Parada 22

When Parada 22 recently opened in my neighborhood, I was super excited to have Puerto Rican beans, rice, and maduros at my fingertips!  I personally think the Upper Haight needs some new life to the eating scene.  I love the food at Alembic, when you can get a seat, and am perpetually obsessed with Ploy II, but am otherwise finding the options kind of tired. 

Friday night, after hearing a friend's band play at Milk, I was looking for something tasty and quick and hopped into Parada 22 right as they were closing up the kitchen.  At the recommendation of the cashier girl (whose taste I assumed was impeccable considering she commented on and correctly identified both my ring and my bracelet!) we ordered two sandwiches to split: a Cuban and also a bistec.  Of course, I couldn't resist a serving of maduros on the side.

The atmosphere was charming, with turquoise walls, an array of pendant light bulbs, and a litter of photos and odds and ends evoking a hint of San Juan street corner. We waited inside for the sandwiches, which arrived fairly quickly, and were still warm and toasted by the time I got them home.  The platanos, not so much, but I was honestly too lazy and too hungry to heat them up.  The bistec was definitely the better of the two sandwiches, a nice version of encebollado, although for me it could have used a little spice.  I actually most enjoyed the sandwich with a bit of plantain added to each bite.  The cubano, on the other hand, was at first a little dry and also a little bland ... it did grow on me, but I think a cubano is one of the last things on earth that should be bland, really. 

As far as neighborhood eats go, I would go back to Parada 22 (although I would probably try a plato vegetariano or the camarones a la criolla next time versus a sandwich).  It will be nice to occasionally take a break from Ploy II, but if I am really jonesing for good Puerto Rican food and have a little time on my hands, I will still head up to Sol Food in San Rafael.  That place gets it right.