A Life Worth Eating

Mar 31

Mar 31 Tacos Rossy

San José del Cabo has some of the freshest seafood in Mexico. Being on the Mar de Cortez and a stone's throw from Pacific makes San José one of the premier fishing destinations in the world. For many coastal restaurants in Baja California Sur, seafood is brought in daily -- sometimes even twice daily. The fish is thrown on the grill or simply splashed with lime and served raw. When fish is this fresh, it really doesn't need that much preparation. Taquería Rossy has exceptionally fresh fish. The restaurant's decor -- much like an abandoned high school cafeteria with the fluorescent lights permanently off -- is not representative of the quality of the food. It's a local restaurant that has become popular during lunch and the staff, much like everyone else in Baja California, is relaxed and comfortable with the foreigners who have discovered this fantastic place.

Mar 30

Mar 30 El Charco de las Ranas

Adam Goldberg

Mexico

Finding the best tacos al pastor in Mexico City is akin to finding the best baguette in Paris. There are so many places of exceptional quality; the differences come down to stylistic nuances in flavor and preparation. The best taco al pastor in Mexico City is the closest taquería nearby above a minimum quality threshold that's open late-night. Fortunately, the city is full of such restaurants. One of them is El Charco de las Ranas, or "frog's puddle." It's a sit-down restaurant as opposed to a street-side taco stand. The authenticity police might get angry that real tacos are to be consumed sitting down, but rest assured this is the real deal. There's a full kitchen in the back with a fire-roasted rotating pork spit by the door. The smell of roasting pork permeates the entire restaurant.

Mar 22

Mar 22 Taquería Liliana

Adam Goldberg

San José del Cabo

I always thought a taco implied a hardshell. At least in the US, I grew up with the crispy yellow pre-folded U-shaped shells that were stuffed to the brim with ground beef, iceberg lettuce, flavorless tomatoes, and buried in orange cheddar cheese. Only after visiting Mexico (a lot), I learned, or at least I thought I did, that truly authentic tacos consist of double-layered soft corn tortillas -- each no bigger than 6-inches in diameter -- dotted with a sprinkle of meat. Turns out this was wrong, too. The contrast of authentic tacos being smaller in size with a soft shell versus the oversized crispy-shell impostors is overly simplistic. The texture, size, shape, and filling of authentic tacos varies tremendously. Some of Mexico's most delicious tacos are in fact hard-shelled, native to regions like Los Mochis and Baja California Sur.

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