Tinga Buena
Monday, November 1, 2010 at 12:26PM LA is a taco town, no question about it. Just having moved here from D.C. I'm far from an expert on the culture of the taqueria. But two things are very certain after trying the newly opened Tinga on La Brea Avenue.
1) The tacos here blow D.C. taco options out of the water (though Angela raises a good point that Jose Andres' makes a pretty nice taco at Oyamel).
2) Call them what you will - new-wave, gourmet, upscale - Tinga's tacos will undoubtably serve as a major point of contention for some of LA's taco purists.
The greatest thing I've discovered about the Los Angeles food scene is the overwhelming abundance of good street food. In fact, some of the best food in the city can be purchased with the coins found under the seat of your car. It's these very expectations that might work some taco lovers into a small tizzy when it comes to Tinga. Forget about your beloved two-dollar tacos, when it comes to Tinga's gourmet offerings, you're gonna pay for what you get. And you know what?
Totally worth it.
Inside the small dining area are a handful of two-seat tables, though the room is dominated by a long communal table where we found ourselves elbow-to-elbow with strangers. We each ordered a horchata (below, right) and got cozy with our neighbors. From the "Bits and Bites" section of the menu, we ordered the elote especial, grilled sweet corn with creamy lime, chili and poblano puree (below, left). As the food started arriving at the table in front of us I could feel the stares of jealous onlookers ogling our beautiful food.
Also from the "Bits and Bites" section, we ordered the chorizo quesadilla, with choat cheese, tomato relish, and chipotle salsa (below). The prices may be steep by taco shack standards, but for a few extra bucks you're paying for an absolute fiesta in your mouth. I'm not kidding. Hidden in every bite were eye-opening moments of discovery. It's that 'oh my God, what is in that???' moment food-lovers dream about.
Our first taco selection was the cochinita pibil, a slow-cooked, achiote and bitter orange rubbed pork, served with salsa habanero and pickled onion (below). So juicy. So tender. And this taco actually had a really nice kick to it with the salsa habanero. I'm glad there were only two tacos, because I would've eaten twenty.
We also got the short rib taco, with salsa verde, pickled red cabbage, raw tomatillo salsa, papas bravas, queso fresco, and crema (below). Both taco "entrees" came with a side of thick and crispy tortilla chips, but we were both happy to stuff ourselves with the flavorful tacos instead. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure these aren't the tacos you'd find on the streets of Mexico City. Even so, authenticity is hardly relevant when you're dealing with something of this quality.
Tinga earns a pass on the price from me because the quality of the tacos catapults the meal into a whole new league. Had we paid too much? Hardly. By the time we wandered out onto La Brea, I left the restaurant feeling like we'd swindled them.
Mexican, Tacos in Reviews: On The Town
Reader Comments (4)
re: price, is this BEFORE? or AFTER the Blackboard Eats discount? Just curious
How was the horchata? sometimes certain places make it a little too bland. I like it strong.
Sinosoul-
Even after the Blackboard discount it was still a relatively pricey meal (for tacos..)
Miguel-
It was yummy, but neither of us had had horchata before, so...