cinco de mayo

11 THINGS: CINCO DE MAYO

Thursday, May 4, 2006

1. Cinco de Mayo San Francisco Celebration 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri. Parque de Los Niños on 23rd Street, between Treat and Folsom, S.F. (415) 206-0577. www.cincodemayosf.com.

2. San Jose Cinco de Mayo Parade and Festival 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun. Best spots for parade viewing: Guadalupe River Parks-Discovery Meadow and Plaza de Cesar Chavez. (408) 793-5540. www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/prnsevents.asp.

3. Puerto Alegre Be sure to tip the mariachi band while sipping one of the best margaritas in the city. 546 Valencia St., S.F. (415) 255-8201.

4. Taqueria Cancun Quite possibly the best burrito on the planet. Three locations, but the main one is 2288 Mission St., S.F. (415) 252-9560.

5. La Rondalla Not sure which is stronger, the margaritas or the family atmosphere. 901 Valencia St., S.F. (415) 647-7474.

6. "Dona Quixote" at the Marsh Get quixotic with 35 students from the Mission and a valiant female knight. No word yet on Sancho Panza's gender. 5 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. 1062 Valencia St., S.F. (415) 826-5750.

7. Tommy's Mexican Restaurant Dive into a Scorpion Bowl at Trader Sam's then dry yourself off across the street at Tommy's -- and please, no throwing tortillas at anyone. Personal research shows you'll get kicked out. 5929 Geary St., S.F. (415) 387-4747.

8. California Food Market Buy one of the piñatas hanging from the ceiling of the market. The piñatas are $16-$20. The joy of smashing them open is priceless. 3111 24th St., S.F.

9. Joyeria La Jolla Speaking of joy, joyas is Spanish for jewelry. 3196 24th St., S.F. (415) 821-4370.

10. Devour a burrito blog Vote for your favorite taqueria at www.burritoeater.com, www.burritobot.com or www.burritophile.com (always, always give props to Tacos El Tonayense).

11. Tequila shots Keep a journal of thoughts after each shot; wake up the next morning on the side of Highway 101 (without any pants) and realize that "11 Things: Tequila shots" was a very very BAD idea.

Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@sfchronicle.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/04/NSG8EIGDK61.DTL

This article appeared on page H - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle