I Went To There: Pinche Taqueria

You may notice that this picture is more or less identical to the one I posted in the I Want To Go To There entry for Pinche Taqueria, which I stole from the internet. But I actually took this one -- don't they look amazing? I and my taco-mates enjoyed these fish tacos at the Lafayette location of Pinche last night, along with an order of yucca fries, an ear of corn rolled in mayo, spices, and cojita cheese, and some Negro Modelos.

Pinche is a tiny, narrow space wedged into the tight triangle between Lafayette and Mulberry just below the Bleecker St. station. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you at these low wooden tables with little foot stools. When we got there around 8:30, there were only one or two other groups dining. An hour later, it was starting to fill up -- mostly with Europeans, a couple of whom scoffed at me when I removed their belongings from my taco-mate's seat. The cooks at Pinche watch sports on the television, and when their team wins, they shout and ring a bell.

As for the tacos, I think you can see that they were a thrill. The fish is tilapia, generously fried and garnished with cabbage, onions, cilantro, cilantro sauce, and a delicious guacamole. The tortillas, though perhaps a bit on the dry side, stayed together and were of an appropriate size to contain the toppings. The yucca fries came in a huge order -- good for sharing -- but might have lost some of the delicious root-vegetable chewiness of the yucca to over-frying. Still, they were wonderful with the two dipping sauces: cilantro mayonnaise and jalapeno ketchup (I preferred the latter.)

I'd love to go back to Pinche, but there are many other fish tacos in this city that are begging to be had and savored. Next up: Mercadito.