Taco Tuesday: El Chucho Cocina Superior
After our party of eight failed to get in on the opening night of this little Taqueria in Columbia Heights, we came back the next night with patience in tow. After an hour and a half wait well spent next door at Meridian Pint, and more than a little uncertainty from the welcoming albeit clearly flustered hostess, we managed to snag a table just as we thought all hope was lost. The epic storm on Friday made for a challenging debut and more storms were threatening to hit, so they were only seating folks in the very limited selection of indoor tables.
Of course we started off with a round of margaritas. Although I’m usually not a fan of frozen margs, after a hot day spent packing up a U-Haul, the frozen swirl of the classic lime with the strawberry habanero sounded like Heaven on Earth. The margaritas were quite good and the habanero has just the subtlest kick. The cocktails, ranging from $5 for a draft margarita to $10 for their fancier concoctions, are also extremely reasonably priced.
Although the chips and salsa is not complimentary as I think it should be, $2.5o won’t put you back too much and the salsa is good. The queso frito is not the melted queso you may have become accustomed to, but more similar to a large square mozzarella stick.
At the recommendation of our waiter (and the sight of the words “pork belly”), Courtney and I shared the Pasilla Rellena de Pansa, a pork belly filled pasilla chile with sweet and sour escabeche. Only slightly spicy, the chiles were covered with what resembled pulled pork more than what I generally think of as pork belly, shredded carrots, cheese and a creamy sauce. Good but not memorable.
Thanks to my great-grandfather I can’t turn down corn on the cob, so I also ordered a side of the Elote Callejero, “street style” corn on the cob slathered with butter, mayonnaise, more butter and cheese. Get this. Don’t ask questions, just get this.
Courtney got the chicken tacos, which he described as simple and good but again not memorable. Small tacos that come in an order of two, these are not going to fill you up on their own, but that’s okay given their price tag: $5.
If you want something more substantial, go for one of the Tortas. I ordered the Torta Ahogada, which is a baguette topped with adobo marinated pork, black beans, chihuahua cheese, onions and avocado and smothered in arbol salsa. It is basically the Mexican equivalent of a sloppy Joe, except sloppier. So much so that it is served with a pair of plastic gloves. This makes sharing difficult, but you probably won’t want to share anyways because this sandwich is really damn tasty.
Cocktails: $ Cheap and delicious
Food : $ Excellent price for some really good food, but I suppose it has to be to compete with the rich assortment of Mexican options in Columbia Heights. Dishes I’d like to try on a future visit include the Tripas Tacos, the Sonoran Dog and the Torta de Huazontle
Taco Tuesday Specials: I don’t believe so, but $5 margaritas all the time beats a happy hour special!
Atmosphere: Small with very limited seating, especially if the weather is bad. Also, due to the fire code, they can’t let people standing around the bar or on the patio. Plan to wait if you are there at peak hours, especially if you have a group of more than four. The good news is they’ll text you when your table is ready and there is no shortage of places to grab a drink close by.
Service: Friendly and prompt; the food comes out as it’s ready, but all of it came extremely fast once we ordered
