Crumbs in my 'Stache: A home of good tacos

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Having just come down from a celebratory restaurant bender that coincided with my birthday, a special visitor and a prolonged observance of the changing of the year/decade/my age, it’s a safe bet to say that I’m pretty wiped out. For the foreseeable future, it’s all Ramen noodles and exercise for this newly minted 30-something.

This probably won’t last very long.

There were plenty of highlights, but I’ll refrain from assembling a highlight reel for you. In my present mood, that seems a little unbecoming for some reason. However, I will say this: going out to celebrate over several good meals reminded me what a respectable little restaurant landscape we have here.

I’d like to kick the new year off by mentioning a thing or two about one of the most democratic foods we have in this area: the taco.

There are a few decent joints that serve tacos around here. In the past, I have enjoyed the occasional visit to Sanchez, the tiny taqueiria close to the Town Square, which also does great rice and black beans topped with a little bit of that crumbly white cheese (Chihuahua?). Nothing against Tex-Mex food, but that little bit of crumbly cheese goes a lot further than plates that are covered in melted cheese, as is often the case at a lot of Tex-Mex and even some Mexican restaurants.

Anyhow, this column was actually inspired by a plate of tacos I had from Gordito’s the other day. I got the idea during one of those good dinners recently, when someone who knows more about food than I ever will asked me if I’d ever had the tacos from Gordito’s.

Not only have I eaten tacos at Gordito’s, I once included an item about the tamales at the Hwy 89 South restaurant in this column, albeit some time ago. It seems like a fresh idea to talk about their tacos. (And besides, in this community of about 20,000, I’m gonna have to double-up eventually).

Gordito’s may not be the only local restaurant that makes fresh corn tortillas everyday, but their tortillas are definitely part of the allure.

I ordered a simple trio consisting of one carnitas (“little meats,” in this case pork), one chicken and, the tenderest of them all, one taco al pastor, or slow-cooked pork.
Garnished with white onion and parsley, the tacos were a savory comfort food. The hot tortillas were so fresh tasting that the experience was not unlike eating a baguette straight from the oven. The meat of the al pastor, slowly tenderized over a long cooking time, seemed as soft and delicate as pork can be.

Gordito’s self-serve salsa and sauce bar offers a range of flavors and heat levels ranging from a smokey and spicy chipotle to a cool, tangy gaucamole sauce, an emulsified cousin to traditional guacamole. Experimenting with the right combination of sauce for each taco is almost half the fun.

Near closing, the kindly women in the kitchen gave me a taste of a meatball soup I’d never seen before. The meatball, made with beef and no small amount onion, was soaked in a spicy tomato broth. It was delicious and left my sinuses on the verge of running as I stepped outside into the cold winter night, my belly warm, my spirits brightened. JHW

Photo by BEN CANNON
Catalina Chavez presses masa into tortillas at El Gordito’s.


PERMALINK:
Crumbs in my 'Stache: A home of good tacos | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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