Camera in the Kitchen: La Taqueria

There are few things ~~in life~~ at Mexican restaurants better than fresh guacamole prepared at your tableside, so when Gothamist spied a bowlful of avocados ready for smashin', we headed into Park Slope's inviting La Taqueria, a long, narrow joint smattered with paintings by local artist Jeramy Turner. Margaritas are a must-have, though nearly a dozen bottled beers appear on the menu including Tecate and Pacifico along with fresh fruit juices and the house sangria. Hot, crispy tortilla chips still dripping in oil arrived at the table for starters, accompanied by a mild, but smoky salsa. Soon afterwards, a cart quietly rolled up to the table where cilantro, lemon, and tomatoes were smashed into ripened avocados with a mortar and pestle and left to devour with another basket of chips.

While famous for their monstrous burritos (and by monstrous we mean INSANELY HUGE) available both at La Taqueria's take-out joint next door and inside at the restaurant, the sit-down menu lends itself to perennial favorites like steak fajitas: juicy hunks of steak, red and yellow bell peppers and onions which arrived sizzling hot on a cast-iron plate. Gothamist's chicken mole enchiladas, two generously filled corn tortillas slathered in spicy, but rich mole sauce came with a heaping side plate of fresh guacamole, rice, beans, salsa, and sour cream as most entrees do. Enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, and tacos come with a vegetable, pork, chicken, or steak filling option, and sour cream can be substituted with non-fat yogurt, beans either red or black. Soups and salads are also options for those preferring lighter fare. The mango salad mixes a bed of mixed greens, tomatoes, fruit, and a light vinaigrette; black bean soup is warming for those not quite ready for summer.

Whether stopping for take-out, or sitting down to indulge in the art of guacamole-preparation, the meat is equally juicy, food piping hot, and servings more than generous. Perfect after soaking up sun in Prospect Park or if a San Franciscan craving the closest thing to Mission-style burritos, La Taqueria offers fresh and filling Mexican in a casual, no-frills atmosphere.

La Taqueria is located at 72 Seventh Ave (between Lincoln & Berkeley) in Park Slope. 718.398.4300.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By youngna park in Food on May 4, 2006 12:15 PM

Comments [rss]

Shmit Lorrie

La Taqueria isn't too bad, sort of the Cabo San Lucas of Mexican Food in New York, but if you want the good stuff you go west my son.

Myszka

Eew. Canned avocado pulp? Bluch.

I love fresh guac, too! Yay for made-at-the-table!

Darrin

To: Myszka

Almost every "Authentic Mexican" restaurant in New York uses canned avocado pulp. Having it made fresh insures that it's made from fresh ingredients and that the flavors can be adjusted for your palate.

Now, the big, dirty secret: two out of the three supermarket brands of Guacamole I've found have NO AVOCADO in them. So, there's even a chance that the green stuff that you're scarfing down isn't just canned, it might not even be avocado!

chicken!

los pollitos is the best!!

Guy

Re: Myszka

Nothing beats fresh guac! The fresher, the better and anyway you see that there's no funny business going on when they mash up the ingredients.

x

if you have a CA state ID you get a free margarita on wednesdays

Constant Dater

Can't wait for the inevitable Californian lamenting the shit quality of Mex (or Cali-Mex) in NYC!

I like La Taq OK (only been there a few times, I'm further down the Slope).

I'm also partial to Los Pollitos on 5th/St. John; it's not exactly as great as I remember the Sunset Park one being, but it's not so damn far away (and just maybe LP in SP tastes better in my memory 'cause there's not too many non-takeout restaurants in the SP.)

Jack

>

No, apparently it IS, but they just named it Rachel's or something. Word so far is not impressive, but haven't been there myself, so.... La Taqueria is definitely serviceable. California mex, big burritos...

Dan

The long awaited 5th ave outpost of La Taq did finally open recently- 408 5th ave, between 7th & 8th. It's seem to be take out only. There's tables, but no table service like 7th ave after 5pm.

Myszka

What is so great about guacamole being made "at the table?" I find it so peculiar that that's often the first thing people say when they're describing a Mexican restaurant that they like. How odd.

Gari N. Corp

I met the person I'm marrying in this joint. I made quite the ass of myself that night, though. Remember the shame better than the guacamole.

There was a storefront on the lower reaches of Fifth Avenue that was forever promising to turn into a Tacqueria. Never happened, though.

famdoc

There are few restaurants where grown-up "foodies" and their teenaged children can agree upon, but, in our family, "La Taq" is number one. The freshness of their ingredients (stand on the take-out line and count how many times fresh ingredients are brough from the kitchen) and the generosity of their portions (I swear, their burritos weigh in at 3 pounds), combined with the ambience (dig the decor: mid-60s Haight-Ashbury combined with mid-00s Park Slope) and the availability of more than adequate choices for a veggie, make La Taq a natural.

Thanks for highlighting this gem from among the dozens of Taquerias that have appeared in NYC.