December is for curling up on the couch with family, a pint of heady stout in hand, Bing Crosby’s seasonal standards competing for aural real estate with the proclamations of lovestruck teenagers tipsy from sneaking sips of Grandpa’s eggnog—“Hey, look, we’re under the mistletoe! You know what that means?”—emanating from the next room and for recollections of Christmases past, not to mention tamales. Tacos, not really. So, before I get anymore yuletide happy and completely forget about tacos, I’d like to offer a list of my 2011 favorites (i.e., those that kept me up late because I was pondering their insides).
Cabeza at La Norteña
An esteemed colleague of mine believes the best tacos come from carnecerias (butcher shops). Thanks to the cabeza at (below, right) La Norteña Food Mart, I believe it to. Cooked for hours by owner Baldemar Martinez, the cabeza taco is a capital taco where de todo un poco parties on your tongue. It’s succulent (that one’s for you, Joe Flowers). Continue reading
The Taco Trail 