El Paso Cafe

The place: Located on Kirkwood Highway in Elsmere, across from the BJs (formerly Value City). If you search El Paso Cafe on Google Street View, you’ll find the building marked “Manos Latina Restaurant” with a sign in front reading “Open: Peruvian Cuisine.” Rest assured, this is no longer a Peruvian restaurant. It is, in fact, a den of tacos.

Season pork, chicken, al pastor, & chorizo.

That said, we shouldn’t feel all too assured about the El Paso Cafe. Certain locations are cursed, and I don’t think I’ve seen a single Mexican restaurant survive on that particular strip of Kirkwood Highway for more than 8 or 9 months. Despite its high Hispanic population, the town of Elsmere tends to be more than a little unwelcoming to these businesses. One in particular was shut down by the city for violating an historic building ordinance and painting their outer walls white, green, and red (the building has since been painted a drab, eggy yellow). Show me one building, Elsmere, in your town, that has any historic significance whatsoever and is worth maintaining in its present state.

... no? Then shut up about the Mexicans. Your drab little snippet of Kirkwood could use some color.

El Paso Cafe. Is it open? Not sure. Looks dark inside, but the neon signs in the windows are lit and the hours posted suggest it should be good to go. Inside, a woman, sitting across the table from whom I assume is her husband, jumps up and genially apologizes, “Sorry, I like the dark!” It takes a certain kind of bubbly person to make that statement, in this context, sound totally not terrifying. Nancy is that kind of bubbly person.

Red, green, brown.

El Paso Cafe is a sit-down restaurant, with more than enough space for a bustling clientele. Menu items and specials are listed in cheery colors on chalkboards hung on every wall. Nancy brings us some slick orange and green menus, a basket of tortilla chips, and three kinds of salsa: red, green, brown. 

The tacos: The El Paso Cafe serves two types of tacos: Antojitos Mexicanos and Tex-Mex Tacos. The former are $2.00 and served on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion, while the latter, at $2.25, have the option of hard or soft shells and come with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and cheese. My eyes were bigger than my stomach and I ordered four antojitos mexicanos: chorizo, adobada (marinated pork), chicken, and al pastor.

She asked if we wanted single or double tortillas. Double, of course! But on these tacos, the second tortilla felt like an afterthought. None of the meats was so juicy or overflowing that the extra layer was necessary. The two layers flopped against each other stupidly and didn't want to become a cohesive whole. There was some overall oddness in the tacos’ proportions, too. The tortillas, their separateness emphasizing their girth, seemed to be filled with less than the ideal amount of tasty meat. Except, maybe it was exactly the right amount of tasty meat. It was hard to tell because the tortillas were so unwieldy! On top of the meat was a conservative sprinkling of cilantro and onion.

I started with the chorizo, which, to my surprise and delight, was not crumbled sausage as is typical in antojitos mexicanos, but hefty slices instead. The flavor was fantastic, and the casing gave it a great texture. I paired it with the green salsa, which is very mild and subtle in flavor, and chunky. The red salsa, with the consistency of Old El Paso, is also mild and has a smoky chipotle flavor. The brown salsa was something new: made from dried rather than fresh chilis, it starts off very bitter, almost burned, and its heat builds up slowly to a rather intense conclusion. It’s unusual and worth a try, but I didn’t end up using it on anything other than tortilla chips since I tend to be a wuss about bitter flavors.

Midway through the meal, we were brought another little dish of a white sauce. We dipped tentatively with tortilla chips and found a burst of garlicky goodness. Apparently this is a sour-cream based sauce called chimichurri, filled with garlic and other spices, which in some regions of Mexico is served with pizza. “Once you have pizza with this sauce,” Nancy insisted, “pizza will never be the same without it.” Having no pizza on which to try it, I instead poured some on my adobada. It’s an amazingly flavorful sauce, so much so that it overwhelmed the flavor of the seasoned pork. I suspect it would better complement steak or fish tacos. Or pizza ...?

The elusive chimichurri sauce.

El Paso Cafe’s al pastor is cooked with pineapple and is super tasty. Not much else to say about that. If you like al pastor, they do it right.

I didn’t get a chance to try my chicken taco. I ate too many chips. I had it packed up but left it in a friend’s fridge and it got et. By all accounts, it was “pretty good.”

I can’t wait to pick up a tub of chimichurri from El Paso Cafe the next time I order pizza. This is the main excitement I have about returning. Big sausagey slices of chorizo are a close second.

