StephanieL

From the outside, it looks very unassuming, this tiny place next to Poseidon Bakery that could be one of a million Theatre District restaurants.  But the food is really very good, better than it probably needs to be.  The cold meze sampler is a meal in itself, featuring dolmas (with cinnamon in the filling), two kinds of hummus (regular and garlicky pine nut), chunky baba ganoush, labne with sauteed greens, imam bayildi, and one other eggplant spread.  All of the appetizers were fresh and top-quality.  The lamb shish kebab meat was tender and flavorful as well.  They kind of sort of take reservations, but once the theater crowd is gone it quiets down. Prices are reasonable too.

He of the bushy eyebrows

N told me that there's a small market right near Borough Market, closer to the Thames.  I haven't been able to locate any information about it.  Does anyone know which market she means, or is it something long gone?

Another one of the greats.

So how exactly is El Toro Blanco?  It's pretty much as the Times review said: decent enough, not life-changing, and certainly not as good as the some of the more creative upscale Mexican restaurants we have nor the good cheap places.  Queso fundido was appropriately gooey without being a gut bomb.  The guacamole was a bit spicy, with chunks of avocado, and they kept bringing us freshly made chips.  Two of the salsas packed heat, but the green salsa was curiously the least hot of the trio, with a hint of sweetness (possibly citrus).  The pozole had a good, porky broth and hominy cooked just right, and I probably should have stopped there but I wanted to try a tamale as well (I ended up taking most of the pozole home).  The vegetable tamale was served open face; they cook the plain tamale and then top it with corn, a roasted pepper sauce, and a little cheese and crema.  I liked the sauce, but the tamale itself was a bit sweet, like cornbread.

On someone else's dime, it was a good lunch.