Cha Cha Cha claims the best sauteed mushrooms known to fungi-kind (the hostess said she ate them every day for four months) and serves them (smelling delightfully of garlic and wine) in a decor that smashes Catholic idolatry with the essence of Carmen Miranda and a splash of luau.
Religious figurines and portraits of the Virgin Mary congregate near pooka shells and clay jars with faces like Halloween pumpkins. White masks sit and look vaguely ominous above tall plants threaded in colored lights. Gilt mirrors hang on bright red walls and shelves hold the odd ukelele, wooden maracas, and a tambourine. Curling twigs frame an altar with what appears to be the horned goat god of tequila. Or something.
All this to say, you’ll have plenty to gawk at while waiting for your sangria and fried potatoes.
Cha Cha Cha, 1801 Haight Street. (415) 386-7670.
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