Cha Cha Cha= Yum Yum Yum!

Last weekend we had friends in town and wanted to take them out for good food, so The Mission was the obvious choice. However, I am notoriously bad at planning ahead and making reservations, so the first few places we went to had waits over an hour. After wandering up and down Mission St, we decided to venture into Cha Cha Cha (2327 Mission St, cha3.com). There's also another location in the city at 1801 Haight. The place was packed, but large with lots of tables crammed in so the wait wasn't too bad. There's a long bar in the middle of the restaurant, so we saddled up and ordered a pitcher of the white sangria, which was quite peachy and refreshing. While Cha Cha Cha has some entrees on the menu, it's mainly about the tapas. We ordered the fried calamari, steamed black mussels, sauteed mushrooms, fried platanos maduros and both the chicken and pork quesadillas. While everything was pretty tasty, the black mussels steamed in garlic, tomatoes, fresh herbs and saffron broth was the scene stealer. They were fresh, flavorful and light. We also had a pitcher of the red sangria during dinner. While it was good, I think the white was better just because it was a little different. After hitting up Cha Cha Cha, we headed for drinks at the Beauty Bar down the street. The place was packed, the drinks were strong and the music was great. All in all, a good night out on Mission Street!