Yogurtsoda

I’m not sure what kind of restaurant Cha Cha Cha is – in fact, I’m not sure anyone is. One part Caribbean, one part tapas, and one part Cuban, my favorite Cha Cha Cha outpost in San Francisco is the one in the Haight. As one of my favorite haunts from my college days, the place evokes a sense of nostalgia for me. It had been years since I’d visited until recently, when I dined with a friend to celebrate his return from three years spent living in Egypt.

Cha Cha Cha’s menu has changed since then, and while the sangria still flows freely, their arroz con pollo wasn’t on the menu the day we dropped by for lunch. My dining companion and I decided to split a few dishes instead. We started with the warm spinach salad:

Rich and creamy, and tossed with flecks of crispy bacon, this salad could have been a meal on its own. The dressing was savory and delicious, albeit too heavy. The leafy greens helped balance things out.

Next came our fried platanos maduros.

I love sweet plantains, and these were prepared wonderfully: thick and tender, with a slightly crispy, sugary exterior. The beans were good too, but next to the plantains were almost an afterthought.

Our main dish arrived next; the Jamaican jerk chicken.

The jerk chicken was good, but it didn’t blow me away. I expected more flavor and more spice, but the meat very tender and literally falling off the bone.

For me, Cha Cha Cha has always been about the ambiance. The food is good (a few are great), the service is nice, but it’s the fun atmosphere that really seals the deal. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that I’ve always dined there with good company. After all, isn’t half the fun of dining out spending time with those you enjoy?

I’m a sucker for Peruvian cuisine but I always tend to gravitate towards the same dishes. Okay, I’ll be honest – the same one dish: lomo saltado. The sirloin strips stir-fried with soy sauce, vinegar, and spices and stir-fried with onions, tomatoes and French fries is one of my all-time favorite meals so it’s hard to branch out.

But I digress. When I met up with friends at La Mar Cebicheria Peruana in San Francisco’s Embarcadero, I was determined to stick to the cebiche. La Mar is, after all, a cebiche restaurant. (It’s also an international restaurant, with outposts throughout Latin America in Lima, Mexico City, Santiago, Sao Paolo, and Panama City.)

After we were seated, our waiter brought us Yukon, plantain, and sweet potato chips and an array of dipping sauces to nibble on while we perused the menu.

My favorite was were the sweet potato chips, and all three of the sauces were full of depth and spicy.

For my entree, I chose the cebiche mixto.

The cebiche mixto came with a little bit of everything: Mahi Mahi, calamari, octopus and habanero pepper in ají amarillo leche de tigre with cilantro, red onions, Peruvian corn, and yam. Whew. The ají amarillo sauce was delicious but I was let down by the cebiche. The fish wasn’t as flavorful as I was expecting and the big chunks of yam seemed out of place. That being said, I’ve since heard rave reviews of La Mar’s other cebiches so I’ll come better informed next time.

If it’s one thing La Mar has down it’s presentation and ambiance. All of our dishes were gorgeously plated and the restaurant interior was modern and industrial without at all feeling cold. The service was friendly and unhurried during our visit, despite the restaurant being very busy.

Even though my entree wasn’t as incredible as I was hoping for it to be, I left La Mar feeling satisfied. The restaurant was fun, the menu looked exciting, and it left me wanting to go back to discover more.