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Business & Tech

Fast and Friendly Lunch at The Cantina

Whether you have time to enjoy a midweek, midday margarita with friends or your lunchtime meal is a rush of must-eat-now and fast, target The Cantina.

There are times when a midday oasis is a necessity, a reprieve from your daily grind where the faces are friendly, the chairs are comfy and the food is filling and fast. Whether you have time to enjoy a midweek, midday margarita with friends or your midday meal is a rush of must-eat-now and fast, target . 

The Cantina, a Mill Valley casual Tex-Cal-Mex institution for 27 years, briefly morphed into Maria Maria. Their reopening in October 2010 brought a sigh of relief to long-time customers and fans that missed the signature margaritas, fajitas and guacamole. Dinner tables were booked solid from day one and, after a few months to get their legs under them again, management began lunch service in March.  

While the entire dinner menu is available during the day, a special lunch menu offers a quick-serve, in, eat and out in 30 minutes or less for the business crowd. Slightly smaller sized and priced for lunch, a selection of north of the border favorites such as Chino Chicken Salad, Cantina Burger, Black Bean Soup and Sizzling Fajitas (available only at lunch in both Pequeño and Grande sizes) satisfies your wallet and your appetite. 

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Chunky chicken tortilla soup ($3.50/cup, $5.50/bowl), fragrant with Mexican oregano and laced with cheese, had a wonderfully flavorful broth and was loaded with chunks of chicken and vegetables. The shredded beef green enchilada Platillo ($9.95), robustly seasoned with cumin and chili, was served with two tomatillo sauce-smothered enchiladas alongside black beans, corn cake, seasoned rice and a green salad. Served on a hot plate, eat the salad first or watch it wilt and sag. But, oh, I wish I had the recipe for those beans; mildly spiced and perfectly creamy, they are beans this home cook would like to emulate.  

A recent menu addition was slow-cooked BBQ pork sandwich ($9.95), served with onion strings, Cantina fries and jicama slaw, was tender and juicy with just the right amount of smoky, slightly sweet sauce. A perfect accompaniment to the shredded pork, confirmed by my tablemates, was the onion strings. Of all shapes and sizes, these beauties were wonderfully crisp on the outside but yielded to a creamy-melty texture on the inside. These onion strings were so good, I would return again and again just for this one sandwich accompaniment. Snappy, fresh jicama slaw is free from mayonnaise and bright with citrus and cilantro dressing. 

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Do I really need to tell you about the fajitas ($9.95-$17.95)? The Cantina built its reputation on this Tex-Mex dish, never fails to serve them piping hot with caramelized vegetables and is your go-to menu item when you are having one of those days where you do not want to think about what to order.

One disappointment, made fresh daily tequila-lime marinated ceviche ($9.95), diced fine and served with jicama slaw, spoke of neither the sea nor lime but was bland and spiritless. And in our world of hyper-awareness of the global impact of local choices on seafood stocks, I wanted to know where the fish, shrimp and scallops were sourced. For fish, veggie or meat dishes, stick with the Tex-Mex classics (BBQ Shrimp Quesadilla, anyone?) for a more flavorful and satisfying meal.

Lunchtime service is happily brisk – be prepared to order drinks once your butt is in the seat and you’ll be in and out as fast as you can eat – and there are not nearly as many families at lunch as at dinner or weekend brunch. With this fine spring weather, a table seat on the quiet back patio overlooking the lush garden at Sloat or a cozy couch seat on the bustling front deck, Arnold Palmer in hand, offers a lovely mid-day reprieve and a chance to catch up with a good friend or business associate.  You will not leave hungry.

The 411: Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30-3 / 651 East Blithedale Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941 / (415) 381-1070 / http://thecantina.com/

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