2304 Kirkwood Highway

10 a.m. - 9 p.m., open 7 days

Cash, major credit cards

Full menu including desserts, roomy seating

asada - steak

chorizo - mexican sausage

al pastor - roasted pork with pineapple

carnitas - pork

lengua - beef tongue

pollo asado - grilled chicken

adobada - marinated pork

carne molida - ground beef

arachera - steak with sauted (sic) onions & jalapenos ($2.50)

campechanos - chorizo & steak mixed ($2.50)

Edit: Just stumbled across El Paso Cafe's Facebook page here, complete with blurry photos of delicious things and frequently posted specials.

Burrito Bandido

Aguas Frescas & the Bandido himself.

The place: Burrito Bandido is located in a standalone building right off Maryland Avenue on the Elsmerey side of Wilmington, and, like many taquerias, its outside is painted bright yellow. Burrito Bandido reopened about three weeks ago, after several months of renovations. What they were renovating, I’m not sure, because the inside looks just the same as always: 6 or 7 fast food style hard booths, a case full of aguas frescas (more on these in an upcoming post), and a little cashier’s counter on the left when you first enter. Compared to some other places, it’s roomy and welcoming, and the young woman taking my order was friendly and happy to give suggestions.

In the bag: Foam take-out box containing foil-wrapped tacos, two lime slices, and red & green salsas. Healthy pile of thick napkins.

The tacos: I ordered chorizo, carnitas (pork), and, per suggestion, spicy chicken. I approached the chorizo first, covering it, as I am wont to do, with green salsa. The salsa itself appeared at first glance to have a fine texture, but there was a foamy, aerated quality to it that made it a bit hard to pour. Eventually I resorted to using a lime slice to spread it onto my tacos. Even without its lime slice conveyor, it had a very citrusy taste and was decently hot, too. The chorizo soaked its tortilla and those of its neighbors with a puddle of orange grease, but the sausage in and of itself didn’t taste overly greasy.

Mexican sausage, pork, spicy chicken.

The meat in my carnitas taco was cut into big, flat pieces. It tasted like pork! What did I expect? It was pleasantly fatty, and was satisfying to chew. While I waited for my food (which was ready within 5 minutes of ordering), I asked the lady the difference between carnitas and al pastor. She said that -- at Burrito Bandido, at least -- al pastor is more heavily seasoned, and cooked with pineapple. A man came in the other day, she said, ordered three tacos al pastor, and paid $20 for them because they were so darn good. I guess I know what I’m getting next time ...

I topped my carnitas with the red salsa, which has a beautiful, deep red color and a full flavor with what I would estimate as a mild to medium heat.

Ok, enough bandying about. How was that spicy chicken?

Holy God, that spicy chicken was nice. Now I wouldn’t exactly call it spicy, per se, more spiced. It tastes like it’s been marinated for a day in some sort of smoky, peppery goodness, and it is wonderfully tender. It’s technically off-menu for the tacos, but is available as a tostada filling and can seemingly be ordered in any dish. Just do it.

Tacos at Burrito Bandido range from $2 - 3. My only complaint is that they were a bit light on the toppings (cilantro and chopped onions, of course).

Here’s the thing about Burrito Bandido: though the location is a little iffy, they are well-documented, on-the-map, English-friendly, and open late. The inside is spacious and air-conditioned, and the TV is never on too loud. The food is authentic, simple, well-made, and inexpensive. Their marketing materials (i.e., business cards) are nicely put together and informative. For somebody just getting into this whole tacos authenticos deal, Burrito Bandido is a comfortable place to dip your toes in the salsa.

You know what I mean.

227 N. Maryland Ave.

Wilmington, DE 19804

Mon. - Thurs., 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Fri. - Sun., 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Cash, major credit cards

Fully cooked meat sold by the pound.

Chorizo leavings.

$2.00

al pastor - assorted meats

carne enchilada - peppered beef

carnitas - pork

cabeza de rez - beef head

suadero - beef

chorizo - mexican sausage

taco campechano - mix

torta asada - steak

(tinga) - spicy chicken

$2.50

lengua - beef tongue

tripa - tripe

$3.00

torta milanesa - no translation given (mystery taco. Something deep-fried, I hazard.)

Update: As it turns out, this is what caused Burrito Bandido's mysterious renovations.

Public Service Announcement

Just a friendly reminder to all you tacophiles out there: always remember to floss daily! 'Cause what happens if you don't? Your teeth all rot and fall out and then how do you eat the tacos? Huh?

