It’s been said there are three parts to every taco: tortilla, filling and salsa. There’s a fourth, however, and it may be the most important one: balance. It’s the balance of flavors and textures, and the ratio of filling-to-tortilla. It’s no single one of those but it’s the … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: Taqueria El Trailero has the anti-taco salad
There is no such thing as a taco without a tortilla. With all due apologies to Donald J. Trump, a taco salad may be a salad, but it definitely isn’t a taco. A taco made with American supermarket tortillas isn’t much better. The tacos at Taqueria El Trailero (Carretera … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: Birrieria Isabel: another roadside attraction
There could be worse places to look for happiness than the bottom of a bowl of birria. Church, for instance. Or maybe the ballot box. High cuisine is great and tacos have their charms, but is there anything better than pulling up to a roadside birrieria, seeing lines out the door … [Read more...]
RECIPE: Pressed Lamb Shank “Birria” | Roast Garlic Puree | Brown Beech Mushrooms | Fried Cilantro
I have written about birria often (e.g. http://sdfoodtravel.com/badass-kosher-jewish-mexico-its-not-an-oxymoron/). There is no single classic Mexican dish that has more captured my imagination. It is a dish that is nearly ubiquitous at roadside stands and restaurants throughout … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: Ride the railroad at El Ferrocarril
Its name translates as "The Railroad" though there's no rail line in the vicinity and likely never was. Googling the place is futile, so you wonder whether it really exists. But the lamb tacos and broth served at El Ferrocarril (Calle Rio Seco 179 at the corner of Calle Once) in … [Read more...]