Adios Taqueros

With all of the Thanksgiving hustle and bustle last week, the announced closing of Taqueros probably did not garner much attention.  But considering the number of diners (or lack thereof) at Taqueros in the last few months, I don't know if anything short of a front page posting on nola.com would have caused a reaction from the dining public.

The Folk Singer and I stopped in for our first and only meal at Taqueros on a Friday night in October.  We were the only people in the cavernous restaurant from 6:30 till 7:30, when two other tables filled up.  Our dinner was below average from start to finish, save for one shining moment.  We began with stale tostadas served with guacamole laced with so much lime juice that it had obviously been used both as a preservative and a means of resurrecting avocados that had been hibernating in the refrigerator far too long. Tacos filled with dry shredded pork were the lowlights of the entree round.  The highlight of the meal was the pipian sauce ladled atop chile rellenos stuffed with shrimp and cheese. When deciding what to order, the waitress had advocated this homely sauce made of pumpkin seeds and jalapeno. She did not steer us wrong, as the smooth light green sauce had both depth of flavor and vibrancy.

Restaurants come and restaurants go.  After taking a number of runs at keeping Taqueros opened, it looks like Chef Peters has finally threw in the towel.  My question is this: Why?  Admittedly, I never ate at the first iteration of Taqueros in Kenner, but I have never heard anything but great things about the food there.  So did Chef Peters bite off more than he could handle with the huge space on St. Charles Avenue? Did he lose focus as to what his diners enjoyed about the restaurant (like the free salsa bar mentioned in the comments to one of the above linked stories)? Did the food never reach the excellence of its Kenner roots?

Or are people simply not willing to pay top dollar for Mexican food?  Has the proliferation of the taco truck made it near impossible to serve chicken mole for $24? 

In Search of Monday Lunch: La Guadalupana

Located in an unassuming shotgun house on Broad Street, La Guadalupana seems out of place among the numerous bail bondsmen and criminal defense offices in the area. Not surprisingly, few would be diners come upon the restaurant by chance. If you are ever summoned for jury duty at Criminal District Court, this is a good spot to beat the crowds for a quick lunch. For those in the CBD, it's less than a 10 minute drive.

The menu is quite extensive for such a small restaurant. Tacos of all sorts come topped with slivers of fresh avocado and a heavy scattering pico de gallo. Enchiladas are rolled to order and topped with melted cheese. The Salvadoran influence is shown in the warm, orange-hued salsa (served complimentary with chips to start your meal) and pupusas stuffed with cheese and/or chicharron. Fried yuca, skirt steak, and menudo are all lurking on the menu as well.

Surroundings are at a minimum - tile floors, banquet chairs, and table cloths that I swear were purchased from my grandmother's 1986 moving sale. The food seems to come slowly from the kitchen, but that's not necessarily a bad sign. Chances are that English is the second language for most of the other diners in the room, but you will still be able to figure out who they're cheering for between the soccer match on TV. I expect this to be a very popular (and entertaining) spot to watch the World Cup this summer.

La Guadalupana - Par

State of the Eating: Mexican in New Orleans, Part I

Recently this blog solicited your comments. We wanted to know where you could get authentic Mexican in this city. You obliged, and we have eaten. So here now is a review of Mexican eateries around the 504. This list is by no means exhaustive, just a few spots I have been able to sample so far.

This taco outpost holds the richness of the earth in a converted truck. I love this place. There are few frills, no 21 year old wanna-be-celebutante wearing a big sombrero and sucking down sugary margaritas as she talks to some guy in an Ed Hardy shirt while updating her facebook status on her iPhone. There is no sign stating that McSuperiors put the Fun in queso FUNdido. You cant order fried ice cream. It is just tacos and tortas done perfectly, some Mexican sodas, and a view of one of New Orleans best streets. The only embellishment is two sauces. A green one and a red one. Try them both, srat star.

The tripe tacos are just amazing. I could try to describe them to you but sometimes only Shakespeare's words will suffice: "Tripe tacos you complete me!"

You can choose from steak, a succulent stewed beef, chicken, carnitas, grilled pork, and I am sure many more. The food's quality is not matched by its prices. A plate of 3 tacos will set you back about $5. Take that Taco Bell. The tortas are not bad either. Grilled fluffy bread are stuffed with your choice of meat, dressed, and slathered with some melted cheese. Its enough to make your roast beef po-boy jealous.

Less good was El Rinconcito and Fiesta Latina. The former is really a cantina which it seems is Mexican for bar food. The salsa was good and the pollo frito delivered a bird more closely aligned with confit than with fried food. The loud Central American Pop Tunes didn't make things much better and everyone drinks Bud Light, not that there is anything wrong with that. Fiesta Latina seemed to be the Sysco of the Mexican food scene. Boring food with bright yellow government cheese covering or stuffed in most dishes.

Now Taco San Miguel in Fat City, that place is solid. Delicious tongue tacos, a multi-hued salsa bar, and some very honest cooking. I also loved the chicharonnes with their snappy texture and creamy interior these pork skins were a welcome addition to any of the offerings.

Another place we have enjoyed so far is Le Guadelepeno on Broad near Criminal Court. The only hiccup was the cold chicken enchiladas. But then again it was 10:30 in the morning on a Sunday. I am sure the cooks were still thinking breakfast.

The tacos were well made. The tortillas at Le Guadelepeno were exceptionally tender, but still retained a solid structure. But the papusas were phenomenal. Little pockets of soft corn dough stuffed with pork and cheese, griddled and sent out with a fiery sauce and some pickled cabbage. We got them as our apps, I wish it would have been my main.

The search still continues, but so far the State of Mexican Food in New Orleans is strong. Where else do I need to go?