I have a lot to thank my mother for- one of which is for teaching me how to be patient in the face of adversity.  Although that is not really what evoked me to venture out to Gracias Madre, a vegetarian outpost in the Mission district, I was with my little-brother-I-never-have, sssourabh, who is a vegetarian and also views me as his mother hen whenever he is on this side of the country.  He told me that he was already scheduled to visit the Gracias Madre in Los Angeles, which I believe is not related to the one in San Francisco (correct me if I'm wrong), but we gamely sat at the bar and listened to the bartender's comical, honest recommendations. Everything you see here were the bartender's recommendation. 

Vegetarian is not boring. 

Carnivores rejoice! Gracias Madre is not your ordinary vegetarian Mexican restaurant. Although it isn't at the level of the now-closed Ubuntu, which still ranks on my book as the best vegetarian restaurant ever (and it is such a shame they didn't revive the establishment after closing shop in downtown Napa), Gracias Madre delivers on flavorful Mexican favorites with a twist.  If cashew crema is not intriguing enough for you, I don't know what is.