Feeling that there was something missing in the San Francisco food scene, Lisa Rodgers and Marvin Avilez began to joke that they should just start their own restaurant. A year ago this November their joke became a reality, as they opened their doors to the public. From that point on they became the neighborhood restaurant that could. Everyone was surprised they made it through their extremely trying first year: Marvin was sent off to serve in South America, they lost their head chef Carlos, and Lisa was left alone to run a restaurant with none of the recipes having been written down. Everyone was surprised, that is, except the locals, who supported them through it all and kept coming back for the authentic Latino cuisine in an atmosphere that was a big step up from your corner Mission taqueria.

- Excerpt from Platanos by Genevieve Robertson