Liza and her tongue taco.
First taco memory?
It was at my home outside of Baltimore, MD. I think I was 7 or 8 the first time my Mom bought the Old El Paso taco kit: It comes with the crunchy taco shells, a packet of beef seasoning, and maybe some other fixings. It was a somewhat ceremonious group effort—you would assemble your own taco with the seasoned ground beef, shredded lettuce, maybe some diced tomatoes with onions, and definitely grated cheddar cheese. What’s more Mexican than that?
Most memorable taco?
Our many staff parties when the El Tonayense taco truck parks outside the restaurant or outside one of Greg [Lindgren’s] bars, Rosewood or Rye. They do a crispy tripe taco that is out of this world. Certain staff members have tried to break personal taco-eating records at these parties, with mixed results.
What inspired your market taco?
Doing an A16 taco was a natural fit for us, since week we have Taco Tuesday for staff. One of my sous chefs makes a whole spread with radish salads, several spicy sauces, and whatever meat is on hand. When the wine team is there doing ordering and tastings on Tuesdays, they make sure to arrive hungry. One of our cooks has an amazing braised pig head recipe that he makes every so often (we get a pig and a half in every Wednesday and if we aren’t making coppa di testa, we let him have his way with the head) in the style his mom does back home with achiote, lemon, garlic, onions and tomatoes. It’s so rich and delicious.
What about the tongue?
My other sous chef has recently perfected beef tongue—from the 10-day brine to the braising—it’s really one of the most delicious things we make. Sometimes we serve it cold, sliced on the salumi plate, but when we cube it up and roast it in the wood-fired oven, it gets this crispy outside, tender inside texture that is incredibly sexy. So I knew we would do something with the tongue, because the Tacolicious stand has the griddle and you can achieve that same effect that way.
One of our signature dishes on the menu is our braised cannellini beans that evoke an Italian interpretation of refried pinto beans, made with oregano and garlic. So that was a natural base for the tongue. As for the pickled onions, I can put them on anything. So there you have it. Elements from our menu incorporated into a delicious taco!
Favorite SF taquerias?
I have always really loved the Baja-style pescado taco at Nick’s Crispy Tacos, but I don’t get the taco Nick’s way. I like the soft tortillas, with the tomatillo salsa. I have enjoyed every taco I’ve had at Nopalito, because their handmade tortillas are just so good. And there’s a soft spot in my heart for the super quesadilla suisa el pastor at El Farollito at 2 am, but I’m sure you hear that a lot.