Tacos, Tortas, Sopes and Huraraches of NYC

By Karey Benitez — I am American Mexican but would like to say I relate more to my Mexican side. When it comes to going out to eat, I do not like to step out of my shell. What I enjoy the most about Mexican foods is that one can order the same food, but the place can make it a different way. Every Mexican dish has a signature. It can be the use of color, of spices, of vegetables or how it is presented on the dish.

Tacos de Alambre — Tacos El Poblano, Lincoln Park, Bronx: Tacos de Alambre can come in various way. In Tacos El Poblano in the Bronx, they serve these tacos as any other tacos, cilantro, onion and choice of sauce. Typically, tacos de Alambre can come with melted cheese, avocado, even bacon.

Tacos de Lengua — Quesadillas Doña Matty, East Harlem, Manhattan: Tacos de lengua means tongue tacos. These tacos are made of a cow’s tongue. It sounds disgusting in English but once you give it a taste it will become one of your favorite tacos to enjoy.

Sopes de Al Pastor — 
Delicias Puebla, Queens: Sopes could be described as Masa boats which are basically a thicker handmade tortilla with rim pinched to make it more of a border, so the ingredients do not fall out. Toppings consist of beans, al pastor (pork), shredded cheese, and lettuce.

Tacos Ribeye — Pink Cantina, Lower Manhattan: What better way to experience a taco than building your own. Fun fact, tacos made their way to America in 1905 in San Antonio, Texas, when Mexicans started making their way to America. It created the opportunity for plenty of people to start businesses such as food stands, restaurants, or food trucks.

Hurarache de Carnitas — Quesadillas Doña Matty, East Harlem, Manhattan: A “Hurarache de Carnitas” in English is a pork “sandal,” so named due to the shape of the tortilla. The same ingredients found on sopes can be added onto a huarache.

Tacos de Carnitas — Mallenche, Prospect Park South, Brooklyn: Tacos de carnitas in English has a funny name. It means tacos of little meats. Carnitas consist of pulled pork, but cut down to smaller bits. Taco de carnitas is America’s number two of the top five favorite tacos.

Enchiladas de Molé — Molé, Upper East Side, Manhattan: This dish is tortillas stuffed with chicken, rolled up and covered in mole sauce. Mole is an ingredient used through many decades. The key to mole is knowing the right amount of chocolate to add so it can be spicy and, at the same time, sweet. In this dish we see that the restaurant incorporates sesame seeds, this type of tradition comes from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Encremaladas de Mole de Pollo -- Ollin, East Harlem, Manhattan: The encremaladas de mole de pollo is a signature dish from Ollin. They are enchiladas de mole but with bit more sour cream than the average enchiladas de mole recipe requires. Sour cream plays a huge factor for all types of enchiladas. For a majority of cities in Mexico, sour cream is what brings the dish all together.

Tacos Al Pastor — Taco Mix, East Harlem, Manhattan: Tacos al pastor are pork tacos, but the catch is that the pork is marinated for 24 hours in chiles, spices, and pineapple. These are my favorite tacos I can eat them every day and especially after a long day one can enjoy these tacos with a Mexican beer, La Victoria.

Torta de Milanesa de Res — Quesadillas Doña Matty, East Harlem, Manhattan: A torta is a sandwich but what makes it stand out is the use of different ingredients that make one get dirty really quickly, no matter how carefully one tries to eat it. Tortas can use different types of meats such as breaded chicken or pork, ham, sausage, and pork leg. But if you are feeling spontaneous, ask for a Torta Cubana, which brings all different meats into one torta.