Yours in Chorizo,

Becca

Burrito Works - Guest Review by Chris Smith

 Hey y'all! 

Chris Smith here, reporting from the Sunshine State! On my vacation to the Palm Coast, I happened upon a small taqueria in Flagler Beach and thought "hey! why not review this joint for Tête-à-Taco?" 

The restaurant: Burrito Works is the kind of taqueria that pulls out all the surprises. It's a one room shack tucked away out of sight with no parking or indoor seating, and only three seemingly underage child employees. At the first glance of this unassuming shanty located right off Flagler Beach, FL, you'd think it was some sort of storage shed. Inside however, there are a few surprises, both menu and taste. 

The menu: The menu is your taco joint standard operating procedure laminate with awful pictures from 1997. At first glance, I thought I'd have to dig to find something exclusive, but then it jumped out at me - the UFO. This guy is apparently the Burrito Works' crunchwrap supreme, and boy did it look intimidating. James Knight ordered that while I went with the usual - three chicken soft tacos with lettuce and cheese, please. 

In the box: My three tacos were stuffed to the brim with chicken, but this wasn't your typical Delaware chop chicken steak. This was soft, marinated, melt-in-your-mouth, flavor-bursted chicken; the saturation of what must have been a combination of all the right spices and a dash of some kind of Burrito God's sweat imbued these ranchero rollups with all the right flavor.

In short, Burrito Works was a great taco experience, with a decent selection and tasty food. I washed down my tacos with a Pepsi in a glass bottle. 

Taqueria Los Taquitos de Puebla

"Con el original cheff Silvestre Torres.”

The place: Taqueria Los Taquitos de Publa is a bright yellow building on Rt. 13 S., feet from the exit ramp towards 141. It’s a bit tricky to get to coming north; you’ll need to make a u-turn somewhere further up 13. There’s plenty of parking and a colorful outdoor seating area that would be nice to take advantage of on a cooler day. There is plenty of seating inside, but it was so hot I couldn’t see dining in being a pleasant experience in the summertime. My takeout order took about 15 minutes to complete with two tables seated.

In the bag: Foil takeout box, big pile of napkins, healthy containers of both red and green salsa. Takeout menu.

Tacos al pastor.

The tacos: All the tacos are served in warm, double-layered corn tortillas and topped with cilantro and onion (with the exception of chicken, for some reason, which comes with lettuce, sour cream, and cheese). While I would have liked to have tried a few different meats, this taqueria doesn’t do mixed taco orders, so I went with the al pastor (seasoned pork). The pork was nicely cooked with good, crispy charring and decent flavor, though the seasoning didn’t come through as strongly as I expected.

The green salsa is chunky and chockfull of even more cilantro and onion. Very fresh-tasting and mild. The red salsa, which is more of a nuclear orange color, is smoother than the green, almost creamy. It’s pretty dang hot and, to me, complemented the flavor of the pork better than the green salsa did.

Their menu is extensive and offers a good selection of vegetarian options, as well as beverages, desserts, and weekend specials. I’m actually more tempted to return here to try some of the non-taco dishes on the menu -- this is not your standard Americanized La Tolteca fare, and many dishes are made with traditional Mexican ingredients such as pumpkin flower, cactus, huitalacoche (a type of fungus that grows on corn stalks), and the spices epazote and papalo. I had to look up almost all of these things to know what they were. Now that’s authenticity!

241 N. DuPont Hwy

10 a.m. - 9 p.m., open 7 days

Cash, major credit cards, no personal checks

Full takeout menu, free delivery (!)

Tacos Tradicionales, 3 per order, no mixing, $6

suadero - steamed beef

longaniza - mexican sausage

al pastor - seasoned pork

tripa - beef tripe

de cabeza - beef head

surtida - mix

cachete - cheek

trompa - lips

lengua - tongue

Tacos a la Plancha, $8-12

bistec - steak

arrachera con nopales asados - steak with grilled cactus

costilla - beef rib

chuleta ahumada - smoked porkchop

chuleta fresca - regular porkchop

cecina - salted beef steak

carne enchilada - seasoned pork steak

pollo - chicken (lettuce, sour cream, cheese)

El Pique

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention El Pique before all others.

The place: El Pique is located off Rt. 100, between Kirkwood Highway and Maryland Avenue, in a terrifying little shopping center on a traffic island with scant parking and two brutal speed bumps. The only adjacent shop is an overpriced and damp liquor store. Expect to be solicited by all manner of strung out folk and men in vans offering you their newly recorded hip hop single for $5 a disc.

