"David Perez and Carolina McCandless first met while working together at an organic vegetarian Mexican restaurant in San Francisco, so it stands to reason they put a premium on ingredients. Perez leads the Takoma Park kitchen, grinding masa from heirloom Mexican corn and braising slightly sweet carnitas with Negra Modelo and oranges. Crunchy pepitas add a pleasantly surprising crunch to quesadillas that can be ordered with vegan cashew cheese. Weekend brunch brings an opportunity to sample masa waffles with fruit, mezcal mascarpone, and maple syrup. Cielo recently relocated to much bigger digs in the neighborhood, and the team recently replaced the old space with San Pancho Burritos." - Tierney Plumb