Roosevelt Tamale Parlor: Bully!

Last night Plotnik, Ducknik and Chef Pickle went to Roosevelt Tamale Parlor for a review/feed, along with Plot and Duck's Arizona pals Jack and Ashley. The old Roosevelt was one of Plot's few Saint Plotniko college hangs, in the pre-BART days when crossing the Bay on public transport was a lenghty adventure, and the place had stayed open through much turmoil, until 2004. Now, newly re-opened, with new owner Cesar Morales at the controls, Plot is happy to report Roosevelt Tamale Parlor is better than ever.

Oh, he has read all the reviews whining about how the new Roosevelt isn't as charming as the old Roosevelt, but that's only if you consider the old place's 'dark, dirty, grumpy and lard-laden' to be more desirable than 'bright, clean, friendly and organic.' The chile colorado is better than ever, rich and beefy in a red chile sauce, but you can't discount the
...calabacitas tamale with an enchilada on the side. If it appears to be served sideways, that has something to do with the Gravity of this Blog.

To the five diners, one a famed chef who knows her fats, two who hail from Tucson, where Sonoran cuisine is plentiful, and two who are just plain food snobs who know it all, it seemed that Roosevelt has everything -- inexpensive, delicious, authentic and no sign of the cholesterol truck parked in the back, pumping extra dollops of life-threatening gunk into each tamale.

The Great Plotnik Restaurant Review Division is proud to award Roosevelt Tamale Parlor Three and Three Quarter Stars -- two for the Chile Colorado, one for the tamales, rellenos and chile verde and one for the unique explanation of how the vegetarian tamale masa is allowed to have half lard, but minus a quarter for some pretty average rice. Three and Three Quarters Stars, and room to grow. Roosevelt has vaulted back to the head of the class in the Mission, where it always used to be.