The famed food critic (Eater and formerly Village Voice) visited Taqueria Sofia (187 Suydam St.) which he says is one of his “favorite places in the neighborhood.” He also swung by Free Williamsburg favorite Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos (271 Starr St.) and was — surprisingly — underwhelmed by the vegetarian taco:
The taco caused some consternation since it tasted like a side salad in a tortilla. “You know, the kind you get with your main course and leave lying on the plate.
He loved Santa Ana Deli, which we honestly have not tried, but will be making our way there ASAP to try their burrito mojado:
First to arrive were a pair of tacos placeros, or “market tacos,” that Santa Ana Deli has been instrumental in popularizing them in Bushwick. One was filled with orange rice and a freshly fried chile relleno, the other with a boiled egg. We topped both with the tomatillo-and-green-chile salsa, and pronounced them soul-satisfying.
Next up was a taco arabe: As interpreted here, it included rolled shards of pork al pastor with sauteed onions and spicy chipotle sauce in a flour tortilla. The taco — really, almost a pita sandwich — proved marvelously mouth-singeing. Alvarez had noted an addition at the bottom righthand corner of the menu that I hadn’t noticed, something called a Santanero burrito. We ordered one filled with carnitas. Since burritos are a California invention, it’s always interesting to see what Bushwick bodega-taquerias do with them.
In this case the result was an opulence we weren’t prepared for: a weighty package folded around pork, rice, and beans, topped with three sauces representing the Mexican flag. It was snowed with queso seco and further greenery, and sided with salad, chips, and guacamole. Basically, it was like a burrito mojado like you find at Taqueria Cancun in San Francisco’s Mission District. Amazing!
Read the whole crawl on Eater. What are your favorite spots in Bushwick and North Brooklyn?