May 10, 2005
¡Taqueria Mi Mexico! Redux
by psuSince we live there part time now, I thought it would be fitting to provide a bit more commentary on the new Mexican place in Squirrel Hill.
The Big Picture
Go there, now.
Some Extra Details
In our previous episode, Pete recommended the chorizo, barbacoa (goat), tripas (tripe) and lengua (tounge) tacos. I can vouch for these recommendations and add that the longaniza (spicy sausage), carnitas (roast pork), and cabesa (cow's head) tacos are also yummy.
As nice as the tacos are though, three other items in the place stand out as my favorites.
First, the green salsa that they set out has evolved to be a truly fantastic condiment. It is a hearty mix of tomatillos, green chili peppers, cilantro, onion and maybe just a bit of avacado used as a thickener. Spicy without being overly hot. Thick and rich without being too heavy. It's perfect.
Second, the tortas are really good and are possibly an even better value than the tacos. You can get tortas with all of the same fillings as the tacos. In addition, they come topped with onion, avacado and jalapenos, and the whole thing is squished between thick slices of fresh bread. My favorite is the chorizo. It seems to strike the best balance, and the spice from the sausage really makes the bread taste good.
Finally, Jarritos Lime Soda. Yum. Too bad they've been out of it the last two days.
So there you have it. Go get some.
I went - they are indeed great, and thankfully not stingy with the avocado. One thing I observed is that their horchata is noticably different from the (only?) other local place with horchata, Veracruz. Taqueria's is more watery, less sugary, with not much cinnamon and something delicate tasting at the end (soap maybe). I prefer the thicker, more cinnamony one at Veracruz, but it could be a touch less sweet. At any rate, I'm wondering which is more "authentic", or if horchata is the sort of thing that has multiple personalities...?
I forgot about all the soups they have now. I haven't tried one yet.
Taco Loco also has horchata. Mmmm, horchata.
I really do need to try this new place, though.
Posted by Nat at May 10, 2005 10:58 PMIt rocks. I think I'll go Wednesday. When do you folks eat lunch?
Posted by Andrew Plotkin at May 11, 2005 01:40 AMI recently checked out ĦTaqueria Mi Mexico!. Got 2 types of tacos, barbacaoa, and pastor, with a carne asada torta.
I agree more with the tone of peterb's first post. Decent place, but nothing special. I spent most of the last two decades in Denver, so I have had lots of good Mexican, from linen table, to taqueria, to taco truck. Sure, this is a nice change from the cloned Tex-Mex, or Mc-Chipotles (not in PA, yet, definate flame bait), but average is still average.
From the paper notes on the wall, they have menudo (not the boy band). Not sure, if it is available daily (which means it is likely canned), or just weekends (probably made from scratch).
Nit: No carnitas for tacos, but it is available for tortas?
Has anybody checked out Maya? It was reviewed recently in CityPaper. It is near a Mexican grocery store on Broadway, in the rats nest that is Beechview. I need a local source for cascabel chilis for the Good Eats 3 meat 3 pepper chili.
Posted by Amos the Poker Cat at May 12, 2005 09:41 PMPlease help support Tea Leaves by visiting our sponsors.
