Hit Tacoteca the other night with the boys for some Taco Tuesday, which is all-you-can eat tacos for $16. The tacos are pretty big – larger than street tacos – and usually cost $5-6 apiece, so this was a pretty good deal. I ended up grubbing 6 and one guy in our group polished off 8!
The chicken was my favorite – tender and juicy but seared so there were lovely crispy bits along with pumpkin seeds for textural contrast. I also really liked the queso fresco. Smoked pork was a disappointment for me. The tomatillo was tasty but watery, and the pork itself had no smoke flavor.
The tortillas made in-house were excellent. Fluffy yet firm and up to the task of holding the ample and juicy fillings. However, I stand by my assessment the tortillas don’t elevate these tacos to anywhere near the level of Guerrilla’s. Chef Wes is in a completely different league imo.
Tacoteca, isn’t as good as when they first opened either. At least the tortillas are still good. It’s turned into a happy hour / first date kind of place. I’m wondering if it was more of a consulting gig for the original chef ala Red O…
Next time you go to Tire Shop, with or without friends, make sure to stop at Chico Loco Pupusas (just down the street on Avalon, and hang a left, or east, on 42nd, and it’s the house with red brick light posts). Walk right into the back, and order up. I prefer a vegetarian papusa (like the watercress or squash one), pile on the curtido as much as you like (and I like mucho curtido), then just dig in, utensils optional.
Sad news: just stopped by Tacoteca for a quick bite and they said they’re changing to a more “Americanized” menu. What that means is that EVERY SINGLE GOOD THING on the menu is gone–the only tacos left are carne, chicken, pork, and vegetable street tacos, which are just meat, diced onions+cilantro and an ok salsa. All of the tasty, interesting tacos are gone. A huge bummer.