I hear Jay-Z about New York. I lived there for a while back in 96 when I was going to cooking school. I definitely felt like I’d moved to the center of the world. Except for one mysterious phenomenon, which continues to this day:
In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do (except find a good taqueria).
Sing it Alicia.
Nevertheless, I used to find myself—desperate for a taqueria moment—at some psuedo Mexican place on First Street that plated their burritos, topped them with shredded orange cheddar cheese, and served them with a fork—a serious taqueria felony. It’s amazing what homesick ex-pats will do to try to recreate their food experiences.
According to my taco-obsessed, East Village resident brother Travis, there still isn’t good Mexican in Manhattan. Travis is the kind of guy who gets off the plane at SFO, gives me a quick pat hi and immediately starts directing me off 101 to the nearest taqueria for a taco fix. The same thing is required before he boards a plane to go back to New York. Which means, when he has an early flight, he’s searched out taquerias before most people have finished their coffee (I now know that Cancun is open for breakfast). He has no problem stomaching a carne asada taco at 9:00 am. More than once, from the haze of my morning sleep, I’ve heard Travis back from a taqueria and crunching tortilla chips at the kitchen table.
So yesterday when I picked up Travis, we ended up at La Taqueria within the hour of his plane landing even though it was only 10:30 in the morning. Our parents met us there, and Joe, Mia and I indulged along with them in some carnitas tacos, cooked dorado (crispy). To be honest, I like the tortillas soft better, but I keep ordering the crispy ones because, well, everyone’s doing it (note to self: follow your heart). Either way they’re great tacos, some of my favorite, but my brother pointed out that La Taqueria’s tacos are really just a beast of their own. Neither antojito-style nor even the slightly larger size you see at most taquerias around here, La Taqueria has mastered the super taco—the taco that’s almost a burrito in size and scope. That place is a true phenomenon. I looked around and saw gringo foursome in their 60s, a young Asian couple, and a Latino family with kids. It appeals to everyone.
Travis will be back here next Saturday and we’ll be topping off his West Coast trip with another taqueria. Unfortunately, he’s going to miss our T-Lish Tuesday coming right up. Of course, my hope is that if Tacolicious’s transition from market stand to brick-and-mortar at the Laiola space goes as well as we hope, maybe Tacolicious can make it out to New York. It deserves better.