Cousins do Tacos!

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Dos Toros
137 4th Avenue
New York, NY

For weeks I have been meaning to stop by Dos Toros. When I was working, we ended right in front of this taqueria, but at 8pm on a weeknight the place is jammed! With a line out the door I knew I had to try the food, but I would wait for a slightly tamer time.

My cousin, Jonathan, suggested I add Dos Toros to my list of visited taquerias when I told him about my blog. We made a plan and this afternoon we met at Dos Toros for lunch.

The space reminds me of BurittoVille, a local NYC chain that disbanded a few years ago and left me quick Mexican food-less for some time. The wooden tables and leather-seated stools make the place feel comfortable, homey, and conducive to a quick bite or a drawn out lunch.

I ordered 2 tacos -- one basic (rice and beans) and the other carne asada (steak) in soft corn tortillas (obviously). Watching them make the tacos at the counter allowed you to personalize it however you like. I went all in -- pico de gallo, guacamole, and hot sauce. The novelty items for these tacos was that each included cheese as a base layer for whatever else you got. Subtle, yet significant.



The tacos were jam-packed with deliciousness. The meat and toppings were overflowing, but the tortillas maintained their structure throughout the meal. The best way to describe the flavors is natural. The steak was great steak. The guac was great guac. The tortillas tasted like real corn and the rice and beans was exactly what you would hope rice and beans tastes like. The food tasted real. Plus, the hot sauce didn't burn your mouth off, but certainly added a tangy kick that pulled all the flavors together.

The basic taco, newly coined the "taco-burrito" by Jonathan, was surprisingly filling. Next time I'll skip the guac on that one for the sake of simplicity.

These tacos reminded my A LOT of Gordo Taqueria in San Francisco. As I left Dos Toros I remembered reading about a new NY taqueria opened by the brothers who came from the Bay and frequented Gordo. Guess what? That NY taqueria is Dos Toros. Here's the link to the article: Dos Toros Taqueria. Gordo gave me some of the best tacos I have had and Dos Toros is right up there with them. Now it all makes sense that Jonathan and I were sensing the good ol' California vibe from the food and the atmosphere.

Reasonably priced (we questioned how exactly they arrived at $3.67 for a taco), purely tasty, and extremely convenient (take the 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, or L train to Union Square), Dos Toros is not a taqueria to skip over.

Thanks to Jonathan for the suggestion!

Also, they are into sustainability -- compostable forks and knives, locally raised chicken, organic beans, biodegradable cleaning products etc. Good food and good intentions. What more can you ask?

Comments

  1. JBTAugust 11, 2010 at 1:12 PM

    I am drooling. Please bring 4 or 5 of these in your pocket before you board the plane to see me in ONE WEEK!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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