Mexican comfort food at its best

As the weather gets colder in Stuttgart & every moment of sunshine reminds me of California, I cant help but think about my favorite comfort foods. Being a California girl, Mexican cuisine offers some of my favorite comfort foods & right now I'm dreaming about carne asada tacos (steak tacos), guacamole and chips, and a nice cold beer from Nido.

One of the good things about having foodie friends is knowing that you can trust their recommendations, and I know I can trust Myesha. She's been my friend for over a decade and I love her because she's awesome - No seriously, she's awesome! She's a social activist and an all around good person. She's working and literally influencing communities, policy, and doing the stuff the rest of us share on facebook. Since I moved to Germany & she moved back to her hometown, Oakland, we don't see each other or speak often because of the time difference (9 hrs), but nothing changes. She's one of the only people who I trust wholeheartedly, & by now, she knows not to mess with me when it comes to my food - especially since I gave her a good tongue lashing after a previous visit to Oakland to celebrate my birthday. If you want to hear the story of my disastrous birthday trip, request it in the comments section. This time around, she really paid attention to how serious the dining experience is to me and she delivered on multiple occasions.

Nido

The staff is friendly and the food is fresh and good - really good. Nido satisfies my culinary needs when it comes to Mexican food. If you've ever eaten a good slow-cooked Barbacoa steak taco, then I don't need to explain it to you; if you haven't eaten one, there's still plenty of time left - find a good Mexican restaurant and eat one now!

Nido is located in the Jack London/Warehouse District, a more industrial part of Oakland, and is definitely worth a visit. The architecture of the restaurant is a quaint blend of industrial elements and rustic decor. It's right off the 880 Fwy (freeway), so it's conveniently located. In addition to the restaurant, Nido also provides catering for local businesses and private events. They have a variety of options for meat eaters, like myself, but also cater to vegetarians. Everything at Nido's is cooked fresh daily. Myesha and I went there for Brunch on a Saturday afternoon. If you love authentic Mexican food, it's definitely a must visit.

Photo © Lexie Lechelt German Juice / All rights reserved

I often judge how good a Mexican restaurant is based on their guacamole and chips or flour tortillas, and the guacamole at Nido's has the three things I love in good guacamole: flavor, texture, and authenticity. I couldn't stop eating it. It was creamy-velvety-yummy goodness. Just writing about it makes me die inside, just a little bit. It's winter in Germany now and just the thought of this guacamole makes me wanna hop on the next plane and gorge myself on chips, guacamole, salsa, steak tacos and pints of beer. No to mention, the foundation of every great taco is the tortilla and Nido's corn tortillas are handmade and so delicious. Myesha had the Huarache de Carne Asada con Chorizo, which looked amazing, but I follow 2 strict rules:

1. No eggs after breakfast. (breakfast time is between 6a.m. & 12 noon for me)

2. Egg whites and egg yolks cannot be mixed together before cooking. NO SCRAMBLE! Blame it on my maternal grandmother for forcing me to eat scrambled eggs. (yuck! That experiment didn't end well ;-))

I had the slow-braised beef tacos with Mexican rice and pinto beans and washed it down with a craft beer or two.

Myesha had a Bloody Mary to start, followed by a tequila flight with the meal. I drink beer and wine almost exclusively, so I can't give you a verdict on the Bloody Mary or the tequila flight, but judging from Myesha's response, it was good - damn good.

All photos were taken by Lexie

The Verdict

Our overall experience at Nido was good, but the service could be improved. We ordered drinks while we were waiting for a table to be free & the waitress forgot our drinks the whole time we were waiting, which was about 30-40 minutes. Also, when we were seated, even though we ordered drinks first, our appetizer was delivered before the drinks. The atmosphere is cozy but the tables are small, especially the tables for two, so it can feel a little cramped. We lost a tequila flight in the war for table space; one small movement and tequilla was all over the floor. But space is at a premium in the SF Bay area and I'm more than willing to sacrifice a little table space for some good Mexican comfort food. For a guide to our rating system, click here.