, it's a very nice take on a burrito. Plus, it's nice to notice when the veggies are fresh, and they definitely were in this burrito (Picante 1, La Burrita 0).

I tried the empanadas next. The empanadas were filled with peppers and cheese, in a folded and sealed flour tortilla which is then deep fried. They then garnish it with queso fresco, lettuce, and that pickled veggie thing that Heather loves. I don't even like cheese and I liked these. The cheese practically melted in my mouth, and the texture of the tortilla was amazingly good--very crispy and flaky. This one didn't need any additional sauce, it was very satisfying on its own. I could probably just make a dinner out of the empanadas.

Next, I moved on to my street tacos. The tacos consisted of a handmade corn tortilla filled with carnitas, diced onions, cilantro and guacamole. The carnitas were good--definitely not dry like the chicken had been two times ago, but they needed a little bit more flavor (I recommend Gordo's for really good carnitas). The guacamole was good, but they were better after I put some salsa verde on top...Or maybe if I had a lime that would have helped too. Still, these weren't bad, and I'm starting to appreciate Picante a lot more.

Finally, even though I was really full, we ate the chocolate angel food cake. Just half of one was enough for me, but it was really addictive. If you're going to get one, definitely turn your slice over on to its side and eat it from the bottom up. The cake itself is great but when you get a bite of it with the chocolate frosting on the top, it's heaven.

So I'm convinced. I'll definitely go back to Picante--not all the time when I want Mexican, but I'm definitely a convert. Finally.

Please stay tuned, I got a huge list of authentic Vietnamese and Mexican restaurants from my dad's friend who is very involved in food. I'll probably try to slowly make my way through the list and learn my way through the taco trucks of International Boulevard.

THANK YOU Catherine for lunch!