this is not an actual picture of my plate

Tonalt Restaurant in Durham

Chef Andre Macias has created a Mexican home atmosphere and flavor in Durham that is second to none in the Triangle area.


My friend John and I were looking for something different to eat when he mentioned a new restaurant in Durham. He heard that this was supposed to be good. He was wrong.

It was great!!!!!!!!


Thou the location was a little hard to find everything else was spot on fantastic.

We started out with an appetizer called "Sopes de tinga al chipotle". This is a shredded savory chicken with local greens and morita sauce garnished with a fresh white farm cheese.
The presentation was excellent as well as fully functional. The garnish was part of the dish. And it tasted like love in a bucket.

Next we both ordered"Tacos al pastor con laminas de pina." This is sirloin steak a la parrilla with shaved pineapples. This also had a working garnish of a salsa verde, pickled red onions and more of the farm cheese. Once you layered all of the various garnishes on the tacos one would think that one flavor would overwhelm the others. This was not so at all. You could taste all the separate items and then they would combine to form a whole nother flavor scheme. I cannot describe this accurately to do this justice so I wont try. I will just say that it is something one should not miss.

Last we split a dessert of what was called a creme brul'e but was more like a savory topped flan in my opinion. Having split hairs over the name, it too was excellent as well as simple in its presentation.

The service was top notch. We had our meal at 2pm when it was slow. Everything was cooked fresh as well as quickly. The decor was simple and classy. Oh and did I mention that the entire meal with dessert was around $30 plus tip for the both of us.

Now this is my second of many to come reviews in and around the Triangle area. But I am sure this will be an experience hard pressed to be topped else where.

Out of Ten points this place would get a 12

-CHefdino-

Someone tell me "What happened to PHO CALI" in Raleigh??"



I have spent the 7 of the last 8 years finding and enjoying some of the best restaurants in and around Raleigh. Never has one of the best fallen to one of the worst so quickly.

Pho Cali Vietnamese Restaurant on Capitol Blvd has done just that. In the past I have brought many of my business associates as well friends here to experience what real "Authentic" Vietnamese food is supposed to be like. Some of these friends my not appreciate the style of cuisine but all could appreciate the quality of what was being served them. In the past the food was always fresh, always hot, and always full of the flavors that make Vietnamese food what it is. Cilantro, Basil, Nuoc Mam(Fish Sauce), Lime, and many other flavors made this an experience to share. I would order for my less adventuresome compatriots some of the things on the menu that I felt would fit there tastes and yet would still give them a flavor of the exotic. These items never let them or me down.

Until right this minute.

Now the Service at Pho Cali was never very good. Having said that the prices here are so reasonable that you don't expect white linen service. This time it took over 10 minutes just for someone to approach us. The place might have had 10 customers in it. But Hey, the food rocked in the past and maybe it was between shifts. I was wrong about both.

Once the server got to us we already knew what we wanted. We both ordered Fried Spring Rolles and the Pork Buun.(rice vermicelli noodles with fresh raw vegetables topped with grilled pork finished with the Nauc Mam) These had always been crowd pleasers in the past and just what I had a taste for.

What came out was neither a pleaser nor anything with taste.

The Spring Rolles had obviously been cooked long before we ordered them. Rather then the hot,light, crisp shell that I had so wanted, I received a grease soaked cold mess that had me wondering what was going on. The fresh ingredients that should have been inside were replaced by old, mushy, and stale things that I could not identify.

The Pork Buun was not as bad as the Spring Rolles however it was not as good as it was in the past. The recipe for the pork itself had been changed. The pork was not grilled it was now sautee'd. The flavor was also not nearly as unique as is was in the past. Now it taste more like a terriyaki then anything Vietnamese. The vegetables that came mixed with this dish were fresh. Just not what is traditional.

As my partner in food crime, John, said as we were leaving," Guess we will have to find a new favorite place to eat." I found out that the restaurant had changed owners. Maybe the new owners wanted a more "Americanized" taste.

I hope that the "Old" owners open a "New" restaurant with the flavor and feel of the original.

Pho Cali I will miss you.


-CHefdino-