Despite being greeted by metal bars on the windows and doors, the inside of El Pique is rather friendly. Its tiny interior has seating for about 8-10 people, and its walls are lined with Mexican spices, candies, refrigerators full of soda, sour cream, and heads of lettuce, as well as a big, low cooler by the counter full of homemade ice cream and fruit bars from Palateria Tocumbo. One of two young men will greet you through a window at the counter, like a receptionist at the dentist’s office, with a big smile and a laminated 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper which is their menu.

Chicken, spicy pork, seasoned lamb.

El Pique has the biggest selection of meats of any place I’ve visited so far, and includes all sorts of curious cow parts, three or four different kinds of pork, and two types of lamb. El Pique’s spiced lamb is absolutely divine and alone is worth the trip. The tortillas they use are on the smaller side, but they cram a huge amount of meat and topping into them. Plus they’re only $1.50 apiece. Tacos are available either original (cilantro & onion), American style (lettuce & tomato), or mix. They’ll ask if you want cheese.

In the bag: Takeout orders come bound by plastic wrap to a foam plate. The tacos are wrapped in paper and served with lime and radish slices. Depending on who packs your order, you may be asked whether you prefer red or green salsa, or you may just get both. If you order with friends, your plates will be stacked on top of one another in a plastic bag, along with a few small, thin, square napkins and sometimes some salt packets.

The tacos: Good God are these things marvelous. El Pique packs their little tacos with meat cooked so perfectly I never want to stop eating them, no matter how many I’ve had, and long after I’ve pinched the last crumb of chorizo off my plate I’m still debating whether I should go back and get a few more before the place closes. The aforementioned chorizo is perfectly seasoned, and neither too greasy nor too salty. I tend to go heavy with the green salsa on these guys to cut down on what little greasy flavor remains. I’ve tried the regular, seasoned, and spicy varieties of pork. I always recommend seasoned over regular with any taco meats, and it’s no different here. The spicy pork is as advertised, and you may not even want to use any salsa on these guys if you’re not into severe pain. This taco makes you glad El Pique packed some refreshing radishes for you. Their chicken is cooked in chunks rather than shredded and as such has a firmer bite and is slightly less juicy than that from some other places.

If you try anything at El Pique, though, it’s got to be the seasoned lamb. A big, hand-painted sign in front of the dive advertises “LAMB CONSOMME” -- lamb soup. I haven’t gotten around to trying it yet, because I, as we well know, am a sucker for tacos. But if it’s half as good as the lamb tacos, this stuff is surely a treat. I really do mean to try it sometime. Additional menu items include burritos (my dad stumbled upon this place independently and says the burritos are fantastic), quesadillas, and some other stuff I wasn’t able to find reliable translations of on Google. Some of the burrito fillings are a bit odd, like egg and head cheese and pineapple, but are probably awesome. I did find a piece of pineapple in one of my chicken tacos once. I didn’t hate it.

El Pique is cash only, but since the tacos are only $1.50 each, you can easily satisfy a craving with the change from under the passenger seat.

805 N. DuPont St 

Wilmington, DE 19805

Open until 9

Cash only

barbacoa - lamb

birria - season lamb

carnitas - pork

trompa - pork snout

buche - pork stomach

al pastor - season pork

enchilada - spicy pork

chorizo - mex sausage

campechano - mex sausage & steak

azada-bisteck - beef steak

suadero - beef angus

lengua - beef tongue

cabeza - beef head

tripa (1.75) - beef tripe

pollo - chicken

surtida - variety meat mix

alambre - fajita

Tête-à-Taco

Hey, folks! Welcome to Tête-à-Taco, a soon-to-be intermittently updated blog about yours truly sampling the taqueria offerings in northern Delaware. Join me in my ignorance as I visit all the diviest little hole-in-the wall taco joints I can find and stumble through orders of al pastor, pollo, barbacoa, and carne enchilada, con cilantro and whatever the word is for chopped onions.

I don’t know any more about authentic tacos than the next lady -- and I certainly don’t know enough to be as elitist about tacos as I undoubtedly am -- but I sure know what I like! I’ll be starting with some of the places nearest my home base in New Castle, DE, and spiraling outwards through the rest of New Castle County (and beyond ...?). If you have a favorite place, let me know, and I’ll try to make it my next stop.

As they say in Mexico, “Mangia, y dosvedanya, muchachos. Yatta! Shalom!”