Cali Cantina’s recipe harkens back to Mexican restaurants fifty years ago — a short menu, big margaritas, and no pretension
Whenever I hear that a new Mexican restaurant is opening, I wonder what new fusion idea they’ll feature, what regional specialty. It’s a reasonable expectation, since our options have become so varied in the last decade. Tortillas made to order and specialties like Oaxacan moles and Yucatecan seafood used to be impossible to find in the South Bay, but now hardly raise an eyebrow.
So it was a surprise when the newest Mexican restaurant in the area opened with a menu that was so old-school that it might have been composed fifty years ago. When Cali Cantina debuted I thought that they might be deliberately starting with a limited menu that they would expand later, a common tactic in the industry. Since then it hasn’t budged – a list of the tacos, burritos, fajitas, and simple items that are the backbone of California Mexican food.
The name suggests that this place is designed to attract a crowd that is drinking as much as eating – their signs advertise double drinks at happy hour. Though the bar is prominent there is also a dining area that is family oriented and colorfully decorated. We had our choice of environments when we stopped in recently because we were almost the only people in the large restaurant, and we settled into a deep booth. The former teppan grill room is decorated with retro murals and serapes and looked so much like something from a different era that it seemed surprising that the football game in the next room was on a flat screen instead of a black and white tube set.
A basket of warm chips arrived along with a medium-spicy salsa with a good hit of cilantro and onion, and we set to deciding what we wanted. The only faintly unusual looking item was a Mexican-style Caesar salad, so we ordered one along with a tamale plate, a tacoburrito, and shrimp Veracruz. Then it was time to peruse the bar selection, which was predictably centered on margaritas. The list is short, five items if you count the one with an upside-down Corona inside, and the house tequilas are from the Sauza line with a few premium brands like Don Julio and Clase Azul. We tried the Cadillac and cucumber jalapeno cocktails, and both were properly made with generous pours.
The Mexican Caesar started the meal on a high note, the toasted pumpkin seeds, cotija cheese, and tortilla strips all interesting substitutions for the croutons and parmesan that would usually accompany romaine lettuce. It’s the dressing that makes a Caesar and this one worked very well though it was also non-traditional. The flavor balance had enough garlic, citrus, and oil that it was recognizably inspired by the traditional dressing, but there were other things in the mix – our server wouldn’t say what, and I couldn’t guess. Whatever it was, it worked. My only quibble was that it could have used a bit of black pepper, and none was offered or on the table.
When the rest of our meal arrived it was clear that the portions are old school, which means immense when you’re talking about Mexican food. We had asked for the burrito with half green sauce and half red so we could taste both, and of the two I prefer the green. It had a tangy, tart tomatillo flavor that was much more zippy than the mild red, which could have used a little more chipotle smokiness. The ground beef also had relatively little seasoning, so I mopped up every bit of the green sauce as I ate.
Beef, pork, and vegetarian tamales are available, and we picked pork and veggie. Both had soft, tasty masa as well as more of that wonderful tomatillo sauce and a scattering of melted jack cheese. The carnitas was good roasted pork with some of the crisp exterior bits that I like, fine if you like the concentrated flavor of pork. I like mine with a little more cumin and spice, which is the way it’s made in some parts of Mexico. I’m not sure what vegetables were in the veggie tamale because they were chopped relatively fine, but I’d guess bell pepper, onion, squash and possibly carrot – whatever they were, they were good.
The shrimp Veracruz was a bit of a disappointment because it didn’t taste like the product of a Mexican restaurant – there was no jalapeno or Serrano spiciness in the tomato-based sauce at all. The mild tomato and bell pepper based sauce with olives, basil, and capers tasted Italian, and brought to mind that Chef Manny formerly cooked at La Campana and Il Bocaccio. This may be been designed as an Italian-Mexican fusion, in which case it is fairly successful, but that wasn’t what I expected.
Black beans and refried are offered with the usual rice, and we ordered one plate with each but both got refried. I got to taste the black beans in the burrito and preferred them slightly. There was also a dab of good guacamole with the shrimp, and I’d consider getting a full order on a return visit.
We were almost full from dinner, but I had to try the churros, which are made fresh to order. They were crisp and served with a cup of rich, dark Mexican chocolate for dipping, but I found it to be a bit over-sugared. If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth ask for a little of the sugar mix on the side and enjoy the crisp toothsomeness of a well-fried doughnut.
The prices here are moderate – even with those Margaritas we spent only about thirty dollars per person. It’s questionable whether a place like this in a hideaway upstairs location can compete with flashier concepts in high profile settings, and so far they have not been packed with people. Going old school in a trendy town is a gamble, and time will tell if it pays off.
Cali Cantina is at 934 Hermosa Avenue #7 – open Monday -Friday at 5 p.m., weekends at noon, close 11 p.m. Parking in underground lot (follow instructions at gate). Full bar, some vegetarian items. Partial menu at calicantinahb.com, phone 310-374-3747.
