TACO BOX

If you're looking for a hole in the wall, you can't get any more literal than the Taco Box. This spot is nothing more than an ordering window with a counter and barstools lined up outside, making it nearly impossible to visit during the coldest winter months, which, in a way, is part of the charm. Taco Box typifies the best of the New York taco, it's high end, with modern or fusion twists and prices to match. It's places like this that are teaching me New York doesn't make bad tacos (all the time), but your choices are the fancy taco or something dry and flavorless, suspiciously made along side a plate of general tso's chicken. The Taco Box is the former option, and provides a comparable list of quality meats with some modern twists like short rib and sautéed rock shrimp accompanied with fancy sauces. I tried just about everything they had to offer, here's how it breaks down:

They are as tasty as they look

Taco: 5/5 The meats are, across the board, pretty darn excellent. The ones to try especially are the Pollo, Al Pastor, and Chorizo. The pollo in particular was some of the best grilled chicken taco I've had in NY, tender, flavor, and melts in the mouth. The chorizo is wisely cut with egg in an appropriate balance of spicy, greasy, and delicious. The al pastor was crispy and sweet, with a number of distinct flavors of pineapple and smokey BBQ, definitely worth getting. Honorable mention goes to the short rib, which was tender and dripping with sauce and juice, a much better alternative to the bistec, which I found lacking flavor and a little gamey. 

A pricey taco for a place with no roof

Value: 1/5 Perhaps I should change the name of this blog to "the over priced taco blog". I get it, rent is expensive, and food prices inflate to match, but when you don't actually have a restaurant, but rather a literal hole in the wall, you'd think the cost per taco would reduce dramatically. Isn't there some sort of rule out there for the price of a taco in a place where I can get rained on?What really killed me was the $3.50 vegetarian taco, which is WAY too much for beans, veggies, and guacamole. The tacos themselves seem large, but I ate six of them, so either they are not filling, or they were super delicious and I was starving. Either way, this taco outing cost me about $20.

Sriracha I can go with, but Tabasco?

Accoutrement: 4/5 They provide two homemade salsas, a red and green, which are both quite good, and then an assortment of bottled sauces, which didn't at all match the quality of the other offerings (Tabasco? Really?). But the clincher is that each taco is provided with its own special toppings that were an excellent fit to the offered meat. Nopales, avocado-lime mayo, chili habanero, and crunchy chicharrones all show up and add an extra kick to make the taco that much better.

Forgot to take a pictures before biting in. I'm not even sorry.

Other: 3/5 I give them an extra point for the outdoor seating, but that is about all they have in terms of 'extras'. There are too few stools, and the slanted bar make it a little awkward to eat at.  Excellently panfried tortillas though. And they get one more point for their provocative name, about which I have tried to go this entire post without making an innuendo, and have now failed.

Overall: 4/5 Taco Box is definitely worth a visit, but the cost makes it prohibitive as a regular go to joint. It's too bad, since the food is actually quite good as I'd love to drop by the place every time I'm in the area, but I also don't feel like spending $15+ on my taco habit. Still, if you've got the itch, it's a good place to scratch it.

Dos Toros Taqueria

 Dos Toros Taqueria is basically the local version of Chipotle, and everybody likes Chipotle. So, if you're one of the 3 or 4 Manhattanites who don't want to support a national chain, this place is for you. They also have a location in Williamsburg, but I can't imagine people who live in Williamsburg read this blog since the half-dozen regular readers have likely made it too trendy for their hipster ways. Besides, the number of young and hip people with beards (not in a mountain man sort of way) that populate this hole-in-the-wall suggest it is already a known spot for those of a certain cultural bent. 

Anyway, this place doesn't feel anything like a Chipotle clone, and there are subtle distinctions in craftsmanship and quality that make a huge difference and give Dos Toros a definitive edge. So I take back what I said, it's not a Chipotle clone at all. They claim to bring Bay Area style Mexican to New York. Here's my take on it:

Note the delicate tortillas and delicious toppings

The Taco: (5/5) The tacos themselves are delicious. The meats are grilled and tender and juicy and in all other ways delightful. It's not just the quality of the meat that stands out, this is a whole package type of place. The balance of toppings to tortilla is carefully done and all the tortillas are freshly made daily. Attention to detail here is key, and they get it done right. For instance, they use a monterey jack cheese and briefly melt it onto the tortilla before before adding other toppings, which perfectly binds the whole taco together and ensures an even distribution of cheesiness throughout. 

Pre-melted cheesy goodness

Accoutrement:(4/5) They offer up two different salsas, both made in house, and both quite delicious. There's a standard red (spicy) and green (less so) variety, and they are actually spicy for realz, but in a delicious and flavorful way. Also, they offer guacamole as an extra on anything, and it's only a $1 charge. This was always an annoying sticking point with me and Chipotle where the addition of the green goodness will put you a solid $2.50 back. Guacamole shouldn't cost me the price of another taco.

This is what you get for the price of a burrito

Value: (1/5) Gird your loins for a short rant. $4 a taco is too damn much.  And they're fairly small. The standard taco vs. burrito pricing model has simply been ignored. For the price of a burrito, one should get the equivalent amount of food so that the price per meal (PPM for short) is about the same. All other items on their streamlined menu follow the same PPM model, but only two tacos is the same price as a burrito, and two is only half of a meal. The combination of smallness and delicious make it so that I could eat these tacos for days and never want to stop. But then my wallet would empty and I'd only have hunger and tears to fill it. Make them $2.00-$2.50 a piece and throw in some chips and we'll have an appropriate PPM that matches everything else.

They certainly don't hide what makes them special. Makes my job easier tough.

Other: (4/5) True to their Bay Area roots, Dos Toros is big on the sustainability bandwagon. I feel the same about being green as I do about Dave Matthews Band, I love the thing itself but can't stand the fans. That being said, they do a great job of attending to little sustainable details, down to their receipt tape, which is BPA free (yes, this is a thing). Their chicken and beans are locally sourced and organic, and even the tables and chairs are made from reclaimed wood. Overall, it lends a feeling of care and attention that goes beyond the decor. 

Overall: (4/5) The reality is the Bay Area isn't known for its tacos, you go to LA for that. The Bay is all about burritos, and for burritos I'll be a regular here. The Burritos are delicious and have an appropriate PPM, but the truth is I'm a taco guy, and when I go into a place that has taqueria in the title, that's what I want to get. I walk by one of their locations all the time, and the memory of those sweet flavors entice me to go in, but then I remember the price, and I can't bring myself to shell out the cash. If, however, you are looking for tasty eats you can feel good about, and don't mind spending a pretty penny on them, this is the place for you. Especially if you have a beard.