Best Tacos

2006 Readers' Restaurant Picks
by Eric D. Howerton and Charles Vane
From Crosswinds Weekly (reprinted by permission)

Albuquerque: A more reasonable two-way tie between Los Cuates (4901 Lomas NE, 255-5079; 5016 Lomas NE, 268-0974 and 8700 Menaul NE, 237-2800) and Perico's de Albuquerque (109 Yale SE, 247-2503 and 2810 Coors NW, 839-4762). It comes down to a matter of taste; if you like your tacos overstuffed with good beef and so soaked in chile that they fall apart in your hands, then Los Cuates is your best bet. If crispy and piquant fresh fish tacos are your thing, then try Perico's.

Santa Fe: You're on a beach in Mexico. A "strenuous" day of sunbathing and body surfing has left you famished. You roll up your towel, brush the sand off your shoulders, slip into your sandalias and head toward the roadside taqueria you spotted earlier. Three children balancing precariously on a single bicycle zip by. A man selling sunglasses makes moves toward you. But you're not interested. You arrive at the taqueria, place your order and in a few minutes a mound of tacos al pastor (succulent roasted pork) arrives. You garnish the meat - cradled in a soft corn tortilla - with a little pico de gallo, some fresh cilantro and a spoonful of tomatillo salsa. When you take the first bite you nearly cry, but when you take the last bite you actually cry.

Open your eyes. You're not on a beach in Mexico. You're not wearing sandals. Your skin has a wintery, sallow tone. You're landlocked. It was all an illusion. Everything except the roadside taqueria. The tacos al pastor, the pico de gallo, the fresh cilantro and the tomatillo salsa - they're all real and they're being served at Felipe's Tacos. Your travel estate agent would balk at such a cheap getaway.