Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan
Once again we have a guest post from my man Jonathan. I love this post because I have been craving tacos like no one's business. And goat taco?!?! Anyone know where to get that in NYC? Please? Pretty please?
It's 2 am and I can't sleep. I've been working the night shift, and my clock is all messed up. So I'm awake watching my own Sergio Leone marathon - A Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Watching these movies makes me wonder two things: would I make a good cowboy, and what did cowboys really eat? As Clint Eastwood crosses the desolate desert landscape, there's no steaks or chili or barbeque in sight. The cuisine looks horrid. The land is barren and rocky. No, I imagine they would eat goat. Not that there's anything wrong with goat. It's just not very glamorous. It's the type of meat you think of eating only when pushed to it. Pushed hard. Hard like the life of a cowboy.
And that's when I wonder, where would I find goat in Chicago? I know that there are Birrerias around Chicago, but how do you go about picking one? It's about this time when my wife, who really hates my Clint Eastwood impersonation, mentions an article in Timeout in which Rick Bayless describes a small place in Pilsen, Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan.
And so I set out. I put on my boots and set out south. The journey is long a perilous (so many potholes!), but I make it safely to the Birreria. The restaurant is small with only a small space up front that doubles as a kitchen. The space is filled with about seven orange booths. The walls are covered with a smattering of decorations like small floral wreaths. At the very front of the restaurant is a small shelf, which holds an awesome grouping of miniature stuffed goats and cows. Along with this theme is a deer head mounted in the far back of the restaurant.
The menu is small with only a few choices. But what a menu! It is packed full of exciting taco choices - like cabeza, which is tender head meats (tongue and jowl) stewed together. I get a beef tongue taco, a goat taco, a goat stew and a horchata to wash it all down. The tongue taco is stunningly soft. The meat is juicy, well seasoned and with a dash of lime worth coming back for. The main event, however, is the birria (goat). Whether in a stew or in a taco, the goat meat is moist, tender and fabulous. It has a beefy quality with a milky finish. The stewed meat comes in a dark consommé that has a satisfyingly briny taste. In the stew, there are no wasted calories on distracting vegetation (with the exception of a few herbs). It's all meat; and it's all good.
I finish the meal and wonder why did I think that this was going to be hard? Poor goat; it's such a disrespected meat. Why don't we see more goat? Is lamb so different? As I lean back pondering and sipping at my horchata, it occurs to me: "if this is truly what cowboys would eat, then, yes, I would be an awesome cowboy."
Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan
1322 W 18th St .
Chicago, IL 60608
312-733-2613
Lots of the tacquerias on 5th Ave. in Sunset Park have goat (chivo) tacos.
Ben
August 12, 2008 2:35 pm
Jonathan, your posts should come with warnings. I click the link, look at the photo, drool, and then realize that my taco is 1000 miles away. If I only knew that my heart would be broken again and again....
The next time you're in NY, I demand long-distance take out.
Janice
August 12, 2008 5:02 pm
Just thinking of you in chaps on a horse makes me laugh. Good bye preppie, hello cowboy! Yee haa!
Jack
August 12, 2008 9:55 pm
time for us to go to chicago! and/or sunset park...
Ang
August 13, 2008 11:06 am
goat tacos can be found in NYC! coincidentally, i just wrote a post about tehuitzingo 2 days ago: http://www.bionicbites.com/2008/08/tres-tacos-from-tehuitzingo-nyc/
bionicgrrrl
August 15, 2008 11:21 am
Ben,
Thanks! I have yet to get down to 5th ave by Sunset Park. Maybe I will have to check it out before summer is over.
Janice,
I agree, Jonathan makes me crave for things that are impossible to get here in NY. I need some wings.
Jack,
But if Jon is the cowboy, does that make you the country music star?
Ang,
Chicago! We should totally go. Mmmm...
Bionicgrrl,
Cool! Thanks for the URL. And welcome to the blogosphere!
Danny
August 17, 2008 10:40 am
The vendors in Red Hook also sell goat tacos. When you enter the park, it's the farthest truck down on your right.
martha
September 1, 2008 10:28 am
Awesome! Thanks! Do you recommend any specific ones?
Danny
September 1, 2008 10:31 am