I went to the Festival Latino a few years ago; it was lunchtime, and nothing was really going on, but I strolled around and ate some tacos and drank some tamarind-flavored water, and I never wrote about it. The best taco I had there, and it was amazing, was from La Michoacana. When I got to work, I asked my friend Elberto his opinion (Elberto, aside from being Mexican, makes some amazing tamales) and he told me it's the best Mexican around.
During last week's existential meltdown, I was moaning to Husband about how I really needed to start going to more restaurants and doing more reviews, blah blah blah. Also, thanks to last night's drool-inducing episode of No Reservations, I need some good Mexican as soon as possible.
So today we headed to La Michoacana for lunch.
Out came home made chips with two salsas - one a green chili and tomatillo salsa, and the other a smoky red sauce. They were both good, with a nice and pleasant creeping heat.
Husband loves tongue, so we opted for a few tongue tacos and a few pork tacos (top of post)
I know this completely flies in the face of reason, but cilantro doesn't bother me when used in Mexican cooking. I don't know if it's the spice in the meat, the lime, the heat, or what, but when I eat Mexican food, the cilantro seems as though it belongs there. Otherwise, I can't stand it. Who knows the chemistry behind that.
I know this completely flies in the face of reason, but cilantro doesn't bother me when used in Mexican cooking. I don't know if it's the spice in the meat, the lime, the heat, or what, but when I eat Mexican food, the cilantro seems as though it belongs there. Otherwise, I can't stand it. Who knows the chemistry behind that.
So, the tacos - these are the real deal. Highly-seasoned meat, chopped fresh onions and cilantro on a double layer of yellow corn tortillas with lime on the side. So simple, and so amazing. Husband ate both pork ones, but I am sure they were good. The tongue were really, really great. I know, tongue sounds horrible and all that, but if you get over what it is, and how it's shaped exactly like a tongue, it's really just a great piece of meat - nicely meaty and just a pinch fatty - it's a lot like a cheek. The thing about these tongues, as Husband was nice enough to point out after I'd eaten them, is they remained unpeeled, taste buds in tact. Usually that part of the tongue is "peeled" away, a process which is really horrifying to watch. These were just cooked for a really long time. It's probably better to not spend too much time examining them; just eat them and appreciate their deliciousness.
Next up, chipotle chicken with Mexican rice, refried beans, and guacamole (above). Yet another winner. I ate a few bites to test it out and we packed the rest up for dinner because, as you can see, it was an entire chicken! Covered in a sweet, spicy, smoky chipotle sauce, it's no surprise it smelled amazing. The chicken appeared to be some sort of heritage breed; it was a little skinny and long. The chicken was a pinch on the dry side, but still really tasty.
The best part of the meal was, hands down, the al pastor. I am pretty sure I could eat that on a daily basis for the next few weeks. Al pastor, meaning "in the style of shepherd" is highly seasoned pork cooked for a long time and served with pineapple. Oh, seriously. It was so good. Last night when I was watching No Reservations, I saw them slicing Al pastor from something which looked exactly like schwarma, and I said "Schwarma tacos!!" Turns out, that's exactly right - at least according to Wikipedia. Lebanese immigrants likely brought the dish to Mexico.
The funny thing about an actual Mexican restaurant is the little things - the rice has lima beans and corn in it and tastes great, and the beans - oh, the beans - they are amazing. Strangely amazing. I'm guessing it has something to do with pork fat or something. Whatever the story, it's great.
La Michuacan is attached to a very large - and very yellow - Mexican grocery store. The store is about the size of a CVS, so it seems as though it would be a great place to find any recherche Mexican ingredients you're looking for when cooking from an old Rick Bayless cookbook. There is an extensive produce section which had the biggest papayas I've ever seen, and a meat counter where you can buy 3 kinds of tripe and a few types of animal feet, to boot.
There are a few locations around town; the best place to find information on them is from Que Pasa? OSU (scroll down a bit to find the locations).
info: La Michoacana, 2175 Morse Road 614.475.7785
