Tacos, one of the four pillars of Hell’s Kitchen. Thai, Ramen, and bars are the other three. I cant think of many Hell’s Kitchen corners where you are not less than 5 minutes away from good tacos. But try telling that to the 100 or so poor souls standing on a long line in freezing temps at Los Tacos #1 (or is it #2) in Times Square because their notes say so. Oh its good alright. But in this Little Puebla there are options. Many options.
Carnitas at Alan’s Kitchen Mexican Cuisine – The newest kid on the block may very well be the best of all. No alcohol license as of this writing, but the kitchen dishes out some of the juiciest pulled pork and Carne Asada (top pic) around. Perhaps the closest you can get to Mission (San Francisco) quality. 339 W 44th St (8/9)
Shrimp at Otto’s Tacos – Small shrimp but with a lot of Chutzpah. Smartly seasoned, served with Serrano cream and onions. Slightly inconsistent as of late, but when they are on they are on. And when they are not, they are still one of the better shrimp tacos out there. 705 9th Ave (48/49)
Al Pastor at Tulcingo Del Valle – One of the old guards on 10th. When neighbor Tehuitzingo unexpectedly shuttered, the other T became the king of Al Pastor. You cant mix and match here, so bring friends, or a bigger appetite. Or both. 665 10th Ave (46/47)
Carnitas at Tacuba – This is the entree, not the “tacos”. Although the small designer tacos are good here as well. Order the Carnitas main and manufacture your own tacos. Its hard to screw up with that wonderfully greasy suckling pig featuring plenty of crispy Chicharron. 802 9th Ave (54/53)
Oyster Mushroom at La Palapa – While everyone else is offering just boring cactus, the newest taco joint in Gotham West Market has the most impressive array of Veggie tacos. The mushroom here works very well with the Chihuahua cheese and Pasilla peppers. Its like a Russian Mushroom Julienne taco. 600 11th Ave (44/45)
Taco Wednesday (or is it Tuesday), taco month, national taco day. I lose track sometimes, and I never discriminate. I once even had an Al Pastor on a Thursday, a designated personal soup day. I did not enjoy it. But is there a governing body that registers all these national days? Are all 365 days already taken, or can things overlap. For example, can we add a National Shakshuka day on a day that just happens to be a National Chihuahua day. Personally I dont see why Shakshukas and Chihuahuas cant be combined, but I can see the need for a limit of some sort as eventually the list will become too tedious to maintain its usefulness. Do Chihuahua even eat Shakshuka? I bet Sabra Chihuahuas do.
Eating With Ziggy 