Fun Santa Cruz mainstay isn't your typical taqueria

San Jose Mercury News Review By Aleta Watson

Originally Published in January 2006

After a steady diet of combination plates with rice and beans at the sort of Mexican restaurants where beer signs qualify as art, El Palomar in downtown Santa Cruz is an unexpected treat.

To be sure, Palomar offers rice and beans with its entrees, but the rice is fluffy, the beans well-seasoned and the accompanying dishes are cooked with care from fresh ingredients. What's more, the elegant Spanish revival dining room and cheerful cantina lift dinner out of the eat-and-run category. This is a place to celebrate special events in style with praiseworthy renditions of familiar Mexican dishes and fruity margaritas. Factor in handmade corn tortillas and the restaurant is irresistible.

Read the rest of the review at http://events.mercurynews.com/reviews/show/5676-review-el-palomar