El Cantaro Vegan Mexican Restaurant
791 Foam St., Monterey
(831) 646-5465, www.elcantarovegan.com
The potato taco should be about what it is: rich, satisfying, fresh and flavorful. But like pretty much all of the food at this new restaurant in New Monterey, it’s also about what it isn’t: greasy, heavy or (most importantly) meaty and cheesy. El Cantaro is the long overdue vegan spot the area desperately wanted – and the rare Mexican joint that thrives with zero cheese or chicharrones – dishing a strong slate of memelitas, pineapple-veggie burritos, tortilla soups and chickin’ tortas, a mom and pop with major pop and zero animal products.