Sunday Night Tacos at Club Mallard

Creaking open the half-door entrance of Club Mallard on a Sunday night, you settle at the downstairs bar. Winding down the weekend with a beer, the atmosphere seems comfortably typical. The soft clacking of a pool game, a few regulars chatting at the bar, the mouth-watering hissing of the grill... wait, whoah, what? 

Proceed a few steps to the outdoor patio of the Mallard, and on Sunday nights you will find a full-size grill, a table laid out with neat piles of chopped onion and cilantro, cutting boards ready with carne asada, a bowlful of green salsa, and the warm smile of Angelica Castellanos, the resident grill-mistress.   

"We get all of our products fresh from Mi Tierra, which is a Mexican grocery store in Berkeley," explains Castellanos, "The carne asada is pre-marinaded  – we just add some beer, lime juice and salt at the last minute." Going into her last year at UC Berkeley, she is an interdisciplinary studies student focusing on global poverty. 

When asked about the recipe for her salsa, Castellanos quickly answers, "It's mine", then pauses and says, "Well, no, growing up, my mom definitely got me hooked on green salsa." Her parents emigrated to California, and although Castellanos was born here, she easily carries the torch of tradition and doesn't hesitate to share it with others.

"Some people were asking me when I'm going to make red salsa, but I need a molcajete [a Mexican stone mortar and pestle] for that. That's what my mom and grandmother use to make red salsa, and I have a big one at home, but it's heavy!" she laughs. "I said that, if they bring me one, I'll make red salsa."

A few weeks ago, Castellanos brought up the idea of serving tacos with Doug Miller, the owner of Club Mallard (as well as Thalassa in Berkeley, and Kona Club in Oakland). He ran with it. After talking to several bartenders, it's clear that, within his three establishments, Miller has created a collaborative atmosphere where ideas like this can flourish. 

"Oh yeah," agreed Andrea Leal, who was working the upstairs bar, "When I moved here a few months ago I didn't know anybody. Then I started here and instantly gained a family." Leal makes a mean Greyhound and, when she's not bartending at the Mallard or Thalassa, she tends to her first love – playing classical piano. 

Downstairs, my tacos come with scrumptious asada piled on warm tortillas, topped with fresh onions, cilantro and perfectly spiced salsa verde. If you're vegetarian, Castellanos also serves up "soy-viche."

Albany Patch has a lot of love for the Hotsy Totsy and its nightly taco truck offerings, but when it comes to satisfying carne asada cravings on a Sunday night, there's a new kid on the block, and she's firing up the grill.

Although we were sad to miss the first Moustache Ride at the Mallard Club two weeks ago, Castellanos assures me it won't be the last one. 

Don't miss Club Mallard's 65th Anniversary party on Aug. 28, and join Club Mallard on Facebook to see what's quacking in the future.