Characteristics of a taqueria

The majority of (American) taquerias that i have been to have a certain number of characteristics in common. They are in no particular order, and no one is a guarantee if quality, rather an indication of authenticity. If a recipe is to bear a traditional name than it should be carried out in the traditional manner, otherwise it is only being incorrectly renamed or falsely executed.

1) Television that is turned up too loud, sometimes reaching uncomfortable volumes. Most commonly showing Telemundo or something to that effect, news, sport (soccer), soaps, etc.

2)Radio that is turned up way too loud, sometimes in addition to the television.

3)Paint job is bright, clashing, and has a "do it yourself" feel to it. In fewer instances the paint job is more elaborate and quite nice, including murals or painted furniture; some regions have stronger painting cultures than others. In either case, colors are bright, plentiful, and brilliant.

4)Spanish speaking is always preferred for every reason, and i mean every one on staff.

5)On site production of key ingredients. A restaurant attached to a tienda may have access to a butcher, bakery, tortillaria, etc. Many places make their own tortillas though they are not tiendas; pay attention to what is produced on the spot; is the cream made fresh or is it out of a can? That stuff out of the can kind of scares me. Do they make their own chips? Grind the spices fresh? Make and then refry the beans? Produce more than the two standard salsas?

6)If the salsa is not hot then there aint much to talk about. I am not talking about blindly hot either because a good salsa does not have to be so, it drowns the flavor of the chile in many instances. On the other hand salsa should not taste like pasta sauce as it does at pretty much every main street gringo attraction, black pepper should not be the hottest ingredient. I always dig the salsa bar when there is one. Availability of chiles is the main limitation of this geography.

7)Family run, mom and pop plus other generations on hand is always comforting.

8)Decorations that could be considered a bit tacky. Too many objects on the walls perhaps. A beautiful mural with a corona add right on top of it maybe. Funny things like bunches of fake garlic or chiles strung about. The strange decor usually creates a cozy homelike atmosphere perhaps due to its imperfection. The occasional taqueria is the opposite, it will be well painted, walls and benches with murals and detail, a truly nice and colorful atmosphere.

The Racist Taco

Being that the experience at Cha Cha Cha was so unexpected the last time, i had to go back and try it again. On the one occasion that i went the al pastor was a front runner for this town, the main guy from Mexico City even, i had to try it again. One of my friends went with me this time, who took a trip with me to Mexico a couple years ago and is big into the food, and who is gringo.
I suspected that i had been treated differently for speaking Spanish on the previous visit, for making correct references to the food, making chit chat about just having returned from the DF, my Spanish ok but the accent correct for the cause. We put it to the test.

My friend went in first; I waited until he had ordered and seated himself before going in at all. He had ordered in ordinary English where I finessed my way in Spanish and the results were drastic. One of the cooks went straight to the rotisserie to make my tacos al pastor, cutting the meat off fresh and in layers. The pastor they gave to my friend came from the back, the texture was too fine and moist, and the marinade was lesser as a result of the process. He was pretty flustered, you should have seen it.

You should be flustered as well if you go to this spot and your pastor is not cut to order. Don't settle for less or you will miss out big time. So many of these dishes have a delicate balance and don't need to be thrown off any more than they already are being so far from Mexico. This place has some of the best pastor around so ask about it and see if they do it right for you. Our low expectations are the reason for the low bar in the first place and this cycle should lead us upwards not down.

Trader Jose

Here is a beer to check out. It's a lager with a foot on both sides of the border. A Mexican beer from Trader Joe's. It seems that they contracted the Tecate company to produce an exclusive import for them, as they have done with other products. The regular lager is of the same pallet as a Pacifico or a Sol but is really better, and for 5.99 per six pack you cant beat it. How can six Coronas cost 9.99? Has the whole world gone nuts! So if you need a summer beer to wash down some tacos, give this one a try.

The dark lager is very drinkable but doesn't remind me of any Mexican beer I have ever had, oh well.

A delicacy from Oaxaca

One time in Oaxaca, i stumbled upon a small hole in the wall mescal shop. When my friend and i first wandered in, we found a girl who was around eight years old working behind the counter. Not knowing what to buy, i began to ask without thinking. I almost said " what would you recommend?" but realized the ridiculousness of the question, and asked instead, "which one sells the most?" She handed me a bottle of reposado. She looked indifferent as a cab driver from a big city might, as i didn't know immediately what i wanted, she had a look of annoyance on her face as if she was saying, "buy something or get the hell out". the whole transaction was a surreal one but the mescal was the real deal, very different than what you get around here. Surely there are many other producers who are on the level but they remain obscured and unnamed. Since then i return to the same shop when passing through.

The first time i drank the agave was ten years ago. I have never crossed the line of too much with this beast as i have been warned. I never really understood what the big deal was, everyone has had too much to drink before, but i could see that those who cautioned me were sincere, and also that all were in unanimous agreement.

Two weeks ago i saw the dragon. I went all the way to the mountain and saw the old man in his cave and with a single glance he told me that i was far away from home, far from where i belong.

I have never been so affected by alcohol before, waking up spinning drunk with a psychedelic twist. ohh the colors and the sickness, the cactus lingered long after the drunk had departed.

