Mexican in Brooklyn - I

NYC is deemed a bit of a culinary wasteland when it comes to authentic Mexican cuisine. Even it's most faithful denizen would agree that many other large metropolises; LA, Houston, San Antonio even Chicago etc. have it beat on most things Hispanic whether it is burritos and tacos or more complex moles and ceviche. However, there is a sizeable Hispanic population in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. And that made it probably the best place to get ourselves an authentic taco fix. Just like any true ethnic neighborhood in the outer boroughs of NYC, Sunset Park too has this ability to envelop and transport you to another land. The people walking the streets, the grocery stores offering exotic latino ingredients like achiote pastes, dried epasote leaves and cactii in the produce aisle or small shops vending phone cards with 'Especial' (sic) rates to Santiago, Mexico City and Bolivia; all elements that get you feeling you've landed someplace in Latin America; not a tony borough of the Big Apple. Even on a lazy Sunday afternoon, parking was a bit of a pain but we got a fairly sweet spot right next to Sunset Park. We had to have disciplined ordering.. the aim here was to cover as much ground as possible; or atleast as much as our stomachs allowed us to. First stop was Tacos Matamoros; the place that Chowhounds seem to rave about. Oddly, this place did not resemble your inexpensive Mexican restaurant. It had soft lighting and wood paneled walls, akin to an upscale bar. We ordered a 'Tostada de Ceviche' - kind of like a 'Sev Puri' minus the sev or the potatoes; replaced instead with a sweet seafood salad and topped with humongous avocado slices. The tostada was nice and crunchy and the squid and shrimp were fresh and barely 'cooked' in the marinade; however the sauce had a cloying sweetness which overpowered the refreshing cilantro-limey sour tang that one expects in a well marinated ceviche. Next on order were the star attraction - the tacos. We stuck to our agenda limiting ourselves to a plate of tres tacos - 3 tiny soft tortillas topped to the gills - one with tender well seasoned meat - the 'Al Pastor' - pork shaved off the spit (like the Lebanese Shawarma or the Greek Gyro) , another with Carnitas - supposedly roast pork - which had turned rather dry. Finally, last but not the least, the Chorizo sausage was greasy as expected - some of the red oil threatening to drip off the open end of the tortilla but the sausage itself was quite flavorful and tender. All of the tacos were copiously topped with finely chopped onion and cilantro. Yes, the meat on the Carnitas lacked a bit of character, and the proportion of raw onions and cilantro to the meat seemed to border on the excessive. But that would be nitpicking. The tortillas were soft and fresh; accompanied with slices of raw radish; a quick squeeze of the lime slices, a dash of the salsas - both roja (red) and verde (green) and we were transported well south of the border. Make no mistake, this may have been no LA, Houston or even Chicago quality but it was miles better than the chain offerings of Baja Fresh and Chipotle. Compared to Taco Bell? Lets not even go there! Tacos were cheap - $1.50 for each while the Tostada was $3.50; well in line with expectations of a true authentic down home Mexican meal.

Our next stop was just across the street - Tacos Xochimilco (pronounced 'Zoshimilco') - another place held in rather high esteem by chowhounders. This was a smaller simpler place with more spartan interiors and not as many families/kids. They brought out a helping of fresh tortilla chips with a couple of bright green and red salsas. The chips were really crunchy out of the fryer but a tad bit oily. Not in a mood to set off a taco comparo, we decided to get something different. Settled on the corn tamale and a Pambazo Torta. Now, these were vegetarian treats - the corn tamale a traditional Latin American dish involving corn masa dough wrapped in a corn husk and steamed to cook through. Here, it was brought steaming to the table and was quite flavorful. There are numerous variations available with all kinds of meats and cheeses; even sweet ones with raisins and dried fruit. However we ordered a plain one with some salsa verde. The Pambazo Torta looked really interesting - a dish from the Veracruz region of Mexico, its a sandwich made by coating the bread with a red guajillo sauce and fried to a somewhat crispy crust.
Then, our version had potatoes layered on topped with crema (sour cream), queso fresco (cream cheese) and shredded lettuce. Tastewise, it fell a bit short since it lent itself to comparison with the pan Indian Pav bhaji or the Kutchi Dabeli which given the somewhat similar ingredients (crunchy spiced sandwich stuffed with spiced potato), have a much more complex flavor profile and easily trumped this torta.

Sunset Park around the corner turned out to be the ideal place to walk off a wee bit of those calories that we had packed on! We dragged ourselves up the rather steep walking track and our efforts were rewarded with some nice views of lower Manhattan

The park was bustling with families lazing around enjoying the summer sun and and as we rounded the turn we spotted Lady Liberty gazing back from across the harbor. From here, it truly appeared as if she was longing for a taste of Mexico here in Sunset Park.