Paradise Pizza El Zocalo
I had no idea that Paradise Pizza was B’s favorite pizza restaurant. We had eaten at so many other pizza places that I figured it didn’t matter that much to him. I guess because it is out in West Portal it didn’t seem like a reasonable destination on the average evening. V and I spent last weekend camping at B and R’s house so that I could work. Going out for dinner was exactly what I needed to create the illusion at least that the work week was over. The place itself was not particularly impressive being jam-packed with tables and a small bar where lonely, divorced neighborhood guys could sip on pilsner. The small tables meant the pizzas had to be elevated on metal racks in order to accommodate drinks and plates.
I have been a little frustrated lately with Vida’s ongoing desire to remove the cheese from her pizza before eating it. It’s kind of random when it happens—and just as often the screaming to take the cheese off is complemented by louder screaming to put it back on. I never know so I remained poised to adjust quickly as the situation demands. An antipasto salad with salami was an encouraging beginning. Nothing keeps Vida quieter at the beginning of a meal than salami. I ordered my favorite pizza topping, pancetta and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the pizza—thin crust, fresh tasting sauce and it wasn’t loaded with crappy mozzarella.
Seeing that I was working through two weekends with only a day off in between, every night seemed like a good time to go out for dinner. I am determined to go to as many restaurants in the Outer Mission as possible. Not only are they numerous but parking isn’t usually a problem and I don’t have to endure Vida screaming, “my legs are tired, I can’t walk” for more than a block or two. Since having my first pupusa at Rica’s I can’t stop craving them. Since I know that Vida won’t even try one there have to be plenty of other options. The night that we went to Jasmine Tea House with Auntie L and E, E spent a few minutes reminiscing about taking her son C to El Zocalo. Her nostalgia for the restaurant in the years when C was young made me excited to maintain the connection in the next generation.
When we walked in Vida was excited to be able to sit at the counter. She is just starting to look at books on her own so her copy of Miss Mary Mack accompanied her to the restaurant. The server ignored us for a considerable amount of time and I was getting nervous as the soda chant started reaching a fever pitch. We were finally acknowledged and got some drinks but it took just as long for a basket of chips and salsa to arrive. Vida is more likely to eat fish these days than any other kind of protein so I ordered fried tilapia. I was monumentally surprised to see it arrive with head and tail intact. Vida was impressed with its mouth calling it the “talking fish” and playing with its teeth. I just wish it had been clear on the menu what we were getting into. It was difficult to eat without serving Vida any bones but we struggled through. The pupusa was delicious but it was so much work to keep Vida in fish that it got cold before I could really enjoy it. Once again Vida impressed me with her openness to unfamiliar food. I didn’t have a whole fish put in front of me until I was 22 years old and I couldn’t have been less taken aback than my little four year old.
Restaurant Total: 140
