Talking Tacos

Talking Tacos

Even though terms like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and tostadas are as common as macaroni and cheese to San Diegans, don't count on widespread agreement among residents as to what they mean. Authentic cuisine brought from Mexico is quite at odds with Southern California's home-grown "Cal-Mex" style of cooking, although both can be delicious.

An authentic taco never takes the form of a folded, fried-hard shell stuffed with ground beef, golden Cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped lettuce, and tomatoes. Even so, this is the version many novices encounter the first time around, and as San Diegans say, finding one is "no problemo." If you meet a soft tortilla—more authentically made from corn-flour dough (masa) than from white flour—rolled around a filling and served fresh, fragrant, and hot, it's a lot closer to the real thing. Fillings can be shredded beef or chicken, or slowly simmered tongue in green sauce, or grilled or deep-fried fish or seafood, or just about any savory tidbit. Garnishes usually include a drizzle of salsa and a squeeze of tart Mexican lime (a citrus different from the large lime commonly found in the United States), along with cilantro sprigs and chopped onion. Sliced radishes, again topped with lime and a sprinkle of salt, are served on the side.

Tacos El Gordo (689 H St., Chula Vista 619/691-8848), a well-known Tijuana taco franchise, moved across the border to Chula Vista and National City several years ago, bringing authentic street-style carne asada and seasoned pork adobada tacos on small freshly made tortillas. Most casual San Diego restaurants, the best being El Pescador in La Jolla, Zocalo Grill in Old Town, and The Brigantine chain,offer some version of the fish taco, either with batter-fried whitefish or grilled fish topped with a mayonnaise based tangy white sauce, shredded cabbage, lime, and salsa. Many residents think of San Diego as the fish taco capital of the planet, but that title really belongs to Ensenada, a port city about 60 mi south of the California border. There, arranged cheek-by-jowl with the sizeable, attractively stocked, and decidedly aromatic waterside fish market, are a good 100 stands offering a kaleidoscope of tacos, each slightly different from the others and all accompanied by a slightly varied selection of condiments.

In San Diego, to be "one taco shy of a combination plate" is to be, shall we say, rather divorced from reality. A combination plate is anchored by such constants as delicately flavored rice and frijoles refritos, smooth, creamy, well-cooked beans that must be draped with melted shredded cheese and usually support a small raft of shredded lettuce dabbed with a bit of sour cream. Any empty spaces (you shouldn't see more of the plate than the rim) will be hidden by the preferred combination of tacos, enchiladas, chiles rellenos, and burritos. What are those? Enchiladas can be filled with cheese, chicken, or beef and topped with savory, mostly mild red or green chile sauce. Chiles rellenos are mild, deep-fried peppers stuffed with cheese. Burritos are tortillas filled with beans and shredded meat. It's good, filling food, and you'll enjoy it. And that's the whole enchilada.

-David Nelson