Mezcal and tequila are similer but come from different regions like Bourbon or champagne. Both are made of pure agave but mezcal tends to be a little stronger. Monte Alban and Oro de Oaxaca are the only two brands that are common around here. They are only 40 percent however and have never produced quite the same effect. I asked at a liquor store if any other brands were available and was told that there was a third kind that the distributor carried but that he never ordered it anyway for lack of a market, that one case lasted almost a year. Doesn't look like it will get here any time soon so if you make it south of the border, keep on the lookout for rare treats such as this. (More photos to come)

Al Pastor

This recipe is one of my favorites, when done properly it is a thing of beauty and genius. It was created in Mexico city during the late fifties which is not that long ago for a food which has become so traditional, widespread, and culturally indispensable. As widespread as it is now, really nobody this side of the border has been able to get it right. The marinade has been close in a few cases but the texture is almost always all wrong. The rotisserie is an essential part of the texture but is no guarantee, it still requires that the chef knows how to slice the meat properly. Too often I am told of a new place which has the proper equipment but find that it is being improperly used. These photos show an example of proper al pastor from a taqueria just off calle 5 de mayo just a few blocks from the zocalo. The meat is placed on the rotisserie to be cooked by a flame then the outermost layer that has been cooked is thinly sliced off. The layers can be seen stacked on top of one another still. A piece of pineapple is also on the rotisserie and most times a thin slice is put into the taco. The thin cut creates the proper texture.

The photo of the taquria shows the rotisserie and work station for the al pastor, it alone has two seperate grills. On the left side is another flat grill and on the right are two others of different shapes, all used for various meats. At least three chefs were present at all times, making service quick even in a crowd, keeping quality high as thier focus was not so divided, and still offering a decent size menu all at the same time.

angry start

I just got back from mexico and the tacos here suck! In fact all of the food kind of does. I have been meaning to write about food for a while and so now i am ready. our standards on food ensure that we will have a safe and mediocre experience every time, no more, no less. the food that is alright here is overpriced at best, and in a more expensive meal, more of the money goes for the surroundings than the food. even on the low end in this town, the cheaper mexican food is most often better than the more expensive, so what is justifying the higer price? something is wrong with the way we eat and it can be viewed from any number of angles which are to be reviewed here.

Since i have to start somewhere, let's start with mexican food. here is a list of the better taquerias and tiendas, and what is recomended at each place. rarely does one single location prepare it all well in portland for lack of labor on hand and multiple isolated grill stations. the ratings apply to portland only and is not to be compared to mexico or even california.

Yesenyas on 68th and powel serves up some decent chicken milanesa and pollo azado. the tortas or tacos are good as the bread and tortillas are produced on hand. check out the tienda side while you are there.

El Pato Feliz on 92nd just off of foster has some of the better al pastor and chorizo in town, more traditional than most. the carnitas and azada tacos are pretty good also, and if the beef caldo is on special then chek it out. the salsa bar is always enjoyable.

La Pasadita on 82nd serves up some good azada, carnitas, and some passable al pastor. the sope is one of my favorite in this town and the guarache isnt bad either. the salsa was nice and spicy the last couple times i have been, though it has fluctuated in the past; always delicous though. this spot has beer which is nice.

4 caminos on fourth plain in vancuver has become one of my favorite spots around. the azada is well executed, tender and marinated, going well in a regular azada taco, tijuana taco, or al carbon taco. this is the only al carbon taco i know of around here, it is quite delicous actually. also dont miss the al pastor, it varies a bit from day to day but when it is good it is quite good. the salsa is good and picante, though the tomatillos could be rendered further to cut the acidity. beer here.

Update: This place has changed cooks and the food has suffered greatly. The al carbon no longer much more than a tomato mess, the pastor and chorizo commonly overcooked.
autentica is a newer trendy upscale type of spot. the marinade on thier al pastor is in the right direction though the texture is still not there. the carnitas are a little heavy on the lime but are quite good. the puerco frito tostada is to be tried aswell. i was pleasently suprised by this place, though it is overpriced.

Lindo michoacan on 34th and division has a pretty mean sope and some good azada. the al pastor is not of the traditional variety but is tasty none the less.

Tienda de leon on 164th has my favorite carnitas around. they also have countless other roasts which i have not had the chance to try yet. the first place that i have seen salsa macha in this town aswell, it is made in a blender rather than by morder and pestal which is understandable for production, but the flavor is right on. check out the tienda and bulk deals on food while you are there.

Cha Cha Cha on hawthorne shocked the hell out of me last week. i was drunk on mezcal and stumbled in after seeing the rotisserie outside. i began to talk to the main dude in spanish and told him that i had just got back from the df, i asked him where he was from and he said df. the challenge was on. i ordered two al pastor tacos and he called his pinche from the kitchen who went straight to the spit and made my tacos to order and to my surprise they were very passable, even the texture was close which is the number one problem here with this style. i cant even believe that i am giving a compliment to this place as i have always found every element of it and its kind to be laughable. it is a burrito bar for white people who hate salsa and love sour cream! i will have to try it again to be sure.

Ochoas in Hillsboro is a journey worth while. the house special is always fun and varies each time, a glorious plate of multiple entrées.

Mi Tierra is the tienda right next to ochas. On sunday they serve up a great taco spread outside, a front runner for tacos al pastor and others.

Mi pueblo just off of 82nd on king road has pretty good spanish rice (which is uncommon) and fresh tortillas made to the order. the menu has changed a few times and the available taco selection is not always great. i might recomend an asada plate or another cut with tortillas on the side. the interior is nicely painted which creates a lovely atmosphere. full bar.

In no way is this a complete listing of places around, but these are the spots that i tend to freequent (exept for cha cha cha). i will comment on many more locations soon though most reviews are not positive ones.