Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
My apologies to the really excellent Los Tacos No. 1, but there is a new taco game in town and they’re mighty mighty good.
Taqueria Ramirez is a new hotspot on a side street in Greenpoint that reminds me of some of the excellent spots I was taken to in Mexico City just weeks before the pandemic.
It’s teeny tiny with the kitchen taking up most of the real estate. A few bar seats make it possible to eat by the cauldron of meat being prepared for taco construction, but most of the tacos are scarfed just outside the shop. It really brings this street corner to life.
Like many taco joints, the menu is pretty simple with just five meat fillings and nopales (cactus) which also has the option for a crispy pork skin add-on.
No chicken or carne asada here, but instead deliciously tender stewed beef and pork parts. I never can resist the chance for a taste of pastor (marinated shaved pork with pineapple) and I was also advised to try the suadero.
After tasting these two, I immediately wanted to turn back around and also order the Tripa (beef intestines) and Longaniza (spiced pork sausage).
The expertly layered pork butt with hints of chile and annatto were as delicious as any pastor I have tasted around the city. A big chunk of pineapple brings sweet and tangy to the party.
The suadero, however, was other worldly. This is made from what is called “rose meat” and comes from the muscle between the ribs of a cow. At Taqueria Ramirez, it is stewed in a big cauldron of broth and lard along with the other two meats (tripe and sausage).
Then the beef is chopped and served on a crisp corn tortilla (made from local Tortilleria Nixtamal) that continues to soak up all the cooking liquid. The meat is tender and soft with lots of fatty meat flavors that just melt away.
Can there be two Number One taco spots in the city? Los Tacos No. 1 already built it into the name, but I may have to start calling this place Taqueria Ramirez…. No. 1. Price: $4-5
| TAQUERIA RAMIREZ |
| 94 Franklin Street (at Oak Street), Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718) 366-0586 |
| instagram.com/taqueria_ramirez |
