Sona Glocal Cuisine

I've been looking forward to trying this new place, in the location where Vero's Italian restaurant used to be. The restaurant has very different services for brunch and dinner--this review covers their dinner offering.

We started off with drinks. It doesn't look like they are serving alcohol yet but they have some nice non-alcoholic drinks. Turkish coffee is advertised but they say it's still a couple of weeks away. We had the strawberry pineapple fresh juice mix, and the hibiscus compote. The strawberry pineapple mix was refreshing, not too sweet. The hibiscus compote will be familiar to those who like jamaica agua fresca, but this is an elevated version. The orange slice, mint leaf, and hint of carbonation really lift it.

For starters we had the Spread Feast and a pear salad. The Spread Feast is a must-try. Five different spreads (babaganoush, avocado, bean, hummus, and shephard salad) served with fruit and vegetables, pita bread and seasonings. The presentation is gorgeous. The pita bread is especially delicious, I have not had better. The shephard salad needs explaining--it is a topping that looks just like pico de gallo, but it is seasoned quite differently in a very good way. We scraped it all up.

The pear salad was also a treat, warm pears with arugula and one of the best balsamic vinegar dressings I've eaten.

For the mains we had two pastas (veggie and turkey meatball) and Beef Shashlik. The pasta was homemade and had good flavor. The dishes ate very soft--the meatball quickly came apart and integrated with the sauce. There was plenty to take home, but we wondered what it would be like the next day given the softness. But it warmed up great, tasting even better than the first day (as often happens) and with the exact same texture.

The Beef Shashlik is a deconstructed beef gyro. The tzatziki sauce is replaced with an aioli that tastes very similar, and there's more shephard salad. The beef was good, well seasoned with a good bite. Comes with more of that delicious pita bread.

For dessert we finished with the honey almond cake. It was pretty good, layers of cake and sour sweet cream. For me the flavor was kind of one-note honey, and the cake was just slightly gluey--not bad at all, but I would get something else next time.

The "Glocal" in the name means global dishes with local consideration. The cuisine is unique for this area, with a lot of Turkish and Azerbaijan influences. The decor and pricing is moderately upscale. The bathrooms were clean and ready. Service was very good. I want to go back for brunch, and to encourage their contribution to the local scene.

My Yelp Review

Che Tano

I stopped in to try this new Argentinian place recently. They have only been open a short time and currently are serving empanadas, flatbread pizzas, and a few sandwiches. I had a pressed, grilled panchetta and cheese sandwich with fries and a coke.

The sandwich was thin and grilled, but it's not a panini. The bread is buttery and delicate, with a really nice crunch. The cheese is mozzarella, which went very well with the salty ham. Mozzarella, however, is a pretty oily cheese--some of the bread was already soaked. It didn't hamper my enjoyment, but I would say their sandwiches would not travel as well as the empanadas.

The fries were excellent, made to order and done perfectly, finished with a nice seasoned salt. They aren't breaded, so also might not travel well.

The atmosphere is interesting, heavy tables, seats and glassware give it an upscale feel. The restrooms (gendered but identical) were clean and ready. All the food is made to order, so you'll wait a few minutes but the freshness makes it worthwhile.  

It may have been a bit early for me to review this place--they have plans for nice-looking desserts but they are not on the menu yet. It also looks like they will be selling baked goods at some point. All in all very promising.

My Yelp Review

Pupuseria & Mexican Grill Los 2 Compadres

This new Tex-Mex restaurant has opened in the location where Taqueria Los Tamales used to be. They haven't taken the old sign down yet, just put up a very tiny new one. But it's already got a following, I was in for lunch on a Saturday and the place was full.

They have a nice selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner items, all posted on the wall. I ordered the carnitas plate, two tacos (one chicken, one beef) and a Jamaica agua fresca.

The carnitas plate was very good. The carnitas were done perfectly and were very tender. Their refried beans are different--the beans are broken but not blended, so they have texture. I found them interesting and tasty. There was a nice scoop of homemade guacamole on the pico de gallo. Came with some nice homemade tortillas. The salsas also tasted homemade--the red salsa had a nice kick. The carnitas and salsas could have had a bit more flavor (just a little salt) but with the textures just right I was very happy. The tacos were nicely done also. I would have gotten a dessert but they don't have those yet.  The Jamaica agua fresca was a good example, very tasty.  It's my favorite.

All their dishes are presented attractively. I ordered to go but it is a full service restaurant--looks like they have aspirations. Right now the decor is very simple and unassuming. The single restroom was clean and ready. Service was fine. I can absolutely recommend it.

My Yelp Review

Papa Lacho's Bar and Grill

Papa Lacho got custody of the Mama Juanita's in our neighborhood. We stopped in for lunch with friends the other day to see if anything had changed.

The transition is still in progress--they don't have a dinner menu posted yet, and the lunch menu still says Mama Juanita's. There are, however, some items on that lunch menu that are not on Mama Juanita's website, or anywhere else on social media that I can find. We ordered a couple. We had the Carne Asada Fries, the Pollo Agave (both new) and the Pollo Del Mar, and a tres leches cake for dessert. I washed mine down with a jamaica agua fresca.

The Carne Asada Fries appear to be new, and I don't recall fries of any kind being on their menu before. This is a must-try dish. Carne asada sliced over fries with a mild cheddar cheese sauce drizzle. The steak was done perfectly, cooked through but melt in your mouth tender with a delicious marinate. The fries were nice and crisp, and held up under the cheese. I polished mine off pretty quickly.

I'm not sure that pollo agave is the correct name for the dish, but that's the theme. We ordered it with the special agave sauce (a $3.99 upgrade). This is a complex sauce--tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, bacon, and several other vegetables in a very nice blend over the chicken. It comes with a shot of agave nectar (tasted like tequila without the bite) on the side. We didn't end up pouring the agave over the chicken but the sauce works without it.

The Pollo Del Mar is not a new dish, but was very tasty. Chicken with spinach, shrimp, and Monterey Jack cheese. We had cream sauce with ours. Very nicely done chicken and the shrimp were correctly cooked.

The jamaica agua fresca was good. Not as strong as some places, but they give you a big glass and refills are free, so it works well as a complement to a meal.  The tres leches cake was a fine finish, very classic example and plenty to share.

The decor is the same as Mama Juanita's, at least for now. Service was somewhat relaxed but we were not in a hurry. Most of the difference in new management at this point is probably in the specials--we didn't happen to sample those on our visit. So if you liked it before, you still will.

My Yelp Review