I read a couple of glowing reviews of Taqueria La Mexicana, and I’ve been meaning to go there and check it out for a while. I am constantly waylaid by the delights of Wu Chon House whenever I am in Union Square, though.
But today I was headed for the Reliable Market, to buy more kimchi, having used up the last of it yesterday, putting our household at risk of having to eat its spicy ramen without adornment. And I was hungry, which is never a good plan for me when I am heading into a food store. So I took the opportunity to scratch the taco itch that’s been plaguing me of late, an itch made all the worse by thoughts of Chicago and a friend moving there next month.
I got one pork taco and one potato & chorizo taco, since the latter was touted by one of the reviews. Potato & chorizo is fine, but the pork is where it’s at: a truly moist, meaty carnitas that’s flavorful enough to stand up to a pair of tortillas. The tortillas are store-bought, but freshly warmed on the griddle. The pico de gallo was just sad, beige tomato dice with barely a dusting of cilantro and onion. I brushed most of it off, and next time I will ask for just cilantro and onion. There will be a next time, on the strength of that carnitas, though overall it doesn’t hold a candle to the delights of Chicago Mexican. The new Cantina La Mexicana next door, though, is really quite a nice space, all dark wood and sparkling glassware at the bar, and with perfectly adequate Mexican food like this, it should do just fine in the Boston market.