Email
Print
FeedThe Tacolicious Cookbook Will Put Tacos On Your Holiday Table
A San Francisco restaurant's new book takes the taco to the next level.
There is a small group of taquerias and food trucks pushing the boundaries of the taco in the United States. Wes Avila’s Guerrilla Tacos; Guisados from Armando De La Torre Sr. and Armando De La Torre Jr.; Alex Stupak’s Empellón in New York; Revolver Taco Lounge from the Rojas family in Fort Worth, Texas; Taqueria Feliz in Philadelphia, where Lucio Palazzo helms the kitchen; and Antique Taco in Chicago are all part of that company. And then there is Tacolicious from husband and wife Sara Deseran and Joe Hargrave with executive chef Telmo Faria in San Francisco.
What Tacolicious and the others understand is that there exists a tradition that must be acknowledged. They remain faithful to it and have discovered how to play with their food within the boundaries, although they’re not afraid to punch the occasional hole in the barrier. These restaurants offer a mix of classic options and dishes that allow them to flex creative muscle, usually with an eye toward high-quality local, seasonal foods.
With Tacolicious: Festive Recipes for Tacos, Snacks, Cocktails, and More (Ten Speed Press, 2014) by Sara Deseran and Joe Hargrave, Tacolicious has planted itself firmly in that foundation. In the cookbook we learn the owners were inspired by a trip to Mexico City where they saw and ate at restaurants that eschewed clichés favored by Americans. What they encountered was the diversity of Mexican food. The recipes in their new book reflect that variety and offer home cooks the chance to prepare everything from birria de chivo (a guisado, or stew of goat) and simple grilled meats to fancy turns with guajillo-braised beef short rib, or butternut squash, kale, and crunchy pepitas. The latter option has day after Thanksgiving written all over it. The American hard shell taco also gets real estate, of course.
While the recipes are approachable, many are labor-intensive. That doesn't mean they're not worth it — they absolutely are — but Tacolicious' fare isn't the unassuming street food of stereotype. It is Mexican food in all its nuanced, complex glory.
Throughout the book, a deep respect for Mexican food and the culture is evident. While better ingredients and handmade tortillas are essential to raising the taco bar, it is this reverence that truly takes the food to the next level. Tacolicious has shown it can do that.
GET RECIPES FOR TACO TUESDAY OR ANY HOLIDAY >>
Tacolicious: Festive Recipes for Tacos, Snacks, Cocktails, and More (Ten Speed Press, 2014) is available at Amazon.com.
