Expect to see a lot more tacos in the next couple of months as the Mexican street food gets more and more popular among diners. Yesterday, chefs and cooks gathered at the Milagro restaurant on Mercer Street to compete in a taco cook-off where diners got to select their favourite in a blind taste test.
The sold-out $50-per-head event (the price of which included six taco-and-alcohol pairings) was part of the Death Row Meal Supper Club organized by food blogger Joel Solish. And now, on to the important part: pictures of tacos!
From Rossy Earle: avocado cream, braised and pulled chipotle smoked smoked duck, chayote and tomato pickled slaw, culantro-lime cream and fried duck skin on a green plantain tortilla.
From Steve Gonzalez (who, as of February, will be briefly taking over the kitchens and menu of Niagara Street Cafe from a departing Nick Liu):
grilled adobo pork, tomatillo-and-corn relish, garlic and lime creme fraiche on a refried bean tortilla.
From Tom Davis (representing The Stockyards): braised beef cheek and smoked tongue with avocado crema, pickled red onion, cilantro and hot sauce.
From Andres Marquez (representing Charlie’s Burgers): Carne asada (a kind of thinly sliced steak dish) taco of smoked and grilled Kobe beef knuckle.
From Nick Liu (representing Niagara Street Cafe): Fried octopus, chorizo bacon, smoked paprika caponata and spicy tomato aioli on a “tortilla” made of thinly sliced jicama.
From Arthuro Anhalt (represeting Milagro): Spicy chorizo with salsa verder, onion and nopales.
After the votes were counted, it was Liu’s inventive (and tasty) take on the taco that won the most votes. The next Death Row Meals event will be in February featuring young cooks and sous chefs.
