Valentin's Restaurant

As it appeared in Joan Obra's 7 column, 7/6/2007:

"He goes to Valentin's for menudo
Customer also singles out the guacamole and ceviche."

If you like menudo, the Mexican hominy-and-tripe soup, be sure to continue reading. Valentin's Restaurant at Hughes and Dakota avenues has a great menudo.

So says Bill Almeida, who heads to this unassuming restaurant every Sunday after Mass.

"I generally grade a restaurant based on the ethnicity of it," says Almeida, who is half-Mexican, half-Portuguese. And Valentin's is frequented by many people of Mexican descent, he says. "The food is just good and consistently good ... no matter what you pick there."

At this point, savvy readers are wondering whether they can trust Almeida enough to jump in the car and head to Valentin's. Almeida also talked of other dishes he likes, so you can tell whether your palates are similar.

Good meals for him include the calamari from the Santa Fe Basque Restaurant at Maroa and Simpson avenues, as well as the burritos, lengua and carnitas from Taqueria Don Pepe at Blackstone and Gettysburg avenues. And at The Branding Iron in Merced, Almeida says he had "the best piece of prime rib I've ever had in my life."

At Valentin's, Almeida mostly sticks with the menudo, but he also likes the guacamole and ceviche. His wife, Virginia Almeida, eats the chile relleno and chile verde.

Prices reflect the restaurant's casual, hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. At $14.95, the fish and shrimp fajitas is one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. But two enchiladas with rice and beans will set you back by only $6.95.

You can munch on chips and salsa while looking over the soups, seafood dishes, meat specialties and combination plates. After you seat yourself, servers place these nibbles on the table before they take your order, Almeida says.