So I celebrated Cinco de Mayo 2010 with a few friends at Cabos Platillos de México in Rocklin. I didn’t end up having any drinks, as I was a designated driver (seems like I get that a lot…hmmmmm…). I’m not a huge fan of beer anyway, but I do like my share of tequila. Were I not a designated driver, I would have tried a Dos Equis (being a fan as I am of The Most Interesting Man in the World). Cabos has become our go-to Cinco de Mayo tradition. I always enjoy the food at Cabos, this time I tried something new (to me)…an Enchilada de Carnitas. The pork was tender with a crispy outside, and the enchilada sauce had just a hint of sweetness. I topped it with their hot salsa, which had a good bite but wasn’t eye-blinding searing hot (there’s a time for that too, usually when I’m feeling masochistic or down in the weather). Nothing perks you up faster than eye-popping heat (it’s good for your immune system, too).

Overall, the bathroom was kept clean. This is pretty impressive considering how busy Cabos is, especially on Cinco de Mayo. Longtime readers know how much I value a good clean bathroom. That having been said, I wasn’t overly excited about the trash can overflowing in pictures 4 and 5…yes I know they were busy…but when you run a popular establishment, you already know it’s going to be busy. Every year for the last three years the line is out the door on May 5…there’s no reason to not take an extra couple minutes and go check to make sure the sinks are dry and the trash can not overflowing. They managed to keep the bathroom clean overall but it seems like this was an oversight…and while not as bad as a filthy toliet or dirty stall, it looks careless. I’ll give this one three-and-a-half rolls, it’s colorful and clean, and I’m going to deduct a quarter of a roll for the overflowing trash can.

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When I first saw this place from the outside, I turned to a friend of mine and said, “Look, Tomatobee’s!” The “dancing tomatoes” around the building reminded me of the Applebee’s chain, and for a few minutes, I figured someone had pulled a pretty good satire off and called their restaurant Tomatobee’s (somehow that’s not quite as inviting as Applebee’s…). I still fondly refer to this place as Tomatobee’s, and every so often will take the forty-five minutes to an hour it takes me to get to Yuba City to grab a bite here. It’s Italian fare, I’m not sure how authentic it is, but I do know it’s tasty. A couple friends and I visited 3/19/2010; we started with the antipasto plate and I had the chicken parmesan. The others ordered Pasta Ka-Boom and Pasta Arrabiatta…I’m not opposed to spicy food, but given the opportunity for gnocchi or chicken parmesan I’ll take it every time (in that order). As you may have noticed by the decidedly American spelling, this isn’t going to be high-end Italian, but it is good food.

The bathroom was pretty standard, clean, mostly white, with a touch of red and green (kinda like the Italian flag, leading me to believe the color selection was specifically for that). The Dancing Tomato in picture #4 has horns and a hat (he’s a beefsteak tomato, of course), is on the door into the bathroom (designating “men’s”), and is just one of probably a half-dozen or so Dancing Tomatoes throughout the restaurant. Three rolls for the bathroom plus one-half for the beefsteak tomato.

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Mmm…Más! I last visited 3/9/2010, and to be honest, I don’t remember what I ate (likely an enchilada, though…if I had to guess). Every time I eat here the food is great. Everything I’ve ever had has been good, and I highly recommend you check this place out. The interior is colorful and the lighting sufficient but minimal (adding to the ambience). There were a couple friends (they were friends, they didn’t know anyone in our group) that were exceptionally unhappy…one woman had a terrible day and was taking it out on the waitstaff and manager…and despite that, the manager dealing with her and the waitstaff involved were all super-polite and more than happy to resolve her issues. True customer service, even to someone who certainly didn’t have to treat them like she did. Her friend sat idly by, listening to one complaint after another…I’m not sure how it ended, although I suspect they may have had enough alcohol to solve whatever issues were plaguing them that night. I wasn’t sure whether to feel more for the waitstaff, manager, or her friend.

Onto the bathroom…when you enter, you get to see what their current “special” is…in this case, ice-cold Tecate for $2.50. I’m not sure whether that’s good or not since I don’t really drink beer (that sound you hear is the collective gasp of beer drinkers around the world, shocked that your humble host almost never drinks beer). Above the urinal is another sign, which you probably can’t make out because it’s so blurry (I’d like to blame beer or it’s distant cousin, tequila, was at fault, but sadly, it wasn’t…the picture just came out bad…probably gotta blame the user on this one). They had a couple of glass lizards attached to the wall as a nice touch, and the handwash is an inside joke for those who know me. For their clean mostly generic bathroom I’ll give them three rolls, and add half a roll for the handwash. 

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One of my all-time favorite “Italian” restaurants is Buca di Beppo. The food is always good, it’s served “family style” (one entrée typically serves 3-4 people), and they have a lot to choose from. Price-wise, it’s pretty good, too; a solid value for what you get. I was here with friends on 2/12/2010, and we had their specialty pizza, Gnocchi al Telefono (I’m a huge fan of gnocchi…especially gnocchi bolognese, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a traditional way it’s served…or if it is, it’s just hard to find), and the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni, with their standard Mixed Green Salad (personally I prefer the Apple Gorgonzola Salad…but I’m just one person, can’t eat that much, and pretty much the only one of the group that likes apples, walnuts, and cranberries in his salad). To clarify, Buca is not high-falutin’ Italian food…it’s meant to be fun and kitschy (and yes, it is a chain). If you have issues with Italian chain restaurants, or are expecting gourmet or food like your grandmother used to make…don’t go! It’s not gonna be your kind of place.

Part of that kitschy thing…is the Pope Room, seating up to 15 people and the bust of a Pope (I believe it’s John Paul II…here’s a photo of the Pope Room, and I know the photographer credits this as John XXIII, so I may be wrong). The other really cool place to eat is the Kitchen Table (literally in the kitchen), where you can watch the food being made, dishes being cleaned, etc. The only down side is the kitchen room (not surprisingly) is the warmest area in the restaurant.

The bathroom is full of photographs (just like the rest of the restaurant), and even features a [locked] cabinet full of hair products. I thought it was pretty funny that the door to the bathroom stall has a painting of the volcano at Pompei erupting. Thanks to the creative bathroom design, Buca gets 4.5 rolls. Sometimes they even have a recording of women talking in the mens’ room (and I assume men talking in the womens’, but I don’t know) so it’s like you can hear the conversation in the other bathroom.

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