Behind the chain restaurants and big box retailers that line many of Durham's busiest roads and highways lies another breed of eatery. In place of frozen margaritas and sizzling fajita platters served by too-friendly waitresses, the city's numerous ethnic dives offer honest food for the expats and recent immigrants looking for a taste of home.
Too often such locales are ignored by the populace at large, but in the rare instance that the public spotlight turns its attention to these restaurants the result is nothing short of frantic. Durham's taquerias have recently moved from relative obscurity to the center stage of North Carolina's gastronomic universe thanks to a slew of recent press. Just two months ago, Gourmet unveiled an entire feature story on Durham's notable Mexican cuisine, calling attention to several top taquerias. With this national press, self-proclaimed foodies from across the country are weighing in on the merits of tortillas and tortas served just minutes from Duke's campus. It seems that barbacoa, not barbeque, is the en vogue topic of debate for the area's food cognoscenti.
Two years ago, recess crowned Super Taqueria the king of the taco thanks to its generous condiment bar and notable consistency. While not every item impressed, Super Taqueria was perhaps the go-to spot for a Mexican fix. Since then, however, Super has fallen in the pecking order. The once abundant condiment bar looked barren on a recent visit, and an asada taco was stingily filled and lacked any distinguishing traits. The quality at Super has fallen marginally, but, more importantly, the competition has clearly raised the bar.
Taqueria Lopez is a relative newcomer located steps from Duke student favorites Cookout and Bullock's. Lopez attempts to distinguish with a focus on traditional seafood dishes, including a signature soup with seven types of seafood. The tacos here, priced at $2.00 each instead of the going rate of $1.50, are worth seeking out, too. The campechanas taco, a combination of braised beef and chorizo sausage, is perhaps the single best taco in the city. The moist ground sausage and unctuous beef are perfectly foiled by the addition of a heavy squeeze of lime and bites of crisp radish. A cabeza taco, filled with beef cheek, was satisfying but less impressive, bordering on bland. Each taco comes with only one tortilla, so, despite the generous amount of meat, sharing with a friend is impossible. Lopez's chicken with mole is also worth noting-tender chicken sits beneath a fierce, bittersweet blend of nuts, spices and chocolate that is unlike any other mole in the area. Just don't expect a quick meal. Service at Lopez is woefully slow, both when crowded and empty.
Just past the Costco, Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond on Club Boulevard sits Roxboro Road, home to former favorite Super Taqueria and the destination of choice for diners looking to maximize their taco options. Within seconds of Super, Los Comales and Carniceria Superior Taqueria also vie for top taco honors. Los Comales may take the prize for best all-around taqueria-its menu is diverse, its prices are fair, the restaurant is well-lit and clean and the food is generally quite pleasing.
At Comales, the cooks are not afraid to let the fillings' natural flavors come through and therefore spice their proteins minimally. Here, pork somehow tastes porkier, beef is beefier. Even the tortillas themselves are more subtle and tender. For some this is a refreshing draw, for others it may actually be unsettling. A chicharon, fried pork belly, taco was at once pleasantly chewy and faintly crisp. A buche, pork stomach taco was served in its tomatillo cooking liquid and was an interesting textural experience, not unlike very tender tripe-worth trying once, possibly twice, but not a third time.
Carniceria Superior Taqueria is located in what some call a Mexican Disneyland. Occupying a colorful corner of the Mexican grocery Carniceria Superior, a taqueria takes up one wall where a Mexican bakery, tortilla shop and agua fresca and ice cream stand also hold court. Superior offers not only the typical stable of tacos with various beef and pork parts but also braised goat.
The barbacoa here is less assertive than at other locales and less tender. The tacos dorados, thin tacos filled with chicken or beef then fried, are an example of textural contrast, creamy cheese atop a crisp tortilla giving way to its tender contents.
La Vaquita, formerly known as Miranda's, recently went through a change in ownership, and the results have been marked. What was previously a serviceable taqueria is now putting out some of tastiest and most consistent Mexican food in the area. The barbacoa is the perfect blend of meaty and tender. The chicken with mole is smooth and harmonious, topped with a light sprinkling of toasted sesame seed for a faint toothsome quality. What Vaquita lacks in indoor seating, chairs or an actual menu with prices it makes up for with quality cooking. Unfortunately some of this newfound success may be going to its owners' heads. The prices of platos have gone up, tacos are smaller than at other restaurants and salsas are seemingly a precious commodity given how the cashiers refuse repeated requests for extra containers.
The best part about any of these taquerias is that even on a bad day, they serve up distinctive and cheap cuisine. This is not easy food in the sense that it may be far from familiar, but Durham taquerias largely deserve all the praise they get.
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